My Husband Died

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Many of you may have noticed that I have not been on MyLot for quite a while. The reason was because my husband was very sick and has now died. I simply did not have the time for MyLot. Since his death, I have been buried with paperwork that needs to be handled ... notifying people, writing an obituary, having his will and trust filed with the courts, applying for his life insurance, updating information for our retirement accounts, and much more. I thought I would share an excerpt from his obituary, although I left out the full names of family members. "Wyatt died peacefully on March 20, 2024 in his home in Laguna Woods, California, surrounded by loving members of his family. His wife, Deborah, and his daughters will always remember his generosity, kindness and the love he gave them. He also adored his eight grandchildren. Wyatt was involved in the securities business for over 50 years, working primarily as an Institutional Stockbroker and Registered Investment Advisor. He continued to work part-time right up until his death at age 79. Upon his death, one of his colleagues in the investment business wrote this about Wyatt in an email he sent Deborah: "In many ways, Wyatt helped shape the industry we are currently in, and was a pioneer. He was well-known in our circles for being a shrewd and savvy investor. But we are smart enough to know that this was not what made him. He was a man of honor and taught me to be the exact same. Win or lose, everyone wanted to be with him. To chat with him. To love him." Wyatt also met his wife, Deborah, as a result of his involvement in the brokerage business. He sent her a mailer in 1971 and, after she completed and returned the mailer, he met her on April Fools Day, 1971. The two of them were married six months later in Cragmont Park in Berkeley, California. They were married for over 52 years. However, despite his many years in the investment business, there was so much more to Wyatt. He loved his four daughters and enjoyed the time he spent with them and his grandchildren, whether he was watching them perform in a school recital, compete in a sporting event, ride their horses, or raise their own families, he loved them all and looked forward to the time he spent with each of them. He especially enjoyed feeling needed and loved to give them advice and guidance (whether they wanted it or not!). Wyatt was also an artist, creating a number of paintings for his family, and we all have fond memories of him playing the guitar. He had a deep love of music and appreciated all genres, from rock to classical. He and Deborah were involved for over a decade with the Classic Guitar Society, whose purpose was to present the best guitar artists in Classical, Flamenco and Latin American music. He loved meeting these musical artists and studied their techniques to improve his own guitar skills. His love of music was an inspiration to his daughters. Wyatt earned his pilot's license in 1972, and he and Deborah used the small plane he purchased to assist Flying Samaritans in taking dentists to remote parts of Baja, Mexico in the mid 1970s. During his lifetime, he and Deborah traveled to every state in the U.S., nearly every state in Mexico, and also took a few trips to Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. You could not talk about Wyatt without including his 42 years as a devoted member of Alcoholics Anonymous. He attended at least two or three AA meetings a week during all those years, and frequently attended AA conferences and retreats. Over the years, he sponsored many members of the program, and was forever grateful for how AA changed his life and helped him become a better person. Wyatt was born in New York and spent most of his childhood traveling between Florida and California. One of these trips even involved an encounter with Elvis! Often, he traveled with two of his siblings, who both survive him. He is also survived by his half-sister. As an adult, he started out in Northern California, relocated with Deborah to San Diego, and in 1976 they moved to Dallas, Texas where they lived for 24 years and raised their family. They returned to California in 2000, where they spent the remainder of his life. Wyatt cherished his Christian faith and served both as a Deacon for the Episcopal church he attended in his early twenties, and also as an Elder in the Presbyterian church in his thirties. He believed in an afterlife and looked forward to one day reuniting with his brother, his half-sisters, and his father, wo pre-deceased him. He loved the Presbyterian churches he attended over the years and had many fond memories of the pastors and friends he made in the Church. Consequently, his Celebration of Life will be held at our local Presbyterian Church. "