Preceded in death

Question

In crafting an obituary how should the following read?

He/she is preceded in death by x, y and z

He/she was preceded in death by x, y, and a

Answer 1

He/She was preceded in death by ......

Answer 2

Hi Bill,

The sentence should read:

He/she was preceded in death by x, y, and z.

Since death implies that someone is no longer around, people who are dead must always be referred to in the past tense.