However, no memorial of Carret could ever be complete without mentioning his late wife, Betty - to whom he dedicates A Money Mind at Ninety:

     Of his late wife, he observes: "For many years, I regularly told Betty that I considered her 99.99% perfect. Why not 100%? The answer is simple. Only God is perfect. [But] in truth, I never detected any flaw in her that could represent a 0.01% shortfall. A beautiful, lovely and lovable, warm, intelligent human being, I loved her devotedly - even more so as the years passed. Like the famous French saying: 'More than yesterday, less than tomorrow.' "

     "Looking back over an unusually long and active life, I can only consider myself incredibly fortunate. Memories of my childhood are of a generally happy period. In the years of high school, college and Harvard Business School, I achieved a moderately satisfactory record but one well short of what it should have been. Only later in life did I accept the fact that there were a lot of people smarter than I and become comfortable with that realization."

     "During my long life, I have achieved moderate success in business. [Through] my business career ... profits and income generously covered a very comfortable life-style and allowed the accumulation of modest wealth. After 1932, I was always essentially my own boss, a very satisfactory situation. And for the most part, work has been fun...."

     "The supreme success of my life, however, was my marriage. And in the most important aspect of my life - marriage and family - I was exceptionally fortunate. Almost from the day I met Betty - in November 1920 - until the day of her death 65 years later, we enjoyed a supremely happy relationship.

     In retrospect, I came as close to enjoying Paradise on earth as any mortal could hope to do. In a subdued way, my life has been reasonably happy in its most recent years, even after losing the brightest star of my universe. All in all, I can say of my life that no king or emperor, no Morgan or Rockefeller, ever had it so good!"

     We can't say it any better. Phil Carret truly was the richest man in town. For our part, we can't help but believe that Carret has already had a joyful reunion with Betty, Jerry and other dearly departed family and friends. In any case, may the memory of this wonderful man, who lived his life so well, live forever in the hearts of his friends, family and the many others whose lives he touched who loved and admired him.