The legendary race car driver and automobile designer Carroll Shelby passed away in May and the news reverberated sadly throughout the automotive community. Shelby was larger-than-life and though he left us at the age of 89, his legacy will persist into perpetuity in the form of his automotive masterpieces.
Shelby left behind a widow named Cleo, who was his seventh wife. Cleo feels as though she is in possession of valid advance directives that give her the right to dispose of her late husband’s body. She contends that he told her that he wanted to be buried.
Shelby also had three children. They are in possession of documents that are signed by Shelby with the signature being witnessed by four individuals. These directives give Shelby’s oldest son Michael the legal right to dispose of the body via cremation. They even go on to specifically elucidate the desired division of the ashes among family members.
All of the above coupled with the fact that an autopsy was considered to be in order have resulted in Shelby’s body remaining in the Dallas County morgue through at least the latter portion of June.
This is a situation that provides a lesson of sorts. We would all like to think that our loved ones will agree on everything after we pass away, but this is not always the case.
To make sure that your true wishes are carried out you must make your preferences crystal-clear and assert them in a legally binding manner. The only way to proceed toward this end is to engage the expertise of a licensed and experienced Indianapolis estate planning lawyer.
Paul A. Kraft, Estate Planning Attorney
Mr. Kraft assists clients primarily in the areas of estate planning and administration, Medicaid planning, federal and state taxation, real estate and corporate law, bringing the added perspective of an accounting background to his work.
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