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Our Dear Children,

We are in the process of planning for the time that our Lord will take us to His home
in Heaven. We are doing this because we love you very much and want to provide
you with our wishes so that your decisions will be easier when the time comes.
Since I will be referring to many different people in this letter I would like to start
with some definitions:

Me My I refers to Richard P Cohrs

Mom. my wife, mother, refers to Carol A. Cohrs
Your Mom, refers to Arlene, Bunny Cohrs
Your Dad, refers to Ronald Bacon
We, our, refers to Richard and Carol

Hopefully that will help you make sense of the stories as you know I love to tell
stories!
In the name of the Father, who creates; the Son, who saves; and the Holy Spirit, who
makes us perfect; we want you to know:
We sin daily, for we are sinners we have sinned against God and you, our family.
Our sins separate us from God and from you. We ask for your forgiveness and are
assured we have it thank you. We ask God for His forgiveness and are assured we
have it through Jesus Christ, who died and rose for the payment of our sins- praise
and thanks to God.
Because we are forgiven we know that nothing will separate us from your love you
are our family and we love you and you love us. We also know that nothing will
separate us from God He is our Father and we will live with Him forever.
Our dear children, each of you have been given the gift of faith at your baptism. We
pray that you will always remain close to Jesus, the one who provides life eternal.
We pray that our childrens children and their children in turn will be able to know
Jesus as their Savior.
Everything we have on this earth is a gift God provides for us to manage for a short
time. We desire to pass on some of these gifts to you, our family, for you to manage
to bless you and yours.
We desire to pass on some of our gifts to be managed by others to bless the
greater Kingdom of God.
God bless you
We thank God that we are one family united by blood and marriage a family by
the bond of love.

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Since the day when we are called home to heaven is not known to anyone other
than God, our Father, we are working with advisors to help us in planning for that
day. Our goals are:

Anticipating that you may be grieving, we want to remove those decisions

that could cause tension among you.
We wish to honor you and your family memory. We want to pass along those
items we have that carry the familys history and stories.
We want to provide you with a financial blessing.
We wish to bless the greater Kingdom of God in a very specific way.

The advisors asked us to provide answers to the following questions:

1. What arrangements would you wish to celebrate your homecoming into
heaven?
2. Who would you want to make financial decisions for you if you are
incapacitated?
3. Who would you want to make financial decisions for you once we are both
called home to heaven?
4. Who would you want to make health decisions for you if you are
incapacitated?
5. What gifts would you want to bless your heirs with?
6. Would you like to gift a ministry?

Answer to question 1: (What arrangements would you wish to celebrate your homecoming
into heaven?)

We wish to be buried from the church we are members of at the time we

leave this earth. We have lists prepared providing hymns, songs, Bible readings, and
other service information.
We wish to have a visitation period the day before the funeral, a time to
gather and praise God with memories, smiles and joy in celebration of who we were
on this earth: forgiven sinners with lots of faults, trials, laughter, joy, but most of all
Hope!
I will be buried at St. Johns Lutheran Church, New Minden, Illinois. Mom will
be buried in the family plot in Roseland Cemetery Association, Royal Oak, Michigan.
Each of us will receive $10,000 from Concordia Plans, St. Louis, MO upon our death.
This money can be used to offset final funeral expenses.
NOTE: All of this information, as well as other important papers are kept in the
black, fireproof, file box stored in the office. (I call it our drop dead box.)

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Answer to question 2: (Who would you want to make financial decisions for you if you are
incapacitated?)

A preface before I answer questions 2-4: for legal purposes we must name a specific
person and an alternative. That we will do, however, it is our hope and prayer that
you all will be united as a family a single unit supporting one another, freely
expressing opinions and ideas, but always united. There is no greater gift you can
give to us than knowing you will be one.
With that said: In the event that I am incapacitated and cannot make financial
decisions, I designate Carol to make decisions for me. In the event that she and I
are both incapacitated and cannot make financial decisions I designate Robert
Cohrs to make decisions for me. In the event that Robert cannot fulfill these duties, I
designate Richard J. T. Cohrs to make decisions.
In the event that mom is incapacitated and cannot make financial decisions, she
designates me to make financial decisions for her. In the event I am not able to
fulfill these duties, she designates Robert Cohrs to make financial decisions for her.
In the event that Robert cannot fulfill his duties, she designated Richard J. T. Cohrs
to make financial decisions for her.

Answer to Question 3:

(Who would you want to make financial decisions for you once we are both called

home to heaven?)

Before I answer this, allow me to share some stories from my history:

1. When my grandmother died, her four sons gathered together as one each in
turn sharing memories of their mom and dad, laughing, grieving and drinking
toasts to their parents. Uncle LeRoy was the executor of the Estate, taking
care of all legal matters, death certificates, bank accounts, insurance policies,
etc. But when it came to the division of the property, each of the brothers
had an equal voice in how the assets were distributed honoring their
mothers wishes as to what child would receive what memory. It was a
blessing to watch.
2. When your moms mom passed away, she gathered in the family home with
just her brothers and sisters to distribute the property. Aunt Carol was the
executor of the Estate and took care of the legal requirements of obtaining
death certificates, closing bank accounts, paying debts and providing each of
the siblings an accounting of the property. She was entitled to an extra
percentage from the Estate for this work, but only charged the actual costs
involved in these duties. All of the brothers and sisters spent the day dividing
the family assets honoring their mothers wishes and growing closer to one
another as they drew cards for disputed items, laughed, cried and hugged
one another. They were never as close as they were on that day.

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3. When my dad passed, I gathered with Randy and Danny in dads home to
divide his assets. Dan was the Executor of the Estate and took care of
death certificates, bank accounts, insurance papers, paying debts and
accounting for assets to be distributed. Although he was entitled to a larger
portion of the Estate for this work, he charged only his actual expenses. My
brothers and I spent three days, dividing, drawing cards for disputed items,
laughing, crying, telling stories and honoring our parents. I was never so
close to my brothers as I was during those days.
4. When your dad passed away, Jeremy and Christopher were denied the
opportunity to gather in the family home, divide items, share stories and
memories. Even though they were denied the opportunity to gather and
divide Estate items, I saw them grow closer as brothers I thank God for
this.
Having said all of that it is our wish that Robert Cohrs be the Executor of our
Estate after our deaths. We name Richard J. T. Cohrs as successor in case Robert is
unable to fulfill his duties.
However, it is our desire that when the day comes to settle the Estate of Richard
and Carol Cohrs, the Executor would be allowed to charge the Estate his actual
expenses to fulfill his duties, but the rest of the Estate would be divided with a
party each one having equal opportunity to share, tell stories, memories, laugh
and grow closer to one another as family.
Answer to Question 4: (Who would you want to make health decisions for you if you are
incapacitated?)

I ask your forgiveness for all of the trials I have put you through with my health my
illnesses, broken bones, depressions, etc. has been a burden on you all and I thank
you for all you have done to support me, your mom and mother through all these
trials.
In the event that I am incapacitated and unable to make health decisions I
designate my wife to make these decisions for me. In the event she is unable to
make these decisions I designate Rebecca R. Koepf to make these decisions for me.
In the event that Rebecca cannot make these decisions I designate Russell P. Cohrs
to make these decisions for me.
In the event that mom is incapacitated and unable to make health decisions she
designates me to make these decisions for her. In the event that I am unable to
make these decisions she designates Christopher Bacon to make these decisions for
her. In the event that he cannot make these decisions she designates Jeremy Bacon
to make these decisions.
NOTE: Just because we designate you doesnt mean you have to be that person, if
you desire not to make these decisions, please let us know.

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A special note to Rebecca: Please know that in all matters of health we will look to
you for your advice and counsel. It is good to have a trained medical professional in
the family!
Answer to Question 5: (What gifts would you want to bless your heirs with?)
We wish to bless our heirs with two major gifts: money and memories.
We have three major categories that can be used to provide money for our heirs:
1. Property our home, our vehicles
2. Finances our bank accounts, proceeds from the sale of our goods
3. Insurance life insurance policies, death benefits from Concordia Plans and
other pension funds
It is our desire that all finances we have accumulated upon our deaths left after
paying all debts to the Estate be divided equally into seven shares:

Each child: Richard, Christopher, Robert, Rebecca, Russell and Jeremy would
each receive one share (each child receives an equal 1/7 th share of the net
total)
Each grandchild of above mentioned children would each divide one share
equally (at this point each grandchild would receive 1/12 th of 1/7th of the net
total)

Let me explain: When my dad approached me with his arrangements for his Estate
distribution he came up with the idea of dividing his Estate into four share, one each
for the children and one to be divided equally among the grandchildren. I
appreciated his wisdom and wish to carry on the tradition in his memory. (He fully
knew that Randy had no children and worried about that issue, but Randy and I
talked and he was more than happy to provide for his niece and nephews through
dads Estate. I pray that Richard and Russell will someday have children, but if that
doesnt happen, I pray they will also bless their nieces and nephews through this
Estate.)
We have a houseful of memories to give to our heirs!
We have some major categories that can be used to pass along memories to our
heirs:
1. Those things passed along to us from previous generations
2. Our collections and special items accumulated in our trips, travels and time
together
3. Normal household goods needed for comfort and safety
We will list in a Letter of Intent those items from category 1 we wish to designate to
a specific heir. When we designate an heir it will be with the stipulation that the
person we designate will have first right of refusal for a particular item they get

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it unless they dont want it. It the case they exercise their right of refusal, then it is
our desire that the item remain in the family, if all possible, and not be sold unless
necessary.
I am a collector, along with mom. As such, items in category 2 are extensive. We
have collections of: stamps, coins, clothes, shoes, books, glassware, penguins,
clocks, golf balls, pictures, photos, snow babies, antiques, flags, Coca-Cola, vinyl
records, music CDs, crosses, vacation memories, and lots others as you know. It is
our wish that those heirs wishing items from our collections be allowed to choose
items they want. (NOTE: it is our desire that the grandchildren be allowed to choose
an item or items from our collections to remember us by.) We would want to give
preference to those heirs who have given us a gift to add to our collections to have
the opportunity to receive the gift back as a memory. We desire that any items
remaining in the collections after all heirs have had an opportunity to choose from
them be sold and the proceeds be added to the rest of the finances to be divided
among the children and grandchildren as stipulated above.
We have lots of other household items which may or may not hold memories or be
needed, wanted by our heirs. It is our wish that any heir wishing a household item
or items be given an opportunity to have them. If more than one heir wants the
same item, I would suggest they each draw a card from a standard deck of cards
and high card wins just a suggestion. Any items remaining after the heirs have
had an opportunity to choose from them be sold and the proceeds be added to the
rest of the finances to be divided among the children and grandchildren as
stipulated above.
Answer to Question 6: (Would you like to gift a ministry?)
The answer to question 6 was lots of fun!
Your mom and I met at Concordia while we were training to be a church worker. Your
mom wanted to be a Lutheran school teacher since she was in 4 th grade. When I
proposed to her she accepted with one condition, she could always be a school
teacher!
I was / still am a church worker. I wanted to be a teacher since 5 th grade, a Lutheran
teacher since 9th grade. I loved my time in the classroom, still do.
Your mom loved The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod so much she was willing to
sacrifice major tax benefits by becoming a Commissioned Minister member of The
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The day she joined by signing the Synodical
Constitution was a very exciting and historical day for her and the church. Because
of the method of becoming a member of Synod, and her last name staring with C,
she was either the first or second woman ever to be a Commissioned Minister
member of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. She was very humbled and proud

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of that honor. She often talked about how she could support The LCMS in some way
after she was called to Heaven.
I still love The LCMS in spite of the issues and concerns of the past 40 years, I am
proud to be a Commissioned Minister in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
After moms divorce she was searching for a way to serve God in the church.
When she was a little girl her dream was to be a pastor not possible in The LCMS.
Not having to follow her husband in his occupation, she was free to look for a way to
fulfill her dream. She was accepted into Concordia, Ann Arbor, into the Parish
Worker tract. She took classes in Greek scoring higher than her male classmates
wanting to be pastors she studied the Bible, taught Confirmation classes, did Field
Work and was ready to be a Commissioned Minister in The LCMS.
However, she was hired by The Michigan District LCMS, never becoming a
Commissioned Minister, but still serving the church. She loves The LCMS, in spite of
the politics, arguments, and issues of the past 40 years.
With that backdrop, we are establishing the Cohrs Family Church Worker
Endowment Fund, to be administered by The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Foundation for us.
We are establishing this to provide for a scholarship to Concordia University
Wisconsin, Ann Arbor Campus.
We would want the scholarship to be awarded with the following criteria:
1.

(MUST BE) A church worker student in good standing at Concordia University

Wisconsin, Ann Arbor Campus. (This honors your mom, mom and me as we
all wanted to be/were church workers.)

2.

(FIRST PREFERENCE) A single parent (This honors mom who supported herself
though Concordia while raising two boys on her own.)

3.

(IF NONE FROM #2 - THEN) A child of a single parent (Children of a single

parent have struggles I never faced, we want to help them in their goal of
becoming a church worker.)

4.

Scholarship will not be a factor in determining the scholarship. (This is my

stipulation, having been accepted into Concordia with a strong C- high school
grade point.)

We specifically choose Ann Arbor because of the fond memories we both have of
Michigan. Michigan has been good to me and my family.

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Because of past financial struggles at Concordia University Ann Arbor, it has been
consolidated with Concordia University Wisconsin. Thus the designation we have
made.
If the Ann Arbor campus would close, we have designated the scholarship be
awarded to a student from Concordia University Chicago, using the same criteria as
for Ann Arbor. This would honor the time your mom and I spent at this institution.
The endowment would be funded by gifts to it at any time after its inception, but no
scholarships would be given until the fund reaches $25,000 our goal is $50,000 or
more over time. Then only 4% per year would be awarded. The LCMS Foundation
will realize a 1% administration fee of any funds in the account. They would reinvest
funds and their track record so far has been averaging 6% per year growth rate.
Thus our fund would grow by 1% minimum every year. The theory is that this
scholarship will last as long as there is a Concordia.
When I worked at Lutheran Hour Ministries I was given money each year to invest as
part of my benefits. I matched some of it and as a result over the years I worked at
Lutheran Hour Ministries I have accumulated a small managed investment fund.
This fund would be transferred to the Cohrs Family Church Worker Endowment
Fund upon the death of the last surviving spouse
When I die mom would receive the fund. If she needed it for living expenses it is
available to her. Any money left in the fund upon her death would be transferred to
the Lutheran Church Foundation who is the administrator for the Cohrs Family
Church Worker Endowment Fund.
It is exciting to us to be able to bless the church we love in this way. We have
established the fund so that it is able to receive money while we are alive, from any
source. If it accumulates $25,000 in our lifetime we would be able to personally
award the first Cohrs Family Church Worker Scholarship what a day that
would be!

One last story:

Back in the day my mom and dad shared with me their final wishes and desires, like
I am now doing with you. At the time they asked me, What do you think?
My answer then was, I dont care, it is your life and things, do what you think is
best. What I was really saying was, I dont want to think about your death and not
being there for me and my children.

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That was somewhat selfish of me, for I did care, but didnt want to face it. As a
result of my not saying what was on my mind I was hurt even more after they died.
For I was stuck with arrangements I didnt understand or want; and special items
from my childhood went sold to strangers.
I want to ask you, What do you think? I know this is not something you want to
dwell on, think about, or anticipate, but it is important to me. I want you to have
happy memories of our time on this earth!
We both love you very much and dont want to hurt any of you.
So we ask you to respect our wishes, but they are not final until we meet with the
lawyer in about a month. We have time to change anything.
I ask you to let us know what you think. For that we thank each of you.
With all our love,