"Tirade Against "He Passed Away" You never hear it said, "He is passing away." It is always a fait accompli. "He passed." How I hate it. As if the body had nothing to do with it, as if the body hadn't even been around at the time but off playing Scrabble somewhere, or having a drink while the tenant moved out. Dying is the body's call, the shutting down of services is the body's last bit of business. Give credit where credit is due. Honor the process. Consider the simple dignity of "She is dying." Or "He died." It is interesting to think of it as a verb."