Is the husband of my mother's sister my uncle, even if he perished before I was born?

Question

This question is related to an original question asked 9 years ago but with a twist. The OP was asking about familial titles

This was the original question.

This may seem an odd and morbid question, but I am curious about the use of relative familial titles when the family member you are referring to died prior to your birth. For example, say my mother has a brother named Bruce. How would I refer to my mother's brother Bruce if he died before I was born?

A lot of answers suggested that the individual was still this person's uncle. The original question implies a blood connection.

Now my question implies no blood connection.

Is the husband of my mother's sister my uncle, even if he perished before I was born?

Okay, to clarify. My Aunt had remarried by the time I was born and I recognised this second individual as my uncle. It's just in conversation the other day, and for more information I am a first generation Australian of British descent, a newly immigrated Chinese friend of mine referred to him as my uncle.

Another clarification from a question asked. The sentence from my Chinese friend, fairly verbatim, was "So your uncle died and then your Auntie moved to Australia and 4 years later your parents followed" And I had also explained that I had been born 3 years after my parents arrived in Australia. So I'm not sure if she was trying to westernise her grammar or if it was a direct translation from her cultural point of view. Next time we speak, which will be tonight AEDST I'll query her and try to understand what she meant, she's a very pleasant person and will take no offense to me trying to understand her understanding of familial titles.

Answer 1

Yes.

It makes no difference whether the relationship was by blood or by marriage.

It makes no difference whether the deceased person died before or after you were born.

Death of one spouse indeed ends a marriage. But it is still OK to refer to someone as another's husband or wife, even if the person you're talking about is dead. To see this, you need only read historical accounts which refer to married couples.

So if your aunt is now a widow, it's still OK to refer to her deceased husband as your uncle.

How could it be otherwise? Are we not to speak of the dead at all?

Answer 2

If the OP doesn't feel any biological or familial bond to someone they have never met in life they are not to blame. It's up to the OP what they call their aunt's dead husband.

If a widow refers to her late husband as “uncle” to her nephews and nieces, it suggests she considers him a permanent member of the family and to all intents and purposes he is their uncle.

The OP, however, is free to call the deceased person by his first name; by his title, uncle, or by any another expression, e.g., my aunt's late husband. Although the latter would be confusing if in the meantime she had remarried, it would seem that her most recent husband had died.

Answer 3

I would say yes... Your grandfather (or great-grandfather) doesn't stop being your grandfather just because he died before you were born, right? If your father got your mother pregnant, went off to war, and died before you were born, he would still be your father, right?