So I have a funny story about wills. You’re probably thinking what could possibly be amusing about preparing for death, but trust me – you’ll want to hear this story.
Not so long ago, a friend of a friend was going to a funeral at her local crematorium to farewell a loved one. Not having been there before, she opened the big, heavy door with a loud creak and saw just four other people sitting solemnly inside the silent room – and woops, she had walked into the wrong service.
It happens, right?
Just as an FYI, this post is sponsored by the NSW Government. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
But having already signed the guest book and feeling bad for disturbing the peace, she decided to stay and pay her respects to the perfect stranger, before joining the wake for her dearly missed friend.
She shrugged off the embarrassing error and didn’t think of it again until she got a letter from a solicitor, asking if she was in fact the woman who had signed the guest book at the stranger’s funeral months earlier.
Upon calling to explain her mistake, she was informed that the deceased man had specified in his will that any person who attended his funeral should share in his estate – and so was awarded the mammoth sum of $70,000.
She said absolutely not – she couldn’t take money from a stranger for an un-intentioned half-hour mistake. But they insisted and said that was his wish. It was in his will, and whether she thought it right or wrong, it had to be honoured.