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Here are examples of modern ethical wills, written by people at different stages of life:
 
 

1.  Bettina was 29 years old when she died. This letter to her family and friends was read at her Memorial service

1. This was written by a married woman to her as yet unborn child, during her first pregancy. Age:38

 
2. Written by a single mom, age 38

 
3. Betsy is a 36 year-old personal historian
   

1. Married father of two teenage daughters.  Age: 47

 
2. Ellen, a single mother of two teens, wrote this on the eve of major surgery.  Age: 45

 
3. 47-year-old wife and mother of 4 children ranging in age from age 4 to age 17

 
4. Mother of two children.  Age: 40's

 
5. Married father. This is a personal mission statement serving as an ethical will.  Age: 40's

 
6. Married mother of three daughters. The author had ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and was 47 years old.

 
7. Stephanie wrote this letter to her high school and college aged sons.

 
8. Joe wrote his ethical will at age 42 and sees it's value as a capstone for his legacy, family history, and estate plan.


9. Cynthia wrote this for her husband as they face an uncertain future due to a potentially life-threatening illness.
   

1. Kim's ethical will illustrates the appeal of a written legacy for someone without children. She shared hers with friends and other family members.
    
2. Mother of 3 children and a nurse. This ethical will was attached to the author's Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions. Age: 50's

 
3. Mike had two children; a daughter who is alive, and a son who died suddenly at age 29. 

 
4. Mother of 4 and grandmother of 5. She was in her early 50's when she died.

 
5. Written by an insane attorney in the early part of the 20th Century

 
6. Don has written this ethical will for his children and grandchildren

 
7. Katie wrote this to her spouse and three children

1. Widowed grandmother.  Age: early 60's

 
2. A father and farmer nearing retirement with 3 adult children. Age: 60's

 
3. From a mother, grandmother, and friend. Age: mid 60's

 
4. Connie is 64, a widow, and a recent grandmother for the 3rd time

 
5. Ray recently finished this draft of his ethical will which he sees as a work in progress.
   

1. Grandfather with a terminal illness.  Age: 70

 
2. Father (of seven), dying of lung cancer. Age: early 70's

 
3. World War II veteran, Age: mid 70's 

1. 80 year old widower, Mr. William Bell

 
2. From a deeply religious man in his mid-80's

 
3. From an 80 year-old married woman

 
4. Rena wrote this on her 80th birthday - she's now 93!

 
5. Mr. H's son wrote this ethical will posthumously

1. Uncle Melchior, age 90, had this to say in his "Last Will and Testament."
 

Authors over 100 years old

1. Beatrice wrote this last year as she approached her 100th birthday.
 

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Would you consider posting your ethical will here?

If you would like to add your own ethical will to our list of examples, please e-mail a copy to: info@ethicalwill.com

If you want to maintain anonymity, please change any information (names, etc.) that might identify you. Please include your age (or approximate age, e.g. late 60's), gender, and any information or comments that you think would help another reader relate to the contents of your ethical will.

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