Lawsuit

– March 27, 2010

Our neighbor Anita passed away last March, leaving her husband Don behind. Anita was only 76, 10 years younger and in much better health than Don. But she had reoccurring cancer and, near the end, decided to go with hospice care.

After Anita passed away, Don's daughter Kailani moved in to take care of him. Don had 3 daughters with his previous wife, while Anita had 2 daughters and a son. They did not have any kids together.

Kailani told us the two sets of kids are suing each other over the summer house in Michigan.

Anita and Don used to drive up to Michigan every year in mid-May, and came back in late September. She said they had a little cabin by the lake. Now Kailani said it is a pretty big house and she and her sisters would like to have at least part of it as their father Don had half of the ownership. But Anita transferred the ownership to herself in the last year of her life and left it to her own kids. Of course we outsiders will never know the details of such disputes.

I remember one day (while Anita was still alive) a construction truck was parked in front of their house and workers were tearing up the driveway. I asked Anita, "I see you are having a new driveway put." and she said, " Oh, no. Don is putting a new driveway and Don is paying for it." I was surprised at the hostile tone in her voice as she was usually very amiable. Looking back, she must be planning on the financial arrangements for her own children. Forty years of marriage and at the end they became (or remained) strangers.