Dad update

I've just returned from PA this morning. Here's a partial update on dad's death and the current status of things:

1. As best we can estimate, he either was seen, bought milk at the store or spoke to a friend between September 28th and October 3rd. He was found at home by his friend Mary on October 24th, which is the official date of death on the certificate.

2. He did have a will although it was very old. All listed executors and beneficiaries have since passed away with the exception of me, Sue and Stacey. I filed the will with the county court and I've been legally assigned trustee of his estate. This was a terrific achievement while we were out there so I wouldn't have to make a second trip out there if I could avoid it. This gives me access to his bank account (for now) and allows me to sell his car and take care of his affairs as they need to be addressed.

3. I have a TON of papers, mail and bills to review and sort out. Dad fell into a very severe depressive state when he was at home and didn't bother to open his mail. This will take some time to work through.

4. Dad has some wonderful, sincere and downright nice friends back in Aliquippa; both from work and his favorite bar. I can't stress enough how lucky we are that Mary and Sonny were always there for dad over the past 20+ years and I will always be grateful to them for all they did for Stacey and me these past 4 days. I'm sure I can count on them in the future as I continue to get this mess taken care of over the next year. Everyone we came across was so kind and spoke highly of dad's loyalty and friendship to many of them.

5. "Pappy" LOVED his grand kids (and kids too), but especially his grandchildren. Although the house was cluttered, there were photos of all the grand kids everywhere and almost in every room regardless of whether they were framed or not.

There's a lot more I could say about my trip, but this isn't the place to talk about it so for now I'll leave this update. We'll plan a proper memorial and burial for dad in the spring and allow everyone time to make plans to be here for it. The picture above is about 6 years old from when he retired from US Airways and boy was he happy!

Ric