Estate of Lake v. First National Bank of Janesville

253 N.W. 174, 214 Wis. 474, 1934 Wisc. LEXIS 108
Wisconsin Supreme Court·Decided March 6, 1934·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Wickhem, J.

The testatrix died in 1932, leaving an estate of $35,774.33, and in addition certain real estate which was sold during the course of the administration proceedings for $8,925. The deceased had never married. She left surviving her two brothers, a sister, and Frances Lake Wilsey, a niece, daughter of a deceased brother. In connection with the petition for final settlement the administrator with will annexed asked for a construction of the provisions of the will and for instructions with reference [476]*476to making settlement under certain provisions of the will and for final distribution of the estate. The will was executed February 11, 1915. Testatrix bequeathed to her sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Burt, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the use of $8,000 during her life. “At her death the said $8,000 is to go to ‘The Children’s Home Finding Society of Wisconsin.’ ...” To her brother, Jacob Lake, she bequeathed the use of $8,000 during his life; at his death the said $8,000 to go to his children, share and share alike. To her brother, William Lake, she gave $8,000 during his life, this sum to go to his children at his death, share and share alike. To Frances Lake, only child of her deceased brother, she gave the sum of $500; to J. A. Burt, Jr., son of Elizabeth Burt, the sum of $500. She left $300 to be invested and the income used to care for her cemetery lot. Then followed bequests of $500 each to Belle Gosling, a friend, to the Wisconsin Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and the Wisconsin Woman’s Suffrage Association. The eleventh clause of the will, which gives rise to the questions here involved, reads as follows:

“Eleventh. At this time I have about $25,000 beside real estate and about $700 due in about a month. I have not given so much to Austin and Frankie because they now have so much money, or property, or prospective property; not because I do not care for them as for other nephews and nieces.
“Whatever remains after above named sums have been given and donations I left in safe box for others, are taken and all bills paid, if any (I owe nothing to any one at this time), divide the remainder proportionally; or if by loss to my estate or personal property divide proportionally.”

The will contains no residuary clause, and the estate of testatrix, at the time of her death, exceeded the bequests heretofore mentioned by a substantial amount. It was the conclusion of the county court: first, that the legacy of $300 [477]*477for maintenance of the cemetery lot lapsed for the reason that it was intended only to provide perpetual care for the lot, and that the decedent during her lifetime made ample provision for this care; that Belle Gosling predeceased the testatrix, leaving no issue, and that her legacy consequently lapsed; that the Wisconsin Woman’s Suffrage Association had no present existence and that this legacy lapsed. The court found that the Wisconsin Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the Children’s Home Finding Society of Wisconsin were misnomers, and that it was the intention of the will to bequeath to the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union of Wisconsin and Children’s Home and Aid Society of Wisconsin, respectively. The court found that the protection of the remaindermen required the appointment of a trustee to administer the three legacies of $8,000 each, as to each of which there was a remainder, and there having been no trustee named in the will, the First National Bank of Janesville, Wisconsin, was appointed as such trustee.

With reference to clause eleven, the trial court found that the will indicates an intention upon the part of the testatrix to limit bequests to those other than relatives, to the specific provisions in their behalf. For example, as applied to the appellant the trial court finds that it was the intention of testatrix to limit the Children’s Home and Aid Society to the $8,000 remainder specifically given to that society. The trial court was further of the view that it was not the intention of the testatrix to set up any trusts in the surplus disposed of by paragraph eleven, and that no trusts are necessary for carrying out the purposes of the will as disclosed by this paragraph. The court construed the will to give the surplus referred to in paragraph eleven to the surviving sister, two brothers, and the daughter of a deceased brother, Frances Lake Wilsey, absolutely and in equal shares. This construction cannot be sustained. At the time of executing [478]*478the will the testatrix according to her own estimate, had “about $25,000 beside real estate and about $700 due in about a month.” She made bequests in the total sum of $25,000 to her sister, her brothers, her nephew and her niece, and followed this with small bequests aggregating $1,800. Testatrix drafted her own will, and it is clear that she used her personal property as the basis of distribution, first, because it was more certain in value, and second, because it constituted the bulk of her estate. Having disposed of a sum slightly in excess of- her personal property, it is clear from the entire will, and particularly from an examination of paragraph eleven, that she then considered the relation between her entire estate and the amounts bequeathed. It occurred to her that her estate at the time of her death might be (as it was then) somewhat more than enough to pay the legacies, and that, on the other hand, by reason of losses it might be inadequate to meet the legacies. In view of this she provided that if there was a surplus it was to be divided “proportionally” and that a loss was to be distributed in the same manner. This was the sole purpose of the paragraph, which clearly evidences an intent that any surplus of the estate over the.amount theretofore bequeathed be distributed to each beneficiary (with one exception to be hereafter discussed) in the proportion that his or her or its .gift bears to the total of the legacies. The quality of the gift to each legatee was in no way affected by paragraph eleven. The result was merely to add to the amount of the legacies. The terms and conditions of the gift of the surplus are the same as those of the original gift. Applying this to the bequest to Elizabeth Burt with remainder to appellant, the surplus goes to Elizabeth Burt as a life estate, and to appellant in remainder, just as the original gift of $8,000 did.

It has been stated that there is one exception to the foregoing comment. ■ That is the bequest of $300, to be kept at interest and invested and the income used to care for tes[479]*479tatrix’s cemetery lot. This clause contains sufficient internal evidence of testatrix’s view that $300 is enough to accomplish the purposes of the bequest. It is not a bequest to any beneficiary in whose welfare the testatrix was interested, but the setting apart of a definite sum of money for a definite and explicitly described purpose. It seems clear that there was no intention that this bequest be increased or decreased by the operation of paragraph eleven.

The only other question herein raised relates to paragraph ten of the findings of the trial court.

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Estate of Lake v. First National Bank of Janesville, 253 N.W. 174, 214 Wis. 474, 1934 Wisc. LEXIS 108 (Wis. 1934).

253 N.W. 174 (Estate of Lake v. First National Bank of Janesville) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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