I will never forget the day my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The doctors gave her just three months to live, so I made it my mission to be her fiercest advocate, fighting alongside her.
Against all odds, she defied the initial prognosis and was blessed with a year of being cancer-free. But then, cruelly and without warning after four long years, the cancer returned with a vengeance, taking my wonderful mother from us on Sept. 19, 2021.
Then, I did something I’d never done before: I was the executor of an estate.
Shutting down a person’s digital life
Your loved one’s cellphone is the key to important information. From stored passwords to two-factor authentication codes, so many services are tied to our phones.
Without access, retrieving this information can become a frustrating task. Having the phone active lets you easily access accounts, manage subscriptions and handle final bills without the added stress of trying to prove your identity to various service providers.
Keep their phone active for at least six months. If cost is an issue, call the carrier and get the cheapest plan possible. It’ll be on Wi‑Fi most of the time anyway.
Save the memories
Take a deep breath and look on the phone for important things:
- Sentimental text conversations: Screenshot and email them to yourself, or, better yet, use one of these options.
- Photos and videos: Sync them to a cloud account of yours or send them to yourself another way.
- Voicemails: Save them so they last forever.
- Check the Notes app: Look for important information, instructions or personal thoughts that should be saved.
Pass on the passcode
Without the passcode, getting into the phone can be nearly impossible. Even a simple four-digit PIN has 10,000 possible combinations, and most smartphones will lock you out after several failed attempts — or even wipe all the data from the phone.
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