She listed every single item in her house and who would inherit it, down to a wooden ladle, a toilet paper holder, and a magazine basket.

10. The Illegal Burial Request

u/ALighterShadeOfPale: A woman requested to be buried on her rural property next to her husband.

However, burying human remains there was illegal. When asked about her husband’s burial, she refused to answer whether he had been cremated or if his remains were also illegally buried on the property.

11. The Zoo Visit Request

u/ALighterShadeOfPale: One man wrote in his will that his family must visit the zoo immediately after his burial—on the same day.

It was surprisingly heartwarming.

Additionally, many of our clients donate 90% of their estates to their church, rather than to their families.

12. The Elvis Impersonator

u/whatshisfaceboy: My wealthy uncle barely visited us—maybe once every ten years.

When he passed away, we found out he left everything to an Elvis impersonator.

13. A Shocking Inheritance

u/AnotherDrunkCanadian: At my old job at a bank, I handled a multi-million-dollar trust left for a single beneficiary—the deceased’s son.

It looked normal until I discovered the son had been responsible for his parents’ deaths.

Declared insane, he was placed in a mental institution. He would call once a year, asking for $50 for commissary—just enough to buy chips and gum.

His voice was always oddly distant, like he was speaking from far away.

14. The Parents Who Took Revenge

u/Dr_BrOneil: A couple left their millions in artwork to strangers and cash to charities.

Their children? They inherited…the family cats.

This was their revenge, as the kids had forced them to keep the cats for companionship in their old age—even though they hated them.

15. The Ultimate Payback

u/gaurddog: My great-uncle hated the City Council for trying to seize his land twice to build a water treatment plant.

His will? It donated the contents of his outhouse to the City Council as a final gift.

His kids, embracing the joke, packed up all the books and magazines from the outhouse and delivered them to City Hall.

16. The Taxi Driver’s Surprise

u/[deleted]: One of our earliest clients left nearly everything—including a considerable estate—to her regular taxi driver.

He had no idea.

The previous two wills named her close friend as the main beneficiary, so the friend was shocked and contested the will.

After a legal review, the taxi driver remained the rightful heir, while the friend only received £5,000.

17. The Hidden Fortune

Deleted user: My grandma lived in a run-down trailer, and my husband was convinced she was secretly wealthy.

When she passed, he was thrilled, thinking we’d hit Easy Street.

At the will reading, the lawyer announced:

“The hidden fortune will be given only if the husband meets three conditions.

First, live in the trailer for a year, with no upgrades or help.

Second, volunteer at an animal shelter every weekend for two years.

Third, write an essay on humility and compassion, to be read at the shelter’s annual fundraiser.”

My husband’s excitement turned into pure shock. Grandma knew exactly how to teach a lesson from beyond the grave.

These Reddit stories prove that being mentioned in someone’s will can change your life—for better or worse. What’s the strangest will you’ve ever heard of? We’d love to know!