Sorry to hear your relationship with your Dad wasn't the best. Sounds like a super petty thing to do. I'm sure you see the humour in it now - that's some thing to get over. Even if your relationship was estranged, he's still a parent and the roots go deep.

Clearly he wanted some kind of immortality through his surname as he approached death - but as you know, that stuff doesn't matter a jot. When my son was born I was pretty feminist about it (plus I wasn't with the Dad, who was a pushover anyway) and gave him my surname. When I met and married my husband, I decided I'd take his name (love does that to you) and eventually we thought it'd be easier and a show of unity if my son took his stepfather's last name. It made me feel a bit funny and I rang and asked Dad, who shouted down the line at me. How dare I rid his grandson of the family name!!

Just kidding, he said. Why would I care??

Lol. Dickhead - (that's an Aussie affectionate name, btw - my English husband was mortally wounded when I called him that once for drunkenly speaking to me in terrible French)

He ended up with my husband's last name, and his biological father's last name as his middle name which was nice. Now Dad's getting to that end of his life I feel kinda sad that that name dies with him. But then my husband's name dies with him too coz he or his sister didn't have kids. Who the fuck cares though really? It's just an ego label thing. We are all just dust.

Go you with the big power up. There's an inheritance right there!! The point is making sure the keys are maybe on your will so that she can access the gazillions.