If anything should happen to me in the writing of this book, the culprits would be lawyer Virginia Able who is at the heart of this APS case and Keith Hurtubise the realtor friend of Ed’s who influenced him to make out a new will after he was already considered incompetent.
Dear Keith, Carol, Liz and Steve,
I picked up the papers at the court and discovered that you, Keith, with your undue influence over Ed made a new will that included Carol, Steve, and Liz. Did you make the will out with the family so you didn’t look as bad because you wanted to capitalize on this situation? Keith, you had undue influence over Ed as you were Ed’s only friend after I was pushed away. That was a real slap in the face but helped me understand why you all cut ties with me at that time. Never underestimate the power of greed I guess. I was really hurt as you were all family to me, I loved you as it shows in our emails, and I treated you that way, Liz, as I did your teeth at my expense after Ed’s teeth and we worked on your issues about your own relationship so often when you and Steve were not getting along. I have every copy of your email complaints. Did you think you all could ditch me and I would just disappear after how much I cared about Ed and invested in that property? I did not abandon him quickly even when it was difficult with his alcoholic domestic abuse and APS coming after me.
I offered the house to you, Steve, thinking you could get Ed away from APS as I knew they were trying to collect on the property by threatening me, but you sent me a text saying you didn’t want any part of it. I kept all the texts, pictures,and emails with family and Keith all the way back to 2008 when Ed and I committed to be common law marriage and lifetime partners. We didn’t think the paperwork for marriage made a difference to us. I had to file probate for Ed to get Connie off the title of the house when she died as he was not that proficient and we didn’t want to spend money on a lawyer as I was supporting us at the time. He hated that house because of her and that is why he would never fixed anything around there. I negotiated the $19,0000 to settle with her sister and mother who were threatening us to take the property. I saved that property at that time and I have all the paperwork still from that event.
Ed had quit his job and I supported him for about 5 years shortly after we met in 2008. I arranged for us to move to the barn later so he had an income in the front house installing all the plumbing and redoing electric so we could live there. I only left when I shattered my heal from working too hard in the yard and and couldn’t walk with Ed unwilling to help take care of cleaning and property so, I left for AR for my nurse daughter to care for me, until I healed up. For the next few years, I took care of all the renters, legally making up leases, cleaning up after them, as well as dealing with the repairs on both our houses, and advertising for new renters and managing the finances.
In 2016, I had a heat stroke moving dirt in 100 degree heat so had to recover again. Finally Ed got his ssi so we could move back into the front house and not have renters in 2017. I have a text from that last renter after she left. Once we had recommitted to be lifetime partners as husband and wife again, and he had given me POA as well as a new will promising never to take the house away from me, I gave away my house as it was too much work at my age to take care of two properties.
It was Ed that brought this upon himself conniving with Mike and Marlene because he had become an angry drunk in 2020 and we were fighting over, not just his drinking and stopping him from drunk driving, but because I wanted to clean up the yard. He had that rotted out corvette sitting in the back yard that Keith helped try to find a buyer for, but I was only able to trade it for the plumbing repairs estimated at 1,500. Ed had agreed to let it go, but I know it pulled on his heart strings when they towed that car away. I have a receipt for the trade.
Both you, Keith, with me, tried to keep him from drunk driving and drinking but the VA told me to leave him alone in 2020. I will try to attach 2 videos of him in emails that shows him threatening me, which was domestic abuse, causing me to hide in the barn. He never did this if anyone else was around. I was not safe with him anymore but I am not one to ask for help. I should have called APS for help myself as I being 12 years older than him with proof of his abusiveness. When covid hit I was home more and had to hide in the barn whenever he was drunk. Sometimes he wouldn’t let me come home unless I brought he alcohol and cigarettes. I co-dependently cared too much for him at that time to do anything against him. I kept thinking we would work it out and I am a committed person.
I put him in a detox program at this time 2019 that he walked out of. They wouldn’t take him again after that. I have all these records as I was keeping everything to prove to APS that there was no caretaker neglect but they would not charge me and played tricks to stop my being able to defend my case in court and then dropped it. They knew I had all this defense so didn’t want to go to court. I hired a lawyer but he gave me my money back when any case against me was dropped.
I have all his hospital records. The VA psychologist certified him sane in 2020 after his drunken fall and hospital stay Dec 2020. Then after the VA stay Sept 23, 2020 APS certified him incompetent. You made that will Feb 12, 21 well after that date.
September 4, 2020 I had finally got it across to Ed that APS had locked up his money. When he finally realized this, he was very angry, and that is the only thing that made him stop drinking. A dangerous thing to do cold turkey. I took a video of him Sept 4 stating his wishes and he signed a statement for me to have to try to fight APS for him. I never stopped advocating for him. Before that he thought it was a joke on me with APS giving me trouble. Ed was playing both sides of this situation. I didn’t know at the time it was his fault that APS got involved and he wouldn’t tell them the truth once. They were very tricky as when they first came to see him they wouldn’t tell him who they were, they were just “women” helping him and he was gullible.
However, stopping drinking without help caused some brain damage. He had a psychotic episode Sept 16, 2020 that caused me to call the police on him and get a restraining order. Contacting the VA the next morning, I was told to bring him in as they thought he might have had a stroke. I released him to the VA and APS care at that time as our relationship had become too difficult, APS was too threatening, and I was not well, had a son having brain surgery due to a tumor, and the stress dealing with all of this was killing me. I wanted him to be cared for by those he had chosen by his own actions.
Now with the help of Virginia Abel you all tried to slip it through probate without notifying me that Ed had passed away. I was devastated that he died. I saw him for Thanksgiving and Christmas and took pictures of him. He did not complain and if he had advanced liver cancer he would have been in great pain a long time. I have results where I had his liver tested late in 2019 with the doctor reporting it was still fine at that time but he was not supposed to drink any more and couldn’t keep his promise to not drink. Did someone hasten his demise? I felt like he would live another 5 years. He was having coffee with a neighbor and chatting it up. They didn’t think he was ill either. Did anyone ever take him to the doctor after I turned him over to APS? Why was he cremated against his will? His wishes were in the wills he gave me which Virginia and APS had copies of and certainly the estate would have paid for his burial. Was it your undue influence Keith that made him change that? Did any of you or the guardian have anything to do with his death? Why wasn’t he taken to the VA instead of a care unit Feb 4? They are asking for payment.
I was his common law wife which he stated in his will he gave me in 2012. He made the last will in 2018 because we were going to stay on the property as husband and wife in our forever home. I have more than one person that Ed told we were husband and wife. I never married him because I was afraid of getting involved with some of his dealings and because it is cheaper to claim not married when filing with IRS. I also did not want to be party to his lack of claiming with the IRS his rent income that he made from front house. I knew Ed was dangerous and was very afraid when he turned against me as I knew he had contemplated killing Connie because she wouldn’t sign off the house and a former boss that fired him but he didn’t act on this when he realized he couldn’t get away with it. Once he tole me this, I lived in fear of him.
The VA required me to remove all guns after the Nov 2019 fall for him to have food delivered but It was also for my safety as when he drank, I was unsafe and living in fear. Any money gained was spent on the property remodeling and building 2 additions. You guys know this. Contractors have agreed to go to court for me. I also paid earlier in 2017 $1800 to trim the trees in the front. Ed signed a statement that I have registered with the court acknowledging what I did for him.
All my kids know we were husband and wife although they couldn’t understand my commitment to him. I turned the property back to his name as well as re-sending the POA under duress to try to stop APS who were threatening me but also for fear of Ed and any more domestic abuse I was ashamed of putting up with. It was so stressful that I was ill and needed to disconnect to recover. I have now recovered after being protected by a lawyer for the last 2 years.
Leaving suddenly in Sept 2020, I had no place to go and was moving into an office to live, leaving much of my stuff still there at his place. I have been continuing to work not retiring with dentists and have saved up to fight this for what I deserve out of this property. I have told the lawyer I want at least $200,000 returned to me but he says with common law wife written into the will I should be getting more. I remodeled Eds house in the beginning and also have a statement from him acknowledging the last improvements I made on the property and things I did for him so if nothing else I am a creditor.
There is also the issue of guns that were in the safe that, I believe, the guardian took and sold that Virginia (I confronted her about this) knows about and that should be part of the estate as well as the title to the truck that I gave back to you, Keith, that was in my name that you must have taken somewhere and stored since Ed kept trying to drive. I have a recording of Ed telling me about the group that took all his guns out of the safes, that they didn’t give him any money, and that he made a false police report, thinking that insurance would cover it. He also said he had $15,000 he found hid in there after they took the guns but later he couldn’t find the money and sometime later stated to me that he had $40,000 hid in there from his father’s estate that they took. His mind probably was not clear as he had difficulty make new memories after Sept 16, 2020 and the past except the longer past was not as available to him. He was more confused and definitely needed care. I have a paper from the court at that time where they did a $80,000 reverse mtg for his care. Did they use up that money? Why is the mtg now asking for $108,676.19?
I have gotten advice from several attorneys while interviewing them that I have a good case as common law wife, and one told me that he already had dealings with Virginia Abel that were not straight up. Evidently she might be part of the whole corrupt APS thing and that is one reason I am contacting you. I have paperwork from the court that the guardian was mismanaging funds so this is a real mess if we go for a real fight each other and Virginia might be just trying to collect more money off the property dealing with all of this.
I have chosen an attorney who will charge me by the hour and I have the ability to collect and organize all the information that proves my defense so he won’t have to charge me much. I am not stupid. I have been putting this material together for the past 1 1/2 years in case APS reared their ugly head again. And have been in contact with Billy Mintz who did the documentary called the Guardian on Prime that exposed APS in Nevada. I am putting my information online so the story is told. So I have most everything ready to fight this although my information is extensive and the lawyer said it will cost all of us a lot including a percent of the proceeds if we have a big fight in court. You lawyer would have to sift thought the mountain of material I have collected that supports my defense.
There is another problem that Virginia might not have addressed with you and she might be in on. The reverse mtg that she set up for Ed will foreclose on the property in a matter of weeks and I have been told by a mtg broker that no one can put their name on the property to pay this mtg until this matter between us is settled and someone’s name is firmly on the property. So the reverse mtg company will happily collect the property for themselves unless we do something quickly. I can tell you that Virginia is not straight up and has been looking out for her own interests from the beginning and probably is the one deciding who is the guardian that took advantage of Ed that the court had to stop buying gift card with his money. I have proof they did not take care of him or do anything for him except take him to the store once a week and he took care of himself at home.
My attorney tells me that this should be a mediation and he knows the judge and hates Virginia. You know that I have always been open, upfront, and honest with you. The reverse mtg company that APS put on the house for Ed will try to take the house unless we can come up with $ cash immediately to save the house and then it will be tied up with our lawyers where you will probably have to pay some hefty fees to keep in this fight going and if it is decided in my favor as Colorado Law is very clear on common law wife gets everything where you might have to pay me back. Here is some info about Probate.
Notice to Legal Heirs – The administrator of the estate will serve notice of the estate upon all known legal heirs, and will also publish an announcement of the estate in the local newspaper of record, a newspaper that is legally qualified to publish legal notices. The administrator will file proof with the court that required notices were sent and published.
I was not notified but this is why you put 2 notices up about his death?
Notice to Creditors – The administrator will mail notices of the estate proceedings to all known creditors of the estate, to allow them to make claims for payment of debts, and file proof with the court that the notices were mailed.
This was not done?
Inventory of the Estate – The administrator will create an inventory of all of the assets of the estate, and the value of those assets. For some estates it may be necessary for the administrator to employ professional appraisers to assist with the process.
Has this been done?
Contesting the will
Lack of Testamentary Capacity: It may be alleged that the person who created the will (the testator) lacked the mental capacity to enter into a will at the time of its execution.
Ed was deemed incompetent at the time of your will
Fraud: It may be alleged that somebody tricked the testator into executing a will, such as by presenting for signature a document that the testator did not know was a will, or by secretly substituting a different will for the testator’s signature. It may also be alleged that the testator was given false information and drafted provisions of the will in reliance upon that false information.
I believe Virginia is the one who assigned the guardian who was mismanaging funds and was stopped by the court. Do you want to be party to that?
Undue Influence: It may be alleged that somebody improperly pressured the testator to include provisions in the will that, but for the person’s improper influence or threat, the testator would not have included.
- Presentation of a Subsequent Will: A document may be presented that is alleged to be a more recent will, that revokes or supersedes the prior will submitted to the probate court.
Keith had undue influence over Ed at the time your will was made.
I am not afraid anymore. APS is out of this fight now. I am well and willing to fight this with a lawyer who is also a friend of someone who is very close to me. It is my belief that this was all Keith’s doing with Virginia’s coaching as I don’t believe any of you in the family are that greedy. Let me know your decisions or I will progress with this case quickly. I still l love you, Mary
Enclosed in this email or separate emails:
A few texts and emails documenting things
Pictures I took of improvements and Ed but Emil only lets me attach a few at a time.
Texts from the live in caretaker I hired and home health nurse telling me about APS lack of care and how APS even asked the home health nurse to go to the food bank to get food for Ed when they had taken his money. A few I can send at a time.
Picture of an APS note by one of their persons in concern that they might not be able to capture the house
My hospital notes.
Pictures of improvements I made on the house etc. are extensive.
I met a guy named Ed
History of Ed
I don’t want this story to be negative or a downer but an inspiration for change in our systems and culture. I don’t think we should focus on the past except to learn from it.
Previous to my journey and life with Mr Ed Lenca, I was a NLP trainer, developer of Emotionology and coupled that with the dental lab business. I had no idea at the time what a left turn in my life this was. I had just finished my PhD comps when I met Ed.
These are pictures of Ed when he was young
When Ed was 2 years old, his father beat him so bad they had to hide him for 2 weeks. Ed never forgot this. This was one thing I was able to help Ed with, forgiving his dad for this abuse. After that he would never work with me on any more of his thinking. I don’t push anyone to work on themselves so I live and let live.
The day when Ed turned 18 his father handed him a $100 bill and told him he no longer lived with them. He spent some time in California living on oranges and then decided to enlist in the Marines. He told me they were pretty much brain washed to do whatever authority told them to do. I saw this complete yielding to authority when he got stopped by a cop and much later dealing with APS.
Here is young Ed out with his father probably hunting.
This is what Ed looked like when I first met him. When I met Ed in early, 2008 with my friend and roommate, Kirsten. I wasn’t interested in meeting anyone but wanted to be supportive by going out with her. We stopped into the biker bar on Colfax in Denver that night. I was standing with her watching everyone and turned to my right, seeing a scruffy guy with long hair, a big braid in back and bad buck teeth. I asked him how old he was. He looked my age, but I found out that he was 12 years younger than me. I told him, “You would look 10 years younger if you fixed your teeth.” he answered, “I can’t afford it.” I said, “I can do that for you.” Although at first, I was not at all attracted to Ed, he quickly grew on me. I was just trying to be kind helping others out. I am an artist, so people’s teeth are my palate if I am not doing portraits. I had been a hairdresser in my 20s, became a ceramist in my late 20s, and always an artist. This is the original Ed I first met. I wasn’t attracted to Ed by his looks. There was something in his soul that was pulling me in. So began my journey with Ed Lenca.
FIXING TEETH
I wasn’t thinking much of it but was getting intimately involved as I physically cut his hair to give him a new look We started dating. I am documenting this story as you will find out why at the end. Most are unedited emails and texts published here.
EDWARD LENCA To: Mary
Tue, May 13, 2008 at 6:20 AM
Mary, sure, if nothing else, should be interesting, ed.
—– Original Message —–
From: Mary Hallgren
To: EDWARD LENCA
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 10:59 PM
Subject: When we met
I think we met April 4th.
The guy Kirston met last Friday is coming back to town to see her Saturday. We thought we would make dinner and we could double. Are you up for that Sat night?
After dinner we could go to your house and leave the two of them here. Kirston wants me to meet him (for evaluation?). She doesn’t trust her judgment. The guy has 2 kids and probably wants a mom for them LOL. Mary
To: “lenca
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008, 08:52:54 PM MDT
Subject: dentist apt
Dr. Sarah Meyer
303-794-2456
Talk to Julie – She is expecting you to call. Tell her you are my friend Ed that I said would call for an apt to evaluate what you will need. This won’t hurt or cost you anything. She is expecting me to take care of everything. She is working off some of what she owes me so she is glad to do it. Let me know when you have the apt. You could call after hours and leave Julie a message with
your phone number and tell them when you could get off work and they could call back during the day and leave you a message of when would work for them. I think you will like the alot. They are very nice,
M
I started as a dental ceramist in my 20s needing my own teeth fixed and they did a terrible job. I said to the dentist, “Can’t you do any better?” He said no so I decided to enter the field as a trainee in ceramics Ito and Koby dental lab in Indianapolis, Ind. I had had a hair goods business during my first marriage in Berrien springs, MI which disappeared when all the human hair was sold in the 70s. After working in the lab for a few months and realizing I would never get a raise I quit and started my own lab.
Ed had a friend to introduce to Kirsten that she was interested in, so we had them over for dinner. I was doing it for her and him. I had a hot tub in my yard, so we were all in our swimming suits. I can see potential in people, so I set to work on Ed giving him a nice smile and cutting his long hair.
I wasn’t thinking too much about my involvement and I remember the first night I spent at his house with his two scary pit bulls sleeping on the floor next to the bed. I was afraid of them and afraid to get up in the night to leave. In the morning I saw all the guns he had all over the place and the unkempt nature of his house. He asked me to go on a trip with him to visit his brother in TX and always up for an adventure I agreed. We moved in together at his house.
After cutting his hair and fixing his teeth, He was a much more confident person. I later changed his hair color – turned him blond after this first haircut. To me, this was a very sweet guy and he was funny on the trip. We laughed a lot. His brother’s wife and I hit it off well. When we returned for that trip, Ed asked if we could have an exclusive relationship. I reluctantly agreed as I was also dating and interested in 2 other men at the time but decided to give it a try. So I informed the other men of my decision and made a real commitment to Ed.
We took a trip to Michigan and the following is a picture taken at his brother Steve’s and Liz house in 2008 after his teeth were fixed. Liz and I together cut his hair. I had not colored it yet in this picture but we used this picture for our 2008 Christmas card.
This was probably our 2nd trip to Michigan to visit the family with his blond hair.
Enclosed in this email or separate emails:
A few texts and emails documenting things
Pictures I took of improvements and Ed but Emil only lets me attach a few at a time.
Texts from the live in caretaker I hired and home health nurse telling me about APS lack of care and how APS even asked the home health nurse to go to the food bank to get food for Ed when they had taken his money. A few I can send at a time.
Picture of an APS note by one of their persons in concern that they might not be able to capture the house
My hospital notes.
Pictures of improvements I made on the house etc. are extensive.
You can see a difference in his confidence.
This is a story about Ed Lenca and Mary Hallgren, committed in a common law marriage from 2008 onward, where Ed’s alcoholism was a constant battle of ups and downs. At a certain point, alcoholism suddenly reaches no return. What happens to a couple when it turns to this? What is a course of action that needs to be taken? What happens to the other person when an abusive APS Adult Protective Services government agency takes control of the drunk? What should a woman do when she had made a life long commitment to a person to be there and then he turns into an angry threatening drunk abusive to a partner who is 12 years his senior and going through her own health issues?
Story of Ed Lenca
Obituary of Edward Henry Lenca
Denver, Colorado – Edward H. Lenca, 69, of Denver passed away January 28, 2023, at North Star Rehabilitation and Care Community, Lakewood, Colorado following a lengthy illness.
Ed Lenca was born on July 15, 1953, in Escanaba, MI, the son of Edward J, and Barbara A. (Labelle) Lenca. He was raised in Wilson, MI, and graduated from North-Central Area School, Powers, MI in 1971. After graduation he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving 6 years and being honorably discharged in 1977 as Sergeant (E-5).
Ed worked as a cement mason for most of his working years in Denver and also was a certified welder. As a mason he was proud to work on the new Denver airport at the time it was constructed.
Ed was passionate about Harley motorcycles, driving his corvette, and his extensive gun collection. Ed had a zest for life and always wanted to live in the moment. We will miss Ed’s great sense of humor & wit. He loved hunting in the mountains of Colorado and never missed his annual trip home to fish with his father and brother Stephen in Little Bay De Noc.
Ed is survived by siblings Stephen (Elizabeth) Lenca, Wells, MI, Carol (Tom) Witt, Granger, IA, Michael Lenca, Glenn Heights, TX, nieces Lauren Lenca, Grand Rapids, MI, Amanda Witt, Oshkosh, WI, nephews Samuel Lenca, Brookfield, WI, Brandon Witt, Granger, IA. Ed was preceded in death by his parents Edward & Barbara Lenca. A special mention to Keith Hurtubise for helping him as Ed’s health declined over the last few years.
In keeping with Ed’s wishes there will be no public services. All-States Cremation is assisting the Lenca family. Please visit www.allstatescreamation.com to send online condolences to his family.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edward Lenca, please visit Tribute Store
https://allstatescremation.com/tribute/details/312213/Edward-Lenca/obituary.html
