In Honor of Dave Freeman

My name is Leah Pyron and my father, Dave Freeman, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on September 4th. Dad did not have a will at the time of his death, and the financial responsibility of probate has fallen on me, my sister, and brother. We also bare the burden of his financial matters while awaiting probate determinations by the court. We carry the burden of covering his cremation expenses and memorial cost.

On August 5th, dad came off the road from his route sick and tested positive for COVID. He was admitted to the hospital later that evening and spent ten days there for treatment of COVID and pneumonia. A CT scan revealed a spot on his lung and liver during that first stay. Shockingly, he was discharged from the hospital on Aug 15th but came home just as sick as when he had left. 

On Monday, August 28th, he returned to the hospital and was admitted with AFIB, pneumonia, and excessive fluid on his left lung. On Wednesday, August 30th, a procedure was done to remove the fluid from his lung, but later that same day, the fluid on his lung returned. On Thursday, September 1st, a chest tube was placed to remove the fluid. Sadly, within a few hours, dad struggled to breathe and was placed on a ventilator. 

The fluid was sent to pathology, where it was discovered that he had stage 4 metastatic lung cancer that had also spread to his liver. Doctors informed us that the cancer was aggressive and terminal. The cancer was blocking his airway and invading most of his body. We made the difficult decision to allow our dad complete healing in the arms of Jesus.

The probate expenses include attorney fees which are required in the state of Florida because I live out of state. There are expenses for maintaining his home until it can be sold, realtor fees, cleaning fees, and utility costs. Probate will require travel for both myself and my sister, who lives in Colorado, to handle the business of our father's estate.

Our father had medical insurance, but his policy will not cover an estimated 20% of his medical expenses. I've already seen a claim submitted from the first hospital stay for $75,000. I can only imagine what the total cost of his combined hospital stays will be.

Dad had only a small life insurance policy, and it will be disbursed once probate has been established through the courts. Establishing the estate of our father and beginning the probate process requires an attorney.

Each of us spent a significant amount of money to travel to Florida to be with our dad for the last week of his life. We wouldn't trade that time we had with him for anything, but it is difficult to process the death of our father with the looming worries over the handling of his affairs.

Our dad lived an honorable and humble life, and we only hope to finish what he started. He was the kind of man that would give a stranger or a friend the shirt off his back or the last dollar in his wallet. I've found receipts in his wallet of meals where he left a $130 tip on a meal that cost half of that. If you feel inclined to donate, please know that we are grateful and humbled by your generosity. We appreciate your prayers and sympathies during this difficult time. We know that God is faithful, and He's close to the brokenhearted.