LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
December 18, about 6:00AM, phone rings in Southern Colorado. We learn that a 70-year old cousin, old single guy, has passed away in south Florida. Only living relatives are my wife and her brother, and we have been named as next-of-kin on his hospital admission.
Three days later, unable to do much by long distance phone, I leave Colorado, pick up the brother-in-law in Oklahoma, and travel to Florida. Arrived Saturday, Dec. 23. Picked up cousin's personal effects at the hospital, including keys to his car and house. Took the car home and went into the house.
Alarm system goes off, and we don't have the alarm codes. Got to meet a couple of very nice young gentlemen from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. My retirement badge and ID seemed to get the deputies to listen patiently to our plight, without unnecessary or aggressive display of firearms or immediate need for attorneys or bail bondsmen.
Spent 2 days going through the house, all the files and papers accumulated over the years (and he never threw away ANYTHING, including automobile insurance policies from 40 years ago). Bottom line: NO LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, no written instructions, no stated preferences. So, it is time to retain a lawyer to get the estate into probate court (which only costs a few thousand bucks).
Meanwhile, the hospital is pushing us to do something with cousin's mortal remains, as they have only limited space in the morgue. So I e-mail 3 funeral homes requesting information so we can select one to deal with business. Couple of hours later (around midnight) a crew shows up at the morgue trying to claim the body (no e-mail or telephone response to our inquiries). Fortunately the hospital called to make sure this was authorized.
I have come to learn that not only do people retire to Florida, people die in Florida with some frequency, and death is something of an industry here. The funeral directors hold a central role in the issuance of death certificates, necessary to just about every aspect of settling an estate. So, if the "Body Snatchers" had been able to surreptitiously take control of the body we would have very limited options remaining.
Now we are on day 10 in the Sunshine State, still awaiting a death certificate so we can begin the probate process. Needless to say, the intervening Christmas and New Year holidays have not made any authority involved even remotely interested in assisting us in expediting the process. Talking to real estate brokers, but we can't do anything until probate court appoints the estate administrator. Talking to banks and mortgage companies; ditto on the legal hold pending court action. I understand that even when we have a death certificate and can put the lawyers to work, there will still be a period of (minimum) 90 days, perhaps 6 months to a year, for the estate to be massaged through the court processes.
My message for anyone who is listening is simple:
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WRITTEN WILL. KEEP IT UP TO DATE. SPECIFY SOMEONE TO ACT ON YOUR BEHALF, AND PROVIDE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHAT YOU WANT DONE.
Otherwise you are leaving a catastrophic mess for your families to deal with.
Rant over.
Three days later, unable to do much by long distance phone, I leave Colorado, pick up the brother-in-law in Oklahoma, and travel to Florida. Arrived Saturday, Dec. 23. Picked up cousin's personal effects at the hospital, including keys to his car and house. Took the car home and went into the house.
Alarm system goes off, and we don't have the alarm codes. Got to meet a couple of very nice young gentlemen from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. My retirement badge and ID seemed to get the deputies to listen patiently to our plight, without unnecessary or aggressive display of firearms or immediate need for attorneys or bail bondsmen.
Spent 2 days going through the house, all the files and papers accumulated over the years (and he never threw away ANYTHING, including automobile insurance policies from 40 years ago). Bottom line: NO LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, no written instructions, no stated preferences. So, it is time to retain a lawyer to get the estate into probate court (which only costs a few thousand bucks).
Meanwhile, the hospital is pushing us to do something with cousin's mortal remains, as they have only limited space in the morgue. So I e-mail 3 funeral homes requesting information so we can select one to deal with business. Couple of hours later (around midnight) a crew shows up at the morgue trying to claim the body (no e-mail or telephone response to our inquiries). Fortunately the hospital called to make sure this was authorized.
I have come to learn that not only do people retire to Florida, people die in Florida with some frequency, and death is something of an industry here. The funeral directors hold a central role in the issuance of death certificates, necessary to just about every aspect of settling an estate. So, if the "Body Snatchers" had been able to surreptitiously take control of the body we would have very limited options remaining.
Now we are on day 10 in the Sunshine State, still awaiting a death certificate so we can begin the probate process. Needless to say, the intervening Christmas and New Year holidays have not made any authority involved even remotely interested in assisting us in expediting the process. Talking to real estate brokers, but we can't do anything until probate court appoints the estate administrator. Talking to banks and mortgage companies; ditto on the legal hold pending court action. I understand that even when we have a death certificate and can put the lawyers to work, there will still be a period of (minimum) 90 days, perhaps 6 months to a year, for the estate to be massaged through the court processes.
My message for anyone who is listening is simple:
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WRITTEN WILL. KEEP IT UP TO DATE. SPECIFY SOMEONE TO ACT ON YOUR BEHALF, AND PROVIDE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHAT YOU WANT DONE.
Otherwise you are leaving a catastrophic mess for your families to deal with.
Rant over.
