A chip off the old blockhead

[MoonCat]

So earlier this week I had a call at work from a guy who was pissed, PISSED I TELL YOU!! about a "mistake" in his relative's obit.

When I started to explain that he needed to call the funeral home and have them call us (company policy), he snarked "I'm going to complain and YOU'RE going to listen."

Well fine. I listened. Couldn't do a damn thing about the problem as MY dept. doesn't handle obits, but why let reality get in the way of a good temper tantrum?

I transferred him to the appropriate dept. Today I learned that he had called last weekend and yelled at the weekend death notice person. He was going to sue! He'll sue the company!! He'll sue her personally!! He's going to call his lawyer!!!

Why, you ask....?

It seems the person who died was Firstname Lastname Sr., his dad was Jr., and he (the caller)...was Firstname Lastname III. And we had committed the unforgiveable sin of NOT LISTING HIM AS "III".

And how was YOUR week?

[dalesys]

Isn't III short for T'ird?

[mjr]

It seems the person who died was Firstname Lastname Sr., his dad was Jr., and he (the caller)...was Firstname Lastname III. And we had committed the unforgiveable sin of NOT LISTING HIM AS "III".

And how was YOUR week?

Technically, you didn't mess up.

If I understand this correctly, since his dad and his grandfather had the same name, if they were all alive, THEN he would be III.

I have a cousin like that. His dad is my uncle. He has his dad's name, so he's Jr. And he had a son, who he also gave the same name to, which makes the son III.

But they're all alive at the same time.

I think if the grandfather is deceased, that makes the "Jr" the "Sr", and then when the man's father passed on, that makes him lose the III.

I think that's how it works, technically.

Man, some people...

[RealUnimportant]

No, the titles remain even after death. He's still the third in a line of people with the same name, regardless of how many are still alive.

Hopefully the last too, with that attitude!

[Aragarthiel]

He'd have to still be the third, since that's probably what's listed on all of the government documents he's ever had to fill out.

[Evannah]

OMG pretentious prick. He needs to get that big stick out of his arse. Sorry that you and your coworkers had to deal with his temper tantrum.

[nutraxfornerves]

No, the titles remain even after death. He's still the third in a line of people with the same name, regardless of how many are still alive.

Actually, that's not how it works, unless you happen to be royalty. At least according to traditional etiquette.

Senior is not supposed to use a title at all. The eldest John Smith is just John Smith. His son is John Smith, Jr. His grandson is John Smith III. When Sr. dies, every one moves up. Jr. loses his suffix. He's now just John Smith. III is now Junior.

It's usual, however, to wait until Senior is safely planted before altering suffixes, so there is no confusion about who is meant by which name

The exception would be if Dad was seriously prominent and Jr. is tired of being confused with him. John F. Kennedy, Jr. would be an obvious example.

Sr.'s wife, who of course has always gone by Mrs. John Smith, is now entitled to call herself Mrs. John Smith, Sr., to distinguish herself from her daughter-in-law. If she is socially prominent enough, she may just call herself Mrs. Smith, because everyone knows who that is.

If there is a nephew or third cousin or something who was named after John Smith, he is, and always will be John Smith II, unless all the John Smiths have met their makers.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Just out of curiosity,how far down can it go. Can we end up with Joe Bloggs VI? IX? XIII?

Roman numerals-don't just help you escape from tigers....

[wolfie]

Senior is not supposed to use a title at all. The eldest John Smith is just John Smith. His son is John Smith, Jr. His grandson is John Smith III. When Sr. dies, every one moves up. Jr. loses his suffix. He's now just John Smith. III is now Junior.

While Gilligan's Island is not considered an authoritative source on etiquette, and "off-island" relatives and their status was not part of the series canon, Mr. Howell was old enough that it would be unlikely for him to have a living parent (goes double for living grandparents). Even so, he self-identified as "Thurston Howell the Third".

[Aragarthiel]

I'm waiting for a "Holes" reference, but since I haven't seen one, I'll just say it: Stanley Yelnats IV.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Just out of curiosity,how far down can it go. Can we end up with Joe Bloggs VI? IX? XIII?

Roman numerals-don't just help you escape from tigers....

In my late aunt's first hubby's family, my late uncle was First Middle Lastname IV. When their first of their 3 boys were born, he was christened First Middle Lastname V.

IIRC his eldest son (by ex #1) was named First Middle Lastname VI.

Of course there are some royal houses that when the new monarach is crowned, he takes the roman numeral of whatever his first name is and goes up one (if there have been a predecessor with the same first name.

[mathnerd]

In the US, at least, the suffix is part of the legal name, so it does *not* change upon the death of one of the previous name-holders. My son is a Jr. (against my will, but that's another rant). The Jr. is part of his legal name, on his birth certificate, on his state-issued ID cards, part of his school and medical records and so on and so forth. The (eventual) death of his father won't change that at all.

[MoonCat]

The thing that gets me is that whoever reads the obit, upon seeing the senior and the junior, should be able, without taxing their brain cells too greatly, to figure out that the third person in the family bearing that first name MUST, in fact, be III. (Or turd...thanks Dalesys! ) even if not so designated in print. Big whoop.

[Lovecats]

When my Dad died they misspelled my first name in the obit. We didn't get upset or yell at anybody. The paper in my hometown was famous for the mistakes it made.

[Limescale]

I have a cousin who was born as the third person to bear his grandfather's name. First thing he did upon turning 21? Change his name to something unique and of his own choosing cause no way was he going to go to his grave known as 'Harry III of *Family's Surname*'.

Think his birth certificate is the only legal document that retains his original moniker. Even in grade school he asked that any awards he won (and he did win many) bear his preferred name.