If you aren’t using “late,” how else do you refer to someone who has died? “My dead mother used to say”? “My husband, who died, …”
There isn’t a graceful way to say this except “late.” I have found if I don’t, people ask me how the person is doing and answering “dead” just seems awkward.
I occasionally read my small, hometown newspaper online.
In the obituary section, instead of saying “Chuck died yesterday…” it is quite common for the obits to begin with:
“John entered the arms of his savior…”
“Mary was called to heaven…”
“Joe entered the kingdom of god…”
And sometimes, there seems to have been hundreds of people watching this event as it always says, “They were surrounded by all their family and friends…”, which has to be kind of intimidating and scary to have them all hovering and watching you until you croak.
Of course, even worse is when someone says, “I buried my dad yesterday…” and I just so much want to ask, “What kind of shovel did you use? Was the dirt hard? How long did it take you to dig down those six feet and was it hard to climb out?”
From a friend sometime in the '80s: ‘I went back to the old hometown last week, and I ran into Dave. I asked him how things were there, and he said, “Horrible! We buried Bill Johnson last month.” I was like, “What? Bill Johnson died?” Dave said, “No, we just buried him. That’s what’s so horrible.”’
This reminds me of the story about a man who in a speech referred to Winston Churchill as “the late Chancellor of the Exchequer”. Churchill (who was present) took joking umbrage at being referred to in this manner, but was told that it sounded funny to call him the “ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer”.
And that’s my incredibly obscure and minimally amusing anecdote for the day. 
There’s always “nailed to the perch” or “just resting”.
What about “gone to join the choir invisible”
When the time comes, I would prefer that the Ottlets refer to me as “no longer vooming.” The fact that I rarely if ever voomed, 10,000 volts or no 10,000 volts, is beside the point.
Don’t forget “rightsized,” which may be even worse. ‘It turns out we were wrong to ever hire those people because the company wasn’t supposed to be that size.’
I like this one 
I will use it to blow my nose, it being the only meltable paper product normally found in our bathroom.
Well, my husband, brother and mother were there when my Dad kicked the bucket. It was our daily hospital visit [he was in the ICU, having stroked out postoperatively from a random blood clot.]
And I love the evil people on this board 
I could see asking about the shovel and if the dirt was hardpan or not
I am to be “Declared a Surplus” along with the rest of my group next Friday, as our jobs are sent to California. Try to imagine the immense comfort we all draw from that…
Bull. I never even heard it until a few years ago. Certainly it wasn’t common. “Passed away” is older, although I have never used it. I think “died” marks us old farts (or “golden agers”).
And just to show how learned I am, I will mention that “toilet” comes from the diminutive of the French word “toile” which is a curtain. The path from that to the ceramic defecatorium is long and twisted.
Do you work for Mr. Scrooge?
Dr. Watson’s ceramics workshop where he moonlighted.
That would be Crapper, since the apparatus was popularized by Thomas Crapper.
Johnny, I agree with you about death, dying and dead. When My son died I almost attacked the woman at the funeral home (another) kept saying he was “taken,” “passed,” or “left us.” I screamed at her that he had DIED!
My husband’s euphemism for death is “Bit the farm.” He is the king of mixed metaphors.
The EMS secret metaphor is DRT. (Dead right there.)
Nope. Me too. Context matters, but to my ear “Joe died” sounds blunt and uncaring in a clinical “brutally honest” way. When I’m addressing anyone who cared for/about the ex-parrot, I say “passed away” even though I don’t like it or any of the other euphemisms.
Pssst- see post #33
I suppose it depends on the procedure. My doctor told me that there may be some discomfort from the prostate check. He was right- no pain, but it sure wasn’t comfortable.
These stupid euphemisms for firing people annoy me, too – especially “rightsized.” Grrrr.
I do feel the need to point out, however, that “fired” and “laid off” have different meanings legally.
They didn’t say “passed” but they did say “passed on” or “passed away.”
I really appreciated the doctor who did my bone marrow biopsy years ago. He said, “I’m going to give you a local anesthetic, but it won’t really change the fact that sucking marrow out of your hip bone is going to hurt. I’ll try my best to keep it to a minimum.” I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything that painful in my life. I was glad he let me mentally prepare myself.
Hmm…
[QUOTE=Wiki link]
[…] Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. He did, however, do much to increase the popularity of the toilet, and developed some important related inventions, such as the ballcock.
[/QUOTE]
[Stephen Fry] Ball… cock. [/Stephen Fry]
My doctor always points out that it’s no walk in the park for him, either. I mention that I’m paying him to do it.
By then it’s over.
In what way is saying passed instead of died refusing to face reality?