shy 468 Posted October 4, 2011 Ten of the weirdest wills ever The inventor of Doritos, Arch West, died last week — leaving a request in his will to be buried with some of his snacks. Doritos will be tossed on the top of his casket before being covered with dirt, in the ceremony on Saturday. Is this the most peculiar dying wish ever? We decided to look through the archives and find some of the weirdest wills on record. 1. The 'Great Stork Derby' When he died in 1926, Canadian lawyer and investor Charles Vance Millar was childless and had no near-relations to inherit his wealth. As a practical joker, Millar willed the residue of his estate to the Toronto, Ontario woman who bore most babies in the decade after his death. In a close-fought race known as the Great Stork Derby, the eventual winners were four women who bore nine children apiece, each pocketing $125,000. Thus, Millar's fortune gave at least 36 children a better start in life. 2. My love is like a red, red rose Jack Benny is known as one of America's greatest comedians, but Jack was an old-school romantic, too. When he died of cancer in 1974, Benny's will provided for one long-stemmed, red rose to be delivered each day to his widow, Mary Livingstone. This romantic gesture from beyond the grave continued for 9½ years, until Mary died in mid-1993. 3. It's a dog's life As 'man's best friend', dogs often do well in wills. For example, when fashion designer Alexander McQueen died last year at the age of 40, he left £50,000 each to Callum, Juice and Minter, his three English bull terriers. McQueen also left large sums to animal charities the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and Blue Cross UK. 4. Mansion living Similarly, when Carlotta Liebenstein died in 1991, she left 139 million Deutsche Marks to her dog. Back then, the German Countess's gift was the thick end of £50 million, allowing German Shepherds Gunther III and his heir, puppy Gunther IV, to live in a mansion, not a kennel. 5. The Queen of Mean When New York property developer and hotelier Harry Helmsley died in 1997, he left an estate worth billions of dollars. His wife Leona collected the bulk of her late husband's fortune and, after remarking that "only the little people pay taxes", Leona served 19 months in jail for tax fraud. Nicknamed the 'Queen of Mean' by her staff, Leona died in 2007, leaving $10 million each to two of her grandchildren, but nothing to the other two. She also left a $12 million (£7.75 million) trust fund to her white Maltese terrier, Trouble. This sum was later reduced on appeal to a mere $2 million. 6. Well-preserved In Georgian times, Jeremy Bentham was acclaimed as one of England's leading lawyers, philosophers and social reformers. On his death in 1832, Bentham's body was embalmed, stuffed with hay, dressed and then placed in a chair, as per his will's instructions. Today, Bentham's body is displayed in a glass case at University College London. 7. Smokin! Samuel Bratt's wife never allowed him to smoke, a habit she detested. When he died in 1960, Sam got his revenge: he left his widow £330,000, on condition that she smoked five cigars per day. 8. I'm in the can You've probably never heard of Fredric Baur, but you'll see his invention in every grocery store. In 1966, the chemist and engineer invented the Pringles can that allows Procter & Gamble to stack crisps neatly in piles, instead of loosely in bags. How appropriate then, that Baur's ashes were buried in a Pringles can when he died in 2008. 9. Star Trekking When Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, he left a will requesting that his ashes be given a space burial. Part of Roddenberry's remains went up in the Space Shuttle Columbia and, in 1997, more ashes were launched into space aboard a Spanish satellite. 10. Death Wish When Audrey Jean Knauer died in Kentucky, USA in 1997, her will left her $300,000 estate to Charles Bronson, the star of five 'Death Wish' movies. Despite attempts by Knauer's sister to void her Will, $150,000 did indeed go to Bronson, who pledged to donate it to charity. Be sensible Finally, if you have a wife, partner or children who would lose out financially if you popped your clogs, then you probably need a will, too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
