Wild And Hilarious Things People Have Put In Their Wills

Ashley - June 9, 2023

Photo: reddit.com

When most people sit down to write their will, they have a plan in mind. That plan usually involves dividing up their assets among loved ones and friends or donating part of their wealth to charities. However, some people feel they didn’t get the justice they were owed in life and are determined to seek it out in death. Others are simply petty and want to let the people they disliked in life know exactly what they thought about them. People are sharing the hilarious and wild things others have put in their wills, and we’re here for it! Get ready to enjoy the tea and cackle at the stories we have lined up for you.

Color Changing Cats

On a Reddit thread talking about hilarious requests lawyers have had clients ask to put in their wills, this one stands out. A woman left her house and estate to family friends, but only for as long as her cats remained alive. Upon the passing of her beloved pets, the woman’s house was supposed to be sold, and her estate donated. Of course, the family friend found an easy loophole for this and simply brought in more cats when one passed. We wonder how long they were able to get away with this!

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A Disturbing Request

An interesting case study came up during a trust & estates class. Apparently, a man left his wife everything in his will, but only under the condition that she has his body stuffed and left on the living room couch forever. Who does that? Not only does that seem like it would be incredibly psychologically damaging for the wife, but we also can’t imagine that’s particularly sanitary. We’re glad the courts threw out that part of his will!

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Fake Out

We all have neighbors we can’t stand. Sometimes, that rivalry spreads to the rest of the family, which seems to be what happened in this instance. This person was well aware of his grandfather’s rivalry with his neighbor and was completely dumbstruck when his grandfather left the neighbor $10k, a car, and his golf clubs. It turns out that the rivalry was actually a giant scam. The grandfather managed to fake out his family and get them to believe he genuinely hated his neighbor for 20+ years! That must have taken some serious commitment.

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True Crime TV

Plenty of people have an obsession with true crime television shows. They’re often a fascinating glimpse into the darkest parts of humanity, and fans get a thrill from following along with the story and trying to guess who the bad guy is. However, this person’s mother clearly spends too much time watching true crime shows! She had it written into her will that her children will receive nothing if she dies under suspicious circumstances. Talk about a lack of trust!

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Intimidate Them With Elephants

When a family member dies, they often leave their most prized possessions to their loved ones. Usually, they leave behind their home, car, or household items that held some significance. But some people want to pass on their knowledge as well as their treasured possessions. This person was approached by their grandmother only hours after their grandfather passed. The grandmother had an unusual gift from her late husband. He left his grandson a navy blue tie with pink elephants because he believed it helped him intimidate people in business, and he wanted his grandson to have the same ability. It’s a pretty sweet gesture, but a little strange.

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He Really Loved Chocolate

Sometimes, people want to share the things they loved most in life upon their passing. This person’s grandfather must have really loved chocolate because he bequeathed a specific chocolate bar to each of his grandkids. Unfortunately, this family didn’t keep in touch with every member, so the grandfather’s estate, money, and everything else in his will was tied up until they could get the chocolate bar situation sorted out. While this was a thoughtful idea, it definitely wasn’t practical!

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Great-Uncle Wasn’t Messing Around

The vigilante justice delivered through this Redditor’s great-uncle’s will is beautiful. Apparently, he wanted to make it perfectly clear what he thought about John, who was the fourth husband of his daughter, Jane. The great-uncle left virtually everything to his granddaughter, with the exception of $5k and a prized gun. That went to his son Bill, on the condition that Bill gave John a beat down. This sounds like the plot of a tv drama about a super dysfunctional family, and we’re here for it!

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Really, Nana?

There’s nothing wrong with touching up your appearance, but this person’s nana took it to an extreme. After getting a breast job in her sixties, she must have felt that this asset needed to receive as much attention as possible. In her will, she stated that she wanted an open casket funeral with her enhanced assets on full display. The husband covered her up a bit with some well-placed daisies, so everyone got what they wanted. It’s still a pretty strange request though!

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An Early Feminist

The laws weren’t always so friendly toward women, especially regarding owning property and other assets. Several generations back in this person’s family, a woman inherited a large sum of money but knew that the funds would be transferred to her husband if she ever got married. So she refused to take a husband and, upon her passing, left her remaining wealth to all the females in the family. We can’t help but applaud this early feminist for refusing to allow herself to be controlled by sexist laws while still living her best life!

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The Crazy Uncle

Everyone has that one family member that just isn’t quite right. Some relatives collect odd things or have unusual interests, and sometimes these things follow them into death. One person took to Reddit to share the story of his crazy uncle. Apparently, his uncle was very rich, but severely lacking in the friendship department. When he passed, he decided to leave his entire estate to an Elvis impersonator. Yes, he left everything to the Elvis impersonator. That person was probably very grateful, but we can’t imagine the family felt good about this.

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Ugly Christmas Socks

Wearing ugly clothes on Christmas is a treasured tradition for many families. Plenty of people wear ugly Christmas sweaters when they open presents, but this person’s great-grandfather preferred to wear an ugly pair of Christmas socks each holiday. When he passed, he bequeathed the socks to this person’s uncle and instructed him to continue the tradition. The Redditor who posted this story expects to get the socks next. We hope he wears them!

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She Left Her Great Niece A Bug

Sharing hobbies and interests with family members is a great way to bond, but the person who shared this story apparently wasn’t even that close to her great-aunt. The great-aunt knew of her great-niece’s love for bugs and left her a taxidermy giant silk moth that she’d had hanging on her wall upon her passing. The great-niece was pretty pleased with this and has declared it to be one of the coolest things in her collection of odd knickknacks.

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Rude And Hilarious Instructions

It sounds like this person had a pretty good relationship with his grandfather. The grandfather left a solid sum of money and tools to help his grandson start his own business, among other things. While the grandfather clearly wanted to help his grandson get a good start in life, he included some odd instructions for his grandson to follow in order to receive these things. Apparently, the grandson had to ensure his girlfriend would receive nothing from the things given to him by his grandfather and tell his uncle he was fat! Those are some pretty rude and hilarious instructions he was expected to follow. Although, it was helpful for his grandfather to write a script for him to follow.

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“For Reasons Known To Him”

Wills are legal documents, which means they’re often written in very formal language. Most people don’t directly call someone out in their will, and instead use phrases like, “for reasons known to them” to explain why they have left something specific to that person. While sharing this knowledge with their fellow Redditors, the poster made sure to mention that they included their father in their will, but with a twist. They apparently left the contents of their kitchen trash can to their father upon their passing, “for reasons known to him.”

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It Pays To Be The Favorite

Rather than leaving people who have wronged them out of their will entirely, many people will choose a more petty route. This person’s grandmother left $0.01 to nearly everyone in her will, along with a nasty comment that probably made them feel even more ashamed of themselves than just receiving a penny would have. The only family member to not get a penny and a mean comment was this poster. She got $1,000 from her grandmother. It definitely pays to be the favorite!

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A Very Personal Insult

Some people just never get along. This is expected to happen, especially among family members, but most people will just let bygones be bygones. It’s okay not to get along with everyone! But there must have been some deeper issues between these two because leaving someone your kidney stone is a very personal type of insult. Was the grandfather trying to imply the cousin was as much of a pain as passing that kidney stone was?

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A Friend To Donkeys

Some people are better with animals than they are with people. There are tons of people who devote their entire lives to helping animals while rarely making the same types of connections with friends or family. This person’s great-grandmother might have been one of those people because she left most of her money to a local donkey sanctuary upon her passing. It’s a kind gesture that the sanctuary most definitely appreciated! Hopefully, her family wasn’t too mad about it.

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She Gets Nothing

When a parent and child have an estranged relationship, this often affects their will. Parents will often still leave their children something because it’s a parent’s instinct to provide, even when they aren’t getting along with their kids. But this mother was apparently fed up with her daughter to the point where the majority of her will was dedicated to explaining that she was intentionally leaving her daughter out of the will. The mother worked harder than most to ensure her daughter wouldn’t get a single thing and would have no chance at contesting the will. We need the rest of the tea!

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A Powerful Family

While this isn’t specifically about a will, it’s pretty close and also hilarious! A powerful family in this town had a deed drawn up stating they could regain ownership of a local park if the city didn’t continuously provide a working fountain that provided pleasant running water suitable for consumption by man and beast alike. Since some descendants of the family still lived in town, the city made sure to install a new water fountain with a dog bowl filler, just in case.

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Here’s How To Prevent Disputes

Writing a will is stressful. Not only do you have to take everything you own and value into account, but you also want to ensure your family feels as though they’ve each gotten their fair share. Dealing with all of this while considering the end of your life is not most people’s idea of a good time. The star of this story came up with the perfect way to prevent any family disputes after his passing. He put a clause in his will that ensured anyone who contested the will would only receive $1 and nothing else. That should put an end to any bickering!

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Petty Revenge From Beyond The Grave

You really shouldn’t expect to get anything from someone who you’ve screwed over once they passed. The person who posted this story was eager to share his grandfather’s petty revenge from beyond the grave, and we’re eager to read it! Apparently, his uncle screwed over his grandfather by owing him $100k and then sending him a letter saying he was disowning the grandfather for being cheap. The grandfather framed the letter and a signed contract about the money the uncle owed him and left the uncle $1 in unrolled pennies. Most of us can only aspire to this level of pettiness.

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Best Dis Ever

Apparently, lawyers are supposed to discourage people from throwing shade at people in their will. But that doesn’t always happen, as is clearly demonstrated by this list! Plenty of people put language into their will that targets a specific person to ensure the person understands just how much they messed up. One of the best insults this person ever came across was in their Wills & Trusts book while studying in law school. A person wrote, “To my son, I leave the pleasure of working for a living- for 25 years, he thought the pleasure was all mind.” The son probably needed some ice for that burn!

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A Rough Deal

Mistakes happen, but it’s particularly disappointing when a simple mistake costs you $100,000! This person expected to receive an inheritance of $100,000 to a few million when his grandfather passed, but it didn’t happen. His grandfather had dementia and confused him with his father, who ripped the grandfather off. While writing his will, the grandfather left OP with a single dollar instead of the small fortune the rest of his family received. While everyone felt bad for him, no one felt bad enough to couch up some of their share. That’s a pretty rough deal!

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Spend Time With Your Loved Ones

You’ll often hear stories of people leaving everything they own to a single person. Some people may think this is selfish, but it makes a lot of sense when you consider how lonely people become later in life. The OP of this story spent a lot of time with her grandmother before she passed, which is why the grandmother left her everything she owned. The rest of the family couldn’t be bothered to spend time with the grandmother, so they were left with nothing. Apparently, OP’s family is upset with her for how things turned out, but they should’ve spent more time with grandma when they had the chance!

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A Sign Of Trust

When someone passes, it’s usually up to their family to decide who cleans out their home. Sometimes, people will designate a specific person to go through their home or other properties when they’re writing their will. This person’s grandfather wrote that the OP had to clean out his shed, and when OP went to get everything situated, he made some pretty interesting discoveries. He found a bunch of “unsavory paraphernalia,” marijuana seeds, and a ton of flick knives while cleaning out the shed. His grandfather must have trusted him to take good care of his things and not judge him for his odd collections.

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Empty Nest Syndrome

Many parents experience empty nest syndrome when their children leave home. It’s not unusual for parents to cope with this by getting a pet or two, and sometimes the children will even get a pet for their parents to comfort them through this transition. However, you should probably check and make sure your parents actually want the pets before you do this! A couple of kids got their parents cats to comfort them once they left the house, but the parents hated the cats. The children wouldn’t let them get rid of the cats, so upon their passing, the parents left their children the cats and gave away millions in artwork to other people. Ouch!

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Sounds Fair

Some people are really attached to specific items. It’s usually something that’s been passed down through the generations or has significant monetary value. One man needed to determine a fair way to decide who would receive an antique clock upon his passing. He came up with an odd but fair-sounding system. If he passed on an even day, daughter A would get the clock. If he passed on an odd day, daughter B got the clock. Whoever didn’t get the clock would receive money equal to the value of the clock. It sounds pretty fair to us!

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An Unfortunate Series Of Events

When a person is married and doesn’t have a will, all of their belongings usually go to their spouse when they die. This person’s maternal grandfather passed unexpectedly at only 48 years old after recently remarrying. All his possessions and wealth were left to his new wife, who was determined to make sure everyone got their fair share. Unfortunately, the new wife passed only six months later, which left everything to her 15-year-old son. OP’s family had no choice but to attempt to buy back all their family heirlooms. If only the grandfather had had a will!

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Adoption Horror Story

We’ve all heard adoption horror stories over the years, but this has to be one of the saddest. A girl who was adopted grew up fully integrated into her new family, until her adoptive mother passed. Upon her passing, the adoptive mother ensured that everything she owned would be left to her “natural daughters,” leaving her adoptive daughter with nothing. We can’t imagine being this cruel to someone you’ve raised since birth. The poor girl must have been devastated!

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Why Would He Do That?

People do crazy things with their wills, and sometimes it doesn’t make any sense. One Redditor posted about some pf the funniest and strangest things he’s seen in wills over the years, and stated that this one was his favorite. Apparently, a lawyer left the bulk of his estate to whatever Toronto-area woman had the most children at a specific date in the future. Why would he do that? Perhaps he just wanted to help out a family, but surely there were less strangely specific ways he could have gone about it.

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Good Intentions, Bad Execution

When this man passed, he wanted the family farm to be split equally among his children. His two sons were already working on the farm, while his daughter moved to the city. Instead of leaving the farming equipment with his sons, this man decided to leave them to his daughter. Apparently, he wanted his daughter to know that she was welcome to work on the farm and that he’d never meant to intentionally exclude her simply for being a girl. Hopefully, she gave the equipment to her brothers, who would actually use them.

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Controlling From The Grave

Some parents can’t help themselves and spend their entire lives trying to control their children. Then you have parents like the one in this story. This man wanted to control his daughter even after death, and he made sure to put that into his will. Apparently, he made his daughter’s weight a condition of her receiving financial installments from his estate. How would this even work? Would the daughter have to weigh herself in front of a lawyer every time she was due to receive a payment? It’s probably better for her to just wash her hands of him and his money entirely.

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Vindictive Grandma

When someone steals from you, it doesn’t make you feel inclined to leave them a significant amount of money. In fact, most people would write someone out of their will entirely for stealing from them. Some people take the high road and include their family members in their will regardless of any misdeeds, but then there’s this person’s grandmother. Apparently, the OP’s grandmother left her aunt $20 as a reminder of the $20 that she once stole. We have to admit that this is a pretty excellent display of petty revenge. Hopefully, the aunt was embarrassed when she received that $20!

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Loves Her Goldfish

Many people set up pet trusts when they create their will. The idea behind a pet trust is to ensure the pet receives top-notch care for the remainder of their lives. Most people who set up a pet trust dedicate it to their dog or cat or horse. But one lady wanted to create an extensive pet trust for her goldfish! It wasn’t a special goldfish, but the lady clearly loved her pet fish. She wanted it taken care of by a local dog walker and fed fresh avocado every day. The poor lady must have been lonely if her goldfish meant that much to her!

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A Life-Long Secret

When people hold onto a life-changing secret for their entire lives, it often comes out after they die. Relatives that no one else knew about will appear at the funeral or in the will, and it often causes a lot of distress for the family members left behind. One woman had a secret daughter that no one in her family knew about- not even her husband. While crafting her will, she wanted to include the secret daughter and leave her some money and sentimental items. Unfortunately, it sounds like her lawyer will have to be the one to break the news when she passes.

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A Very Dark Ending

This son could have been set for life. His parents were extremely well-off, and they left him everything they own in their will. However, the son murdered his parents in cold-blood and used very grotesque methods. Despite that, he continued to be the beneficiary of their will. He pled insanity, and since it was determined he was not of sound mind, he was allowed to continue receiving the money. Now, the lawyer occasionally gets calls from the man from inside the facility, requesting money be added to his commissary account. What a strange situation!

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Giving Them Crap From The Grave

This man clearly led a life where he didn’t take crap from others. Apparently, he spent years fighting the City Council of a nearby town because they wanted to take his land to build a new water treatment plant. After spending so much time and effort fighting this, the grandfather decided to leave them something when he passed. Once he was gone, his children boxed up all the books and magazines that were in the outhouse and dropped them off at City Hall. This man sounds like he was quite a character!

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He Just Wanted A Table

Family rivalries often carry into death. It’s unfortunate when someone gets left out of a person’s will, but only because it’s the responsibility of the executor of the will to inform the person that they won’t get a single thing. This person’s father just wanted a table from his mother’s house when she passed, but his mother made it clear in her will that he was not to receive a single thing. The granddaughter is responsible for telling her dad that he isn’t going to get that table, or anything else, from his late mother’s house. She can definitely expect to have a very awkward conversation with her father when this comes up!

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These Cats Are Living The Good Life

Here’s another hilarious example of an excessive pet trust. One client left his two cats $100,000, so they could “maintain their current lifestyle.” What kind of lifestyle were these cats living? They must have been living a life of luxury for this person’s client to think they needed that much money! Perhaps he fed his cats all raw, organic foods and ensured they had all the highest-quality and most expensive cat toys that money could buy. All we know is that those cats are living a better life than most people with that type of money.

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Alarm Future Archeologists

Not everyone who writes strange things into their will has ill intentions. Some people are just trying to add a little hilarity to a dark situation. One person was forced to write a will due to their health insurance. While going over the document with one of the in-house lawyers, they were told it would be acceptable for them to add this clause, “My funeral wishes are that I be buried in a coffin that has been springloaded, such that opening the coffin would cause alarm to future archeologists.” This is hilarious and something that archeologists should probably watch out for in the future!

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