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How can I find out if mom had a will?


Almost 7 years later I still don't know how or why my mom died. She was very well off financially. What happened to the $? I was told 4 days after the funeral. To never come back to my mom's house by my stepfather.

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Yes. Closure, healing, reconnect with my also ageing stepfather. Most of all understanding and to exspress gratitude for taking care of the family & to possibly return some of the same for him. It would be so nice to have a certain mutual respect for each other. He's been a big part of my life since 7 yrs. Old. Also the only grandfather my daughter has ever known.
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Rameyer, if you want to obtain a death certificate, other posters have explained how you can do that. It's straightforward.

The death certificate will state what caused your mother's death.

Seven years after the event, if your mother left substantial property in her will it must have been through probate and the will then becomes a public document. You can find it by looking up "probate court for [your mother's county of residence]" and getting in touch with them.

But the elephant in the room, if you won't mind my saying, is whatever made your stepfather so angry or bitter that he did not inform you of your mother's illness, death or funeral but instead told you never to darken your late mother's door again. That you haven't done a thing about it in nearly seven years makes me think you didn't feel you were in a position to protest or argue, and of course I wonder why.

You will understand that we can have no way of knowing who the injured parties are or what took place among them. I can understand that your own illness has made you wish to tie up loose ends and resolve conflicts. But are you clear about what you want?
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???

I think this question underwent some substantial editing between its first replies and as it stands now.

Rameyer, I'm still sorry for your loss and for the circumstances, which must have been distressing. Do you mind if I ask why you're addressing the issues again now after so many years have gone by?
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Rameyer Oct 2019
Of course. Well recently I've been really understand the weather due to a diagnosis and suffering from multiple ailments. I myself have a daughter. I've been thinking about how I don't want to leave this earth and her possibly having unanswered questions. And in the process of these thoughts. I've come to the realization that I've never had a chance to grieve for my mom. And also during the last couple of years of my mom's life. She had kept expressing to me she needed to make some changes in her will. She also kept expressing the fact of how she wanted me to be sure to ask my stepfather about the will. There's alot more to it. I hope this answers your question. What do you mean when you say that you think my post was edited?
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Just want to add, when wills are made up between married people, its usually what mine is yours type thing. The surviving spouse usually leaves the remaining assets to any children. No will, then the Courts determine who gets what. In my state, the spouse gets 75%, the children 25% that is split among the children.
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It is actually rather simple.  Just find the location of the Office of Vital Statistics for the death certificate and then the Probate Court for the will.   There are costs to these, minimal amounts usually but expect that.   Most likely, you were not named in the will and therefore, there was no reason to contact you.  .
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The death certs I've seen list 3 causes of death, primary, secondary and a third cause.  

Have you had no contact at all with any others in your family since her death?  

If you go to the county courthouse to get a copy of the death certificate, ask the records or clerk's office about a will having been filed.  It's my understanding that in Michigan, the will is to be filed after someone dies, even if there's no probate proceeding.   I, however, have not filed nor do I intend to file my father's Will for reasons of security, and won't do so until his house has been sold.
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You could ask the Funeral home that did the service.

You can go to the county seat and see if Moms will was probated. If so, its been filed and is public record. You then can see who was executor and if you are a beneficiary. If so to the beneficiary, it was up to the Executor to contact you that the will was being probated. The Executor is responsible for seeing that beneficiaries receive their inheritance. If you were beneficiary and received nothing, ur entitled to an accting of how the inheritance was distributed. If none of this was done, then ask probate how to handle it.
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When my father died, step-mom refused to produce a will. We were able to find the lawyer he used to draft it, and that lawyer told me some of the bequests. He wasn't able to give me a copy, because I wasn't specifically named in the will. You might try that, and if you are named, you might even be able to receive a copy??

To this day, 15 years later, she has never produced the will . . . . .we now call her "sheofwhomewenolongerspeak"
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I’m sorry for the loss of your mom. Maybe have an attorney look into it. I’m not sure how to answer your question. Others will have more information for you.
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In most US states, death certificates are public records and can be obtained in the county seat for a small fee.
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I'm very sorry for your loss. What happened, and when? It sounds as if your mother's death was unexpected, so I'm sorry too for what must have been a shock for you and your family.

Your "how to"s are all strictly practical matters, which means they should be very do-able; but how you go about it may vary according to where you are. If you would like to share more details, I'm sure forum members will be able to point you in the right direction.
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