When an elderly gentleman made his intentions to give his inheritance away clear to his family, he astonished them with the choice. Because he had worked hard and provided for those he cared about throughout his life, he had come upon a slap in the face. They never appreciated his generosity. They always took more than they gave, leaving him with nothing—hence why he decided to despise them when it came to his $770,000 fortune.
Ronald Butcher died at the age of 75. He lived his life working hard and being thrifty with his money. So he made the startling decision to do something that surprised his whole family. He bequeathed all of his money to Daniel Sharp, who had cleaned Mr. Butcher’s gutters as a favor once before.
Butcher met with his lawyer just two months before he died and revised his will. Because the money was going to a person outside the family who had virtually no connection to Butcher, the relatives contested the will, arguing that it did not represent their leader’s “true last wish.”
However, Butcher was ready for their retaliation. He also knew just how to prevent them from taking everything he owned.
Nonetheless, Butcher’s family and two children of a friend who called him “Uncle Ron” went to court in an attempt to reclaim the money. They appealed to Judge Lesley Anderson QC, arguing that the guy’s will should be voided so they could receive the cash reward they had been yearning for all their lives.
Butcher’s family wanted the court to recognize their will, which stated that they were to benefit from the $770,000 fortune. All three of Butcher’s relatives would have shared equally in the profit.
The news that Butcher had bequeathed him all of his money came as a complete surprise to Sharp. He had no idea that Butcher, at the end of his life, intended to give him so much money. They’d been pals for six years before Butcher passed away, but Sharp was unaware that he’d affected him so deeply.
“Mr. Butcher was a lonely man who found a friend in Mr. Sharp. Mr. Butcher knew what he was doing when he made the 2013 will and what its effect would be,” Sharp’s lawyer said. “They had a shared interest in DIY, and he liked to hear about Mr. Sharp’s son. That is an explanation of why he wanted to make the 2013 will.”
After two months without a Butcher’s body being discovered, the search for him was called off.
Sharp was forced to go to court in order to protect his right to the money, and he told Butcher that he was thankful.
“When I first cleaned out his gutter, he offered me a tenner or 20 quid for it, but I said no, I wouldn’t take it,” he told the judge. “It was a nothing job that took seconds. I was shocked to be given something like that. It’s life-changing. Nobody gives you nothing in life.”
