Thompson

Plaintiff Sally Thompson is the widow of Irving Thompson. Irving was the son of Anna Thompson. Irving had named his mother as sole beneficiary of a group life insurance policy, the premiums for which were paid from his earnings. Irving and his mother also had a joint savings account and held federal savings bonds as joint tenants. Anna had placed her home in the joint names of Irving and herself. In 1956 Irving had a heart attack. When he returned from the hospital he and plaintiff discussed the possibility that he might predecease his mother, Anna. On August 2, 1957, Irving and Anna went to the office of Floyd Bowers, an attorney in Roseville, for the purpose of discussing preparation of Anna’s will. According to Bowers’ testimony, Irving and Anna both expressed the desire that the savings account, the bonds and insurance remain as they were and that Anna would make a will leaving everything at her death to Sally. Mrs. Thompson stated that she had a niece to whom she wished to leave $500 but that everything else was to go to Sally. She also told Bowers that she wanted the will in Sally’s favor to be irrevocable.

On August 4, 1957, two days after the visit to Bowers’ office,…