Janice Salter, 81, died peacefully in her home in Brentwood on Sunday with her hands held by her two loves, her husband, Stan Rogers and her son, Chad Lapides. Her heart was held by the joy of her life, her grandson, Keenan Lapides. Janice’s sisters, Phyllis Salter and Nancy Barron also were blessed by being with her at her passing.

The Rogers family has also been by her side for decades, filling her with their love, humor, and intellect. Susan, John, and his wife Sharla, Kenny and his wife Laura, Steven and his wife Sarah welcomed her into their lives and always felt grateful for her love of their father. She treasured their 9 children; Etai, Jacob, Sam, Charlie, Madeline, Maxine, Tessa, Joe, and Theo, who added a whole new wonderful dimension to her already full life. Janice will also be deeply missed by her brother-in-law and travel companion, Bill Barron; her nieces Emily Barron, Liz Barron and Rose Kotoff, as well as many friends and extended family.

Janice graduated from the University of Michigan and Golden Gate University School of Law. Janice and Stan traveled the world. Their passion for travel brought them through most of Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. As a savant of literature, she understood every literary allusion and enjoyed a vast array of books. She was a lifelong student of art; loved the symphony; and did not miss seeing any film she deemed worthy. Janice was predeceased by her treasured son, Harvey and her parents, Peter Salter and Rose Salter.

A graveside service will be held at Hillside Memorial Park at 6001 W. Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90045 on Thursday, October 20th @2pm

Becoming a Surviving Spouse

We cannot stress enough the importance of planning in advance, we often encourage families to use an Advanced Healthcare Directive to plan and determine what they want or need but there will always be unforeseen details after a loved one passes. After losing her husband and realizing that there is not an instruction manual for a surviving spouse, Bobbe compiled a list of suggestions from her experience that could be helpful to others.

• Call Social Security about your account. Social Security notifies MEDICARE when a spouse passes, affecting that month’s payment. If you spouse passes before the end of the month, you will not receive that month’s payment; however, if the payment was deposited in your account, you must go the Social Security office to prevent any unnecessary withdrawals from your account.

• Cancel health insurance supplements for the spouse and discuss any and all unpaid medical charges with the insurance company.

• Transfer over airline miles to a separate account in your name. Airlines have different policies so be sure to ask what documents they require, some require the original death certificate while others accept copies.

• Remove your spouse from the car registration after the 41-day waiting period.

• Call all mailers to stop receiving mail for the deceased.

• Check the primary account holder for credit cards. If it is the deceased spouse, do not cancel the card until you open a new card with yourself as the primary account holder. Canceling the previous one before opening a separate card before will prevent account fraud, charges, and freezes.

• Request a “Date of Death Appraisal” from a realtor. A “Date of Death Appraisal” provides a new value basis for your property. After receiving this appraisal, contact a CPA about the fair market value on the investment on the day you lost your spouse.

• Notify your financial advisor. Your financial advisor will update your family trust by removing the deceased spouse and renaming it to your name anywhere the updated information needs to appear (checks, bank statements, etc.).

Thank you Bobbe for sharing your experience and the tips you used to help you navigate becoming a surviving spouse. For those grieving, helping others is a gift that helps them to move forward as well as help those in need.