Today my heart is heavy, as I learned of the death of 2 people, Steve Graber and Elmer Kuntz, whom I admired very much.

Steve was a mentor to me when I was a young attorney first taking on elder law. He took me under his wing and encouraged me to dive in to elder law head first. While he did not practice in that area, he realized the great need for it and believed I could take it on and make a real difference to a lot of people. I can’t thank him enough for coming beside me and encouraging me to take a leap of faith. Cancer took his body, but his spirit is where it should be – in heaven. You are with the angels now, Steve.  I hope you knew how much I appreciated you.

Elmer is my sister’s father-in-law, and a figure in my life since I was a teenager. He always had a smile on his face, and his hug could brighten any bad day you were having. Unfortunately, dementia wreaked havoc with Elmer’s memory the last year, but his spirit remained strong. When he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him! Like Steve, Elmer had a strong faith in God and is no doubt reminiscing with my dad in heaven as I type.

I try to appreciate my good health and the people I love every day, but I’m sure I fall short. For those of you reading this, I hope you can give your loved ones a hug, and recommit yourself to a healthy lifestyle so you can spend as much time as possible with them on this earth. What’s next is up to you…