My parents are both alive, but I do have an odd story along these lines. When my DGM died at age 103, after having the same phone number for decades (at least 50 years, if not more), I called AT+T to end the service. The rep seemed more upset than me over her passing, and actually begged me to ask around in the family to see if anyone wanted to have her old house phone number "ported" out and become that person's cell number. The rep said, and I suppose it's true, that tons of us knew that number by heart, so why not keep using it? (And yes, I still remember it XXX-XXX-3454.)
I keep my grandparents' birthdays and anniversaries on my calendar from year to year, and always pause to think about them, how much they meant to me, and what a great example they set for myself and the rest of the family.
Terri