The Nine Strangest Last Requests People Have Actually Put Into Their Wills

"To my daughter Anne, who created my beautiful granddaughter Jane, and her dear fourth husband John, who laid hands on My Jane, I leave one dollar you money grubbing bastards. To Jane I leave all of my monetary assets, save $5000 and my best gun which I leave to my son Bill, on the condition that he beats John bloody during the time between my funeral and my burial. Jane, bail your uncle out of jail, please."

An ancestor of mine in the rural UK in the 1700s died and left his farm and everything to his nephew (no children), with his surviving wife only getting "the second best bed" and a provision her to receive 3lbs of butter per week for the rest of her life. We thought this was incredibly mean, but we wonder whether this butter was meant as an income, I mean who can eat 3lbs of butter?!

The Father had a valuable antique Grandfather Clock, he also had 2 daughters. His solution:

If I die on an even day, daughter A gets the clock, an odd day and Daughter B gets it.

The Daughter who did not get the clock got an equivalent cash award based on the value of the clock.

I know of the event because I had to service the clock several times over the years.

When I was a clerk in law school at the state court of appeals the adult children of a rich woman tried to invalidate the will. Basically the woman was worth about 8 million dollars and all the children were working professionals earning 6 or 7 figures.

Well the woman had used the same hair dresser for multiple years and left a considerable amount in a trust for the hair dresser's children's education. The remainder of the estate was given to different charities. Basically the kids were mad they didn't get a cut.

My estate planning professor told us about a guy who had two families, neither of which knew about the other until it was time to read the will. This wasn't like a love child/mistress type scenario, both were nuclear multi-kid families. Both families showed up for what had to be one of the most awkward will reading in history.

I don't really know how he pulled it off other than that he was away on "business" frequently.

In my trusts & estates class in law school, we read a case about a man who left everything to his wife, but only if she got his body stuffed and left it on the living room couch forever.

Luckily for her, the court invalidated that part of the husband's will. IIRC, part of the reasoning was that it would make it impossible for her to date/remarry if she had her husband's creepy dead body glaring at anyone who came to see her.

We had a client itemize his rock collection in his will, including directions that certain rocks be deposited in certain rivers across Canada.

I used to work for an accountant and we used to make wills as well.

An old man probably around 70 left all his money to his mistress while his wife only got the gold fish.

I had to tell him that if his wife contested it she would most definitely win, he said he didn't care.

Lawyer here. I once amended a will for a doctor in which he disinherited his son by removing everything he had intended to bequeath and replacing it with a "manure spreader". I didn't ask any questions because changing a will is an easy thing to do. But one day, that doctor will die and his son will have essentially be told to "eat sh*t".