Well Said, That Greed Is Ugly

Dear Ann Landers: You failed to catch the full significance of the letter from “Bewildered in Ontario,” who felt cheated when he and his brother learned their father had left almost all his money to his second wife who had a son from a previous marriage. “Ontario” feared that the stepson eventually would inherit the remainder of his father’s estate.

Please tell people to remember when they make out their wills that they are leaving more than just “stuff.” Their wills are their final communication with their children. A will that benefits stepchildren ahead of natural children will be perceived as a statement regarding the value of the relationship. I know what I’m talking about because it happened to me. - Pikeville, Ky.

Dear Ky.: The following letter, also from Kentucky, gives a better response than anything I might produce - and it was written by a 14-year-old. Here it is:

Dear Ann Landers: I was real upset when I read the letter from “Bewildered in Ontario,” who was mad because he didn’t think he and his brother got the amount of money they were entitled to when their father died.

It sounds like they were more interested in their father’s money than in him. If that happened in my family, I’d be ashamed to let anyone know about it. Greed is ugly. - M.L.

Dear M.L.: Well said. And now the last word from a reader in Albuquerque:

Dear Ann Landers: I saw red when I read the letter from “Bewildered,” who was upset because he didn’t receive more money when his father died. Apparently, the father left most of his estate to his wife “of only nine years.”

My father is 81. His wife is 42. They’ve been married for 13 years. If my father died tomorrow and left everything to his wife, it wouldn’t bother me one bit. In fact, I would be happy about it.

My stepmother has been terrific to Dad. She has added many years to his life. After Mom died, Dad was so depressed we were worried that he would just give up, but “Mary” came along and the gloom lifted. He is a different person, and we all adore her. Sign us - Grateful in the U.S.A.

Dear Grateful: Thanks for your response. It’s a sentiment that I had hoped more people would express, but as the previous writer said, greed is ugly - and there’s too much of it around.

Dear Ann Landers: Regarding “Fond Memories,” who buried her husband with his glasses on. My husband passed away recently. Since he was very fond of playing poker and blackjack, we decided he’d look more natural with a deck of cards in his hand - and that’s the way we buried him. - Grace Ferrell, Youngstown, Ohio

Dear Grace: Beautiful! I’m sure he would have loved it.

Dear Ann Landers: There’s been some back-and-forth chatter in your column about the insignificance of the lowly penny. I submit the following item from Newsweek:

“I knew where he was at night,” said Michigan resident Betty Tregembo, referring to her husband John’s collection of more than a million neatly rolled pennies - which he traded in recently for a new pickup truck.

xxxx