Now that Edith was married, there was no question of her leaving Eddie and returning immediately to Florida, Barber said in an interview. Some family members and legal experts thought not, since Edith had been declared incapacitated. I also contacted Ediths independent guardian and several lawyers involved with this case and reviewed Virginia court records, including a series of orders involving Edith between 2011 and 2015. Jessica didnt seem to have a care in the world about them when she showed up and how she spoke to them was awful. Who had Ediths bests interests at heart? It was concerning, since Im the one who was legally responsible for her and I didnt know what was going on, Niesen said. (Photo by Todd Williamson / Invision / AP, file). The recent marriage of two nonagenarians might seem romantic . Thats the other story of Edith+Eddie. I reached out to Ediths family members including several who werent included in the documentary. Was it Wright, who cooperated with the filmmakers and was living with her mother at the time? He lived for her, and she lived for him. So Edith moved to Florida to live with Barber in mid-March. Theyre trying to say it was some abuse or something, said Hubbard, Ediths brother. Cher said she would pay to fix up the Alexandria home to make sure it's properly equipped for a 96-year-old. Wright had allegedly emptied her mothers bank account of $11,000 and was refusing to return the funds, according to that court filing. She knew we collectively disliked her. Later that month, Harrison died. At that point, emails show Niesen let Wrights lawyer know she wanted Edith to go to Florida for several weeks while she looked for an assisted living facility or an alternative living situation. Wright says Alexandria is the best place for her mother, and the place that her mother says she wants to spend the rest of her days - her church is here, along with her home and other places she loves. Her goal, she said in an interview, was to remove Edith from an unsafe environment, not to separate her from Eddie, who shed invited to join Edith in Florida. Yates considered moving her mother to an assisted living facility, according to the geriatric care managers report, leading to more family division. Jessica Niesen, came to take Hill away from her home to Florida. Attempts to ask Wright about this issue and other questions were unsuccessful. But in a document filed with the Alexandria court on July 11, 2011, Edith registered opposition. Wright the only of Ediths daughters who appears in the film had wanted to become her mothers guardian. Worse attorney. The interracial aspect of the marriage also was unique because the two longtime Virginians would not have been allowed to marry if they had met in their 20s, 30s or 40s under state law at the time. At all. It brought to the surface all of my feelings, all of my many many feelings. She described how she was moved to see footage of Edith and Eddie dancing and in love, and then later moved to sadness and anger when she saw footage shot for a documentary in December showing the day that Edith was removed from the home she shared with Eddie to be relocated to Florida. Harrison died Tuesday. Just watching this documentary broke my heart all over again. The couple fought them, with Harrison protesting to Niesen: Although I feel Ms. Wright deeply loves her mother she does not have the nursing skills to be the full-time caregiver for her mother and in addition caring for Mr. Harrison, she wrote. Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Rebecca was moving her around all over the place and wouldnt return my phone calls. Hill is black and Harrison was white. On my first viewing, the events depicted in the 29-minute film were unsettling. Could her distress have been alleviated, if she had received reassurance rather than being torn between conflicting factions? I watched this documentary as part of a Oscars Watch I was doing last year. Niesen and Barber then went to Ediths townhome and were met by a camera crew waiting to film the ensuing drama as Edith and Eddie lay next to each other in bed, overcome by helplessness and dread a heartbreaking scene shown in the film. Sabrinas Parents Love Her. Learn how your comment data is processed. While they were fond of each other and spoke frequently over the phone, they saw each other relatively infrequently in the intervening years. In order of likability, best to least: Love Hard, Your Place or Mine and Someon. I justcannot. In December, a court-appointed guardian for Hill, Jessica Niesen, had Hill moved to Florida to live with another daughter. Anger, bitterness, doubt, despair. In an interview, Niesen said she had no reason to contest Edith and Eddies marriage because it wasnt hurting anybody and it was making them happy.. "This whole thing is a travesty, what happens to old people," she said. (Although Wright claimed a doctor had seen her mother and agreed to the medication changes, when Caldwell checked, she learned that wasnt true, according to the report.). Eddie Harrison died Tuesday in a hospital after suffering from. "He actually gave his life to this effort," Wright said of Harrison and his battle to have his union with Hill recognized and to live with his wife. Shockingly, Eddie died only a few weeks later. One month later, Wright suggested her mother visit Virginia over Easter to attend church and visit with family and friends, and Barber agreed to that plan. You reap what you soe. Wright says Alexandria is the best place for her mother, and the place that her mother says she wants to spend the rest of her days her church is here, along with her home and other places she loves. It was footage of Hill and Harrison dancing on a TV news report that caught Cher's eye, according to Wright. Hill is black and Harrison was white. Her intent was to focus on their love story. Omg. While they were fond of each other and spoke frequently over the phone, they saw each other relatively infrequently in the intervening years. There are no grand solutions, but there are countless little ways to make our lives better. Niesen now has the task of investigating . And Jessica Niesen facilitated that. Bull crap! Previously cities included Arlington VA and Falls Church VA. All the bad emotions mixed on one big batch. Her two sisters, Wright and Barber, then became their mothers co-guardians, court records show. patricia barber daughter of edith hill. My sister was treated beautiful when she went down to Florida.. Was it Wright, who cooperated with the filmmakers and was living with her mother at the time? A legal marriage in the commonwealth of Virginia would not have been possible if the couple had met when they were young. If a woman is under guardianship she cannot alter her marital status become married without permission of the court, said Kelly Thompson, a Virginia attorney and immediate past chair of the special needs section of the Virginia Bar Assn. In December, a court-appointed guardian for Hill, Jessica Niesen, had Hill moved to Florida to live with another daughter. We filmed all those around them who were willing to be filmed, she responded in a written statement, explaining why she hadnt explored the broader family issues. But she had other concerns. I wrote, backspaced, wrote again. Cary Cuccinelli, Barber's attorney, said at a hearing last week that Hill has been declared legally incapacitated for many years and that Wright's decision to facilitate the marriage without court permission was "improper.". Was it Niesen, who intervened to address what the court had already found to be an unsafe situation for Edith, even if it meant splitting up the couple for a while? Jessica Niesen is the epitome of guardian from hell. That year, a court declared Edith incompetent and named Yates her legal guardian, according to court records. Let us know at KHNHelp@kff.org, Hospital Investigated for Allegedly Denying an Emergency Abortion After Patient's Water Broke, Medicare Fines for High Hospital Readmissions Drop, but Nearly 2,300 Facilities Are Still Penalized, This Open Enrollment Season, Look Out for Health Insurance That Seems Too Good to Be True, What Looks Like Pot, Acts Like Pot, but Is Legal Nearly Everywhere? In a written report filed with the court, she noted with concern that Wright had taken Edith off medications for dementia, hypertension, constipation and osteoporosis. In December 2013, court records show a geriatric care manager determined that Edith required extensive, round-the-clock assistance with all routine activities. Harrison died in December, just weeks after Hill was taken away to Florida on the recommendation of a court-appointed guardian, but a custody dispute continued over who should care for Hill and where she should live. Thought I was watching a sweet love story. It ends months later with the couple being separated by Ediths court-appointed legal guardian, with police on the scene, and Edith taken off abruptly to Florida. Edith was gaining weight, getting physical therapy, taking all her medications and was well-adjusted, according to her court report. Harrison stayed in Virginia. Last week we watched three RomComs. Heres what we ask: You must credit us as the original publisher, with a hyperlink to our khn.org site. One of Hill's daughters says the marriage was improper and that Hill's estate is now in question. Jessica Niesen. Niesen and Barber then went to Ediths townhome and were met by a camera crew waiting to film the ensuing drama as Edith and Eddie lay next to each other in bed, overcome by helplessness and dread a heartbreaking scene shown in the film. Thank you. KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). As a columnist who covers aging, Im familiar with such stories. Long. She, in turn, told him that she did not want him to be an official boyfriend (Dads words, not mine), just a friend who had fun (also Dads words). They really are. Edith moved from an Alexandria, Va. townhome that shed owned for decades, to Yates home in Baltimore. Was it Wright, who cooperated with the filmmakers and was living with her mother at the time? hide caption. It devastated my heart! By late November, Niesen said in an interview shed become convinced that Ediths health and well-being were in danger and that Wright had no intention of cooperating with her attempts to oversee Ediths welfare. Edith and Eddie, ages 96 and 95, are America's oldest interracial newlyweds. Although I feel Ms. Wright deeply loves her mother she does not have the nursing skills to be the full-time caregiver for her mother and in addition caring for Mr. Harrison, she wrote. In a written report filed with the court, she noted with concern that Wright had taken Edith off medications for dementia, hypertension, constipation and osteoporosis. The pair's unconventional marriage made national news last year following an Associated Press article on the couple not only were they 95 and 96 when they got married, but the interracial aspect of their marriage was noteworthy. It ends months later with the couple being separated by Edith's court-appointed legal guardian, with police on the . but the family of 96-year-old Edith Hill doesn't think so. We filmed all those around them who were willing to be filmed, she responded in a written statement, explaining why she hadnt explored the broader family issues. . I picked up Kelly McGonigal's TheUpside of Stress assuming I would skim it for a few interesting ideas, but probably not finish it. The family of 96-year-old Edith Hill in Alexandria, Va., says her sudden marriage to 95-year-old Eddie Harrison puts her estate into question. So Edith moved to Florida to live with Barber in mid-March. As a. She says she wants to see her guitar boys, Wright said, a reference to a Falls Church honkytonk where she would go dancing with Harrison. As a columnist who covers aging, Im familiar with such stories. It was meant to be temporary, my grandmothers separation from Eddie, until they were able to place them somewhere together, said Lois Mosby, another granddaughter. Ediths transfer was scheduled for Dec. 6 but Wright failed to deliver her mother to a location agreed upon in advance, according to Niesen. 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation. Although I feel Ms. Wright deeply loves her mother she does not have the nursing skills to be the full-time caregiver for her mother and in addition caring for Mr. Harrison, she wrote. Similarly, Wright reportedly declined to let Niesen see Edith or tell her when she was taking Edith to the doctor, according to the appointed guardians court filings. Thats the other story of Edith+Eddie. In a telephone interview, Cher expressed frustration that Eddie and Edith had been split up against their wishes. 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