Grieving family want teddy back

[dentydown]

This is a tricky one. We have a family friend who died recently. On one visit (about 6 months ago) she gave my little one a teddy (she’s 2.5 years old).
This teddy has become a comforter for her. So she won’t go to sleep without the teddy. Her eldest daughter has asked her husband for it back as a memento.
Her husband (widower) says no, the teddy should remain with my little one because she will get more pleasure out of it.
I want to give it back because, she was estranged from her mum and it’s the only reminder. I can’t find a duplicate or one similar but I’m still searching.
They’ve told the daughter that the home threw out her soft toys at the moment.
Wwyd I’m torn!

An old worn teddy from childhood could easily have sentimental value

Umm bit embarrsing to say this but my olde ted still sits on an olde chair in the corner of my room some 60 odd years later;!

In no way is that embarrassing - you just like spending time with one of your very oldest friends

I would absolutely give it to the daughter. She has lost her mother and sounds like she has little family support around her and is grieving. I would not hesitate.
Your DD will manage with an alternative.

I wonder if the OP is coming back? I can't see how we can really help without some clarifications from her. One question I had was whether the friend had dementia or something similar, simply because our relative, even in the early days, started to throw things away and give both silly or significant things away to various people - family, friends, acquaintances, strangers - even in the early days. Sometimes this was done to hurt family members they were angry with on that particular day. Some important things were lost in this way, and not always returned, even if that was very obviously what would have been the decent thing to do. I'm not saying this is the situation here of course.

And the creative assertions continue : sounds like she has little family support around her

There absolutely no evidence for that statement at all - it may be the case of course but the OP has not said it.

All we know is the dd was estranged from her dm and doesn't get on with her step father. She may well have a father, siblings, DP or DH . She may have adult children herself ...we simply do not know!