A Godly Legacy

My father died on March 20. He was the oldest of four and, in our family, the last of his generation. My brothers, sister, and I are now the ones responsible to continue the legacy of faith we received from our forebears. I pray that we have the wisdom to do so with courage and compassion.

The hospice nurse told us on the Thursday before that Dad had taken a turn for the worse. We waited patiently on Friday—my father in Oregon, me in Kansas. My sister visited Dad on Saturday and just a short time after she left they called to say Dad had died. Then my sister called me—“4:42 p.m… peacefully… 92 years.”

The pause in the conversation only intensified the finality of the message. My father’s voice echoed in my mind: “Our people die well” (John Wesley). The truth of those words he often spoke as a pastor was exemplified in his own death. “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thess. 4:13-14, TNIV).

On Saturday evening, we started making telephone calls and sending emails to notify family and friends. Social networking sites such as Facebook, not available when Mom died in 2002, spread the news to a wider group of acquaintances. Sunday was a time for prayer with the church.

Personal Finance Following a Death

On Monday morning, my siblings and I began in earnest the many tasks required after a death. I talked several times with Brianna at the funeral home and later with Nicholas at the cemetery. Years earlier, Mom and Dad had planned and paid for everything. The people we worked with at the funeral home and cemetery were not employed there when the arrangements were made, but the files were complete and the process went smoothly. Brianna helped with obituaries sent to three newspapers.

Lisa and Lavonne took the information needed by Dad’s pension plans. One wanted an original death certificate; the other would take a photocopy. Natasha told me that Social Security would notify Medicare. I made arrangements to cancel the renter’s insurance policy with Bruce and talked with Chuck, the attorney who drafted Dad’s will, about how to proceed with legal matters.

Dad had an investment account that had been registered as “Transfer on Death” (TOD). TOD allows the account owner to specify how the account should be dispersed at death. A TOD account functions as a “will substitute,” which means it settles outside of probate. In our case, the TOD transfer occurred one month and one day after Dad’s death, much quicker than if the account became part of the probate process.

TOD is used with investment accounts. “Payable on Death” (POD) is a “will substitute” registration for bank or credit union accounts. Retirement accounts that name a beneficiary(ies) and contingent beneficiary(ies) will also settle outside of the probate process. These simple steps—taken in advance—save a great deal of time and effort when other critical issues require attention.

Because Dad had financial foresight, we finished with almost all of his business matters within four weeks. The only thing left to do is close a checking account after the final bills are paid and file his last income tax return early next year.

Tributes to a Faithful Pastor

Long-time friends began sending remembrances and tributes. Althea recalled Dad baptizing her in the Platte River at the Nebraska youth camp on August 28, 1949. Bob and Judy wrote that because of the faithful ministry of Pastor Schwanz, they “began their growth in grace, have continued towards maturity in Christlikeness, and are working towards the hope that lies within them.”

I read through old district journals. Reports of the Nebraska district superintendent mentioned Dad on numerous occasions. “Rev. L. C. Schwanz, our able, efficient, and active district (N.Y.P.S.) president, has endeared himself to the hosts of young people which God has given to the Nebraska District” (1953). “Everyone should take the first opportunity of expressing their thanks to (District N.Y.P.S. President L. C. Schwanz) who has given himself so unselfishly to everyone who has asked for his assistance” (1954). “Rev. L. C. Schwanz has made a reputation for himself as being one of the best (church) builders in the business” (1957). These wonderful words prompt waves of gratitude for the legacy of a father who faithfully served the Lord.

My sister’s call about Dad’s death came as family and friends celebrated my granddaughter’s first birthday. Stella will never hear the clucking sound her great-grandpa made when playing with infants. She will never grab his stub finger, a soft handle to steady a toddler learning to walk. Since Stella’s great-grandpa was a storyteller and her tribe is filled with storytellers and scrapbookers, she will hear the stories someday. But she’ll also know her great-grandpa through the legacy passed on through her grandpa and mother. New stories will be written in the years ahead, stories that will resonate with the legacy of L. C. Schwanz.

Originally published by Pensions & Benefits USA.