Is it odd to have dead people still on your Facebook friends?

[GingerNutMe]

So I have a couple of friends/family members that have sadly passed away but never taken them off my friendship list on Facebook. Is this normal, is it reasonable?

Whilst family can apply to Facebook for a profile to be closed I get the impression that it is laborious and often doesn't happen. I believe Facebook have a process where you can nominate someone on your behalf to deal with it so assume this is the better way but how many people do?

Just feels wrong for me to 'unfriend' these people but also feels strange to have dead peoples profiles appear.

Thoughts on a postcard ..........................

My lovely friend died 3 years ago and he is still on my FB friends list, I leave the occasional message on his page too or post a photo on what would have been his birthday. Other friends do it too. His family are ok with us doing this. If they wanted they could close his account I’m sure. It’s a comfort for us all to share photos and memories.

I try to wish all my friends "Happy Birthday" on their birthday. I did this for a friend who I have not seen since he was at my wedding in 1973. I then got a message from his niece to say he had died. No-one had posted anything on his profile to show that he was dead.
I do like memorial pages as it keeps all the photos etc safe.

I think if they remain on FB then yes it's not weird to leave them on.

However people in control of the deceased affairs may know the deceased would like the account to be removed, I completely understand that.

I am still married to my late DP on Facebook.

I still have access to his page if I charge his phone.

Most of our photos and memories are there.

Sometimes I still tag him in things I think would amuse him.

It's almost a way of communicating with the dead.Ouija boards don't appear to work so there you go.

Mind you it's only been a year and I'm somewhat in Miss Haversham phase.

My late Mum is also on there. It's nice sometimes to look back.

Other times I want to mainline vodka through my eyeballs and plot the burning of the world.

Modern times eh?

Always a double edged sword.

Friends and family of my dear deceased friend still post on her page on her birthday and the anniversary of her death, just to say we still miss her and think of her often. She died after a short, brutal fight with cancer, just a month before her 32nd birthday.

I think it brings us all some comfort.

Turned my mums profile to a tribute page, it wasn't difficult at the time. Just had to send a link to an obituary.

I have a few dead Fb friends, and it doesn't seem all that weird. Sometimes people post things on their birthday or the anniversary of their death, and those posts can be nice to read.

I still have a friend who died 6 years ago on mine. Every so often people will post a memory on her page or her brother will tag the profile in a post on his page. It’s nice to keep her in peoples minds I think.

Not a problem. They don't exactly update often.

I have a few, now late, FB friends including my younger brother. I would never remove them. I love still receiving memories and being able to look at pictures. People still remember my brother on his birthday and days such as Christmas. I really appreciate that.

My mam just died suddenly, I could never remove her off my Facebook! Sometimes I send her a message on messenger...it's nice to see her in Facebook memories too.

No, i dont remove dead friends

I have a couple and people wish them a happy birthday

There is no way I'm deleting my dear Mum off my facebook friends.

Never really thought of it tbh. I know you can nominate someone to memorialise your account but it seems weird to ask even DH if he would do that. I reckon I’ll just come off SM when I’m older 😆

If anyone dies on my friend’s list I delete them right away. Otherwise it just feels a bit macabre.

I have one and it’s a ‘in memory’ page.

No I still have my late dad on my Facebook. We did talk about making his account into a "Remembering" one but apparently all your messages to them get wiped so decided against it.
My mobile phone numbers still say mum and dad 😭

I have my dead friend on Facebook. I don't understand why I'd remove them?

It has all the old comments from mutual and extended friends and family, pics/memories and also the 'Memories' thing I get where chats between us come up on my profile. If I deleted the page that be gone forever. It's a 'Remembering X' page now and I like having it.

It's pretty easy to close down an account, you need a photo of a death certificate, or a photo of a document to prove a familial/ executor connection and an order of service if no death certificate is available. The account was closed almost instantly by Facebook. It's a lot easier and more straight forward and faster than many would think.

The family don't have to delete the profile; they can get it memorialised so it says "Remembering John Smith".
That would be ideal; but with regard to defriending dead people, do what you want. Some people like to be remind of the memories and some don't.

I have 3 on mine - all friends and colleagues - I remember them on their birthdays FB reminds me and I’m grateful for that - I’ve never considered removing them

I like having them still, sometimes memories pop up that make me smile and people still tag him in posts when they’re thinking about him or see/do something that makes them think of him and I like that people still remember him like this.

I have friends on Facebook who died as long as a decade ago that I can't bring myself to delete.

I also have dead people come up as suggested friends which feels strange.

After my Dad died we tried to get Facebook to remove his profile, it was a long and drawn out thing and they didn't do it.
Now I'm wondering if his FB friends still have him as a friend, 13 years later !

I like having them still, but the birthday reminders sometimes make me feel really sad.