Lifelong Friends

Starting out small can make the biggest difference.

By Ralph W. Damren, CLU

Nick wasn’t there to see their beautiful lakeside dream home, but his legacy made it possible for it to be built

Making that first sale can be tricky. So I was surprised when I came home from my first day of work and opened the door to hear my roommate’s booming voice sounding out an offer I couldn’t refuse. “I want to be your first client,” he said. “What’s the smallest policy you can sell?”

I had just moved back to Bangor, Maine, and was sharing an apartment with my brother, George, and our hometown friend, Nick Susi. They were attending the University of Maine—Nick was the basketball team’s 6-foot-6-inch captain—and I had just taken this job, which would evolve into a 34-plus-year career with Equitable, now AXA Advisors.

I pulled out a rate book, scratch pad and pencil—pocket calculators weren’t yet in vogue and computer-generated illustrations weren’t even dreamed of—and told Nick that $2,500 was the smallest policy we could sell. Suddenly, I had my first client!

After graduation, Nick went into business for himself. In 1977, he married his love, Martha, and I was asked to be in their wedding party. Later on, when I married my wife, Roberta, I asked him to be in our wedding as well. Nick’s responsibilities had grown considerably since those early days, and we stayed in touch, reviewing his needs as they changed to the point at which his coverage increased more than a hundredfold.

What friends are for
In 1992, George died suddenly of a heart attack. Nick was promptly at my side helping me through the saddest days of my life, and I asked him to give the eulogy at George’s funeral.

Nick was also a devoted father, and even when he sold his business in 1990 and had to commute more than 200 miles round-trip for his new job, he found time for his children, Abbi and Nate, seldom missing their basketball and ice hockey games.

Fast forward to 2003. Nick had just found a solution to his commuting woes by converting the family’s lakeside weekend cottage into a year-round home, and the loan for the remodel was closing on Tuesday. They celebrated Father’s Day over dinner.

The next morning, Roberta called to let me know that there were several calls from Gus and Bob on caller-ID. I could only think of one common denominator: Gus was a good friend of Nick, Bob was a co-worker. I phoned Bob, and he confirmed my worst fears. Nick had died of a massive heart attack earlier that morning. I called Martha, but I’m afraid I wasn’t much of a comfort; I awkwardly fumbled for words and tearfully offered condolences.

Making a difference
When I found out that the loan for the remodel was scheduled to close the next day, I knew what I had to do. I found a sympathetic ear in Equitable’s claims department; it promised to deliver a check to Martha upon receipt of the claim forms. At the wake, after hugs and tears, I pulled Martha aside to sign the forms. The funeral director drove me to the post office, and the process was underway. I gave the eulogy at Nick’s funeral at Martha’s request.

A legacy that lives on
Equitable’s claims department kept its word, and the check arrived promptly. Sadly, Nick wasn’t there to see their beautiful lakeside dream home, but his legacy made it possible for it to be built without the bank loan. This eliminated the debts from his transition from business owner to corporate employee, helped Martha put together a nest egg for unplanned expenses, funded an enchanted wedding for Abbi and helped finance Nate’s education at a prestigious New England college.

During the past few years, I’ve gotten into the routine of visiting my aunt in a nursing home. When the snow is off the ground, I’ll stop on the way at Pittsfield Village Cemetery, where Nick and George are buried. I find comfort in the insurance planning we did and the effort we made to keep it in force during financially difficult times. Nothing could ever replace Nick, but through life insurance, he has given his family the life he wanted them to have. I have never been prouder to be a life insurance agent.

Ralph W. Damren, CLU, still lives and works in Bangor, Maine, where he is a member of NAIFA-Eastern Maine. His contribution to Advisor Today was made possible with the cooperation of the LIFE. Visit LIFE’s website at www.life-line.org to view additional realLIFEstories in text format or streaming video.

 

 

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