My Dad’s best friend died this week.
If you’ve read me for any length of time, you know my Dad passed four years ago. For more than four decades before that, he and R were the closest of friends. They were more like brothers than buddies. Both of them had only children—R had one son, and I was an only child—so our families just folded into each other. R’s son was a year older than me, but we became fast friends anyway. We went to high school together, ran in the same circles, and shared so many milestones. He was best friends with my first husband and stood up in my wedding. Our families lived a big chunk of life side by side.
R lent my Dad money from time to time. Dad was never great with finances, even when he was making good money. But he always paid him back, and it never once strained their friendship. They even worked for the same company for years. Eventually R and his family built a house right around the corner from us. Life changed for R, he divorced his first wife, remarried, and had another child. Through all of it, my parents stayed close to him.
When he became a single dad to his little girl, my mom and I stepped in to help. We’d take her for girlie days and whatever else she needed. He was part of our village, and we were part of his.
After my Dad died, my Mom and I would occasionally call R for business or financial advice. I didn't know what I was doing and he would give his input. The last time my Mom called R, our vehicle had broken down and it was going to be about 5,000 dollars to repair it. It was a used car, about a decade old, and my Mom wasn't sure if she should repair it or just move on and buy a different car. When my Mom shared this information with R, he immediately said 'if you're looking to borrow money, you're barking up the wrong tree. I don't have any to lend'. He had plenty of money. He just didn't want to give my Mom any, and besides, my Mom wasn't even asking.
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My Mom was very taken aback and embarrassed. She wasn't looking to borrow money and he made her feel very small. If you know my Mom, she is very meek and kind (nothing like me), so she hung up humiliated. She called me crying and vowed to never call him again. I agreed.
I shared the story with R's son and he agreed it was horrible behavior. He said his Dad had changed over the years and apologized on his behalf. We never spoke to R again, although his son and I remained in touch. His son called me with the news he died.
It's sad the relationship ended on such a sour note and now he's gone.
Dave Ramsey tells heartbroken mom to remove estranged daughter from her will
— ً (@heisdenji) July 19, 2026
Caller: My husband and I have two adult daughters. A year ago, because of the pandemic and our very different views on masking and social distancing, we had a heated conversation.
She cut us out of her… pic.twitter.com/BkqRHtJJ2L
The daughter in the Dave Ramsey segment treated her parents with the same casual disregard. She cut them off completely over masks and social distancing without hesitation. Parents have no obligation to leave their life’s work and savings to someone who demonstrated they couldn’t care less if their parents lived or died.
In the end, it’s tragic how many people treat family as disposable, only to discover that blood ties don’t obligate anyone to leave their life’s work to those who walked away without a second thought.
