Johnstown Woman Writes Will on Wood

When Marilyn Rhodeback’s husband died in 1996 without a will, she knew she needed to get her own affairs in order. She grabbed the closest thing to her, which was a 14”x14” piece of wood, and drafted her will. Over the next few years, she amended it, dated it, and had her sisters sign it.

Marilyn died on April 7 in Johnstown, Ohio, and the will was probated at the Licking County Courthouse. Although unusual, the will is a fully-handwritten original, and the court deems it a legal document. All wills must be kept on file in the courthouse, but the wooden document won’t fit in the drawers. Instead, the courthouse made a copy of the will for the file and is keeping the original in the vault.

See L.B. Whyde, Johnstown Woman’s Will Recorded on Wood, Newark Advocate, Sept. 28, 2010.

Special thanks to Matthew Hochstetler (attorney, Wooster, OH) for bringing this to my attention.