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provided for by decedent in her last will and testament that
appoints her children to serve as coexecutors and devises her fee
interest in the ranch properties to her children.
There is no persuasive evidence that decedent granted oral
options to extend or to modify the existing lease terms or that
the postdeath leases reflect the terms of oral options. The
testimony does not identify any specific discussion among
decedent, Edwards, and Carson where decedent granted the right to
lease the ranch properties indefinitely to Edwards and Carson.
Our conclusion that no oral agreement was made is supported by
the following: (1) Decedent and her children had a history and
pattern of executing written leases, (2) the postdeath leases
contained different terms from existing leases, (3) the existing
leases, including one executed only 4 months before decedent’s
death, required extensions and modifications to be in writing,
and (4) decedent’s children continued to maintain control over
the ranch properties as the coexecutors and devisees of
decedent’s estate.
Because we have concluded that no oral options existed at
the time of decedent’s death, the postdeath leases are only
agreements executed by Edwards and Carson as the coexecutors of
decedent’s estate subsequent to the date of decedent’s death.
The postdeath leases reflect only the arrangement between Edwards
and Carson regarding the use of the ranch properties. Because
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