At my age, this is no surprise. Over time in recent years, they keep falling off the twig, one at a time.
My pal Dave fancied himself as an expert in 1911's. He was proficient at changing parts, but he wasn't a gunsmith. Couldn't do dovetails or anything of machine work like that. He left behind two full gun safes; he claimed to have over 100 examples of 1911's but I never saw them in their entirety. I did see some of them a few at a time. Like military issue guns, including a British proofed Lend Lease gun (he didn't realize the proofs, I had to point them out to him). One of the problems of getting at his guns was that they were packed into the safes in original boxes so tight that getting any single gun out was a real chore. He also kept about 10 or 15 cartons of cigarettes in one of the safes.
Dave wasn't married but he had a brother from whom he was badly estranged. For this reason, he left his stuff to people other than his brother. His will states that I'm to get his guns, but I'll believe that if and when I am called to pick them up. His executor is clueless about the probate process, and if done properly that will take time. Since I have been named, I will be watching to see what happens and there is another person involved who will be giving advice. We'll see. Oh, and the brother may contest the will but since it's a witnessed and notarized document, it should suffice. The reason Dave was so adamant about excluding his brother from inheritance is because the brother had already hornswoggled Dave out of his parents' inheritance.
Dave was a pretty strange bird. But I've had a number of "friends on the fringe," so to speak. Many from the "gun community." Strange birds flock together? Mrs. Merkt has remarked before about the unusual number of friends that I have and have had who are / were never married. I knew Dave from our work; we had the same employer for about 30 years. He took a rare early retirement opportunity but I stayed on longer. He was deep into guns, but he wasn't that much of a shooter. I'm going to miss Dave.
My pal Dave fancied himself as an expert in 1911's. He was proficient at changing parts, but he wasn't a gunsmith. Couldn't do dovetails or anything of machine work like that. He left behind two full gun safes; he claimed to have over 100 examples of 1911's but I never saw them in their entirety. I did see some of them a few at a time. Like military issue guns, including a British proofed Lend Lease gun (he didn't realize the proofs, I had to point them out to him). One of the problems of getting at his guns was that they were packed into the safes in original boxes so tight that getting any single gun out was a real chore. He also kept about 10 or 15 cartons of cigarettes in one of the safes.
Dave wasn't married but he had a brother from whom he was badly estranged. For this reason, he left his stuff to people other than his brother. His will states that I'm to get his guns, but I'll believe that if and when I am called to pick them up. His executor is clueless about the probate process, and if done properly that will take time. Since I have been named, I will be watching to see what happens and there is another person involved who will be giving advice. We'll see. Oh, and the brother may contest the will but since it's a witnessed and notarized document, it should suffice. The reason Dave was so adamant about excluding his brother from inheritance is because the brother had already hornswoggled Dave out of his parents' inheritance.
Dave was a pretty strange bird. But I've had a number of "friends on the fringe," so to speak. Many from the "gun community." Strange birds flock together? Mrs. Merkt has remarked before about the unusual number of friends that I have and have had who are / were never married. I knew Dave from our work; we had the same employer for about 30 years. He took a rare early retirement opportunity but I stayed on longer. He was deep into guns, but he wasn't that much of a shooter. I'm going to miss Dave.