Does anyone else send condolence cards?
JBK
Posts: 14,734 ✭✭✭✭✭
There seems to have been a spate of notable passings lately.
If someone I really admired or someone I had corresponded with passes away, I often will send a card or note to the family to extend condolences.
I don't necessarily expect a reply but I have gotten some very nice ones over the years.
I am wondering if anyone else does this.
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I have done this before but on very rare occasions. I had not received a reply in the past due to the passing being very well known and probably flooded with condolences from millions of others. However if the passing is of someone not as well known I can see how the family might respond. Might get some good responses. Reminds me of that Joe Biden senator letter someone had referencing his wife and child’s death in the car crash. Makes for very interesting content.
Myself & my ex-wife went to Red Grange's house in Indian River Estates Florida in about 1988ish.
Right by his development entrance was a Cumberland Farms and I found him in the phone book and called and his wife answered and I asked if I could please come to get an autograph on an item she said sure I'm just baking cookies come on over !
I sat at his place for over an hour eating chocolate chip cookies and him telling me old time stories about leather helmet days of playing football. it's one of my most Treasured Memories from getting over 5000 autographs in my years.
So when he passed we sent flowers & a card. How could I not..
Wow!
I guess not too many people do.
We're in a class by ourselves Lol
wow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Panama
I actually send birthday cards to about 20 guys a year...I'd rather have them see my appreciation while they are alive.
IMF
Years ago, my grandparents did it. When then-Vice President Nixon's father died, they must've sent such a card, and received a reply back. Have always assumed this was a secretarial signature.
Still a keeper but most likely autopen or secretarial.
After the recent passing of Prince Philip I sent condolence notes to the Queen as well as his four children. So far all have responded except the queen, which surprised me.
No signatures on the replies, of course, but an interesting mix of cards and letters, and it's always fun to get mail with the royal coat of arms on it. It keeps the people at the post office guessing and helps keep them in line.
I agree. I like any response even if there is no autograph. I find it interesting I sent the Obama Family a condolence card after the passing of their dog and never got any response but know of others who did - they got a printed response so I was surprised I didn’t get anything.
Since according to the missus, I only have two faults, everything I say and everything I do, I send a condolence card every year to my wife! On our wedding anniversary. Condolences, from me, for me, with my deepest sympathy, for being married to me!
We both get a kick out of it, as the best comedy has a basis in truth to it!
I was going through some stuff today and rediscovered some thank you cards and letters that I had received after sending condolences to the families of various notable people. In most cases I had previously corresponded with the notable person who had passed away, but in a couple cases I had written to the notable person when they lost a family member.
One reply was a warm and appreciative letter from Walter Mondale after his daughter Eleanor passed away.
Another was a printed thank you card that was hand-signed by sister and brother Billie Jean King and (former MLB pitcher) Randy Moffitt, sent after I had written to extend condolences on the loss of their mother.
It is a very special item but something about it bothers me. It has an unusual combination of two famous sports celebrities but it involves such a personal part of their lives that I can't view it as an autographed collectable. I'll keep it, of course, but I won't put it in an album with other "autographs".
Does anyone else have any similar items that are so personal that they fall outside the normal boundaries of autograph collecting?
Back in February when George P. Shultz passed away I sent his family a note to extend my condolences. I had gotten a number of things signed by him over the years so I thought it would be an appropriate gesture.
They acknowledged my note months ago, but today I also received this invitation to the services to be held this week (email address edited out for their privacy). I felt it was a very thoughtful thing for the family to do.
I had sent a condolence letter to the family of Gen. Colin Powell after he passed away a few months ago. Today I got back a nice printed thank you card with a handwritten note inside and signed by his widow.
I had gotten many TTM successes from him over the years so I wanted to be sure to pay my respects to his family.