What Happens to Everything You Have Online When You Die?

Many of you may not know that my mom passed away on November 8, 2014.  She was only 63 and died from complications of pneumonia and stubbornness.  I say stubbornness because she was sick and just kept thinking she would get better, so she didn’t seek help until it was too late.

When it happened I immediately posted it on Facebook which I am so thankful to Mark Zuckerberg for because it saved me hundreds of phone calls, conversations, explanations, and tears. People began sharing their memories and condolences on Facebook.  I knew eventually I wanted to either memorialize the page or print everything on it and then delete it. I’m not a fan of having a deceased persons account notifying me of their birthday the following year.

My brother and I were faced with the task of flying to Florida (where she passed) and taking care of her physical estate (that’s a whole different blog by the way).  After I returned home I went through all of her paperwork in hopes of finding a list of passwords to all of her accounts.  She had used the same password for many years so of course I tried that first to no avail. It seems that she finally wised up and changed it but didn’t let anyone know what it was.

I have always had access to her Facebook because I would update it and put new pictures of Sam (her grandson) on there for her.  She didn’t let me know she changed her password the very last time.  So I have struggled and tried a hundred times to figure it out but my mom was unpredictable when it came to passwords.  Same goes for all of her e mail accounts as well.

I have had to look up policies for each account she had and see how to close the accounts or see if they would eventually be closed.  I know her yahoo account has already been hacked because I recently received an e mail from it.  As for Facebook, I have already printed everything everyone wrote and in time I will close it.  I don’t even really want to memorialize it, but some people might want that for their loved ones.

This is a discussion you and your spouse, parents, adult children or anyone else who’s information you may be entrusted with need to have.  It’s so much easier when you have wishes and passwords.  I’ve included a few of the links I have found below:

What will happen to my Facebook account if I pass away?

What is a Facebook Legacy Contact?

Google Inactive Account Manager: Decide What Happens to Your Account After You Die

Options available when a Yahoo Account owner passes away

How do I report a deceased person’s account on Instagram?

Contacting Twitter about a deceased user or media concerning a deceased family member

How do I close the account of a LinkedIn member who passed away?

What happens to your bank account when you die?

I’m also including a link to my friend Kim Oser’s blog which includes a downloadable form that includes the most common articles you will need and indicates where they are located, “Are You Prepared For Death and Dying?”

Book to read: “Your Digital Afterlife: When Facebook, Flickr and Twitter Are Your Estate, What’s Your Legacy? (Voices That Matter)”

I hope this helps you and your family prepare for the future.