What does preceded in death mean?

Even though it's considered more correct to say that someone was predeceased, many say preceded in death. It simply means that someone died before another. For example, if a woman died and her husband had died a year earlier, one might say that the woman was predeceased by her husband by one year. read more

They are talking about the deceased and their relationship to the remaining surviving family members. (e.g.: John was "preceded in death" by his wife Joan.) In the example, Joan preceded John in death. read more

verb (used with object), preceded, preceding. 1. to go before, as in place, order, rank, importance, or time. 2. to introduce by something preliminary; preface: to precede one's statement with a qualification. verb (used without object), preceded, preceding. 3. to go or come before. read more