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Lawyers Who Write Wills Are Sharing The 40 Weirdest And Craziest Requests Their Clients Have Made
Your last will and testament is one of those things you probably don’t want to think about while having a walk in the park. It's also one of those things you’ll be so glad you did.
Apparently, making it loud and clear what happens to your property when you die, whom your belongings go to and who’s gonna be in charge of making things happen after you’re no longer here makes everything so much easier for your closest ones. And although we’d much rather never think about death altogether, reality makes us do so.
So in order to see just how complex, interesting, and sometimes pretty weird last wills can be, we take a look at this Ask Reddit thread. “Lawyers who put together wills, what is the craziest/oddest thing someone wanted to put in theirs?” someone asked and received more than 8k comments. Below we selected the most entertaining stories, so pull your seat a little closer!
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#1
Not a Lawyer, but an aging woman my family knew left her house(large, and in a very affluent neighborhood) and estate to family friends for so long as her cats were alive and taken care of in said house. After they died, the house was to be sold and the remaining estate donated.
The weird thing is, it's been like 20 years and the cats are still alive.
Also, they've changed color.
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#2
My great aunt who had no children put in her will that after a certain percent of her money was distributed evenly amongst her nieces and nephews, the remaining money would go to my dad provided he use it to throw a big family reunion party. Even after her death she brought the family together, it was a great party in her honor!
#3
When my grandfather passed his will asked that I clean out his shed, and I alone.
I found marijuana seeds, old reel style film pornography, which was hilarious and a bunch of other unsavory paraphernalia. 50's flick knives too.
#4
Not a lawyer, but I work at a law firm. One client left $100,000.00 to his two cats so they could "maintain their current lifestyle".
#5
Not a lawyer but my mom put in her will that if she dies under suspicious circumstances that my sister and I won’t be left anything. She watches a lot of true crime.
#6
Might be late to the party and not a lawyer, but my great-grandad had a clause in his will that stated something along the lines of, “if any of the beneficiaries decide to dispute the contents of the decedent’s estate, their share becomes $1 and nothing else.”
Seemed like a pretty good way to maintain harmony among his survivors.
#7
Lawyer here.
Wrote in my own will that I wish to be cremated and my funeral shall take place 3 miles off shore. My ashes are to be placed in a small wooden boat. Members of my funeral party will then compete for a $10,000 prize from my estate by shooting flaming arrows at my remains. Crossbows are prohibited.
#8
I (early 20s) was forced to write a will due to the health insurance i get at work, and, amongst sensible stuff, the in-house lawyer said it was totally okay for this clause to be added:
"My funeral wishes are that i be buried in a coffin which has been springloaded, such that opening the coffin would cause alarm to future archeologists"
Then a bunch of stuff about if this is to costly i'd be cremated and have my ashes scattered in a specific place.
#9
Just last week I handled a matter where the parents left millions in artwork to various people, wads of cash to various charities, and only left their kids the family cats. Turns out they did it because the kids got them the cats to comfort the parents in their old age and the parents f*****g hated the cats but the kids wouldn’t let them get rid of the cats.
#10
My own grandmother specified which of the children and grandchildren should get which of the family recipes, and somehow felt the need to include commentary about why certain decisions were made. One recipe was this Prohibition era recipe for beer which I knew my uncle, also a home brewer, wanted, but she left it to me, with the comment that "I know you wanted it, Teddy, but she has the second-best penmanship of the girls and will make you a copy."
And then like eight pages later, in among the specific descriptions of her vast collection of romance novels (really,) was a line: "And [specific Jude Devereaux title] to Spidey, who will please subtract about half the hops before she copies the beer recipe for her Uncle Teddy so that any of us can drink it. Our Jon had his IPA last summer and just about died."
Uncle Jon just about burst into tears laughing and Uncle Teddy had long since left the room because he has no f***s whatsoever to give about romance novels. Uncle Jon, of course, was still in the room because there was also still Yuengling.
And no, I have no idea how she got this will done. My guess is she wrote it herself and the law students who come to her independent-living building signed off on it. It was...elaborate, that's for sure. Total value of the estate was well under eight thousand dollars, so it was mostly a funny last letter from Grandma.
#11
I am a qualified solicitor, my favourite two are:
1. A lady wanted to create a trust fund of £100,000, for her pet fish. When I asked if it was a special kind of fish, she confirmed it was just a normal goldfish but she wanted it to be fed fresh avocado every day and be looked after by a local dog walker after she died. She was absolutely serious.
2. Another lady confessed she had a secret daughter, and she wanted to leave the daughter some money and photographs without the rest of her family finding out. Even her husband does not know. That will be a fun conversation when she passes away.
#12
Saw this answer from a similar question some time ago. When a dad died he set up financial installments so long as his daughter remains under a certain weight. Dude was controlling her diet from the grave.
#13
My sister’s mother in-law is leaving her house to her three sons. If one wants to sell out his third of the house, he has to sell it to the other two brothers for $1.
Trisha Howson 2 years ago
Hate it when a family dose this causes so much trouble. I've seen things like this sometimes take years for something to happen almost like they wanted them to have drama over it
#14
I work in probate. The oddest thing I’ve seen in a will is to euthanize their beloved horse, have it cremated and it’s ashes scattered with the decedent. Lucky for her horse, she named a horse that was already dead so the one she got afterwards lived to see another farm.
#15
"No, ma'am, in order to bequeath something, you actually have to own it."
#16
When my grandfather passed it was discovered they they had been closet millionaires. No one in the family knew, but some good investments and frugal habits learned during the depression had turned out well for them. Of course they had 11 kids, so it got parceled down to about $100,000 each. Side note: Parents were encouraged to give their kids a slice and I just put a down payment on my first house -- thanks memere and pepere!
#17
Lots of people sending their friends and family on weird errands to spread their ashes (leaving money for people to take trips and spread their ashes around the world).
Pet trusts are a fun one: leaving a whole whack of money in a trust to be used for the care of the pet during their life.
However, my favourite ever (that I obviously didn’t draft) was a lawyer who left the bulk of his estate (millions in today’s dollars) to whatever Toronto-area woman had the most children at a specific date some years in the future. I recall the winner had 10.
Trisha Howson 2 years ago
That's a nice idea shows he really cared doubt anyone knew about it either. Glad that woman an her ten kids got it
#18
My grandfather and his law partner opened a small law firm "out of a broom closet", in a small Midwestern town in the 50s. Most of their cases were wills and contracts, small town stuff.
His very first client was an old farmer who wanted his will made, that left, among other things, a taxidermied dog to his only son.
By the mid 60s the firm was rapidly outgrowing their tiny office. A local lawyer died suddenly, leaving his office on the town square up for grabs. They took it sight unseen, my granddad and his partner got an awesome lease on huge law office suite on the town square, 30 yards from the courthouse.
The first client guy died the very day they got the keys to the new office. His son was the first client at the new office, he came in with the taxidermied dog while they were literally moving boxes. He dealt with his father's estate, and planned his own estate. And then he asked my grandad to store the taxidermied dog for a week while he fumigated. My grandfather agreed to put the dog into an unused office, and the guy went on his way.
When my granddad moved the dog into an upstairs office, he found a locked wall safe that hadn't been mentioned in the lease. The property owner had no idea it was even there, let alone the combination, and told my grandad he could have whatever he found.
My granddad called his best buddies, a couple of young lawyers, doctors, a realtor, and the local mortician, to come help him crack the safe. They tried to crack the safe, even using one of the doctors stethoscopes. Much to their chagrin, they failed miserably. Feeling defeated, they finally called the local locksmith, who managed to get it unlocked. They paid the locksmith before he looked inside, not knowing what sensitive material they might have found.
That was a good call. There was no money, but they found a mason jar full of hashish, and a couple of quarts of moonshine. It all magically disappeared, and by complete coincidence the parties they threw were the stuff of small town legends.
The guy came back for the dog a week later, and my grandfather told him that he thought the dog was a lucky charm. The guy redid his will a few years later, and left the taxidermied dog to the firm. It was still there when I was a little girl in the 80s, every time my granddad would bring me to the office I would pet it the whole time.
#19
My vindictive grandmother left my aunt $20 as a reminder of the $20 my aunt stole from her once.
#21
A furby collection from models collected in the late 90’s. They were convinced they would retain future value.
This was 2011.
#22
My grandfather left me $1.00, he had dementia and confused my dad ripping him off with me. He left the rest of the family between $100,000 And a few million each.
They all said they felt horrible because they knew the details, but not horrible enough to give up any of their share.
The way I see it is it was never my money to begin with, so it's not a loss. I'm just glad my sister got a hundred thousand,she needed it more than any of the others.
#23
My friends mother had in her will “that cat gets to live in my house alone until it expires” the cat lived there for a few years alone with a caregiver checking on it. Yes she was rich.
Debbie Barnes 2 years ago
I don't see the problem with this. This was the cat's home. Good for her!
#24
Had a friend who had a toxic relationship with his uncle. When his uncle passed he was surprised to find he was in the will. Turns out there was a handwritten IOU that read “I’m leaving you 15k BUT you have to come get it from me. I’ll see you in hell!” My friend laughed.
#25
Here’s one from one of my dad’s law partners. He had a lady come in with an itemized list of books and wanted her will to contain all of the books and who will get what based on her choosing. So basically she decides who gets what specific book instead of letting her beneficiaries decide. The truly astonishing thing is how many books and how specific they get. According to dad’s law partner her list is at about 2,000 books to be divided among about 30 people. She is apparently very specific and comes back at least once a year to add all the new books she’s gotten.
WildHoneyPie 2 years ago
You never know. Some books can be worth big bucks. When a former library director of our local system retired, a book on the windowsill in his office (the absolute worst place for a book) was valued at $50,000.
#26
My dad told me this about when my grandpa set up his will.
Basically, he first wanted to discuss the "who gets what" with his family first before putting it into writing. Smart, because that can nip a lot of issues later on in the butt.
So, my grandpa is sitting down with his two sons, discussing who gets what. And my mother and my aunt are there, and they're having a lot of ideas on how to split everything, whether item A is equal to monetary value B, and, most importantly, what their respective part of the family could do with what item/possession.
At some point, my grandpa had enough. He told the wives to leave the room because "hey, quit arguing about my stuff and money like that. I am not dead yet!".
But the most poignant thing he said was that he was dividing his earthly possession up between his sons. Not their wifes, not his grandchildren. He had two sons, and they would get the lions share.
There were provisions in there for individual items that he would ask people about. Do you want this? Would that thing make you happy? Could you use X? And he put aside certain monies to be divied up between the grandchildren, cousins, etc.
But he was very firm on who gets what and he communicated it very clearly. This is my stuff. I decide. And the only imput I value is by the two people I've known all their lives.
Well, he died and everyone was informed and knew what to expect.
My grandma is still alive. Years ago, around the same time that will was being drafted, she decided that most of her most valuable possessions should be similiarly taken care of.
She labeled all her jewelery. Put them in those little plastic bags that you freeze stuff in, because the bags my grandma uses for that have little labels on them that you can write on. Made the whole thing easy.
And then she eventually decided "why wait" and distributed them as gifts. She was getting up there, and she pretty much never had occassion to wear jewelery any more except for one or two beloved items.
I feel that there is an important lesson here: Deal with this kind of stuff early, communicate clearly, preferably when everyone involved is actually there, live. Everyone witnesses it and can't deny it later.
Not that there was any danger of that happening in my family, I think.
But I guess my grandparents knew: Inheritance, and money in general, can rip families apart. And if you want to curb that risk, no matter how insignificant it may seem, you gotta address the problem head on. You cannot hide from the problems caused by your death, just like can't hide from death itself.
Peace of mind, and a family not at risk of engaging in litigation against each other, is worth some time and effort.
#27
I had the first son so my dad decided to leave me more. Except he did the math wrong and it came out to 105%. He had dementia.
#28
Not a lawyer but my grandpa put in his will a chocolate bar for everyone one of his grand kids. Well I have like 12 cousins and very difficult to track down where a couple of them went. All this estates and money he had in will was at a stand still for months because they couldn’t find my couple cousins. Had to show court we put in effort to hire someone to track them down etc. The lawyer that was helping execute the Will was blown away that this lawyer allowed this and why he wouldn’t highly suggest not to do it. But I’m not complaining cause I got a Toblerone out of the deal!
#29
Had a very attractive woman with terminal cancer try to get herself stuffed by a taxidermist and given to some rich guy that had been basically a sugar daddy to her for a few months. She said "He would give me a million dollar a week allowance as long as it was in an official will that he could see." I sent her to a lawyer who I knew that would do about anything for a buck because I didn't want to end up in the news when she died. That was 2 years ago, no clue what happened to her.
#30
When my great grandad died in his will he stated that his coin collection be split equally across his family. There was like 8-9 of us and 3 potato sacks full of coins. So we all gathered round a table and each took one coin each until nothing was left. Among the coins was an Iron Cross, which was quiet odd as the only person on that side of the family that went to war was his dad, and he served with the ANZAC’s in WW1.
#31
I research land and often go through wills to determine ownership of property.
“To my wife I leave a length of rope long enough to hang herself.”
Peacemaker21 2 years ago
Happy ending: "She should then use the rope to pull the stone in our front yard the distance of 12 inches. She will then find all my money, the whole 2 mil, kept in a chest in the hole below the stone."
#32
My father is heavily involved in my great aunt and uncle's lives since their health has begun to decline (both mid 90's with no children), and has seen their will.
They have a small fortune (in excess of £1,000,000), and have left it all to a local dog's home.
When he asked them about it, my great uncle's response was "nobody has helped me in life, so I won't be helping anybody either."
Auntriarch 2 years ago
That's a bit mean, to say that to people who are actually helping him right now
#33
I'm not a lawyer, but my grandfather saved his kidney stone so that he could leave it to my cousin. They never really got along.
Auntriarch 2 years ago
They wouldn't let me have my great grandfather's glass eye, I'm still a bit cross about that
#34
In my Mums will, which I have seen, she has left me the kitchen table and chairs.
She lives on a South Manchester council estate.
My brother gets the sideboard.
Debbie Barnes 2 years ago
This sounds a little ungrateful to me. Perhaps she worked and saved for these items of furniture, which is why she valued them so much. Perhaps she should give them to a charity shop where they will be appreciated?
#35
I’m the executor of my grandmother’s will. I also get the house and everything in it and a share of life insurance that’s split three ways between myself, sister, and mom. My mom has always said that all my dad , my grandmothers son-in-law, would like to have is some table. Well in the will there’s like a whole paragraph that states how my dad gets nothing, he doesn’t lay a finger on any thing in the house or any money. How my dad is basically worthless and deserves nothing and how he was a c**p dad and that she begrudgingly has my mom in the will. Thanks grandma I’ll appreciate the awkwardness.
James G. Currie 2 years ago
*A week after the funeral* "Oh, hey, Dad, I just bought a new table, could you help me dispose of the old one?" (Gives dad the table and some appropriate accessories that go with...)
#36
My grandfather has in his will to say “hi so-n-so.” Just so he can say that he mentioned that person in his will. He tells lots of people in the family that they are ‘in his will.’ It’s a joke that only he thinks is funny and he won’t be around for the punch line. I think it’s brilliant. He has about 10 people mentioned.
James G. Currie 2 years ago
I've been told that the easiest way to prevent a successful challenge of a will by a family member is to expressly mention them in the will... Don't know how accurate it is, but there ya go!
#37
Client wanted her ashes spread at the restaurant (on the beach) where she met her husband.
phil blanque 2 years ago
At an outdoor table: "Waiter there is dirt on my eggs!." Waiter examines the food and says: "No, madam, that is just Mrs..Westinghouse. Not to worry...she was totally organic."
#38
Lawyer here. Probably the woman who wanted to gift the frozen semen of her dead dog.
Cat Palmer 2 years ago
I guess if it was a rare breed or a show champion and so worth something to breeders this kinda makes sense? Kinda?
#39
My wife has clear instructions to use some of my life insurance to buy a dilapidated house out in the countryside, tie my corpse to a chair, and throw a raging party in my honor inside.
Afterwards, when everyone is good and hammered, douse me in accelerant and burn the house to the ground with me still inside. Party ain't over till the house (and me) is no more.
Laugh or not 2 years ago
Sounds illegal in most countries. Bodies can only be managed by professionals. Also, depending on how fast it is to read the will and execute it, the body would be in quite a state.
#40
Lady wanted her small dog to be buried with her. If the dog happened to be alive when the lady passed, she wanted the dog put down and then join her.
#41
(Not a lawyer) But, my grandpa (not by blood) had two blood daughters who disowned him when I was really young as they'd been brainwashed by their mother. When they found out he was sick, they came snooping around asking about the will and we wouldn't let them near him, but we let him know. In his will he left them each a dollar with the note "So you can't say I didn't leave you anything".
What do you think ?
GirlFriday 2 years ago
My grandmother passed away 4 days ago. She left me her napkin holder (she made it in ceramics the year I was born), her rolling pin (because we always cooked together and she got it for a wedding present in 1942), and set of bakeware that she bought off QVC because she thought I would use it. I gotta tell you, I am so happy about all of it. That napkin holder has been like a lighthouse welcoming me to her home for all these years. I absolutely loved cooking with her and am honored that she gave me her beloved rolling pin, and the bakeware is nice, and while I don't really need it, every single time I put a meal together I am going to think of her.
T J R 2 years ago
Also, I just realized that it says she passed 4 days ago, not 4 years ago....I'm so very sorry for your loss. I'm glad you not only have such wonderful memories of her, but specific items connected to those memories. They are the best things to have :)
Load More Replies...
AZ Panda 2 years ago
Years ago...my aunt had a neighbor. Hermit of a guy..who lived in a quiet broken down little house. Wore the same clothes almost everyday. Had lived there with his mother and brother...both had passed. Went inside once..newspaper curtains, stacks of old newspapers (60es and up). Given this was one of the most oldest and broken neighborhoods in my town..that is saying a lot. My aunt would talk to him..fix him food..sent people to him for him to fix their TVs (guy was a genius at it..he never charged alot). Well...one years people noticed the papers in the yard piling up...aunt called.. someone had broken in his house...beaten him to death. Anyway in his will he left her a HUGE chunk of his estate. Turns out he was a millionaire. Had A Master's Degree in Physics. HIs mother been a well known headmistress in some school. His brother worked as one of the first translators for a presidental administration and translated many Russian Works to English. Just said my aunt was took good care
T J R 2 years ago
That's so awful that he was murdered, but how wonderful that your aunt was kind to him and he showed her his appreciation.
Load More Replies... Alec 2 years ago
There are quite a few here about people asking for their pets to be put down and buried with them. I am not too keen on the 'take them with you' attitude that seems to shine through in those, but at the same time I have to say that, if I were not absolutely sure that I had someone lined up to care for my furbabies as they deserve, I would rather see them put down, than left behind to suffer and be abandoned. I work with a rescue group and unfortunately I have seen that happen way too many times. This may not be a popular stance, but that is not a chance I am willing to take.
Auntriarch 2 years ago
I can see that. Especially if you are old and possibly a little bit paranoid and don't trust even the people who you could trust. Having said that, during the Gulf war we were told to leave pets behind if we had to be evacuated. If it had come to that, I would certainly have taken my dog to be put down.
Load More Replies... GirlFriday 2 years ago
My grandmother passed away 4 days ago. She left me her napkin holder (she made it in ceramics the year I was born), her rolling pin (because we always cooked together and she got it for a wedding present in 1942), and set of bakeware that she bought off QVC because she thought I would use it. I gotta tell you, I am so happy about all of it. That napkin holder has been like a lighthouse welcoming me to her home for all these years. I absolutely loved cooking with her and am honored that she gave me her beloved rolling pin, and the bakeware is nice, and while I don't really need it, every single time I put a meal together I am going to think of her.
T J R 2 years ago
Also, I just realized that it says she passed 4 days ago, not 4 years ago....I'm so very sorry for your loss. I'm glad you not only have such wonderful memories of her, but specific items connected to those memories. They are the best things to have :)
Load More Replies... AZ Panda 2 years ago
Years ago...my aunt had a neighbor. Hermit of a guy..who lived in a quiet broken down little house. Wore the same clothes almost everyday. Had lived there with his mother and brother...both had passed. Went inside once..newspaper curtains, stacks of old newspapers (60es and up). Given this was one of the most oldest and broken neighborhoods in my town..that is saying a lot. My aunt would talk to him..fix him food..sent people to him for him to fix their TVs (guy was a genius at it..he never charged alot). Well...one years people noticed the papers in the yard piling up...aunt called.. someone had broken in his house...beaten him to death. Anyway in his will he left her a HUGE chunk of his estate. Turns out he was a millionaire. Had A Master's Degree in Physics. HIs mother been a well known headmistress in some school. His brother worked as one of the first translators for a presidental administration and translated many Russian Works to English. Just said my aunt was took good care
T J R 2 years ago
That's so awful that he was murdered, but how wonderful that your aunt was kind to him and he showed her his appreciation.
Load More Replies... Alec 2 years ago
There are quite a few here about people asking for their pets to be put down and buried with them. I am not too keen on the 'take them with you' attitude that seems to shine through in those, but at the same time I have to say that, if I were not absolutely sure that I had someone lined up to care for my furbabies as they deserve, I would rather see them put down, than left behind to suffer and be abandoned. I work with a rescue group and unfortunately I have seen that happen way too many times. This may not be a popular stance, but that is not a chance I am willing to take.
Auntriarch 2 years ago
I can see that. Especially if you are old and possibly a little bit paranoid and don't trust even the people who you could trust. Having said that, during the Gulf war we were told to leave pets behind if we had to be evacuated. If it had come to that, I would certainly have taken my dog to be put down.
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