I got a call Monday morning from a client of many years! He called to tell me that his wife, a dear friend/client of mine for 39 years passed away the previous morning. He said with the deepest of sadness: “Saturday night, we had about 3 hours together and she told me to immediately call you because she knew you would take care of all things insurance for her and me. So I’m calling you first!” He had not even been to the funeral home or had begun making arrangements for his 67-year-old wife of 33 years. We both shared sadness and shock that her journey to the end of life occurred in less than 3 weeks.

When he speaks all things insurance, he was calling to ask me to begin the process of filing a claim on a 20-year term insurance policy on her life that I wrote in 2003. She had paid her premiums faithfully for 14 years. She had very specific beneficiary designations to include not only her husband but her parents, siblings as well as their children. We filed the claim with the insurance company and they are rushing the necessary information to this widowed husband immediately so he & the company can get the life insurance benefit dispersed immediately!

The human side of this work for us as an agency is always a challenge because as you, we care for the people we have the privilege of working with. I have many others who have become friends of this agency over the years. Each event we encounter – similar to this one – continues to validate this agency’s very existence.

We’ve lost a great friend and client to sudden death. We pay tribute to her and to her husband and family who are in our thoughts and prayers!