Navigating Agingfocuses on medical issues and advice associated with aging and end-of-life care, helping Americas 45 million seniors and their families navigate the health care system. 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. But that, a judge ruled in February 2014, was impossible unless the home was renovated since the only bathroom was up a steep flight of stairs a significant fall risk for the increasingly frail older woman. Another of Hills daughters, Patricia Barber, contested the marriage, saying it would complicate the eventual distribution of Hills estate. Now that Edith was married, there was no question of her leaving Eddie and returning immediately to Florida, Barber said in an interview. He knew I did not like her, we spoke of it. How could she lie to this man and not bring his wife back. Now that Edith was married, there was no question of her leaving Eddie and returning immediately to Florida, Barber said in an interview. In that capacity, his job was to oversee Ediths guardianship arrangements, and he was involved with her case, off and on, for several years. I wanted him to be inour home, surrounded by loved ones, close enough that my Sister could come visit and have a place to stay if she wanted. Thought I was watching a sweet love story. It was nominated. A legal marriage in the commonwealth of Virginia would not have been possible if the couple had met when they were young. Newlyweds Edith Hill, 96, and Eddie Harrison, 95, married in Alexandria, Virginia, earlier this year after being companions for over a decade. I reached out to Laura Checkoway, the films director, who told me in an initial interview that she became interested in chronicling the romance of Edith and Eddie in the summer of 2014 when they were reportedly the oldest interracial newlyweds in America. In December, a court-appointed guardian for Hill, Jessica Niesen, had Hill moved to Florida to live with another daughter. There was a woman in my Fathers life who (in my opinion) took advantage of him. Was it Barber, the daughter in Florida, who believed Edith needed what she felt was a more reliable living situation? On 6 December, Hills guardian arrived to take Hill to Barbers home in Florida for what was supposed to be a two-week vacation. A son, Lewis McDaniel, died in early 2012.). In an interview, Barber said she thought her mother would enjoy the trip and asked Wright to bring Edith back to Florida in July, in time for several doctors appointments. Theyre trying to say it was some abuse or something, said Hubbard, Ediths brother. Now that Edith was married, there was no question of her leaving Eddie and returning immediately to Florida, Barber said in an interview. Asked to investigate the circumstances under which Edith was wed, Bushman, the guardian ad litem, wrote in a court filing that he determined that Ms. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Edith moved from an Alexandria, Va., townhome that shed owned for decades, to Yates home in Baltimore. Now, says Cuccinelli, Harrison has legal rights to Hill's estate, which includes real estate in the pricey Old Town area of Alexandria. Niesen wasnt sure where Edith and Eddie were living; when she asked Wright for that information she was reportedly told they were moving between two Virginia houses on an unpredictable schedule. In a telephone interview, Cher expressed frustration that Eddie and Edith had been split up against their wishes. Dont miss reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House. Was the marriage legal? By Judith Graham Was the marriage legal? Yates considered moving her mother to an assisted living facility, according to the geriatric care managers report, leading to more family division. We have lots of information about Jessica: religious views are listed as unknown, ethnicity is Native American, and political affiliation is unknown. Shockingly, Eddie died only a few weeks later. She also opposes the idea of a postnuptial agreement, which would deny Harrison access to Hill's estate. Its important to note, not everything on khn.org is available for republishing. Harrison stayed in Virginia. The court appoints a third-party, Jessica Niesen, to act as Edith's guardian. 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., But she had other concerns. Shame on you and I wish no good comes to you as a result of what you did. ((seethe)). Wright had allegedly emptied her mothers bank account of $11,000 and was refusing to return the funds, according to that court filing. Her intent was to focus on their love story. That oneSister cared for herMother (Edith) and the other sister tooktheirMom out ofthe only house she ever knew and then refused to allow the caregiver Sister to see her Mom before she passed is criminal. The 2018 Oscar-Nominated Shorts: Documentary Program was the 141st ticket I bought using Movie Pass. She will have to live with this for ripping a happy couple apart and ruining their happiness and lives. Police were called to the home during a traumatic 40-minute negotiation to convince Hill to leave, Wright said. Niesen is an unseen force of evil in the film and has rightly become the face of public scorn as one of the most despicable movie villains of 2017. What makes this case particularly noteworthy is Wright's claim that Hill and Harrison may be the oldest interracial married couple in the country. The fact that she did not give this man a proper funeral blows my mind. I wrote, backspaced, wrote again. Earlier this month, after Cher offered to pay for the home improvements, a judge ordered that Hill should return to Alexandria once repairs are complete. Meanwhile, Niesen said she was getting calls from family members who worried that Edith was rapidly losing weight and not receiving necessary medical attention. Meanwhile, because the co-guardianship arrangement had. After that, it was hard keeping track of where my mother was, said Barber. 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. Truly liked it. As a columnist who covers aging, I'm familiar with such stories. Caregivers have wisdom and experience to share. Edith and Eddie had met more than a decade before the events depicted in the documentary, when they happened to play the lottery together and ended up sharing $5,000 in winnings. Financial issues played a large factor in determining where Hill would live, since one option to pay for her care would have been to sell the home. Wright had allegedly emptied her mothers bank account of $11,000 and was refusing to return the funds, according to that court filing. (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.). But they disagreed among themselves. I think this is an important story, Cher said. 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? I trongly guided the conversation because it was my intention to bring my Dad to my home to die, not put him away in a hospice facility just because it was convenient for one or two people to maybe visit him for a few minutes at their convenience. I reached out to Ediths family members including several who werent included in the documentary. Required fields are marked *. One of the tickets was a winner, worth $2,500, but both walked away with more than cash. Meanwhile, because the co-guardianship arrangement had become untenable, an independent guardian for Edith was appointed by the court - Jessica Niesen, an attorney in Fairfax, Va. After that, it was hard keeping track of where my mother was, said Barber. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). My sister was treated beautiful when she went down to Florida.. It was concerning, since Im the one who was legally responsible for her and I didnt know what was going on, Niesen said. "There is no bigger villain in a 2017 movie than Jessica Niesen, the Virginia attorney who separates against their will the nonagenarian married subjects in the Oscar-shortlisted short EDITH+EDDIE. In January 2014, Yates, 77, gave up guardianship because it was getting to be a bit much and there was a lot of confusion going on, she said, allowing simmering family conflicts to re-emerge. Now that Edith was married, there was no question of her leaving Eddie and returning immediately to Florida, Barber said in an interview. Once they do the repairs and she comes back home, it's going to be bittersweet because she only wanted to be with him.. Rebecca was moving her around all over the place and wouldnt return my phone calls. Two months later, Caldwell, the geriatric care manager, flew to Florida to perform a follow up evaluation. Jessica Niesen, your actions in this case were cruel, racist, and amoral. Now that Edith was married, there was no question of her leaving Eddie and returning immediately to Florida, Barber said in an interview. 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. Accueil Uncategorized patricia barber daughter of edith hill. 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. Its not clear how advanced her dementia had become or whether she could assess what was going on as the familys feud engulfed her. Eddie Harrison died Tuesday in a hospital after suffering from influenza, said Rebecca Wright, who was caring for the couple in their Alexandria, Virginia, home. She never went to an institution. It was concerning, since Im the one who was legally responsible for her and I didnt know what was going on, Niesen said. Sometimes they think they are. Eddie said that they were like Mildred and Richard Loving, who were also based in Virginia and fighting to stay together. All the people and records I consulted made it clear that the sisters for years had bickered over what was best for their mother. 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