Yesterday, my long-time friend, George Gentry, a trumpet/sax player I've known and worked with since 1960, lost all heart function and has no blood pressure. He is on life support, with no hope of recovery. He had no DNR, which is now a big problem. The family is simply sitting in the hospital, not knowing what to do or where to turn. A meeting is scheduled with his doctor at 5:00 PM tonite, but he is clinically dead.

I've been taking care of George for over three years. I load him onto the "wheels" transport vehicle, follow him to his appointment, unload him for his appointment, load him back up and get him back into his bed at home. He hasn't been able to walk for several years. He has diabetes, lupis, heart failure, arthritis everywhere and many other problems, mostly related to the fact that he's over 400 lbs. I paid for a ramp into his home, got him a motorized chair, help with running, bill paying, etc. and am glad to do it.

Uncle Dave met him briefly when he was in Lexington last December.

How SAD and How preventable! Here are some things to think about:

1. Be ready! He has no will or DNR. He made all the decisions, and his wife of 46 years doesn't drive, write checks...he even ordered his clothes for her. Here in Kentucky, if you don't have a will, 1/2 goes to the kids and 1/2 to the wife. There's not enough for Janice to live on.

2. Let your family know where vital papers are. Janice doesn't even know if he has life insurance. They have $1,000 in the bank, a $40,000.00 home, $40,000.00 in an investment annuity from the sale of a small beauty shop, a paid for old Ford van and Pt Cruiser, AND a $29,000 balance on a Chrysler 300 he bought last year, against my strong advice. All assets are in his name only. The payment on the car is 1/3 of his retirement income. The balance owed is $13,000 more than the car is worth.

3. Watch you health! He's had multiple things that could kill him over the years. I sat helplessly as he got worse and worse. Medical people could not reverse the damage
of bad lifestyle choices.He was miserable...in great pain for the last three years.

4.Value the time you have with loved ones.
Enjoy and participate in the lives of your friends. Do things for others.

Things like this make me appreciate you folks a lot, and make some of the squabbles that surface here occasionally so meaningless.

Please prepare for the future. George was a great guy...a great friend...a music partner,
and he's left a mess for his family. He was too important to a lot of us to end things like this.

I really miss my life-long friend, and will be there for Janice. In his 65 years, he never complained of racial issues, even though he had it rough as a black musician in the south. That big grin eventually won over everyone, and he worked at one of the best Italian Restaurants in the area for the last 10 years he played. I'm so very glad to have been a part of his life.

Russ