The Last Will and Testament of decedent Cathy Lee Pendleton was probated in solemn form and named appellee Patricia L. Mitchell as executrix of the estate. In that capacity, appellee filed a petition for declaratory judgment in the Superior Court of Forsyth County seeking, inter alia, a determination as to the rightful claimants to the residuary estate under the will.1 The trial court found that there was no ambiguity and ruled that the residuum is to be distributed in accordance with the testatrix’s clearly expressed intent in Item IV of her will.2 Appellants Cynthia Ann See, Tina Lynn Harrison, and Earl Stanford Smith Jr. siblings of the testatrix and contingent beneficiaries of the residuum assert on appeal that the residuary estate should be distributed according to the laws of intestacy because it is impossible to ascertain the intent of the testator from the language of the will. We disagree. The will was written in five parts. Items I through III contain prefatory language and provide for the disposition of the decedent’s remains; Item V names Mitchell as executrix. The disposition of the assets of the estate was dealt with exclusively in Item IV, which provides:
I give all the rest and residue of my estate as follows: To Dot & Rusty Pendleton: $25,000 of my estate To Earl Stanford Smith Sr: $25,000 of my estate To Trish Mitchell: $25,000 of my estate To SCARF:3 $50,000 of my estate To Tri County Animal Hospital: $25,000 their sic new expansion To the Samoyed Club of America: $25,000 of my estate To Michael and Judith Morman: $25,000 of my estate To Steve Bishop: My RV To whomever adopts a dog that is living with me at the time of my death is to receive $5,000 for expensives sic To Janice Harper: $10,000 for the back yard fencing To Marla Stromberg: $10,000 for her help with my dogs If none of the my designated beneficiaries survives me, I give all the rest and residue of my estate to Tina Harrison, Cindy See & Earl Stanford Smith Jr. If neither all of my designated beneficiaries nor Tina Harrison, Cindy See and Earl Stanford Smith Jr. survives me, I give all the rest and residue of my estate to be divided between the Samoyed Club of America and SCARF. The construction of a will is a question of law for the proper trial court. Bennett v. Young , 270 Ga. 422 1 510 SE2d 521 1999. “The cardinal rule of construction in any will case is to strive to ascertain the intention of the testator. Cit. If possible, the testator’s intention should be gleaned from the four corners of the will itself. Cit..” Reynolds v. Harrison , 278 Ga. 495, 497 1 604 SE2d 184 2004. See also OCGA § 53-4-55. The entire document is to be taken together, and operation should be given to every part of it. Thompson v. Mathews , 226 Ga. 347 2 174 SE2d 916 1970.
