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Geezers, Floozies, and Valentines

When old Geezer passes away, his ex-wife, Floozie, is also eligible for widows benefits.
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Geezers, Floozies, and Valentines
Social Security is a common topic of discussion among retirees. oneinchpunch/Shutterstock
Tom Margenau
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This column should be coming out around Valentine’s Day. And it was 50 years ago, on Valentine’s Day, that my soon-to-be wife and I went out on our first date. How that came about makes for a cute story.

I had just started working for the Social Security office in the small farming community of Litchfield, Illinois. I had moved there from my hometown in Wisconsin just a month or so before. So I didn’t know anybody in town.

Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
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