Should Verizon use a bit of discretion in this situation? Probably.
That said, if the phone was in her name, she is responsible for it, and like every other Verizon subscriber, has to deal with a new policy that states that moving to a location without service does not qualify you for a waiver of your ETF. According to the policy, it doesn't matter why you're moving.
If the policy had been in her husband's name, it would be cancelled without ETF upon providing proof of death, in accord with Verizon's policies.
Did her husband do an amazing thing for his country? Yes! But where does Verizon draw the line? Can you can without ETF when you move immediately following the death of a spouse who was killed fighting a fire? Or does only death in a combat zone on active military duty count? What if her husband had died in a training accident stateside? Why doesn't this apply to anyone who loses a spouse? How soon after the death must you move for the death to be considered the primary reason for the move?
These types of questions, and the complicated roads they can lead down are why companies set policies, to make decision-making easier on their representatives. Moving isn't a valid reason to cancel an ETF for anyone, and it's not unpatriotic to treat veterans and their families fairly according to the policies that all of your other subscribers must abide by. Verizon already has a number of policies in place that DO account for the special circumstances of military service, and they make it simple for active duty subscribers to suspend their service when deployed.
