# Need help - right word for honoring deceased official

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-right-word-for-honoring-deceased-official/944053>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 11, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-right-word-for-honoring-deceased-official/944053 "2021-06-11T15:25:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-right-word-for-honoring-deceased-official/944053/1 "2021-06-11T15:25:21Z")

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Someone on my organization’s advisory council has just passed away. Rather than remove his name from our stationery and website, we’d like to keep it there for the remainder of his term but indicate that he has passed on. I know there is a proper way to do that, but I’m blanking on the correct term. Is it “in memoriam”?

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-right-word-for-honoring-deceased-official/944053/2 "2021-06-11T15:39:39Z")

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The Latin phrase _in memoriam_ means “in memory of” but that may not be want you want to say.

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**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-right-word-for-honoring-deceased-official/944053/3 "2021-06-11T15:44:09Z")

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This looks like a pretty good resource:

[https://www.formsofaddress.info/names/](https://www.formsofaddress.info/names/)

It agreed with my first instinct – to print it as:

John Q. Smith (1935 - 2021)

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**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-right-word-for-honoring-deceased-official/944053/4 "2021-06-11T16:03:59Z")

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Thanks! I would never have thought of putting the years of his life after his name, but it seems like a good option.

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**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-right-word-for-honoring-deceased-official/944053/5 "2021-06-11T16:35:23Z")

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Over here, I’ve seen a dagger or obelus symbol used to indicate someone deceased.