same name - wrong obit

hensylee · Aug 25, 2006

yesterday I received my daily radio e-news and I generally try to remember to go to the end and read the obits. Lots of them, I know or have heard of because this is a small town and a rural area.

Imagine my complete surprise when I read that "Mr Richard T(*((( " passed away at his , etc, etc." That is my brother's name, but my brother is very much alive (well, sort of, anyway). There is a man in the area with the exact same name who has died. We knew about him but didn't know him. My granddaughter was out and about today, ran into all sorts of people who extended their condolences. I emailed a couple of locals to let them know it's not our Richard, asked the radio station if anyone asks, tell them it's not our Richard. I rather expect there would be loads of phone calls except my number is unlisted. As someone once said 'the news of my (brother's) demise is greatly exaggerated'. The viewing was tonight and I wonder how many of Richard's friends showed up and then will go to the funeral tomorrow.

I have heard of this happening to people, but never knew any of them - til now.

Mary · Aug 25, 2006

Ann,
I'm glad it's not your Richard, but I'm sorry for the other man's family. As you said, I've heard of it happening, but never knew anyone personally that it happened to.

Dennis S · Aug 26, 2006

Strange

Strange

This is going to sound strange, but is the absolute truth. When my father was born in Kansas there were many Smith's. To avoid similar names, and because he was the fifth child born of that marriage, he was named Quentin Thorne Smith. He always went by the initials, Q.T. Smith. My father never ran into someone of that same name until he joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota Dental School. (He was not a dentist, but that is another story). Also on the faculty, with an office a few doors down the hall was the only other Q. T. Smith he ever met. Although the names were the same, the two men could not have been more different. My father is one of the most outgoing men you would ever meet. I have seen him speak to 2,000 people from notes on the back of his business-&-and hold them spellbound for 90 minutes. He has always made friends instantly-I have seen him do it in the time it took for an elevator to travel 10 floors. He is a dedicated outdoors guy and is still a powerful man. At age 80 he rides a bicycle 5 miles every day.

The other Q.T. Smith was the world's leading expert on human saliva. He was happy as a quiet, solitary man, and his idea of the outdoors was the walk between the parking ramp and the lab.

Between his personality & extravagent shoping for fishing equipment, my dad is a star at the biggest sporting goods store in St. Paul, Minnesota. The saliva expert passed on a few years ago. About two months later my dad went into the sporting goods store. "My God, Q.T. is alive", etc. They had read the obituary for the other Q. T. Smith, and assumed they had lost their friend.

And now for the rest of the story: After everyone calmed down, and the handshakes & back slapping ended, one of the clerks got a funny look on his face, and then said.."We bought a giant sympathy card-we all wrote a little something about your fishing trip to Alaska, pheasant hunting in South Dakota, the way you were always the first to buy the latest fishing gear. And we all wondered what the widow thought of the card & cash gift from the folks at Joes Sporting Goods. We never did know what she thought.

barbwil · Aug 26, 2006

same name, wrong surgery-- almost

same name, wrong surgery-- almost

My husband and I have very common names. We have seen his written up in the obits many, many times!

When he was referred to the Cleveland Clinic for a heart cath. the local cardio had me pick up his history and other relevant medical papers IN A SEALED ENVELOPE. Ha, ha. Fortunately I had that open in minutes and he had things in there that were a surprise to me!! They gave me another patient's records

.

Years ago I was given my pre-op meds for minor surgery and was put in a holding pattern under the board that listed all the procedures being done that day. I saw my name twice!! I fought those meds so hard, determined they would NOT knock me out til I heard my surgeon's voice! Years later I was doubled over in pain with acute pancreatitis in the ER and the woman at the desk called a nurse from another room to tell her we had the same name. I was NOT impressed that time!

Fortunately, most of the offices around here ask for your birthdate when they check the computer and then check out your address and telephone number.

Makes life interesting!!

That is so funny about your dad, Dennis. Wonder what the odds are of that happening with such an unusual name.

Lorraine · Aug 27, 2006

Hi Anne,

That's awful! Did you tell your brother about it?

A friend of mine went through something just as awful about 8 years ago. He had the same name as a man who was wanted by the law for drug trafficking! THe other guy lived somewhere in the same area! My friend went thorugh a lot of hassle to prove he wasn't the one they were looking for! They did finally catch the real guy!

I also was a victim of mixed up medical files once. It turns out there is a women who has the same exact name as me (only different year of birth). They pulled my chart instead of hers when she went in for a pap test. Guess who got the bill? I had headaches straightening that one out. I had my pap about 6 months before that and knew I had paid my co-pay. So now everytime I go to any of my doctors (it turns out she has the same family doctor, gyne and cardio as I do) I ask them to check the chart to make sure they got the right one!

That could be crucial if I had to go to the hsopital and I was given the wrong meds becasue they puled the wrong chart!

hensylee · Aug 27, 2006

I don';t know if Nancy (sister) will tell him or if he can even take it in. Maybe on one of his good days. He'd say 'well, his creditors won't bother me anymore'.

I, too, had someone with the exact same name in the last place where I lived for 20 yrs. When I bought/sold property, it showed up in courthouse records -and she had a judgment against her! I finally signed a document and had it recorded in the courthouse (where I also worked) that I was not her. Coincidently right here in this town, I am told there is someone with my name, too, but she's apparently ok, socially and economically and doesn't owe anybody!