'I've left my father the contents of my kitchen trash': 15+ lawyers share the craziest statements written in people's wills

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Nov 12, 2023 4:00 PM EST

There's always a surprise that comes when learning about the contents of someone's will. It's honestly a way to stay entertaining and iconic beyond the grave, so if you've started thinking about it, it's definitely worth getting creative. These lawyers shared the craziest wills they came across throughout their careers and posted them on this r/AskReddit thread. 

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  • 01
    "Lawyers who put together wills, what is the craziest/oddest thing someone wanted to put in theirs?"
    via Scott Graham

  • Some of these wills include a penny for everyone in the family that was annoying with the exception of one grandkid (who was left $1000), the majority of one's estate going not to the family but to a local donkey sanctuary, and finally a paranoid final message from a true crime lover. Let's just say that if a family member of mine left anything like this in their will, people would most certainly get vindictive. But again, it would be wildly entertaining and memorable. No one will forget about these folks. 

    Keep scrolling below for the full stories. When you're finished, feel free to take a look at this compilation of out-of-touch comments made by Karens and bosses.

  • 02
    r/AskReddit Posted by u/sour_patch_kid__ 5 Lawyers who put together wills, what is the craziest/oddest thing someone wanted to put in theirs?
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 03
    PBandJoe. When my great aunt whom I barely had any relationship with died, I discovered that in her will, she left me a taxidermied giant silk moth that she had hanging on her wall. Evidently someone told her about my love for bugs. I still have it and it's one of the coolest things in my collection of odd knickknacks. ...she left my cousin a Furby. 36.6k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 04
    gabberrella24. 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. 25.3k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 05
    snoboreddotcom. edited! My grandfather passed a few hours ago, but my grandmother came to me after with a navy blue tie featuring pink elephants. Ridiculous looking, but she said that he wore it to intimidate people in business as someone willing to wear such a ridiculous tie doesn't care about what people think. That scares people. So he wanted me to have it so I could do the same
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 06
    thecatdaddysupreme. My grandma left a penny and a nasty comment to almost every person in the will, all of her sons and daughters, even a few grandchildren, except for me. I got 1,000 dollars. Thanks, grandma. 20.7k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 07
    The_lady_is_trouble A good clause is always "for reasons known to them." which is will- speak for "you've gone and up, don't forgive you." In my own will, I've left my father "The contents of my kitchen trash can at the time of my passing, for reasons known to him." 18.2k .I Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 08
    2rio2 A furby collection from models collected in the late 90's. They were convinced they would retain future value. This was 2011. 17.6k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 09
    Processtour ! 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. ✩ 17.4k Share ↓
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 10
    ✪ [deleted] My vindictive grandmother left my aunt $20 as a reminder of the $20 my aunt stole from her once. 17.1k ↓ Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 11
    littleredbird 1991. 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 apparentl
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 12
    EndlessArgument. 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. 14.3k ↓ Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 13
    o Cocoah83 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
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 14
    staying_incognito87 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. 13.8k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 15
    WanderCold . edited 5 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. Edit: thank you for the
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 16
    + [deleted] My great grandmother left most of her money to a local donkey sanctuary 12.3k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 17
    NerdSandwich. 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". 11.6k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 18
    [deleted] 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. 10.5k ↓ Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 19
    thobek. My old landlord took 2 years to boot me out because her mother who owned the place died and she wanted to sell the place. But her mothers carer said the mother verbally promised the house to her. Even though it was not written in the will it still took 2 years of fighting in court to clear things up. No, the carer didn't get it in the end even after all the appeals. 9.7k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__
  • 20
    mmm_tacos2159. • edited: 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. Edit: thank you kind stranger for the silver! 9.5k Share
    via u/sour_patch_kid__

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family drama entitled parents lawyer askreddit entitled family reddit thread Reddit funny money toxic relationship entitled people
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