Mountain Views News     Logo: MVNews     Saturday, August 22, 2015

MVNews this week:  Page 12

12

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 22, 2015 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

UNDERSTANDING THE RESPONSIBILITIES 

OF AN EXECUTOR 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! … August Birthdays*

Bill Nelson, Karlene Englert, Juanita Fernandez, Jeanette Francis, Joseph Kiss, 
John Luke, Jacquie Pergola, Maury Whitaker, Pat Miranda, Phyllis Chapman, Jerry 
Burnett, Margaret Aroyan, Phyllis Burg, Beverly Clifton, Rosemary Morabito, Susan 
Poulsen, Dorothy Quentmeyer, Genevieve Stubbs, Miep Tulleners, Ellie Baudino, 
Marcia Bent, Daryls Brechwald, Joan Spears, Ruth Torres, Jane Zamanzadeh and 
Harry Enmark.

 *To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth 
not required.

..................................................................

ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the 
Hart Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

 

 YMCA San Gabriel Valley Intervale Senior Café: Monday-Friday at 
12:00 Noon 

(Participants are urged to arrive no later than 11:45 A.M.) 

All seniors 60 and up can take part in the lunch program. There is 
a suggested donation of $2.00 for those 60 and over and $3.75 for non-senior guests. Daily 
reservations are necessary as space is limited. Please call 24 hours in advance...626.355.0256

TECH TALK: TECH TALK WILL RESUME IN SEPTEMBER WHEN OUR STUDENT 
VOLUNTEERS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL. 

HAWAIIAN AND POLYNESIAN DANCE CLASS: Every Tuesday morning from 10am to 11am. 
Join instructor Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula. 

BINGO: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to 
join. May be canceled if less than 5 people. 

FREE BLOOD PRESSURE TESTING: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11am to 12pm. No appt. 
is necessary. 

FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION: Wednesday, August 19th from 10:30am to Noon. Attorney Lem 
Makupson is available for legal consultation. He specializes in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, 
and Injury. Appointment are required by calling 626-355-7394. 

CHAIR YOGA: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 11:45 am, except on the third Monday of 
the month. A suggested donation of $5 at one of the classes is requested, but is not required. 

BRAIN GAMES - NEW DATE AND TIME!

Thursday, August 20th, 10:30am - 11:30am (Third Thursday of Each Month) Improve your memory 
and strengthen your brain with fun, hands-on activities. Each month brings new games and contests 
to facilitate brain stimulation. Bring your friends as you engage in friendly competition for prizes. 
Activities facilitated by Swati Puri, New Wave Home Care of Pasadena. For more information 
contact the Hart Park House office at 626-355-7394.

CASE MANAGEMENT: Meets the 2nd Thursday of the month. Case Management services are 
provided by the YWCA and provide assistance in a variety of areas. Appointments are required and 
can be scheduled by calling the HPH Office at 626-355-7394.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS: Every second Thursday of the month at the Hart Park House. The 
free birthday cake is provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club.

GAME DAY: Every Thursday starting at 12:00pm. (Please note the time change.) A regular group 
of seniors play poker. Other games available for use. 

FREE STRENGTH TRAINING CLASS: Every Friday from 12:45pm to 1:30pm with Lisa 
Brandley. The class utilizes light weights for low impact resistance training. All materials for the 
class are provided. 

SENIOR CLUB: Every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown bag lunch at 11:30am. 
Club meeting at noon. Bingo 12:30-3:30pm. Annual Membership is only $10.00.

LUNCH & LEARN PRESENTATION

Thursday, August 20th, 2015 beginning at 12:00pm

Learn about French painter, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. His immersion in the colorful and theatrical 
life of Paris in the late 19th century yielded a collection of exciting, elegant and provocative images 
of the modern and sometimes decadent life of those times. Tanya Mazzolini from The Kensington 
will give a talk on the painter while demonstrating a project in his style of art. If you would like to 
have lunch during the talk, please make a lunch reservation with the Senior Lunch Café at 626-355-
0256 or you may bring your own.

THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER (LOS ANGELES) 

Date: August 12, 2015 Time: 9:30am to 5:00pm
Meeting Location: Hart Park House Senior Center Cost: $28.00 (Does 
not include lunch)

Description: The California Science Center in cooperation with the 
Israel Antiquities Authority is Proud to present the largest Dead Sea 
Scrolls exhibition ever mounted outside of Israel, featuring over 600 
ancient artifact on display. We will also see Jerusalem in the IMAX 
Theater. Through breathtaking aerial footage, eye-opening personal 
stories and remarkable historical perspective, Jerusalem takes views 
inside the heart of the ancient city in ways never seen before. Lunch will 
be on your own. There is Trimana-Grill, or Market and Coffee Bar at the 
Science Center for you to enjoy a meal or light snack during your visit. 
Participants should bring money for lunch and souvenirs. Last day to register is Wednesday, 
August 5th. Level of Walking: High

EXCURSION REFUND POLICY

Notification of the cancellation must be made at least 3 business days before the excursion. 
A refund will only be issued 1) for a medical excuse or 2) if the Department is able to fill the 
patrons spot from a waiting list. This refund will be issued in the form of a credit which will be 
applied to the patron’s account with the City, less a $11 cancellation fee. The credit will remain 
on your account for one year from the date issued and the credit may be used for any program 
or service offered by the Community Services Dept. 


Dear Savvy Senior,

An old family friend recently asked me to be the 
executor of his will when he dies. I feel flattered 
that he asked, but I’m not sure what exactly the job 
entails. What can you tell me? 

Concerned Friend

Dear Concerned,

Serving as the executor of your friend’s estate may 
seem like an honor, but it can also be a huge chore. 
Here’s what you should know to help you prepare. 

 Rules and Responsibilities

As the executor of your friend’s will, you’re 
essentially responsible for winding up his affairs 
after he dies. While this may sound simple enough, 
you need to be aware that the job can be tedious, 
time consuming and difficult depending on the 
complexity of his financial and family situation. 
Some of the duties required include: 

•• Filing court papers to start the probate process 
(this is generally required by law to determine the 
will’s validity).

•• Taking an inventory of everything in his estate. 

•• Using his estate’s funds to pay bills, including 
taxes, funeral costs, etc.

•• Handling details like terminating his credit 
cards, and notifying banks and government 
agencies like Social Security and the post office of 
his death.

•• Preparing and filing his final income tax 
returns.

•• Distributing assets to the beneficiaries named 
in his will. 

Be aware that each state has specific laws and 
timetables on an executor’s responsibilities. Your 
state or local bar association may have an online 
law library that details the rules and requirements. 
The American Bar Association website also 
offers guidance on how to settle an estate. Go 
to americanbar.org and type in “guidelines for 
individual executors and trustees” to find it.

Get Organized

If you agree to take on the responsibility as 
executor of your friend’s estate, your first step is 
to make sure he has an updated will, and find out 
where all his important documents and financial 
information is located. Being able to quickly put 
your hands on deeds, brokerage statements and 
insurance policies after he dies will save you a lot 
of time and hassle. 

 If he has a complex estate, you may want to hire 
an attorney or tax account to guide you through 
the process, with the estate picking up the cost. 
If you need help locating a pro, the National 
Association of Estate Planners and Councils 
(naepc.org) and the National Academy of Elder 
Law Attorneys (naela.org) are great resources that 
provide directories on their websites to help you 
find someone.

Avoid Conflicts 

 Find out if there are any conflicts between the 
beneficiaries of your friend’s estate. If there are 
some potential problems, you can make your job as 
executor much easier if everyone knows in advance 
who’s getting what, and why. So ask your friend to 
tell his beneficiaries what they can expect. This 
includes the personal items too, because wills often 
leave it up to the executor to dole out heirlooms. If 
there’s no distribution plan for personal property, 
suggest he make one and put it in writing.

Executor Fees

 As the executor, you’re entitled to a fee paid by the 
estate. In most states executors are entitled to take 
a percentage of the estate’s value, which usually 
ranges anywhere from 1 to 5 percent depending on 
the size of the estate. But, if you’re a beneficiary, 
it may make sense for you to forgo the fee. That’s 
because fees are taxable, but Uncle Sam in most 
states don’t tax inheritances. 

For more information on the duties of an executor, 
get a copy of the book “The Executor’s Guide: 
Settling A Loved One’s Estate or Trust” for $32 at 
nolo.com or call 800-728-3555.

 

 Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. 
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today 
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.


KATIE Tse..........This and That


HOSE DRINKERS

UPCOMING EXCURSIONS:

How are your New Year’s 
resolutions going? I set my 
sights small, and resolved to 
drink less creamy and sugary 
coffee at work. Instead, I mix 
an aspartame-laden “Crystal 
Light” knock off with water in a two-liter bottle 
and sip it throughout the day. Sure, it’s artificial 
and possibly carcinogenic, but at least it’s gotta be 
better than sugar with coffee --I mean coffee with 
sugar.

 So, I was filling my water bottle from the sink 
in the break room the other day when the boss 
burst through the door. “What are you doing?” 
she asked. Aghast, I 
sheepishly looked up 
from the faucet. “Uh, 
getting water?”

 “No, no, no!” she 
said, shaking her 
head. “Come on,” 
she motioned toward 
her office, “Use the 
‘Arrowhead’ in there.” 
I could feel water 
overflowing from my 
bottle into the sink, and 
nodded, “Okay, maybe 
next time.” I figured, 
why waste a perfectly 
good batch of flavored 
water? Luckily, some 
small crisis distracted 
my boss and I was able 
to retreat to my office 
with my substandard 
“faucet water” drink.

 For a while I 
wondered if I was 
the only tap water-
drinking employee until last week, when the topic 
of tap vs. bottled water came up during lunch. 
“I was a hose drinker as a kid!” one of the senior 
workers joked with the boss. This prompted a 
number of us closet hose drinkers to “come out” 
and admit our tacky-”tap” habits.

 “Yeah,” one of my coworkers chimed in, 
“Nothing tastes better than cold water from the 
hose after playing outside all day!” A number of 
us reminisced about our own tap water childhood 
memories.

 I don’t know about you, but I never understood 
the purpose of bottled water. Talk about the 
antithesis of “green” living! Think about all the 
plastic used to store bottled water. Then consider 
the fuel needed to transport it from place to place. 
THEN consider the fact the most bottled water is 
drawn from municipal sources, not the babbling 
brooks of the Sierras, Andes, or any other pristine 
locale.

 The waste that goes into producing regular 
bottled water is bad enough, but then they’ve got 
to go and make even smaller bottles of water! 
What? You or your 
kid can’t commit to a 
12 oz. bottle, so you go 
for the tiny 6 oz.? Yes, 
midget water bottles 
are cute, but really, can 
cute be justified at the 
cost of jeopardizing the 
environment?

 I understand that 
there are situations 
that demand bottled 
water. Anytime you’re 
traveling in the third 
world or a developing 
nation, by all means, 
stock up on Dasani or 
whatever brand you 
like. During a vacation 
to Michigan, we stayed 
at a relative’s house 
that was situated in 
the middle of a corn 
field. The water had an 
orange tint, and smelled 
like burning sulfur. I 
don’t recall whether or not I actually showered in 
it, but that was one time I was very grateful for a 
bottle of Arrowhead!

 So, if you’re traveling, take advantage of our 
wonderful advances in bottled water. But if you’re 
torn between filling up at the kitchen sink or 
paying $1 for a bottle of Dasani, I hope you choose 
the sink. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper. And remember 
--what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!


SENIOR CINEMA AT THE HART PARK HOUSE SENIOR CENTER


August 5th - Whiplash (2014) - Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is an 
ambitious young jazz drummer, single-minded in pursuit of rising to the top of his 
elite east coast music conservatory. Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), an instructor 
known for his terrifying teaching methods, discovers Andrew and transfers the 
aspiring drummer into the top jazz ensemble, forever changing the young man’s 
life But Andrew’s passion to achieve perfection quickly 
spirals into obsession, as his ruthless teacher pushes 
him to the brink of his ability and his sanity. Winner of 
3 Academy Awards, Start time: 1:00pm (run time 107 
minutes) 

August 19th – Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) - An American romantic 
comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, based on Truman 
capote’s novel, this is the story of a young woman in New York City who 
meets a young man when he moves into her apartment building. He is with 
an older woman who is very wealthy, but he wants to be a writer. She is 
working as an expensive escort and searching for a rich, older man to marry. 
This movie won two Academy Awards. Start time: 1:00pm (run time 115 
minutes) 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com