> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Last man standing - URL: https://www.smdp.com/last-man-standing/ - Published: 2008-04-17T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T23:54:01.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import BEING WITH MY GIRLFRIEND MARISA’S family, I sometimes get the sense I arrived late and missed the party of a lifetime. Jerry Le Blanc, Marisa’s father, died eight years ago of lung cancer.Kerry Daveline,her sister’s husband, died five years ago of melanoma. The family bonded considerably during the grueling battles these men fought. The stories told are of the best and worst of times. As a newcomer to Marisa’s family, I am the last man standing. Surviving members include Rena, Marisa’s mother and widow, Mia, Marisa’s sister and widow, and Mia’s twin daughters, Kerry (Jr.) and Skylar, born after their father died. Our favorite gathering place is The Stand in Encino, where we enjoy a casual meal of hot dogs and chips and afterward play with the twins at a nearby park. It’s a fun and relaxing way to spend time with the little ones and catch up with the adults. I join Marisa and the other females as “Uncle Ryan” for trips and special events around Los Angeles. We spent a weekend last year at Disneyland. We also attend Santa Monica’s annual Pier de Sol benefit that raises money for the Special Olympics. As much fun as we have, a feeling of loss sometimes pervades our gatherings. It’s apparent something is missing in the lives of these darling women and girls. Marisa says it would have been nice for me to have met the other men, as we would have had a good time together. Marisa’s parents were career freelance writers. Jerry co-wrote “Five to Die,”a book on the Manson family that predated “Helter Skelter” by four years, and a travel guide to Bali. He and Rena, who still earns her living writing, penned “Suddenly Rich,” a nonfiction look at what sudden wealth does to people. Jerry worked the New York Times crossword puzzle every morning over a cup of coffee with a little dog named Pf snuggled on his lap. By all accounts he was a brilliant and gentle soul. He and Rena met in the ‘60s as reporters for the Los Angeles Greensheet (now the Daily News). Their marriage was one of true love, although tainted by the instability that often comes with writing professionally. Even so, they were happy to live on their own terms and married for 35 years until his death at age 71\. Friends called them Romeo and Juliet. Kerry and Mia met when they were young and were together 18 years until his death at age 41\. They became involved while performing a dinner theatre production of West Side Story. He was Tony. She was a back-up dancer. When Kerry became bedridden, their home became an open house. It was like a big, long slumber party where family and friends gathered regularly and the roaring fire, music, talking and laughter never ceased. Working full-time as an executive assistant, Mia raises her 3-year-old daughters as if she were two parents, ensuring they have the best education and opportunities available. Simply put, she’s tenacious. The twins attend a culturally diverse pre-school and participate in ballet and drum circles. Mia is not a woman of great means,but she encourages the girls to share in her parents’ love of travel. So, she takes them on cruises. They visit Kerry’s family in San Francisco. Last year they even went to England. They are seasoned explorers and aren’t shy around strangers. Dad would be proud. Several family members and friends tattooed themselves with a three leaf clover with Kerry’s name to show their indelible love for him before he died. But the reminders run deeper than ink. Kevin West and Michael Moynahan, two of Kerry’s closest friends organize a fundraiser to raise money for the Melanoma Research Foundation in his name. The 5th Annual Hack N’ Smack Kerry Daveline Memorial Celebrity Golf Classic will be held on Monday, April 21, at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana. It is becoming one of the most successful events of its kind, bringing together celebrities and the health and business communities for food, fun and a day on a green. The event includes a golf tournament, silent auction, lunch, dinner and music by the Beach Toys, a Beach Boys tribute band. The twins dance with the crowd. Although the party might not be the same without Jerry and Kerry, it’s inspiring to watch people who were closest to them aid in the fight to develop treatments for cancer their loved ones never had. RYAN HYATT is a former Daily Press staff writer and author of the nouveau western, “The Death of Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Biography of Darrell Breedlove.” He is seeking a publisher for his next novel, “Stay Younger Longer,” a political thriller that takes place in LA in 2046\. He *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 17, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041708.pdf?ref=smdp.com)