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Cecil George Harris’s will is kept on display under glass at the University of Saskatchewan. Harris died in Rosetown, Saskatchewan in 1948 and, on October 27, 2013, the Toronto Star reported on the marking of its 65th anniversary.
What makes George Harris’s will so notable? The fact that he used a pocket knife to scratch it into the fender of his tractor as he lay pinned and dying beneath it.
The full text of the Will: “In case I die in this mess, I leave all to the wife. Cecil Geo Harris”
The court granted probate and the wife took her full share of the estate.
In Ontario today, as it was back in Saskatchewan in 1948, a person can make a will entirely in his or her own handwriting. This is called a holograph will. It needs no witnesses and no formalities other than a signature.
A holograph will is no substitute for thoughtful advance planning in consultation with a lawyer. However, in a pinch, you can write your will on just about anything. This is a great example of the rough and ready practicality built into our law to manage the unpredictability of life and death.
