In Re Revard's Estate

1936 OK 844, 63 P.2d 973, 178 Okla. 524, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 879
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 22, 1936
DocketNo. 26050.
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 1936 OK 844 (In Re Revard's Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Revard's Estate, 1936 OK 844, 63 P.2d 973, 178 Okla. 524, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 879 (Okla. 1936).

Opinion

PHELPS, J.

The decedent over whose estate this controversy is waged was a member of the Osage Tribe of Indians, of less than half blood, to whom a certificate of competency had 'been issued. He had lived in Texas for 15 years prior to his death, in which state, on January 26, 1922, he executed the will involved herein. The will was approved by the Secretary of Interior, prior to probate, in accordance with the federal statute hereinafter quoted. Testator died in the state of Texas, where he had executed the will, on June 25, 1925, which was about three and a half years after the will was executed.

All of the estate owned by testator, except that hereinafter noted, was located in the state of Texas, and the will was first filed Cor probate there. Testator had no es-tafe in Oklahoma except one and a fractional headrights in the proceeds from thc-Osnge lands which are located in Oklahoma. His will was accordingly filed for probate m Osage county, and was admitted to probate. This appeal is from the judgment of the district court of that county, by certain of his children by a former marriage, and two children of a deceased child of his by a former marriage. The grandchildren (last mentioned above) contend that the will is invalid as to them because they were not mentioned therein, and that therefore they are entitled to that share of his estate into which they would have come by the laws of intestacy.

*525 Testator was married three times, and his third wife survived him. By each of these wives he had children. The disposition provided in the will may generally be stated thus: All of his estate, of whatever character, was bequeathed and devised to his surviving wife for the term of her natural life, and at her death the same to vest in his children by that marriage; the children and children of deceased children by the former marriages (named by him in the will, with the exception of the two plaintiffs in error grandchildren) to receive $5' each. Omitting immaterial parts which throw no light on the testamentary intent, the will is ns follows:

“3. It is my will and desire that all my personal property, I may die seized or possessed of, shall pass to and vest in my beloved wife Nell Revard. J give, bequeath and demise to my beloved wife Nell Revard, all the personal property I may own or be interested in at the time of my death, for her life time, and on her decease, to be equally divided to my children, share and share alike, of whom she Nell Revard is the Mother.
“4. It is my will and desire that my Real Property, I may die seized and possessed of, shall pass to and vest in fee simple in my beloved wife Nell Revard for Her Life Time. I give, bequeath and demise to my beloved wife Nell Revard, all the real property I may own or be interested in at the time of my death, and to manage the same, for her life time, and on her decease, to be equally divided, share and share alike, to my children, of whom, she, Nell Revard is the Mother.
“5. I desire and request that the Osage Indian Superintendent, Pawhuska, Oklahoma, make over and pay to my beloved wife Nell Revard, all annuity, bonuses and royalties and all other income derived from the sates of oil leases by the United States Government for the balance of her natural life, and on her decease I desire and request the Osage Indian Superintendent to make over and pay all annuities, bonuses and oil royalties and all other income derived from sales of leases by the United States Government to my children, same to be equally divided, share and share alike to My children, of whom, my beloved wife Nell Revard is the Mother. * * *
“8. I will, bequeath and devise to my Grand Son, Louis Lyle Hayes, son of Blnora Hayes, Margaret Ann Fenton; Curtis Re-vard. Carl Revard; Mrs. O’Dell Denoya; Nellie Isabelle Revard; Edgar Todd Revard; and Gladys Revard the sum of Five ($5.00) Dollars in CASH and no more.”

One of the sons by a former marriage CCarl Revard), to whom testator bequeathed $5 in his will, had been dead nearly three years when testator executed the will. The record does not reveal whether testator knew that that son was dead. (Testator did, however, by the above will, bequeath money to a child, Hayes, of another deceased child of his, naming such grandchild, which suggests that probably he did not know that this particular son was dead when he executed the will.) This deceased son, Carl Revard, left two children, as above stated, and these children were nowhere mentioned or provided for in the will, either in general or specific terms. In the decree of distribution the trial court ordered that they each receive $2.50 by right of representation. The question which we now consider is whether the will is invalid as to such grandchildren only, so that they may elect and take under the laws of succession and distribution.

Section 1570, O. S. 1931, provides:

“When any testator omits to provide in his will for any of his children, or for the issue of any deceased child unless it appears that such omission was intentional, such child, or the issue of such child, must have the same share in the estate of the testator, as if he had died intestate, and succeeds thereto as provided in the preceding section.”

Under the terms of the above statute an omitted grandchild, being the issue of a deceased child of the testator, inherits under the laws of intestacy “unless it appears that such omission was intentional.” In its reduced form, the question then is: (1) Does it appear (2) that the omission was intentional? In construing this statute it is important to observe that the test is not wheth- or it was an unintentional omission, such as an oversight. Rather, the thought to keep in mind is that the inquiry is whether “it appears” that the omission was “intentional.”

There is undeniably an omission. If it is to be held that such omission was “intentional”, from where does such inference arise? It could possibly be argued that the omission was unintentional, but that is not the test. fhere is no indication that testator even knew of the existence of these grandchildren. Possibly had he known of their existence, or had he known that his son, their father, vas dead, he would have provided for them, but since he failed to do so, it is not for us to reach back and change or-add to the terms of the will by supplying the omission.

This court has already held that the fact that the testator did leave $5 to their father does not change the legal significance of his failure to provide for the children of the deceased son. It is unnecessary to discuss this question, for it has long been decided in this *526 jurisdiction. In Riley v. Collier, 111 Okla. 130, 238 P. 491, a testator bequeathed $50 to each of his three living- children, and a like amount to his dead son. The son had died long before the date of the execution of the will, and testator knew that fact. Nevertheless, we held that even though he knew the son was dead, and even though he made a bequest to him, such facts did not warrant the presumption, even with the aid of attendant circumstances, that the omission of tile grandchild was intentional. It was held that the omitted grandchild would bake under the laws of intestacy. Riley v. Collier was later followed, as to children, by Courtney v. Daniel, 124 Okla. 46, 253 P.

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Bluebook (online)
1936 OK 844, 63 P.2d 973, 178 Okla. 524, 1936 Okla. LEXIS 879, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-revards-estate-okla-1936.