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All SSNs of deceased people are publicly available. It helps prevent fraud. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_Death_Index

SSNs of the deceased are no longer considered private.

From: http://www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html

Q20: Are Social Security numbers reused after a person dies?

A: No. We do not reassign a Social Security number (SSN) after the number holder's death. Even though we have issued over 453 million SSNs so far, and we assign about 5 and one-half million new numbers a year, the current numbering system will provide us with enough new numbers for several generations into the future with no changes in the numbering system.

-- One would assume that eventually all 999,999,999 numbers would be allocated and they'd have to either add a digit or start reusing them.

Hopefully by then people will have realized that a social security number isn't a great way of identifying a person, so it won't be that relevant anyway.

Well, good luck stealing his identity now.