When Lake Havasu City was first developed, buyers of lots came from all over the country. Many of them had plans to build here, but a good number of those dreams never came true as age or physical ailment got in the way.
The first property we purchased was from an older couple who no longer could make the big move from Ohio to Arizona. They carried a mortgage note for us, which was quite common in the 1980s.
Other real estate was obtained the same way, with a couple of sellers passing away before we ever paid things off. Their beneficiaries then received the payments. It was sad because we’d developed a friendly rapport with one lady.
A house on Smoketree that I drive by quite regularly has sat empty for several years. Research shows this was a second home for a couple back east, and it appears the husband’s no longer able to make trips out here. He’s up there in age. This happens on a regular basis with snowbirds.
Similar stories can be told about plots in cemeteries. Burial plots are obtained, yet after death, family members know nothing about Ted and Nancy’s plans because they were never fully disclosed.
Estate planners will tell you to write this stuff down and record it. My wife and I have that part of our estate in order. Our gravesite is ready to go with a tombstone on top. All that’s needed to complete things is engraving; hopefully, that won’t be required for another 50 years.
There’s a tombstone in Lake Havasu City that speaks of miscommunication, or perhaps something else went wrong. Hopefully, it’ll be straightened out later, but it’s been nine years now since Clarice’s death. I’m sure I could find similar tales if I looked.
Edward and Clarice Ziner lived at 2095 Eagle Drive for several years. When Edward died of cancer in 2007, he was buried by his wife in Havasu Memorial Gardens, with plans for her to be interred there as well.
Her gravestone sits by his with a birth year but no recorded death date, even though Clarice passed away in 2017. At that point, she was living in Washington State. Public records that I’m privy to don’t show that her remains were ever brought back here, not that they really need to be.
A cross on Clarice’s and Edward’s tombstones indicates they are Christians, as they attended Mount Olive Lutheran Church. The couple is now back together in Heaven, as their earthly bodies no longer contain spiritual souls.
For less than the cost of five gallons of diesel, a brass plate with the date February 3, 2017, etched on it could be screwed onto Clarice’s gravestone, completing things.
I’m sure this doesn’t bother either one of the Ziners, as they’re probably laughing about it, but finishing things would put an end to any further questions from nosey writers like me. I’d even spring for the cost.
I like to write junk... 