Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, October 3, 2020

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Mountain View News Saturday, October 3, 2020 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HOW TO CREATE AN ONLINE MEMORIAL FOR A DEPARTED 
LOVED ONE

Dear Savvy Senior:

My mother passed away last week, and because of 
COVID we didn’t have a funeral. I would like to create 
some type of online memorial for her so family 
and friends can express their condolences and share 
their stories. What can you tell me about making an 
online memorial for my mom? Grieving Daughter

Dear Grieving:

I’m very sorry for your loss. Creating an online memorial for your mom is a great idea and one that’s 
become increasingly popular in the age of COVID. Thousands of families have created them for their 
departed loved ones, especially those who didn’t have a proper funeral because of the pandemic. Here’s 
what you should know.

What is an Online Memorial?

An online memorial is a website created for a deceased person that provides a central location where 
their family and friends can visit to share stories, fond memories, photographs, comfort one another 
and grieve. The memorial can remain online for life, or a specific period of time, allowing people to 
visit and contribute any time in the privacy of their own space.

Online memorials started popping up on the Internet in the late 1990s but were created primarily 
for people who were well known. But now, these sites are for anyone who wants to pay tribute to their 
departed family member or friend and ensure they will be remembered.

Content typically posted on an online memorial includes a biography, pictures and stories from family 
and friends, timelines of key events in their life, along with favorite music and even videos.

Another common feature is an online guestbook where visitors sign their names and write tributes 
to the departed. Online memorials can also direct visitors to the departed person’s favorite charity or 
cause to make a donation, as an alternative to sending funeral flowers.

Some online memorial sites today even offer virtual funeral/event capabilities as a replacement for 
an in-person funeral. And they’ll help you get the word out by offering invitations and RSVP tracking.

Top Online Memorials

To make an online memorial there are a wide variety of websites available that make it easier than 
ever to create a thoughtful, personalized profile for your mom to celebrate and honor her life, and the 
process of creating it can be very satisfying.

You also need to know that some online memorial sites are completely free to use, while others offer a 
free and a paid version that provides additional features.

Some of the best sites that offer both free and paid options are MyKeeper.com (free or $75) and iLasting.
com (free or $49/year or $99 for a lifetime membership).

Or, if you’re interested in one that’s completely free to use, some top options are GatheringUs.com 
(they do charge for virtual events), Memories.net, InMemori.com and WeRemember.com.

Memorialize Facebook

If your mom used Facebook, you can also turn her profile into a memorialized account for free when 
you show proof of death. This option will let your mom’s family and friends share stories, photos or 
memories to celebrate her life, with the word “Remembering” shown next to her name.

Once her account is memorialized, the content she shared is still visible on Facebook to the audience 
it was originally shared with, however, her profile will not show up in public spaces such as people she 
may know, ads or birthday reminders.

In addition, you can also request a Look Back video, which is a short video created by Facebook highlighting 
your mom’s pictures and most liked status messages.

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.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …October Birthdays*

Janda Ferris, Darlene Traxler, Margit Johnson, Sole Krieg, George Maurer, Dick 
Anderson, Eva Poet, Mary Jane Baker, Dixie Coutant, Cathleen Cremins,Adie Marshall, 
Darlene Crook, Susan Gallagher, Maggie Ellis, Gloria Giersbach, Elva Johnson, Ellen 
O’Leary, Jenny Piangenti, Gail Ann Skiles, Anita Thompson, Linda Boehm and Angela 
Stella 

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


SENIOR ACTIVITIES IN SIERRA MADRE

CHAIR YOGA Every Monday and Wednesday, 10-10:45 am Chair yoga with Paul is coming back! Class will 
begin on Monday, August 10th and will be held in the Covered Pavilion in Memorial Park in front of the Senior 
Center. Please join us for some gentle stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxa-tion. Class size is limited 
so please call 264-8923 to reserve your spot. 

HAWAIIAN AND POLYNESIAN DANCE CLASS Every Friday, 10-10:45 am Class will also meet in the Cov-
ered Pavilion in Memorial Park in front of the Senior Center. Join the class with instructor Barbara as she leads 
you through the art of Hula. Please call 264-8923 with any questions. 

Classes will maintain a distance of 6 ft between participants. ALL participants must be wearing masks for the 
duration of the class. All equipment used will be sanitized after each use before it is stored. Each participant is 
responsible for providing their own water, masks and needed equipment or sup-plies for each class. Please call the 
Community Services Department at 355-5278 with any questions or concerns.

OCTOBER CRAFT

Wednesday, October 21, 11:00 am. Please join me as we try our hands at making Wooden Owl Orna-ments. This 
will be a new type of program as we create our masterpieces via Zoom to ensure all of our safety. I will have all the 
supplies individually packaged and ready for pickup on Monday, October 19th pickup will be between 10:00 am-
2:00 pm. I will have enough supplies for 10 participants. Reservations are required so please call 355-5278 x 704 
to secure your spot. Please note that this is an ONLINE class that will be held via Zoom. We will not be meeting 
in the Hart Park House Senior Center.

IDEAS

 Do you have any ideas for programming? Is there a class or club you would like to see in our Senior Community? 
Please call or email Lawren Heinz with ideas or questions. 626-355-5278 x 704 lheinz@cityofsierramadre.com

 City staff are monitoring email communication daily, and although employees are minimizing direct engagement 
and interfacing less with the community, please note that voice messages, emails, and social media responses are 
being addressed in the most efficient and timely manner. If at any time additional information is needed, please 
contact City Hall Administrative Services at (626) 355-7135, Monday-Thursday from 7:30a – 5:30p, as they are 
taking messages and e-mailing the appropriate per-son. For messages that may trickle in otherwise, please note 
our team is remotely checking voicemail daily at the Community Services Department, (626) 355-5278 x702.

SIERRA MADRE SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

The City of Sierra Madre is following these procedures to provide current communication in light of COVID-19 
and keep the Senior Community and families informed of essential information and resources. City staff are 
monitoring email communication daily, and although employees are minimizing direct engagement and practicing 
social distancing in the community, please note that voice messages, emails, and social media responses are 
being addressed in the most efficient and timely manner.

If at any moment additional information is needed, please contact City Hall Administrative Services at (626) 355-
7135, Monday-Thursday from 7:30a – 5:30p, as they are taking messages and e-mailing the appropriate person.

 For messages that may trickle in otherwise, please note our team is remotely checking voicemail daily at the 
Community Services Department, (626) 355-5278 x702.

 Community Services Department will continue email communication with Senior residents and aging community 
members.

 If you know of family members or neighbors who may benefit from accessing information electronically, and 
to receive the department’s Seniors Newsletter via email but may not otherwise have been included on an email 
group list, please send your request with email address to the following team members: Lawren Heinz Lheinz@
cityofsierramadre.com and Clarissa Lowe Clowe@cityofsierramadre.com.

 City Social Media will continue via Facebook as well as Instagram, and information sharing will include updates 
as details becomes available.

Mater Dolorosa - Sierra Madre Meal Pick-Up Program provides seal-packaged frozen meals, 5-per person 
every Thursday, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at Hart Park House Senior Center 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. Donations 
are accepted. Call (626) 355-5278; x702 or 704. YWCA Intervale Meal Program - Effective 
Wednesday, April 1, 2020

YWCA has transitioned their distribution of take home meals at the Sierra Madre Hart Park House 
Senior Center to a home-delivery meal program. Participants previously reserved for meal pick-up 
as of Wednesday, 3/25/20 were informed that they would begin to have their meals delivered to their 
homes, beginning Wednesday, April 1, 2020 until further notice.

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE 
AGREEING TO SERVE AS TRUSTEE

Being asked by a loved one to serve as trustee for their trust upon 
their death can be quite an honor, but it’s also a major responsibility—
and the role is definitely not for everyone. Indeed, serving as a trustee 
entails a broad array of duties, and you are both ethically and legally 
required to properly execute those duties or face potential liability.

In the end, your responsibility as a trustee will vary greatly 
depending on the size of the estate, the type of assets covered 
by the trust, the type of trust, how many beneficiaries 
there are, and the document’s terms. In light of this, you should carefully review the 
specifics of the trust you would be managing before making your decision to serve. 
And remember, you don’t have to take the job. 

Yet, depending on who nominated you, declining to serve may not be an easy or practical option. On the other 
hand, you might actually enjoy the opportunity to serve, so long as you understand what’s expected of you. 
To that end, this article offers a brief overview of what serving as a trustee typically entails. If you 
are asked to serve as trustee, feel free to contact us to support you in evaluating whether you can 
effectively carry out all the duties or if you should politely decline.

A trustee’s primary responsibilities

Although every trust is different, serving as trustee comes with a few core requirements. These 
duties primarily involve accounting for, managing, and distributing the trust’s assets to its named 
beneficiaries as a fiduciary. 
As a fiduciary, you have the power to act on behalf of the trust’s creator and beneficiaries, always 
putting their interests above your own. Indeed, you have a legal obligation to act in a trustworthy 
and honest manner, while providing the highest standard of care in executing your duties.
This means that you are legally required to properly manage the trust and its assets in the best 
interest of all the named beneficiaries. And if you fail to abide by your duties as a fiduciary, you can 
face legal liability. For this reason, you should consult with us for a more in-depth explanation of 
the duties and responsibilities a specific trust will require of you before agreeing to serve. 

Regardless of the type of trust or the assets it holds, some of your key responsibilities as trustee 
include:

. Identifying and protecting the trust assets
. Determining what the trust’s terms require in terms of management and distribution of the assets
. Hiring and overseeing an accounting firm to file income and estate taxes for the trust
. Communicating regularly with beneficiaries and meeting all required deadlines
. Being scrupulously honest, highly organized, and keeping detailed records of all transactions
. Closing the trust when the trust terms specify


No experience necessary

It’s important to point out that being a trustee does NOT require you to be an expert in law,

finance, taxes, or any other field related to trust administration. In fact, trustees are not only

allowed to seek outside support from professionals in these areas, they’re highly

encouraged to do so, and the trust estate will pay for you to hire these professionals.


So even though serving as a trustee may seem like a daunting proposition, you won’t have to handle 
the job alone. And you are also often able to be paid to serve as trustee of a trust. 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.CaliLaw.com for more information.


CHILLIN AIN’T WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS

Last week the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage came up with a brilliant idea. At 
least, at the time, it seemed brilliant.

“Why don’t we,” she began, “take Monday off and just chill?”

Since it's been a long time since I did any chillin, I had to ask her, "What do we 
chill about?" She looked at me with one of those looks and said, “Oh, silly boy. Don’t you know what 
it means to just chill for a day?”

 It's been so long since I did any of that I'm not sure if I remember what the rules are for chilling for 
a day. I can't remember the last time we did that. I'm sure being sick in bed does not qualify.

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” she said with a huge smile on her face, “I’ll take care of every-thing.”

That's what got me to worry. When the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage is in charge of plan-ning, 
nothing is off the table. I queried her throughout the week about what she had in mind for Monday, 
and she would smile and say, "Don't you worry about a thing." That's all she would tell me, which led 
me to worry about everything.

 Whenever anybody, especially my wife, tells me not to worry, it is a red flag to begin worrying as 
best I can. If anybody can worry with dignity, it is Yours Truly. I began worrying when I was very 
young. My parents would tell me, don't worry about anything, "We'll take care of everything, and you 
don't have to worry about anything."

 Every time that happened, nothing really good came out of it, especially for me. My parents al-ways 
planned around what they liked without any regard to what I liked. According to them, I was to like 
what they liked and appreciate what they were doing.

 To an extent, I appreciated that, but to another extent, it made me worry quite a bit. After years of 
practicing my worrying, I think I have it down to a science.

So, when my wife says I’m not to worry and she’ll take care of things, I then begin to worry like I 
haven’t worried for a long time. I feared for the dawn of the coming Monday. As we went to bed Sunday 
night, my wife said, "Are you as excited about our chillin day tomor-row as I am?" Not knowing 
exactly what she had planned, I wasn't as excited as she was.

 We had a light breakfast and chattered a little while watching the news on TV. "There's a new restaurant 
in our area. Let's go there for lunch." That was okay with me, then she said, "We should leave 
a little before lunch, I need to stop to pick up something." I really wasn't listening to what she said 
because I was trying to figure out what this chillin would be like today. “And then,” she continued, “I 
need to go over to Lowe’s and pick up some material for the room we’re remodeling.

 Of course, that room we are remodeling is my home office. How could I say no to that?

Finally, we did get to the new restaurant and had a wonderful lunch. After lunch, we headed over to 
Lowe's and picked up the material she had ordered. I still was trying to figure out what we were going 
to be doing to chill out today. While I was think-ing about it, she suddenly said, "Look, there's a 
thrift store I haven't been to in a month. Let's stop and see what they got."

Coming out of the thrift store with a shopping cart full of stuff, “I sure am grateful that we stopped 
here today. Look at all the wonderful stuff I got and look at how much money I saved.”

Driving out of the parking lot and onto the main highway, we went for just a few minutes, and then 
my wife said, "Oh, look over there. They have some material I need to get to finish the pro-ject I'm 
working on. Let's stop there for a minute."

We brought out another shopping cart full of "stuff" she needed for her project. I glanced at her as we 
got into the van, and she was smiling.

I made the mistake of asking her, “Why are you smiling?”

"Oh," she said, chuckling, "this is the best chillin day I've had, in, I can't remember how long. Aren't 
you glad we took this day off to chill?"

It was about suppertime, so I suggested we stop at a local restaurant for supper. While we were enjoying 
our supper together, she entertained me with all of the wonderful stuff she got and all the money 
she saved by shopping at these thrift stores.

We got home and sat down in the living room after we had unloaded her van, and she said, "This has 
been a wonderful time together. We should do this more often." And she looked at me and smiled, 
and I returned her smile thinking, I don't think so.

As she talked, I couldn't help but think of one of my favorite Old Testament passages. "Can two walk 
together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

I still haven't figured out what a chillin day is, but I have learned, if I want what she wants, that makes 
it all the more wonderful.

Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with the Gracious Mistress 
of the Parsonage in Silver Springs Shores. 


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