Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, March 23, 2019

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 23, 2019 

Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


LUKE PERRY’S DEATH 
DEMONSTRATES THE 
IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING 
FOR INCAPACITY

In late February, Luke Perry, who became famous 
starring in the 1990s TV series Beverly Hills 
90210, suffered a massive stroke at age 52. He was 
hospitalized under heavy sedation, and five days later, 
when it became clear he wouldn’t recover, his family 
decided to remove life support. Perry died on March 
4th, 2019 surrounded by his children, fiancé, ex-wife, 
mother, siblings, and others.

Whether or not you were a Luke Perry fan, it’s hard not 
to be saddened when someone so young and seemingly 
healthy passes away suddenly. In these moments, the fragile impermanence of life becomes obvious. 
It’s life’s way of reminding us that incapacity and death can strike at any time, no matter who we are. 


Reminders of the fleeting nature of life can motivate us to savor life now AND act to protect the ones 
we love through proper estate planning. And while we don’t yet know exactly what levels of planning 
Perry had in place, it appears he was thoughtful and responsible enough to have at least covered the 
basics.

Planning for incapacity and deathPerry was reportedly inspired to create his own estate 
plan following a health scare. In 2015, after discovering he had precancerous growths 
during a colonoscopy, Perry created a will, leaving everything to his two children. 
But since Perry was worth an estimated $10 million, divorced with kids from the first 
marriage, and about to be married again, creating a will was a start but not nearly enough.
Wills only apply to the distribution of assets following death, and even then, your will 
must go through the court process known as probate for your assets to be distributed. 
Because a will only comes into play upon your death, if you’re ever incapacitated by 
accident or illness as Perry was, it offers neither you nor your family any protections.
The power over medical decisionsDuring the time he was incapacitated, someone was called 
upon to make crucial medical decisions for Perry’s welfare, while his family was summoned to 
his side. To this end, it’s likely Perry designated someone to serve as his medical decision-maker 
by granting them medical power of attorney. He may have also created a living will, which would 
provide specific instructions to this individual regarding how to make these medical decisions. 
Granting medical powers of attorney gives the person you name the authority to make healthcare 
decisions on your behalf in the event of your incapacity. The document that does this is known 
as an advance healthcare directive, and it’s an absolute must-have for every adult over age 18. 
Without medical powers of attorney, if any of Perry’s family were in disagreement over how his 
medical care should be handled, the family may have needed a court order to terminate life support. 
This could have needlessly prolonged the family’s suffering and made his death even more public, 
costly, and traumatic for those he left behind. 

Learn from Perry’s example

Whether you already have a basic plan in place or nothing at all, you owe it to your loved ones to get educated 
about the specifics necessary to keep your family out of court and out conflict if something happens to you. 
Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a mission to help parents protect what they love most. His 
office is located at 55 Auburn Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an appointment to sit down 
and talk about ensuring a legacy of love and financial security for your family by calling 626.355.4000 
or visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more information.

CODE NAME: LISE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WOMAN WHO BECAME 
WWII'S MOST HIGHLY DECORATED SPY by Larry Loftis 

This is the extraordinary true story of Odette Sansom, the British spy who operated 
in occupied France and fell in love with her commanding officer during 
World War II—perfect for fans of Unbroken, The Nightingale, and Code 
Girls. The year is 1942, and World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides 
to follow in her war hero father’s footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to 
aid Britain and her be-loved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and one 
plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission. 
It is here that she meets her com-manding officer Captain Peter Churchill. 
As they successfully complete mission after mission, Peter and Odette fall 
in love. All the while, they are being hunted by the cunning German secret 
police sergeant, Hugo Bleicher, who finally succeeds in capturing them. They 
are sent to Paris’s Fresnes prison, and from there to concen-tration camps in 
Germany where they are starved, beaten, and tortured. But in the face of despair, they never give up 
hope, their love for each other, or the wherea-bouts of their colleagues. Loftis paints a portrait of true 
courage, patriotism, and love—of two incredibly heroic people who endured unimaginable horrors 
and deg-radations. He seamlessly weaves together the touching romance between Odette and Peter 
and the thrilling cat and mouse game between them and Sergeant Bleicher. With this amazing testament 
to the human spirit, Loftis proves once again that he is adept at writing “nonfiction that reads 
like a page-turning novel” 

THE AGE OF LIGHT: A NOVEL by Whitney Scharer 

"Sweeping from the glamour of 1930's Paris through the battlefields of World 
War II and into the war's long shadow, The Age of Light is a startlingly modern 
love story and a mesmerizing portrait of a woman's self-transformation from 
muse into artist."--Celeste Gnashes went to Paris to start over, to make art instead 
of being made into it. The Age of Light tells the story of Vogue model 
turned renowned photographer Lee Miller, and her search to forge a new identity 
as an artist after a life spent as a muse. "I'd rather take a photograph than 
be one," she declares after she arrives in Paris in 1929, where she soon catches 
the eye of the famous Surreal-ist Man Ray. Though he wants to use her only 
as a model, Lee convinces him to take her on as his assistant and teach her 
everything he knows. But Man Ray turns out to be an egotistical, charismatic 
force, and as they work together in the dark-room, their personal and professional 
lives become intimately entwined, changing the course of Lee's life 
forever. Lee’s journey takes us from the cabarets of bohe-mian Paris to the battlefields of war-torn 
Europe during WWII, from discovering radical new photography techniques to documenting the 
liberation of the concen-tration camps as one of the first female war correspondents. Through it all, 
Lee must grapple with the question of whether it's possible to reconcile romantic desire with artistic 
ambition-and what she will have to sacrifice to do so. Told in inter-weaving timelines, this sensuous, 
richly detailed novel brings Lee Miller-a brilliant and pioneering artist-out of the shadows of a man's 
legacy and into the light.

WOLF PACK (A Joe Pickett Novel) by C. J. Box 

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett encounters bad behavior on his own turf-
-only to have the FBI and the DOJ ask him to stand down--in the thrilling new 
novel from bestselling author C.J. Box. The good news is that Joe Pickett has his 
job back, after his last adventure in The Disappeared. The bad news is that he's 
come to learn that a drone is killing wildlife--and the drone belongs to a mysterious 
and wealthy man whose son is dating Joe's own daughter, Lucy. When 
Joe tries to lay down the rules for the drone operator, he's asked by the FBI 
and the DOJ to stand down, which only makes him more suspicious. Meanwhile, 
bodies are piling up in and around Joe's district in shocking numbers. 
He begins to fear that a pack of four vicious killers working on behalf of the 
Sinaloa cartel known as the Wolf Pack has arrived. Their target seems to be the 
mystery man and everyone--including Joe, Nate, and others--who is associated with him. Teaming 
up with a female game warden (based on a real person, one of the few female game wardens at work 
in Wyoming today) to confront these assassins, Joe finds himself in the most violent and dangerous 
predicament he's ever faced.


SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE JOINS THE FIGHT 
AGAINST ALS

Only 6 more chances to see this heart-warming production 
at Sierra Madre Playhouse!

In Tuesdays with Morrie, we see all too the degenerative 
effects of amyotrophic lateral sclero-sis(ALS), a 
progressive neurological condition that sparks Mitch 
and Morrie's reunion and even-tually takes Morrie's 
life. In keeping with our commitment to add greater 
context for discussion around our stage productions, 
we wish to thank the ALS Association-Golden West 
Chapter for their generous sharing of knowledge 
about ALS. A portion of every ticket sold to Tuesdays 
with Morrie will be contributed to The ALS Association-
Golden West Chapter. On Thursday, March 28, 
at 7 pm, there will be a special performance of Tuesdays 
with Morrie. After the show, stay and talk with 
staff from the ALS Association at a dessert reception 
catered by our friends at Si-erra Fusion!

For those interested in learning more about ALS or 
how to help, the Sierra Madre Playhouse is excited to 
announce that CEO and President, ALS Association-
Golden West Fred Fisher will be on hand for a talkback 
after our closing performance of Tuesdays with 
Morrie on March 31st!

 Fred has more than 35 years of experience leading 
non-profit social service and health organiza-tions, 
including those serving children, families, the frail 
elderly, high-risk youth and the mentally ill. He also 
serves as an active member of the National ALS Association’s 
Research Committee and has helped establish the California ALS Research Network, 
the annual California ALS Re-search Summit. He has also developed the Neuro Collaborative, a 
multi-site research initiative designed to accelerate the search for effective treatment and cure or 
ALS, and worked to get the Standard of Care for ALS passed into California law.

Come meet Fred and learn more about the efforts to understand, treat, and cure ALS!


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