Daughter refused to attend estranged dad's funeral. She then learned she's the sole heir to his wealth

Holding onto grudges does not really lead to anything but strained relationships. Many find it difficult to move forward by simply forgiving and forgetting painful memories from the past. However challenging it may be, people are often expected to be kind to their loved ones, even if they are at fault. The same happened to a woman after her estranged father recently passed away, leaving behind a fortune for her. The 28-year-old – who goes by u/throwaway61838290108 on Reddit – had completely cut off contact with her dad following her mom’s passing years earlier. She decided not to attend his funeral for personal reasons, which led to a phone call from the family’s lawyer informing her about his will.

“He walked out on my mom and me when I was 10 and only popped up in my life when he needed something—usually money or a favor,” the daughter began explaining in her post. Notably, after parting ways with her mother, the father had a fresh start in life, remarrying and raising two children with his second wife. “When I turned 18, I decided I was done with him. No calls, no visits, nothing. He tried reaching out a few times over the years, but it always felt forced, so I ignored him. My mom passed away a few years ago, and I didn’t even hear from him then,” the woman revealed. It gave her a reason to cut her dad off for good. 

Then, earlier, in December 2024, she received a call from his second wife, who broke the news of his sudden passing. The wife was sobbing, unable to cope with the loss, and on multiple occasions during the conversation, she insisted that the woman attend his last rites. While repeatedly declining her dad’s second wife’s requests, the daughter shared, “I didn’t feel anything—no grief, no sadness, just... nothing. Why should I show up to mourn someone who wasn’t there for me when I needed him?”

The woman went on to say that his wife “begged” her to reconsider, as her presence at the funeral would mean a lot to the family. Her half-siblings also urged her to attend the mourning to help heal “old wounds” that were never repaired while their dad was alive. “I made peace with him being out of my life a long time ago,” she said, reiterating her refusal to honor her father at his send-off. A week after the funeral, she received a call from the family lawyer, who informed her that her father had left a will and “he left everything to me—his house, his savings, his car, everything.” His wife and kids received nothing.

The unexpected move from her father had her floored, as she claimed to be unaware of his wealth throughout his life. “The lawyer told me my dad had tried to make amends and felt guilty about abandoning me, so he wanted to ‘make things right,’” she explained further. But this made the dad’s second wife and their children furious at the woman, accusing her of stealing their inheritance. She claimed to have felt “conflicted” after she was blamed for not showing the decency to be at her dad’s funeral. “On one hand, I didn’t ask for any of this. I get why they’re mad. I didn’t have a relationship with my dad, but now I’m walking away with everything while they’re left with nothing.” The daughter concluded by suggesting that she’d return all of his father’s inheritance to the wife and her family. 

Her post asking for opinions from the online community garnered widespread traction. Among the variety of reactions, u/GullyGardener remarked, “If the house and car mean nothing to you, even financially, and that's the new kid's home, then it might be worth it to gift it to them.” “Your father wanted you to have it, so you should have no guilt. If you want to be magnanimous, you can share with your stepfamily,” u/LuckyLuke1890 opined.