17 Jul 5 Real, Unique Last Will and Testaments

A will is a legal document with instructions for divvying your assets between your heirs and beneficiaries. While a standard will includes provisions for things like who should get the family china and plans for your funeral, some people think outside the box when it comes to making bequests and expressing final wishes. Read on to discover five real, unique wills.

1. Flowers from beyond the grave

Radio and television comedian Jack Benny included a provision in his will to have flowers delivered (maybe from a Camberwell florist, or someone similar) to his widow, Mary Livingston, daily. Livingston wrote about the sweet gesture in a biography about her husband of nearly 50 years. The title of the biography is ‘One Long-Stemmed Rose’ because according to Livingston’s obituary printed in the New York Times, ”Every day since Jack has gone the florist has delivered one long-stemmed red rose to my home.” The daily flower deliveries were said to contradict her husband’s t.v. persona as a penny pincher.

2. Leaving a bitter legacy

The will created by German poet Heinrich Heine falls on the opposite end of the love spectrum. After battling with spinal tuberculosis, Heine died and left his estate to his wife, Mathilde. However, his bequest came with one condition: she must re marry so that “at least one man would regret my death.” Mathilde fulfilled the condition and inherited the estate. No one knows if her second marriage proved to be as rocky as her first.

3. Heirs plucked from a phone book

The heirs of someone’s estate are usually related to them. So, who do you leave your estate to if you have no heirs? A childless Portuguese aristocrat, Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral de Camara answered this question by selecting 70 random people from a Lisbon phone book. His strange decision was questioned. According to the Guardian, the notary who notarized his will asked Luis Carlos several questions to ensure he was of sound mind. The motivation behind his act was clear to those close to him, though. A close friend said Luis Carlos strange bequests were more than likely motivated by his desire to keep the state from getting any money because he thought the state had been robbing him. The 70 lucky strangers selected from the phone book should’ve received several thousand euros each.

4. The gift of a birthday

Usually, people receive gifts on their birthday. In a strange twist, author Robert Louis Stevenson gave the gift of his birth date when he died. In his will, Stevenson left his birthday to his friend, Annie H. Ide. Ide, whose birthday fell on Christmas day, had told Stevenson she felt cheated out of a real birthday. So, Stevenson left her his birthday, which was November 13th. All he asked in return for his bequest was that Ide take care of his birthday with “moderation and humanity” because “the said birthday not being so young as it once was.”

5. A multimillionaire Maltese

According to the New York Times, hotelier Leona Helmsley left her eight-year-old dog, Trouble, $12 million, which was more than her four grandchildren received. Unfortunately for Trouble, New York law says a judge has the power to reduce pet bequests. A reduction to a pet bequest can occur when the money left to the pet is more than what the pet needs to live comfortably. Trouble’s bequest was reduced to $2 million.