Old Lady Bans Son-In-Law from Her Funeral, He Comes Anyway and Sees Her Open Her Eyes in Coffin — Story of the Day

An old woman leaves odd conditions regarding her funeral procedures in her will apart from banning her son-in-law from attending. However, out of love for her, he still attends and is taken aback when her eyes open during the service.

Patricia Gordon was an 85-year-old woman whose husband had left her a large fortune after his death, so she didn't have to worry about anything. The only worry Patricia had was her son-in-law, Jack.

Patricia despised Jack because he was poor and cleaned a parking lot for a living. For the same reason, she was opposed to him marrying her daughter. But Kathy Gordon was madly in love with Jack, and Patricia eventually had to give in.

Over the years, Patricia never softened her heart for Jack even though he adored her. Once on Patricia's birthday, he gave her flowers and a greeting card, but Patricia threw it away right in front of him.

"I know you poisoned those flowers!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to smell them and die, and you're going to receive my money! That's what you want!"

Patricia was a rich and arrogant woman. | Source: Pexels

Kathy tried explaining to Patricia that Jack didn't have any such intentions, but she wouldn't listen. "That's what he wants, you stupid girl!" she continued furiously. "Can't you see he's after my money?"

"Mrs. Gordon…" Jack whispered, teary-eyed. "I - I would never do that… You're wrong about that!"

But Patricia wouldn't listen to anything. "Shut up and get lost!" she yelled at him.

Jack was hurt by Patricia's words, but he didn't say anything to her. He picked up the flowers and left for home, and Kathy followed him.

Several weeks went by after this before Patricia called Kathy to tell her that her health was failing and that she worried she would die soon. "I might not be around for long, Kathy, but I have something to tell you," she said.

"Mom, you'll be fine! You're not going anywhere!" Patricia scolded her gently. "You should not be talking like this!"

Patricia called Kathy to inform her that her health wasn't doing well. | Source: Pexels

"No, honey, listen," she insisted. "I want you to know that I have left my will with my lawyer, Mr. Berenson. And make sure your husband isn't there for my funeral! I don't want that down-and-out man near me!"

"Mom, you have to stop this!" Kathy told her, irritated. "Jack is not what you think!"

"My decision is final, and I won't change it at any cost! If that man is around me during my last rites, my soul will never rest after death!" she yelled and hung up.

Kathy sighed and shook her head, tired of hearing her mother criticize Jack. She prayed she wouldn't have to put up with her mother's ridiculous expectations and witness Jack hurt again because of her words.

However, Patricia's staff informed her a few days later that Patricia had left for her heavenly abode. She told Kathy that they had already handled Patricia's funeral arrangements and that all she needed to do was come and pay her respects to her late mother.

Patricia's staff had already taken care of the funeral arrangements. | Source: Pexels

Kathy recalled what Patricia had told her about Jack, and though it pained her, she couldn't go against her mother's last wish and told Jack he wasn't invited to her funeral. But despite her objections, Jack insisted on going. He wanted to say goodbye to Patricia personally.

Kathy tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. When they eventually arrived at the funeral, Jack was surprised to see that Patricia had not been embalmed. He inquired about it with the caretakers, who stated that it was specified in her will.

"This is odd," he thought to himself as he went to pay his respects.

Soon, other relatives gathered around, including Mr. Berenson, who announced that, according to Patricia's will, she wanted her assets distributed in front of her family members before she was buried. And so, honoring it, he revealed:

Mr. Berenson read Patricia's will before her burial. | Source: Pexels

When Patricia's brother-in-law, Henry, learned this, he was enraged. "How can she not leave anything to her only sister, who was so close to her? She was constantly telling my wife that she loved her the most. That old hag duped us! What a prick!"

"I know, right!" his wife, Joan, added. "I should have never cared for her!"

"Oh, she wasted so much of my time! At this rate, it wouldn't have troubled me if she had died sooner! She's better off dead. Useless woman!" Henry cried as he turned to walk away, but Jack grabbed his arm.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir," he said. " But you need to apologize to Mrs. Gordon."

"Excuse me?!" Henry glared at him, yanking his hand away. "Can't you see she duped you too! You are her so-called son-in-law, yet she didn't leave you a dime ... Huh!" he laughed.

Patricia's brother-in-law was furious to learn she left nothing for him and his wife. | Source: Pexels

Jack smiled at him. "I don't mind that she didn't leave me anything, sir. Though she was my mother-in-law, I treated her like a mother. Sir, I'm an orphan ... Whenever she scolded me, I never felt horrible about it.

"You may not realize it, sir, but as people become older, they become insecure about being left alone, and because they are not able to express it out loud, they take it out on you by getting mean and cranky sometimes.

"Now that she's no longer with us, we should pray that her soul rests in peace and not fight over trivial things like money... She was a nice person who deserved to be respected! I'm sorry, Mrs. Gordon," Jack said, turning to face her, "I apologize for...." but he abruptly came to a halt as he noticed something strange.

"MRS. GORDON!" he gasped suddenly. "EYES… Her eyes are open, everyone!" he shouted, taking a step back from the coffin, horrified to see his mother-in-law open her eyes.

Soon, Patricia rose from the coffin and was standing on her feet in front of everyone.

Patricia was very much alive. | Source: Pexels

Patricia explained that everything was a ruse to enable her to choose her heir. Jack not only passed the test but also won her heart because, unlike her greedy relatives, he actually appreciated and respected her.

"I was expecting him to abandon Kathy the moment he realized I hadn't left him anything. I never liked him because I assumed he married my daughter for her money. But he proved me wrong! I apologize to everyone in front of him."

"Oh, Mrs. Gordon, you don't have to... It's fine," Jack muttered as he returned her hug.

From that day on, Mrs. Gordon began to love Jack as if he were her own son, and she renounced her hatred for him. She also changed her will, dividing her estate equally between an animal shelter and Kathy and Jack. But the best thing is, she lived happily for many more years with her son and daughter-in-law.

What can we learn from this story?

• Never judge people based on their status and looks. Patricia disliked Jack because he was poor, but she realized she was wrong.
• Older people need love and care; don't take things to your heart if they get a little cranky sometimes. As Jack believed, Patricia wasn't a bad person at heart. She was just an old woman who was concerned that the man in her daughter's life was a gold digger, which is why she was annoyed with him.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an old woman who found a baby in a manhole one day.

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