Gary Jacobi

[maaka]

bump

[maaka]

bump again, and thanks to all those UM members who gave a little for the cause..
its helping Mrs Gary get thru a rough patch, so much appreciated..

[mak]

So far 8 donations to GFM totaling $680 which has been transferred to Tookta, Gary's wife. 2 cash donations of 4k and 10k baht from Udon residents which have been transferred to Tookta. One grant of 15 k baht from the VFW which was deposited in Tookta's account.
Thank you everyone.

[mak]

SSA finally answered. Gary is still receiving his SS checks. They are being deposited in his US bank. Unfortunately Tookta cannot access the account with their debit card. The account must be locked and the bank has not answered any of our emails.

[Fuzzy Ken]

Just trying to help and forgive me if this has already been tried. Is it possible for Tukta to open a bank account in Thailand in her name? If she can, SS could be requested to send all further payments to her account, I think this might work if they are legally married. This of course does not solve the blocked account but that can be dealt with separately.
Personally, I would not waste time sending messages so may I suggest that someone phone the bank and ask them for their advice as to what can be done to unblock the account. I do not know why it is blocked but could be a simple technical problem and easy to rectify.
Also, is Gary entitled to the 1000 dollars or so that Trump promised to pay US citizens and has he in fact applied for it. Maybe paid already into the blocked account!
I do hope that this is helpful
Fuzzyken

[maaka]

thanks Ken for your suggestions..
they have been voiced before, both phoning the bank directly, and tookta opening a new account and then getting SS sent there..We have had a person visit the bank twice, to see what they require, but it needs to be followed up with another call.I believe the bank has an intrepreter on stand by for Tookta, yet other verification papers are needed, and thats where we are at. This applys also to SSA..Even though one is married, a spouse does not automatic access to the husbands accounts and things of that nature...

I am grateful for all input as it keeps me checking that I have everything covered..Thanx

We have recieved some donations, but we are alongway from our goal of 10,000 dollars

[mak]

Gary passed away Thursday afternoon. After taking care of her husband 24/7 and not being able to access his US bank and Social Security, she is heavily in debt. Any help would be appreciated.
https://gf.me/u/yaz53w

[mak]

Gary's funeral service will be at 11 am, Tuesday at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Nong Khai.
https://goo.gl/maps/yHE8kmfQPbANmJ5Q6
Cremation to follow at 1 pm at a nearby Wat Lao Mi Chai.
https://goo.gl/maps/yHE8kmfQPbANmJ5Q6
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/17.7987 ... m2!4m1!3e0

[semperfiguy]

I don't think this has been mentioned as yet, but if Gary was legally married but his wife has not spent at least 5 years in the US, then she is not entitled to any of Gary's SS benefits after his death. If his last SS check was direct deposited into his bank account after his death, then SS will take the amount back out of his account. I have been told by email from the US Embassy, Bangkok, that once they receive word of the death of an American citizen, they automatically inform SS of the death. Also, since he is a Vietnam War veteran, his legal spouse is entitled to apply for the VA Survivor's Pension which at this time is around $750 per month. The amount paid is based on her assets less the house, so if she has no cash or other investments/income she can probably qualify for the full amount. The details and the application form are on the following link:

https://www.va.gov/pension/survivors-pension/

There are 7 US Embassy Wardens in the Udon Thani area (don't know about Nong Khai) who will be happy to help Gary's widow with these problems. Perhaps you can contact one or more of them and explain the difficulties you are having.

1. Al Fitchett, 082-838-2014, Fitchett4@embarqmail.com, RomYen 4 Village, east side of town outside the Ring Road.
2. Gus Mackay, 081-873-5215, mackayae@yahoo.com, Mooban Sinchaithani, west central side of town inside the Ring Road.
3. Roger Sarbaugh, 089-274-1865, rogerrex2@gmail.com, Sookasem Village, east side of town outside the Ring Road.
4. Bert Marohl, 081-116-0576, dnmarohl@hotmail.com, Rom Yen 1 Village, west side of town on the Ring Road.
5. Bruce Marek, 089-571-2017, taxconsultinc@hotmail.com, BB Resort, north west side of town outside the Ring Road.
6. David Bushnell, davidabushnell@gmail.com, BB Villa, north west side of town outside the Ring Road.
7. Bill Brown, bauthong@loxinfo.co.th, south side of town on the Ring Road

[mak]

Thank you for the information. I will pass it on to Gary's wife.

[maaka]

Thanks for that intell Semi. We are aware of such matters, and one of the Warden you mention has been on the case for many months now, but your words are helpful to other ex servicemen on Udonmap, or who visit Udonmap, or indeed visit Thailand. Much appreciated.

I can only state what I did some time back, and that is every man / person, serviceman or not, please get your house in order now with Enduring Power of Attorney, Wills, family contact details, bank accounts, pin numbers or passwords, or whatever. This is a sad case where the man never got around to doing any of the above, thereby locking his wife of 17yrs out of everything, and yet, the heavy burden fell upon her as the faithful wife, to care for him, and pay for all his needs until the very end..it will be a stretch for her in the coming months to wait for probate to be issued, and VA spousal funds to finally come her way..So please take steps now for your own future benefit, and that of your partner.

Thanks to everyone who helped Gary and Tookta in their time of need..

[deankham]

R.I.P to Gary.

Wise words from maaka as well about getting your house in order.

I'm still a young pup but this has given me the kick I needed to get my finances organised so if the worst happens my family have quick access to cash while things are settled.

[semperfiguy]

Thanks for that intell Semi. We are aware of such matters, and one of the Warden you mention has been on the case for many months now, but your words are helpful to other ex servicemen on Udonmap, or who visit Udonmap, or indeed visit Thailand. Much appreciated.

I can only state what I did some time back, and that is every man / person, serviceman or not, please get your house in order now with Enduring Power of Attorney, Wills, family contact details, bank accounts, pin numbers or passwords, or whatever. This is a sad case where the man never got around to doing any of the above, thereby locking his wife of 17yrs out of everything, and yet, the heavy burden fell upon her as the faithful wife, to care for him, and pay for all his needs until the very end..it will be a stretch for her in the coming months to wait for probate to be issued, and VA spousal funds to finally come her way..So please take steps now for your own future benefit, and that of your partner.

Thanks to everyone who helped Gary and Tookta in their time of need..

Maaka, during the last 13 years of my career in business, I managed cemeteries and funeral homes in a major city in Tennessee, USA. During that time I met with over 3500 families that had lost loved ones and helped them to make final arrangements for their deceased. I can tell you first hand that my greatest frustration was to witness the devastation to families caused by MEN who refused to take responsibility for getting their house in order to prepare their families for the ultimate transition into a life without them in it. I can't count the number of times that wives brought their terminal husbands into the cemetery/funeral home and begged them to pre-plan their final arrangements, only to have the men respond by saying really stupid things like "I'll be dead and I don't care" or "just throw me in a ditch and be done with it". Obviously, I've never seen a family throw their deceased loved one into a ditch, but what I have seen is hundreds of distraught wives and other family members who were left confused and embittered by their husband's lack of concern for them in their last days.

As a result of my experiences, when I moved to Thailand in 2010 one of the first things I did for my wife was to get my house in order. I prepared a Thai Will, a USA Will, a Living Will, a Durable Power of Attorney, a Medical Power of Attorney and extensive instructions all neatly typed out so that my wife will be able to deal with the US Embassy upon my death as well as my bank accounts, my cremation and any other possible scenarios related to my death. I update that information at least once a year because circumstances do change from time to time, and I sit down with my wife and explain the instructions so that when the time comes she will not be overwhelmed.

Therefore, I encourage anyone who reads this to give serious thought to these matters NOW, and not to wait until it is too late. The memories of you that you leave behind will be your legacy, and the most loving thing that you can do for your family is to prepare them for their life without you. My own father committed suicide, and for all the good he did in his life for us, the one thing that we all remember vividly is how selfish he was to leave his family to clean up his mess and wade through the horrendous task of trying to figure out his financial and other related matters. Absolutely no preparations of any type were made in advance to prepare my mother for life after his death, and as a result she was embroiled in pure chaos for months after his passing.

So, please do the right thing and get your house in order. It's a pure act of love, kindness and compassion that your family will never forget!

[tamada]

^ Post of the Month there SFG, poignant real-life experience with invaluable recommendations.

My own father passed on and left us a few surprises. These were primarily due to his misunderstanding of what some of the arrangements that he made ultimately required to be legal. The most notable was a beautifully crafted Last Will and Testament that he had proudly created using software on his own computer... that he had omitted to date when he printed and signed it. If you take the time to get what SFG recommends but chose to DIY like my dad, it still needs to be checked by a lawyer for simple compliance.

[mech_401]

even with a will , the probate process seems agonizing ( but better than intestacy) i read the
other day certain trusts can bypass entire process

but then that's u.s. law . i've no idea how fast a
thai will can be executed. questions for attorneys

[mak]

Requiem Mass for Gary at St. Alphonsus Church, Nong Khai.

[maaka]

thanks for that Mak. will send a copy to his church going family in USA..