What is a polite way of asking about cause of death to a patient's spouse?

I'm trying to find out about a patient's cause of death. What is a polite way of asking about cause of death to a patient's spouse?





Thank you!!What is a polite way of asking about cause of death to a patient's spouse?
I would say, ';This is a difficult question to ask, and if you prefer not to answer, I understand, but for professional reasons, I need to know your husband's cause of death.';





When I was in the insurance business and we asked for a check with the application, if the customer balked, we were instructed to say, ';It's customary.';





I sometimes recall that I was filling out an application for life insurance once, and I asked the applicant, ';I need your parent's cause of death.';





He replied, without hesitation, ';homicide and suicide.'; Then he wrote me a bad check for the initial premium. I didn't go back to get another check.





You can often take cuts in line at a grocery store if you simply say to the person ahead of you, ';Do you mind if I go ahead of you, because I need to pay for this.';





The ';because I need to'; willl get you through a lot of awkward situations.What is a polite way of asking about cause of death to a patient's spouse?
I would just start a nice conversation and when I got to a point where I think they are comfortable talking about it I would just ask.