Man finds out his partner of 27 years only left him ashes in her will
A New Zealand man has been left feeling “used and unappreciated” after his partner of 27 years only left him her ashes in her will.
Steve Moon and Mary Doyle from Auckland first met at work when they were both employed by a city council in the late 1970s.
The couple's friendship developed and they started dating in 1989.
Ms Doyle suffered a “significant medical condition” from a young age and the couple believed it to be chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), although it was never formally diagnosed.
After 18 months of dating, Ms Doyle was restricted to a wheelchair and in 2015, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
She died on January 8, 2017.
After Ms Doyle's death, Mr Moon discovered that she had left him one thing in her will – her ashes.
Court documents reveal that Ms Doyle wrote a letter to her 62-year-old partner ahead of her passing, saying she was giving him the most “precious thing”.
“Steve. I’m leaving you the most precious thing:- me. (even though it’s in a box). I don’t want it scattered anywhere,” she wrote.
“Please keep – hide it away in a cupboard or whatever. At least it cant talk! Always loved you and didn’t want to leave.
“P.S Thank you for being there for me for all these years. And putting up with me.”
In her will, Ms Doyle left her Auckland home to her older brother Patrick Doyle.
After her death, Mr Moon took his case to the High Court to claim the whole of Ms Doyle's estate.
Ms Doyle’s brother Patrick told the court that his sister said she was just “friends” with Steve.
Ms Doyle and Mr Moon did not live together.
However, Mr Moon's unchallenged evidence in court showed that the pair had a sexual relationship up until the cancer diagnosis.
Mr Moon said he was “very upset” after discovering what Ms Doyle had left him.
"It was as if I was nobody in her life. I had spent nearly every day with her for 27 years, except for two-and-a-half weeks when I was in hospital and some short trips to the South Island,” he said, according to court documents.
“I do feel that in death Mary should have put me first as I put her first in life. I feel betrayed by her. I struggle to understand why she treated me as she did.
“I know that she loved me, but her Will does not reflect that.”
On May 23, Justice Grant Powell ordered that Mr Moon be paid $276,000 from Ms Doyle’s estate.
“Ultimately the picture that emerges is of two quite private people who formed a relationship that worked for them despite very considerable difficulties arising from Mary’s medical condition,” Justice Powell said.
“There can be no doubt whatsoever how important this relationship was, not just to Steven, but also to Mary.”