When my father passed on years ago to our surprise uniformed US Navy officers appeared at the funeral and passed a flag to my mother for his service during WWII. Years ago something similar occurred at my wife’s father’s service except it was USAF, he was a B-17 radioman and survived his 35 mission over Germany, over 1/3 of all crews didn’t.
Many SKs leave their spouses with wires, towers, and equipment, some worth considerable money. I haven’t formulated a plan and some of the issues and liabilities are daunting but wouldn’t it be nice if a clubs “SK Committee” contacted the widow and offered to come by to review the equipment and provide reliable contact names for its sale or removal.
Maybe the initial contact is simply a condolence card from the club or possibly a certificate of thanks from the club. Accompanying it might be a list of resources (creditable tower installers, HRO consignment, etc.) and a contact number if they have questions dealing with a shack.
I’m absolutely not suggesting we take down towers or appraise equipment or any other idea that will get someone hurt or the club in legal trouble. I am suggesting we take the opportunity to recognize the SKs contribution to Amateur Radio to their spouse and provide a bit of guidance on decommissioning the shack while avoiding those that would give them 10 cents on the dollar while dropping a beam through their roof.
Just a thought…
Hamilton, K1HMS
