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Duluth attorney takes out ad saying he is ‘alive and well’ - The reports
of Duluth attorney Robert M. Kaner ’s death were greatly exaggerated.
Duluth News Tribune (MN) -
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Author: Brandon Stahl, Duluth
News Tribune
The reports of Duluth attorney Robert M. Kaner’s
death were greatly exaggerated.
To make that clear, Kaner took out an unusual advertisement
in Wednesday’s obituary section of the News Tribune, saying he is “alive and
well.”
Kaner , 63, who has practiced law in Duluth for 35 years,
said it was the best he could do to correct the erroneous, and apparently
widespread, belief that he had died, after an obituary in Tuesday’s paper
reported the death of 67-year-old Robert L. Kaner .
The two Kaners are in many ways alike: Both are attorneys who went to the
same law school, they’re about the same age, both are single, both grew up in
the area and are members of the same synagogue.
“I received many calls from concerned friends and clients expressing concern
that I had died,” Kaner said. “When they heard my voice, I
think they were somewhat shocked.”
Kaner said he got so many of those calls from around the
country that he was worried he’d start losing business.
“Anybody reading that would logically think it was me,” he said. “All those
calls from concerned clients and friends led me to believe I should announce
that I am alive and still practicing law in Duluth.”
In the ad, Kaner also expressed thanks to those who called
him, as well as condolences to the family of the other Robert Kaner
.
That Kaner , who grew up in Cloquet, started practicing law
at the public defender’s office in Duluth in the early 1970s, along with the
other Robert Kaner , said Fred Friedman, who now heads the
office.
Duluth’s Robert M. Kaner said he was a “distant relative” of
the other Kaner , who went on to practice law in
Minneapolis. Kaner said he planned to attend his relative’s
funeral, which was held Wednesday afternoon.
Despite the ad, Kaner said he’s still gotten a few calls
Wednesday from people wondering if he was dead, but he was mostly getting
comments from people saying they were glad he was alive.
“It’s like attending your own funeral,” he said. “It’s a comforting thing to
know that people do care about you.”
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