Relatives Try to Take Widower’s Kid and Family Heirlooms – He Refuses and Finds Wife’s Will

When the man opened his late wife's safe deposit, he assumed it only had her heirloom jewelry. But as he rummaged through the papers in it, he found a will that unveiled her "wish."

The loss of a loved one can be excruciating, but even worse would be coming home to find all their memorable possessions gone. Redditor Artic-Flamingo found himself in a similar mess after his wife Suzanne's recent loss.

The widower was a father of two beautiful kids who initially assumed his wife's family was there to lend him a shoulder to lean on. But he had no idea how their fetish for his late wife's prized possessions would lead him to discover her secret will and her wish.

The man lost his wife to an accident that left their son critically injured. He was in the middle of grieving her loss when her family stepped in and took charge of everything, mainly the funeral.

Shortly after, he got a call from his late wife's older sister inquiring about heirlooms from their grandmother.

The widower felt he was a guest at his wife's funeral as he could not stay there for long. His time was divided between the ceremony and his son Zach's critical procedure scheduled on the same day.

While he grieved, the man's inner voice prompted him to care for his son and not worry about the formalities. He trusted his gut and gave his in-laws his checkbook before leaving for Zach's procedure. But what happened next was nothing short of a nightmare.

The widower was already aware that his late wife's family wanted to take some of her things as souvenirs. He related to their feelings and agreed because he couldn't say no to them, especially at an emotional time like this.

Hours later, his wife's older sister told him that he needed time for himself and proposed taking his younger son PJ with her. However, the dad sternly refused and never revealed his anger.

But when he returned home, he realized that his house was in a near-empty state. Since he and his sons weren't around, his in-laws took practically everything from his house they assumed was his wife's.

The widower let things slide for a while due to stress, and he felt it wasn't the right time to confront them. Shortly after, he got a call from his late wife's older sister inquiring about heirlooms from their grandmother. He instantly recalled a safe deposit his wife possessed.

For so long, until the sister-in-law prompted him, the man had almost forgotten about the heirlooms. He found the jewelry in the safe and fixed his mind not to surrender it to his in-laws. He then rummaged through the contents and found a will among the papers.

He was baffled as he had no idea about it. Although it was informal, the details in it qualified for enforcement. He contacted his lawyer and, along with the will, filled him in about all that his in-laws took away, claiming they were his late wife's.

The two made a list of the items to be returned and sent the in-laws a written request. But the startling response came a month later from another attorney stating that the widower had granted "permission," so the alleged items questioned were "gifts."

Eventually, the widower surmised he would be getting into a legal dispute with his wife's family. But before he could think further, he got a call from his mother-in-law.

She lashed out at him for refusing to send his sons to them over the holidays. Since he was always close to his mother-in-law, he found it weird when she teamed up with the family against him in this.

He was frustrated and turned to Reddit's "Off My Chest" forum to vent his struggles. But after reading his story, several people stepped forward and encouraged him to face his in-laws in court. Meanwhile, some found the widower's plight relatable.

The post's top-voted commenter urgrace_ladysnob was furious with everything the man went through. "This makes me so mad. We had the same issue when my brother died," the Redditor stated, adding:

"People stealing [expletive] saying they wanted to "be in his room one last time." We did, however, take all the valuables out before people came by, but those sentimental things...those are worth more than money."

As the discussion surged, more people like Redditor MischiefXO joined the squad of supporters who hoisted the green flag for OP to confront his in-laws through court.

"When my now husband's mom died, the family came out of the woodworks to take her things...It's disgusting how people act. It's like the whole family was just waiting to cash in on her death," the user recounted.

Although the widower claimed his wife's family weren't bad people, he surmised that they acted weird when he felt hollow and bereaved.

As for the will his late wife left, he disclosed that she wanted all the heirloom jewels to go to their daughter if they had one. But since the couple had two sons, the heirlooms were to be passed on to them and then their daughters.

Meanwhile, the man was determined to move heaven and earth to get his son Zach back in good health. And whenever his sons questioned him about their missing things, the dad comforted them by lying to them.

"More than once, one of them asked where this or that is, and I told them that their aunts "borrowed them," he revealed.

Questions to Ponder:

What would you do if your relatives flock to you when you're grieving to claim your beloved one's possession?

The widower let it slide when his in-laws took almost everything from his house, assuming it was his late wife's. But he decided to face them in court and retrieve her possessions after reading her will. How will you deal with relatives who feel entitled to your deceased loved one's prized possessions?

Do you think the widower should sue his wife's family over theft?

Many people who sympathized with the man over his wife's loss also suggested he sue his in-laws for robbing him of what remained of her memories. What would you advise the man, and how will you steer through a similar situation?

If you liked reading this story, here's one about how a woman who lost her late mom's necklace guessed the robber and immediately sent the cops to her stepsister's wedding.

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