Murphy v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company

TUNKS, Chief Justice.

Bobby Buchanan died intestate on October 27, 1970. He left surviving him his mother, Alma Buchanan Alexander Murphy, his wife, Lena Buchanan, and three sons. Those individual parties will sometimes be referred to by their first names.

At the time of his death Bobby was and had been for many years an employee of Shell Chemical Corporation. As such he had acquired certain employee benefits. One such benefit was called a provident fund and had a value of about $33,000, His estate was the named beneficiary of the provident fund at the date of his death. Another benefit was…