TheBanyanTree: Legacy

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Kirby Puckett’s ex-wife and fiancée are fighting over his ashes, and of
course, money.  Kirby was a first class baseball player who had a difficult
time keeping his life together off of the field.  His career was over
pre-maturely when he became blind in one eye.  He gained a tremendous amount
of weight, was acquitted of assaulting a woman in a barroom bathroom, had a
messy divorce, and then moved to Arizona to get a “new start on life.”

I don’t know much about his fiancée, a little blue collar, a little
uneducated maybe compared to Kirby’s elegant ex-wife,  but she seems like a
nice person.  She wasn’t mentioned in Kirby’s will nor was her name on the
deed of their home.  It seems like she was totally financially dependent on
Kirby.

Kirby died unexpectedly from a stroke.  Memorials rolled in for him and when
the dust cleared, the lawyers began their battles.  The former Mrs. Puckett
had the house sealed, although Jodi could continue living there, in order to
protect all the baseball memorabilia in the house for Puckett’s son and
daughter.  The former Mrs. Puckett wanted the ashes “for her children,”
while Jodi proposed spreading them over an inner city baseball field, and
then keeping a small bit to wear in a locket.  The former Mrs. Puckett wants
to dismiss the executor of Kirby’s estate, because he moved $50,000 to Jodi’
s checking account right after Kirby died.  I assume Jodi would have no
money if he wouldn’t have done that.  Kirby’s estate will be worth millions,
what’s $50,000?

This legal battle disgusts me, because there is so much room for compromise.
What’s wrong with being generous?  Sure, Jodi is in some sense was probably
a “gold digger,” but give her some ashes, a few bucks, and move this sad
case out of the newspapers.  This case reminds of Ted Williams’ children’s
battle over freezing his body.  Yuk!  Where’s the dignity and respect for
the dead?

Some people have chosen a way to have their bodies preserved.  We are going
to Body Worlds today to see this exhibit at the Science Museum.  These
donated bodies were preserved in plastic and posed in all sorts of
positions, such as playing chess, kicking a ball, and a woman who was five
months pregnant.  The plasticized bodies show what we look like without our
skin.  I think that’s a pretty cool way to leave a legacy.  The artist has
over 6,000 people who have offered to donate their bodies to him.

Meanwhile, my body is giving me some arthritis problems.  For no reason, my
right leg is all screwed up.  I took several aspirin in order to sleep last
night, and I’m hobbling around today.  The more I walk on it, the better it
gets, which is a sign of arthritis.  It’s so annoying, but there isn’t much
I can do about it.  I’ll just keep going . . . arthritis isn’t going to slow
me down.

I know I won’t be donating my body to Body Worlds.  I’m planning to be
cremated; it’s cheaper and takes up less space on this crowded earth.  I
really don’t care what anyone does with the ashes.  And since I’m not famous
or rich, no one is going to fight over them.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.
~Bern Williams