Gunckel v. Gunckel

29 Ohio Law. Abs. 597, 15 Ohio Op. 297, 1939 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 927
CourtMontgomery County Probate Court
DecidedAugust 10, 1939
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 29 Ohio Law. Abs. 597 (Gunckel v. Gunckel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montgomery County Probate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gunckel v. Gunckel, 29 Ohio Law. Abs. 597, 15 Ohio Op. 297, 1939 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 927 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1939).

Opinion

OPINION

By WISEMAN, J.

This is an action to "onstrue the last will and testament of Caroline H. Lowe, deceased. The particular portion of the will which requires construction is as follows:

Item -5:
. “All the balance of my estate, real, personal or mixed, I hereby will, devise and bequeath to my sons, Charles H. Lowe and John Lowe, m trust, for the following purposes:
“My said trustees shall take possesr sion of all of said oalanoe of my estate and after paying the necessary expenses of said, trust, .shall first out of the proceeds of same, give to my sister, Emma H. Jackson, the sum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per year, for and during her natura1- life, at such times and.-in such installments as will be most convenient to them as such trustees' of my said estate. My said trustees are hereby authorized and em[599]*599powered to sell any real estate or personal property which constitutes said baiance of my said estate; to seil any of said property coming into their hands as such trustees, to any person for any price at any time, which to them, may seem to be for the best interest of my said estate, and to reinvest the proceeds of said sale, or sales either in stocks, bonds, mortgages or other personal securities as to them may seem for the best interest ">f my said estate.
“And I further direct that my said trustee be not required to give bond as such.
“Upon the death of my said sister, Emma H. Jackson, I tereby wili, devise and bequeath all the balance of said trust estate remaining in the hands my said trustees or their successors in said trust, to my children equally, living at the time of the death of my said sister, Emma H. Jackson, but if any of my said children shall die before my decease or before the decease of my said sister, Emma H. Jackson, leaving no children surviving, then I will and direct that the share which my said child would lave taken if living, shall pass to and'vest in my children surviving, and m case any of my said children shall die before my decease or before the decease of my said sister, Emma H. Jackson leaving child or children surviving, then I will and direct that the child or children surviving the parent, shall take the share which the parent would have taken if said parent had survived me and had survived my said sister, Emma H. Jackson.”

The testatrix died April 27, 1917, leaving a husband surviving her, and five children: Charles H. Lowe, Ella Lowe Gunckel, John G. Lowe, Elizabeth Lowe Hill Smith and Henrietta Lowe Patterson, all adults and also her sister, Emma H. Jackson. Her son Charles H. Lowe died February 27, 1920, without children, and her son John G. Lowe died August 24. 1937. leaving two 'children surviving him: Caroline Lowe and John G. Lowe Jr.; Doth minors. Her sister, Emma H. Jackson died March 26, 1938.

At the time of the execution of her will, to-wit, January 24, 1912, the entire estate of the testratrix consisted oí a residence property valued at $14,000; 140 shares of comm n stock of the Lowe Brothers Company, a paint manufacturing concern; and 10 shares of the capital stock of the Fourth National Bank of Dayton, Ohio The stock of the Lowe Brothers Company at that time was valued at 360,000, and the bank stock was valued at $1500. Subsequent to the date of the execution of the will, by reason of a stock dividend being declared by the Lowe Brothers Company, her holding in said company was increased to 395 shares. The residuary portion of ner estate, which passed under Item 5 of her will, consisted of 395 shares of the common stock in the Lowe Brothers Company and 10 shares of the capital stock of the Fourth National Bank, valued at $65,451.50 and $1500 respectively, at the time of her death.

The annual dividends on the Lowe Brothers stock which was held by the testatrix, gradually increased from 1912 until the date of her death, as follows:

1912 $1,680.00

1913 1 960.00

1914 i .960.00

1915 1.960.00

1916 2,370.00

1917 2,370.00

From 1912 to 1917 inclusive, the dividend payment on the 10 shares of the Fourth’ National Bank stock amounted to $60 per year.

The trust estate was established April 2, 1918, from which date the excess income of the trust estate over and above the expenses of ”-he trust and the payment of $500 annually to her sister, Emma H. Jackson, until the date of. her sister’s death. March 26, 1938, amounted to $347,862.51. The excess annual income increased from- $2530 in 1919 to $20,730 in 1924, and thereafter averaged approximately $20,000 - per [600]*600year, with the exception of the year 1929 when it amounted to $61,170. The total excess income over and above the expenses of the trust and the payments to Emma H. Jackson, is represented by $16,579.76 of undistributed cash income now, in the possession of the trustee, $112,872.75 of invested income, and $218,410.00 which was distributed to four .remaindermen: Ella Lowe Gunckel, Elizabeth Lowe Hill Smith, Henrietta Lowe Patterson and John G. Lowe, under an agreement entered into April 1, 1927, by and between said four remaindermen and Ella Lowe Gunckel as trustee under the will of Caroline H. Lowe, whereby the said remaindermen, in consideration of the payment by the trustee to them of the excess income during the lifetime of the said -Emma H. Jackson, agreed to indemnify; the said trustee from any and all-loss-which the said trustee or her successor may sustain by reason of any distribution of said excess income. The son Charles H Lowe did not participate in the distribution of the excess -income, his death having occurred prior to the execution of said agreement. In pursuance of said agreement, there was distributed to each of the four remaindermen the sum of $54,602.50, the last distribution having been made June 4, 1937.

The principal question for the court to determine is whether the remaindermen were entitled, under the provisions of Item 5 of the will of Caroline H. Lowe, to the excess income as it accrued. If the said four remaindermen had all outlived the life tenant, Emma H. Jackson, no question would have arisen. However, one of the four remaindermen, John G. Lowe, to whom was distributed $54,602.50 in pursuance of the indemnity agreement entered into with the trustee, died prior to the date of the death of the life tenant, Emma H. Jackson, and left two children, Caroline Lowe and John G. Lowe, Jr, minors, surviving. If the trustee was not permitted under he terms of the will' to., distribute the excess income to the remaindermen during the life of Emma H. Jackson, then the trustee is entitled to recover. irom the estate of John G. Lowe, the amount of excess income distributed to him, 'in which-event such excess income, under the provisions of Item 5 of the will of Caroline H. Lowe, would pass to and vest in the children of John G. Lowe.

The cardinal rule hr the court to follow is to ascertain the intention of the testa-: trix and give effect thereto. “While -the intention of the testator is to be ascertained, ju the first instance, from the language which is used in the will, hi's .ntention can not be ascertained from such language alone. The testator used this language in view of the surrounding circumstances, and with reference thereto.

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Related

Carr v. Stradley
371 N.E.2d 540 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1977)
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189 N.E.2d 660 (Cuyahoga County Probate Court, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 Ohio Law. Abs. 597, 15 Ohio Op. 297, 1939 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 927, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gunckel-v-gunckel-ohprobctmontgom-1939.