Petition to admit will to probate on presumption of death of testator – notice.)
     (a) Anyone desiring to have a will admitted to probate on the presumption of death of the testator must file a petition therefor in the court of the proper county. The petition must state, in addition to the information required by Section 6-2 (other than clauses (a) and (b)), the facts and circumstances raising the presumption, the name and last known post office address of the testator and, if known, the name and post office address of each person in possession or control of any property of the testator.

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Terms Used In Illinois Compiled Statutes 755 ILCS 5/6-20

  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Legatee: A beneficiary of a decedent
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • State: when applied to different parts of the United States, may be construed to include the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" may be construed to include the said district and territories. See Illinois Compiled Statutes 5 ILCS 70/1.14
  • Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.

     (b) Not less than 30 days before the hearing on the petition the petitioner must (1) mail a copy of the petition to the testator at his last known address, to each of the testator’s heirs and legatees whose names and post office addresses are stated in the petition and to each person shown by the petition to be in possession or control of any property of the testator, and (2) publish a notice of the hearing on the petition once a week for 3 successive weeks, the first publication to be not less than 30 days before the hearing. The notice must state the time and place of the hearing, the name of the testator and, when known, the names of the heirs and legatees. The petitioner shall endorse the time and place of the hearing on each copy of the petition mailed by him. When the petition names a trustee of a trust, it is not necessary to mail a copy of the petition to any beneficiary of the trust who is not an heir or legatee, or to include the name of such beneficiary in the published notice. If any person objects to the admission of the will to probate, the court may require that such notice of the time and place of the hearing as it directs be given to any beneficiary of the trust not previously notified. The petitioner must file proof of mailing and proof of publication with the clerk of the court.
     (c) A copy of the petition need not be sent to any person not designated in the petition as a minor or person with a disability who personally appears before the court at the hearing or who files his waiver of notice.
     (d) When a will is admitted to probate on presumption of the testator’s death, the notice provided for in Section 6-10 is not required.