Neighbor Inherits Elderly Woman’s Estate After Family Fails to Visit for 13 Years, but They Claim She Was ‘Manipulated’

A Reddit user shared an emotional dilemma after discovering they had been left the full inheritance of an elderly neighbor they had grown close to over the past six years.

The poster explained that after relocating to a new country for a promotion, they found themselves isolated and focused on work. In their first week, a kind elderly woman next door welcomed them with homemade cookies — a gesture that soon turned into a heartfelt friendship.

Despite their busy schedule, the neighbor became a comforting constant. The woman had lost her husband twenty years earlier, and although she had three granddaughters living only 20 minutes away, she had not seen them in 13 years. When they asked about her family, she often grew sad and avoided the topic.

Over time, the two bonded through simple shared moments — gardening together, cooking recipes she taught them, and celebrating holidays as if they were family. The poster explained that they saw her almost like a grandmother and never once considered her financial situation.

But three months before the Reddit post, the elderly woman died at age 96 due to health complications. Shockingly, none of her family attended the funeral — only the Redditor and a few of her old friends were there to say goodbye.

Two weeks later came the real surprise. The neighbor’s lawyer contacted the poster regarding her will. She had left everything — the house and considerable savings — to the Redditor. She expressed in writing that she hoped they would keep the house for their future children and donate the money to a cancer research charity.

The gesture, meant to be loving and thoughtful, instead triggered conflict. The woman’s granddaughters suddenly resurfaced, immediately contesting the will and accusing the Redditor of manipulation. However, legal documents confirmed the will was updated two years before the woman’s passing, while she was in full mental health.

Heartbroken by their accusations, the Redditor confronted them, pointing out that they were absent for years and not even present at her funeral. The granddaughters were furious, especially given the substantial value of the estate in a highly desirable neighborhood.

Despite all this, the poster expressed a sincere desire to fulfill the woman’s wishes — donate the money to charity and keep the home as she intended. Still, they admitted to feeling guilt, wondering if refusing to share the inheritance made them the villain.

They turned to the community for guidance, asking:

“Am I the asshole for refusing to share the inheritance my old neighbor left me that was meant for her granddaughters?”

When another user asked about the woman’s children, the poster shared that her daughter had died of cancer — making the estrangement from her grandchildren even more tragic.

Throughout the post, the Redditor emphasized that they never wanted anything from the woman except friendship. Now they are left torn between honoring her final wishes and easing tensions with a family that only returned once money was involved.

The question remains:
Should they share the inheritance, or stay true to the neighbor who treated them like family when no one else did?