Henry's Final Expenses

Those who know me know how hard it is for me to ask for help but, unforunately it has come to that point. This past Saturday April 30  my father Henry Joseph Blauberg passed away at Harborview hospital in Seattle WA at 71 years old. He was admitted to the hospital March 15 after having a stroke. He fought hard for a month and a half until he eventually succumed to organ failure. Henry was a United States veteran and proudly served as an Army medic from 1961-1967 after which he spent 24 years in the merchant marines. My father loved the sea and I have many fond memories of him teaching me to sail as a young girl. He always wanted to be buried at sea where he felt most at peace. Unfortuntely my father led a very sad and challenging life. Severely dyslexic he was unable to file forms for many of the services he was entitled and was living on a mere $1200 a month Social Security in one of the countries most expensive cities. The day he died he had $50 in his bank account and because he passed 9 hours prior to the first of May, social security has denid me his April payment. In the last few days I have phoned every agency and investigated every subsidy I could think of. I am alone in this and spent every penny I had to get out to him when he was initially hospitalized. I am also unable to locate his official military discharge papers and the time required to replace them is unrealistic in regards to planning his cremation. Without his DD214 papers I cannot apply for any of the county hardship subsidies available. I am beside myself with grief and have spent the last 3 days on the phone with social workers, SS, the VA, property managers, medical examiners and the funeral director. I am losing my energy to fight with these people and literally making myself sick. This is why I am swallowing my pride and asking for help. I am looking for assistance in covering the costs of  a cremation package, death certificates, shipping fees so I can take the ashes home to be spread where he wanted, storage fees for his personal effects until I can retrieve them, travel assistance so I can go back and tie up his loose ends and gofundme's 8% in fees. I have shopped around and found the lowest cost options in all of thse categories but I still can't do it alone. I just want this to be over so I can grieve and begin to heal over the loss of my father. I don't expect much, however the smallest of contributons add up and would relieve a great deal of stress. I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for any help that can be spared.


Rachel