People Reveal the Craziest Wills They Ever Saw

From disowning a child to secretly leaving everything to a stranger, people have written many unexpected things in their wills that are only revealed to their family members after their demise. Many times, people have used this closing act to take revenge on their loved ones.

With age, many people tend to think about what would happen to their loved ones after death. They know there’s only much they can do to support them, and with that comes the thought of writing a will. The final document decides what would happen to their assets and property after their death.

A document with the title "Last Will and Testament" | Source: Shutterstock

A document with the title “Last Will and Testament” | Source: Shutterstock

Many people write their will when they are healthy and doing fine, but others do it after the doctors tell them they don’t have much time to live. Some divide their assets into parts and leave them for their close ones, while others write something unpredictable that shocks their family.

Netizens on Reddit shared some of the craziest and most bizarre things people wrote in their wills. Many of their family members had no idea what was coming their way.

Comments have been edited for clarity and grammar.

1. The Unexpected Trust Fund

A fish in a fishbowl | Source: Pexels

A fish in a fishbowl | Source: Pexels

u/scarlett_pimpernel: I am a qualified solicitor. A lady wanted to create a trust fund of £100,000 for her pet fish. When I asked if it was a particular type of fish, she confirmed it was just an ordinary goldfish.

She wanted it to be fed fresh avocado daily and looked after by a local dog walker after she died. She was absolutely serious.

2. No One Knows about Her

An older woman looking at a young girl | Source: Shutterstock

An older woman looking at a young girl | Source: Shutterstock

u/scarlett_pimpernel: Another lady confessed she had a secret daughter and 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.

3. The Lucky Man

A bus driver | Source: Shutterstock

A bus driver | Source: Shutterstock

u/mommy5dearest: I worked at an attorney’s office, and a little older lady gave her house and belongings to a bus driver.

She did it because he was nice to her and would help her. We were all waiting for hell to break loose when her family found out.

Her family can contest it. I was a witness to the signing. She seemed fine and knew the answers to the questions, so she wasn’t having mental problems as far as we could tell.

4. The Interesting Clause

A lawyer talking to a man | Source: Shutterstock

A lawyer talking to a man | Source: Shutterstock

u/WanderCold: I was in my early twenties when I was forced to write a will because of the health insurance I got at work. I discussed it with the in-house lawyer, who approved this specific clause to be added to my will.

The clause read, “My funeral wishes are that I should 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 too costly, I’d be cremated and have my ashes scattered in a specific place.

5. Don’t Forget My Horse!

A woman riding a horse | Source: Shutterstock

A woman riding a horse | Source: Shutterstock

u/gabberrella24: I work in probate. The oddest thing I’ve seen in a will is to euthanize their beloved horse, have it cremated, and its ashes scattered with the decedent.

Lucky for her horse, she named a horse that was already dead when she passed away, so the one she got afterward lived to see another farm.

6. A List of Strange Wills

A dog sleeping on a bed | Source: Shutterstock

A dog sleeping on a bed | Source: Shutterstock

u/PirateRobotNinjaofDe: Lots of people send 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. People leave a whole whack of money in a trust to be used for the care of their pets during their life.

However, my favorite 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 later. I recall the winner had 10.

7. My Grandfather’s Wish

An older woman standing near a window | Source: Shutterstock

An older woman standing near a window | Source: Shutterstock

u/snoboreddotcom: A few hours after my grandfather’s death, my grandmother came to me with a navy-blue tie featuring pink elephants.

Ridiculous looking, but she said 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. He wanted me to have it so I could do the same.

8. Different Wishes

A woman signing a documents | Source: Shutterstock

A woman signing a documents | Source: Shutterstock

u/ALighterShadeOfPale: I work for a lawyer who does wills. We’ve had a lady put in her will that one of her adult sons would receive his share when he visited a dentist, and the other son would get it if he lost 70lbs.

Another lady put in her will that she wanted her cats cremated with her when she died. We told her that would not happen since human and animal remains are not cremated together. So, she settled on cremated separately and joined together, then buried together.

9. The Long Will

Close-up of a document with the title "Last Will and Testament" | Source: Shutterstock

Close-up of a document with the title “Last Will and Testament” | Source: Shutterstock

u/ALighterShadeOfPale: Typically, wills are about ten pages long (for an average person), but a woman once wrote 56 pages.

She detailed EVERYTHING from her house to people. For example, she wrote, “wooden ladle to ____, toilet paper holder to ____, magazine basket to ____.” She did this for every single item in her house.

10. She Wanted to Be with Her Husband

A small house between trees | Source: Pexels

A small house between trees | Source: Pexels

u/ALighterShadeOfPale: A lady told us to put in her will that she wanted to be buried on her property next to her husband. She lived on a small rural property.

It’s totally illegal to have human remains buried there. She refused to tell us whether her husband was cremated or not and said she did not want to be cremated.

Edit: Her husband had died 5 or 6 years prior. So, it’s not as though it was 50 years ago when things like that may have been a little overlooked.

11. Some Good People

A person signing a document | Source: Shutterstock

A person signing a document | Source: Shutterstock

u/ALighterShadeOfPale: We had a man put in his will that his family was to go to the zoo immediately after his burial (that day). We thought that was heartwarming.

Besides that, we work with many people from a particular religion. Many people we write wills for leave at least 90% of their estates to the church instead of their families.

12. The Elvis Impersonator

A young man smiling | Source: Shutterstock

A young man smiling | Source: Shutterstock

u/whatshisfaceboy: I’m not a lawyer, but I have this story of my rich uncle. He would visit us when we were kids, maybe once every ten years. The last time he did, he brought us to a Denny’s.

When he died, he had no friends. Besides that, his wife died due to substance abuse, and that was because of him. He left his entire estate to an Elvis impersonator. Everything.

13. The Only Beneficiary

A person holding money | Source: Shutterstock

A person holding money | Source: Shutterstock

u/AnotherDrunkCanadian: I used to work at a bank in the estate department. I was an administrator who had to manage the files, including encroachments upon the capital, i.e., “I want to take some money out now, please.”

I had this one account – a multi-million-dollar trust for one single beneficiary – the son of the deceased. Everything about the account looked fine until I learned the child was behind his parents’ death and pleaded insanity.

He was in a mental hospital and called the bank once a year requesting $50 for commissary (to buy chips and gum).

The call was always strange. He was very polite, but the quality of the call made it sound like he was far away from the phone.

14. They Wanted to Take Revenge

A cat sitting behind a curtain | Source: Pexels

A cat sitting behind a curtain | Source: Pexels

u/Dr_BrOneil: Last week, I handled a matter where the parents left millions in artwork to various people and wads of cash to various charities. Meanwhile, their kids got the family cats as revenge.

It turned out they did it because the kids got them the cats to comfort the parents in their old age. The parents hated the cats, but the kids wouldn’t let them get rid of them.

15. He Wanted to Give Them Something

An older man walking on a street | Source: Shutterstock

An older man walking on a street | Source: Shutterstock

u/gaurddog: My great uncle’s official will stated that the contents of his outhouse would go to the City Council of a nearby town after they had tried to take his land twice to build a new water treatment plant.

He spent several years fighting eminent domain claims and wanted to give them something in return. As a joke, his kids boxed up all the books and magazines in the outhouse and dropped them off at City Hall.

16. The Man Was Clueless

A man leaning against a taxi | Source: Pexels

A man leaning against a taxi | Source: Pexels

u/[deleted]: I am not a lawyer but work for a will writers/trusts specialist in the UK, currently studying toward my TEP.

One of our earlier clients passed away recently. Turns out the man she left almost everything to, including the residue of her estate–which was considerable–was her regular taxi driver.

She had also named him as her executor. He had no clue. The woman named as her executor and primary beneficiary in her previous two wills, a close friend of many years, was understandably flabbergasted and contested the will.

We responded to her solicitor’s Larke v Nugus request, informed Mr. Taxi Driver (who didn’t even know our client had passed), and the will was upheld.

The friend mentioned above was left a legacy of £5,000 if I remember correctly, but her nose was clearly out of joint.

Bonus observation: It takes a lot less than £ 5,000 being up for grabs to make families turn against each other. It can get really nasty. This is one of the most startling things I’ve learned in my short time in this business.

17. Hidden Fortune

The last will and testament | Getty Images

The last will and testament | Getty Images

Deleted user: So, my grandma, bless her heart, lived in this old, run-down trailer for years. Dirt poor, but you wouldn’t know it by the way my husband acted.

He was like a cat on a hot tin roof, waiting for her to pass. He had this wild notion in his head that grandma was sitting on a hidden fortune and that he’d inherit a ticket to Easy Street when she kicked the bucket. Cut to the will reading day.

My husband’s practically rubbing his hands together, telling me, “Sugar, put on a smile, we’re about to be rolling in dough.” We get there, and the lawyer’s all business, asking, “Who’s the ‘husband’ there?” My guy steps up: “That’s me. Is there a problem?”

Then my jaw hitting the floor. The Lawyer: Not at all…The last will of grandma states that the grandma has a hidden fortune. However, it’s to be inherited by the husband only if he fulfills three specific conditions. Otherwise, the entire estate goes to the local animal shelter.”

First, he must live for a year in her old trailer, maintaining it without any modern upgrades or outside help. Second, he’s required to volunteer at the animal shelter every weekend for the next two years.

And finally, he must write a personal essay on the value of humility and compassion, to be read publicly at the shelter’s annual fundraiser.

My husband’s face turned from greedy anticipation to utter disbelief. Grandma sure knew how to teach a lesson from beyond the grave!

A man signing a document | Source: Pexels

A man signing a document | Source: Pexels

These stories shared by Redditors prove that being a part of someone’s will can make your life better or destroy it forever. It only takes a few sentences to change people’s lives if one decides to mention them in their will. What’s the most bizarre thing you have ever read in someone’s will or heard about? We would love to know about it.

I Bought a $20 Couch at a Garage Sale, and It Changed My Life in a Day

When Joshua buys an old couch at a garage sale, he’s expecting nothing more than a cheap addition to his garage. But when his dog uncovers a hidden package in the couch, his life takes a dramatic turn…

A couple of weeks ago, I decided my garage needed a bit of sprucing up. I’d been turning it into a cozy guest room, nothing extravagant, just a spot for family or friends to crash.

All I needed was a cheap couch, something sturdy, functional, and, ideally, dirt cheap.

The interior of a garage | Source: Midjourney

The interior of a garage | Source: Midjourney

That’s how I ended up at a garage sale on a quiet Saturday morning.

The couch caught my eye immediately. It had faded floral upholstery, scuffed wooden legs, and the faint smell of lavender. It was perfect.

The seller, a tired-looking woman in her early forties, smiled as I approached.

A couch at a garage sale | Source: Midjourney

A couch at a garage sale | Source: Midjourney

“You’ve got a good eye,” she said. “I’m Kristen. This belonged to my mom. She adored this old thing. I don’t know where she got it from, but it’s been around my entire life.”

“I’m Joshua. It’s got character,” I replied, running my hand over the worn fabric. “How much are you asking for it?”

“Twenty bucks,” she said quickly. “We’re clearing out her house. She passed away six months ago.”

A tired older woman | Source: Midjourney

A tired older woman | Source: Midjourney

Her voice softened as she looked over at the house.

“It’s been hard, but we need the money for my daughter’s treatments. She’s been unwell for a while now, leukemia. We’re going to miss the garden here.”

I nodded, suddenly unsure of what to say.

A man at a garage sale | Source: Midjourney

A man at a garage sale | Source: Midjourney

“You know what, Kristen, I’ll take it.”

She waved over her teenage son to help load it onto my truck, and as I drove away, I couldn’t help but think I’d scored a great deal. Sure, it was just an old couch that needed a re-upholstery soon, but $20 was something.

But…I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

A couch on the back of a pick-up truck | Source: Midjourney

A couch on the back of a pick-up truck | Source: Midjourney

The moment I set the couch in the garage, my dog, Wasabi, lost his mind. He barked like a lunatic, darting around the room before zeroing in on one specific spot on the couch.

“What’s gotten into you?” I laughed, watching as he scratched at the fabric with wild determination.

Wasabi wasn’t letting up. He was practically digging into the couch with his tiny paws, and that’s when it hit me: stories about people finding hidden treasures in old furniture.

A dog sitting outside | Source: Midjourney

A dog sitting outside | Source: Midjourney

Could it really happen to me?

“Alright, alright,” I muttered, grabbing a knife. “Let’s see what’s got you so worked up.”

I made a small cut in the area Wasabi had been attacking, my hands trembling as I peeled back the fabric.

And there it was.

Bundles of cash.

A package of cash | Source: Midjourney

A package of cash | Source: Midjourney

“Holy…” I whispered, staring at the wads of bills stuffed inside the couch. My heart raced as I pulled out stack after stack, laying them on the floor.

By the time I was done, there was over $20,000 sitting in front of me.

Wasabi barked triumphantly, wagging his tail like he’d just won the lottery.

“Good job, buddy,” I said, ruffling his fur.

A barking dog | Source: Midjourney

A barking dog | Source: Midjourney

For a moment, I just stared at the money, my mind spinning. This could change everything.

Like everything.

Bills, savings, maybe even a dream vacation, every scenario ran through my head. But then I thought about the woman at the garage sale. Her daughter. The treatments.

A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney

A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney

This wasn’t my money to use. This wasn’t my money to spend.

I drove back to the garage sale, the cash stuffed in my gym bag on the passenger seat. Kristen looked surprised to see me again.

“Hi! Do you remember me? I bought the couch earlier,” I said, trying to sound casual.

A bag on a car seat | Source: Midjourney

A bag on a car seat | Source: Midjourney

“Is there something wrong with it?” she asked, tilting her head.

“No, nothing at all,” I said. “I was just curious about it. Who did the couch belong to?”

Her expression softened.

“It was my mom’s, Joshua,” she said, remembering my name. “Like the house, she had it for decades. We found so many family photos with that couch in the background. Letting it go was hard, but we need the money, you know? My daughter’s very sick, I think I told you?”

A sick teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

A sick teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

I nodded.

“Anyway, it was either this or sell the house.”

I shifted on my feet, uneasy.

“Your mom never mentioned saving money, did she?” I asked.

Kristen hesitated, then nodded.

The exterior of a house | Source: Midjourney

The exterior of a house | Source: Midjourney

“Actually, she did. She said she’d hidden some savings, but she couldn’t remember where. We searched everywhere. And I mean everywhere. All the drawers, closets, under floorboards, but never found anything. Why do you ask?”

“I… I think I know what happened to it,” I said carefully. “Can we talk privately?”

“Come to the kitchen,” she said. “Let’s have a glass of lemonade.”

An empty chest of drawers | Source: Midjourney

An empty chest of drawers | Source: Midjourney

In her kitchen, I placed the bag onto the table, while Kristen set a glass of lemonade down.

“Kristen, I found this inside the couch,” I said, unzipping the bag.

She peered inside and gasped.

“Oh my goodness,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.

A glass of lemonade on a kitchen table | Source: Midjourney

A glass of lemonade on a kitchen table | Source: Midjourney

“Is this… Is this… Mom’s?”

“I think it’s the money your mom mentioned. I can’t keep it. It belongs to you and your child for her treatment.”

Her hands flew to her mouth as the first tear slipped down her cheek.

A woman in a kitchen with her hand on her mouth | Source: Midjourney

A woman in a kitchen with her hand on her mouth | Source: Midjourney

“This can pay for her treatment,” she said, her voice trembling. “You’ve saved her life. Mackenzie can… Mackenzie can get better. Thank you… thank you so much.”

She reached for my hands, squeezing them tightly.

“Joshua, please, let me take a picture of you. I want to remember this moment forever.”

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

“Sure, I guess,” I said, smiling faintly.

She snapped a photo, her hands still shaking.

“You have no idea how much this means to us. Thank you.”

When I got home, I found my fiancée in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables to add to the roast chicken she was preparing. I told her everything.

A tray of food | Source: Midjourney

A tray of food | Source: Midjourney

She listened, her expression a mix of disbelief and pride.

“You did the right thing,” Nicole said, wrapping her arms around me. “I’m so proud of you.”

The next morning, Kristen shared the entire story on social media. She described how a stranger had returned her late mother’s hidden savings, ensuring her daughter could get the care she needed.

The post went viral quickly.

A woman using her phone | Source: Midjourney

A woman using her phone | Source: Midjourney

Within hours, the comments and shares exploded. Local news outlets picked it up, and people from across the country were calling me a hero.

It felt surreal.

Then, the ripple effects began.

A few days later, I got a knock on my door. A lawyer handed me a check for $20,000 from an anonymous donor who’d been moved by the story.

A new reporter at a studio | Source: Midjourney

A new reporter at a studio | Source: Midjourney

“You gave it up willingly,” she said. “So, here you go. Use it wisely.”

A few days later at work, my boss called me into his office. He’d seen the post too.

“I wish we had more people like you on the team,” he said. “We need leaders with your integrity, Josh.”

By the end of the meeting, I had a promotion and a raise.

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

But the moment that hit me the hardest came weeks later. I received a card in the mail from Kristen. Inside was a photo of Mackenzie smiling.

Because of you, my child gets to have a future. Endless appreciation for you, Josh.

That $20 couch didn’t just change my life. It reminded me of the kind of person I want to be: someone my kids can look up to, someone who does the right thing.

A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

Every time I sat on the couch in the garage, usually with Wasabi curled up beside me, I knew I made the right choice.

A month later, Nicole and I sat together on the couch in the garage, a large bowl of popcorn and a sprawled Wasabi between us. The black-and-white movie I’d picked was playing in the background, but neither of us were really watching it.

My mind kept drifting back to Kristen’s card and the picture of her daughter.

A dog sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney

A dog sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney

“I still can’t believe this all started with the couch,” I said, running my fingers along the couch.

Nicole turned to me, her face glowing in the dim light.

“I can,” she said softly.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney

A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney

“This is who you are, Josh,” she said. “You’ve always put others first. When we met it was us volunteering as elves for the orphanage’s Christmas party. Remember how you stayed late that one time at the senior citizens’ home? To build a second wheelchair ramp?”

“That was different,” I said, shrugging.

A wheelchair ramp | Source: Midjourney

A wheelchair ramp | Source: Midjourney

“No, it wasn’t,” she insisted. “It’s who you are. You see people or animals… and they need help. And you just do the right thing without thinking about it. It’s what I love most about you.”

Her words hit me hard, and for a moment, I couldn’t say anything. I reached for her hand, lacing my fingers through hers.

“Now, we have a wedding to plan.”

A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney

A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney

If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |

Twenty years ago, a stormy night and a split-second decision to help a stranger changed both their lives forever. Celia offered James, a man at rock bottom, a warm meal, dry clothes, and hope when he needed it most. She never expected to see him again. But when James knocks on her door decades later… everything changes.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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