Garry passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 67 on Tuesday, March 16th, 2021. He and our mother Kathie were napping together when he passed, which is certainly how he would have chosen to leave this Earth.
Garry was a 100% disabled Viet Nam vet, and left in the belief that his beloved wife Kathie would receive his survivor's benefits. Due to the county coroner's decision to not try and determine cause of death, Kathy's benefits are in almost certain danger of being denied by the Veterans Administration. Kathie and Garry relied almost exclusively on his VA disability and Social Security to cover the cost of living, rent, and increasing medical bills. Without these, there is an 80% drop in monthly income for our mom, who spent the majority of her life performing non-profit work helping long-term prisoners re-acclimate to outside life upon release.
The family has had to engage the services of a Veteran's advocacy group and have private medical procedures performed to determine the cause of death, as well as pay for a cremation. At this point costs have exceeded $5000 out of pocket, in addition to the worry of our mother's suddenly unaffordable but still very modest living situation.
All monies will be spent to repay out-of-pocket expenses and cremation costs, and any additional monies will go to support Kathie's cost of living and medical bills until the VA makes a decision on her benefits, which can take months.
Verified donors can request an accounting of money at the end of the campaign by emailing Kathie's son Michael at [email redacted]
We all miss Garry's warm heart and open arms, but Kathie does especially. Thank you for your consideration and support.
Garry was a 100% disabled Viet Nam vet, and left in the belief that his beloved wife Kathie would receive his survivor's benefits. Due to the county coroner's decision to not try and determine cause of death, Kathy's benefits are in almost certain danger of being denied by the Veterans Administration. Kathie and Garry relied almost exclusively on his VA disability and Social Security to cover the cost of living, rent, and increasing medical bills. Without these, there is an 80% drop in monthly income for our mom, who spent the majority of her life performing non-profit work helping long-term prisoners re-acclimate to outside life upon release.
The family has had to engage the services of a Veteran's advocacy group and have private medical procedures performed to determine the cause of death, as well as pay for a cremation. At this point costs have exceeded $5000 out of pocket, in addition to the worry of our mother's suddenly unaffordable but still very modest living situation.
All monies will be spent to repay out-of-pocket expenses and cremation costs, and any additional monies will go to support Kathie's cost of living and medical bills until the VA makes a decision on her benefits, which can take months.
Verified donors can request an accounting of money at the end of the campaign by emailing Kathie's son Michael at [email redacted]
We all miss Garry's warm heart and open arms, but Kathie does especially. Thank you for your consideration and support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Michael Trundle
Beneficiary