When any resident of this state dies leaving a spouse or minor children, the court shall set over to the spouse, and if none to the minor children, as their absolute property, all property of the decedent exempt from execution under the exemption laws of this state including the homestead. Such property shall not be subject to the payment of debts of the decedent, except expenses of administration or funeral expenses of the decedent in cases in which there is not other property in the estate sufficient to pay the expenses. If [the] decedent does not have any or all of the property specified under the exemption laws, the spouse or minor children are entitled to the value of the exempt property either in money or other property as they may prefer. If the surviving spouse is not the parent of all or any minor children, one-half (1/2) of the property shall be set over to the surviving spouse and the other one-half (1/2) to the minors who are not children of the survivor. A conservator shall be appointed for the children as in any other cases of estate property descending to a minor. The right of a surviving spouse to any of the exempt property is not affected by his or her renouncing or failing to renounce the benefit of the provisions made for him or her in the will of the decedent.
Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 2-7-504
Absolute property of surviving spouse and minor children; exceptions; renouncement of will of no effect
Applied in 1 court decision — leading case In the Matter of the Estate of Neal E. Tokowitz a/k/a Neal Edward Tokowitz, deceased: James Silverwood, Personal Representative of the Estate of Neal E. Tokowitz and Randy Green, Trustee of the Residual Trust Established for Carol Tokowitz v. Carol Tokowitz (2024)
Most recently applied in In the Matter of the Estate of Neal E. Tokowitz a/k/a Neal Edward Tokowitz, deceased: James Silverwood, Personal Representative of the Estate of Neal E. Tokowitz and Randy Green, Trustee of the Residual Trust Established for Carol Tokowitz v. Carol Tokowitz (January 2024)
Official source: Wyoming Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Wyoming statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.