Dwidow

We need a new word in the English language:   Dwidow.  

It will be the designation for a divorced spouse when the other half of the divorced couple dies.  It only seems fair, because even though we had been divorced for 30 years, my ex and I were still connected by a child we share, in-law family we liked, and a lot of good and  terrible memories.  So the tie cannot ever be really broken.  And, shockingly enough, I feel grief over the passing of this man to whom I had not spoken in over 20 years. It's odd, but there you have it.

Dwidow/Dwidower:  s/he who remains in this world after the death of a former spouse and who has no status, no input, no welcome, nowhere to publicly place the emotion.