seriously, i have had to do this more then once. i worked with cancer patients and looked after them to the day they died. i hated calling in the middle of the night the most. i would never tell them over the phone, i always tell them that the patient is deteriating and they should make their way to the hospital. once they are safely at the hospital i would let them know there family member had passed away. it never got any easier over 10 years.

Yes, the day my mother died, my brother and his wife had left to go out of state to see her father, as he was terminally ill, and not expected to survive the week. I had to call my sister in law on her cell phone, to tell them to turn around and come back. It wasn't the way I would have wanted to do it, over the phone, and I would rather have told my brother, instead of making his wife do it, but he was driving, and couldn't answer his phone. I pretty much just said it straight out, "How far away are you? Well, tell Wayne to turn around and come back. Mom passed away this morning, they think it was a blood clot"

I had to tell my fiancee's best friend about his death. I tried to be very gentel when I did it, but I was such a mess myself that we just ended up screaming and crying into each other's ears for about ten minutes. I also had to inform two of his other friends. One before the funeral and one a week after when her daughter accidently called our house looking for her cousin who has the same name. And the girl he was in love with in high school who tried to get back into his life in October. I never herd back from her to this day and it's been over a month. But the hardest one was when I tried to tell my six year old son about his best bud dying and his father refused to let me talk to him or let him come to the funeral because it wasn't my turn and he was in bed.

Yes on two occasions . Both too close to me to have any length of converation Just 'Robbie is dead' and "Peter died 5 min ago" I could not manage details at that time and probably had not taken them in myself

I wrote personal letters to the wives of three men that I was in the military with, because I was with them when they died and I felt an obligation to try and make it abit easier on the family if I could. Very tough letters to write, but I was thanked profusely when I got home by those I wrote, who said the letters made is more humanistic and less "military formal."

Yes i did. i told my friend when my other friend died. she walked in the door to the classroom and she asked why i looked really sad, and all i said was "She died last night." nothing more than that. she got it though. later i realized i didn't have too because our teacher explained it to all of us.

I had to tell my aunt about my Dad's death. She is my Dad's sister. It was very early in the morning. She and I cried together.

Yes. When my ex's father died, her sister called me, because we all knew how hysterical and emotional my ex would be, and she wanted someone to tell her in person. I drove over to where she worked, without calling her first. When I walked in she looked up surprised, grinned and asked why I was there. I didn't smile back. She knew something was up. All the way over there I'd tried to think of what to say and how to say it, and it all went right out of my mind. I said, "Your sister called me...", she stopped smiling, immediately looking worried, stood up, started toward me, and asked what was wrong. I said, "She said your father died." The worried look was replaced by disbelief and pain.. She said something like, "You're lying"... and I said "No." I hugged her while she cried, and a few minutes later we left to get our kids and go to her parents' home. I explained to the people shw worked with, had to get the kids from the daycare, and drive. She was, as we knew she'd be, hysterical and crying the whole way to her parents. It was probably the hardest thing I ever did. I DID have another time, too. My mother's mother (my grandmother) died while Mom and Dad were on a cruise with Dad's brothers and their wives. It was the day after my mother's birthday. My brother had tried to get hold of them, but couldn't. I left email messages, and voice-mail messages. When Dad finally called, I told him, and he had to tell my Mom. (My grandmother had had lived across the alley from them, She had gotten Alzheimer's and my parents, especailly my mother, were her caretaker. My brother and sister were caring for her while they took the trip.) They were in the Panama Canal at the time, and there was no way to leave the ship until it ported three days later.

Yes, just in January past my mother died suddenly and i had to phone my sister in South Africa to tell her, luckily her hubby answered the phone and he knew right away from my voice something bad had happened,so he actually told her.

I had to tell my 90yr old nan who is deaf as anything about dad down the ward phone, try breaking news to someone at 11pm on a cancer ward, to someone deaf as a post whilst in shock and blubbing like mad, it's a nightmare, i tried telling her about dad but i had to shout and i couldnt...didn't have it in me, then i had to ring my mum and she told my sister and brothers..one night i'll never forget as it was sudden.

Yeah, suct yo... Started with a big hug and went down from there.

Yes. The worst was when I had to tell my mother that my sister, her youngest daughter had died. Mum knew my sister was terminally ill, but I'd told her that I wouldn't tell her on the phone. So when I went round to my mum's that day, looking like I wasn't really worried she knew right away. I just said, 'She's gone, Mum'. My mum nodded and looked sadder than a New Orleans Jazz Band following a funeral procession.