People react differently to when a loved one dies. Some of them heal from grief by leaving the person’s things as they were when they were alive, but others decide to clean up and move on to a new chapter in their lives without that person present.
While cleaning up all the things that a person left behind in this world, you may stumble upon something that they never showed you and it could make you see them in a different light. Of course, not everyone has dark shocking secrets, but you just discover a part of their life or personality that you were not familiar with.
People shared such experiences when Scary-Brandon asked “People who had to clean out rooms of someone who had died (family, friend or otherwise), did you find anything you shouldn't have found and how did it make you feel?”
Did you ever discover anything interesting when cleaning rooms or houses of people who passed away? Did it make you feel differently about that person? Share your stories in the comments!
More info: Reddit
#1 Dad's Office Had Certificates, Photos, Newspaper Clippings, Programs, Etc. Of His Kids On The Walls
This one is actually kind of heartwarming...My dad was a pretty reserved guy. While I knew in my heart he would lay down and pass away for me without a moment's hesitation, he never said "I love you" or "I'm proud of you" or anything like that. It's just who he was.
After he passed away of cancer, we went to his office to clear it out. I'd never really been in his actual office since, on the rare occasions I'd see him at work, he'd usually meet me at reception.
Well, when we went in there, it was practically a shrine to me and my sister. Every certificate, photo, newspaper clipping, program, etc. was hung up on the walls of his office. A number of people came by to pay their respects as we were clearing things out and, again and again, I heard "he was so proud of you." "I've heard so many things about you, it's nice to meet you in person." "You were so special to your father. He spoke the world of you."
Honestly, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Definitely one of the more bittersweet moments in my life...
RIP, Dad. Miss you...
Image credits: lenachristina
#2 More Than 20 Wrapped Presents And Envelopes Of Money, Addressed To Grandchildren
My grandma passed when I was 16 after getting cancer for the third time. My grandad moved into a smaller apartment and my cousins and I helped to clean out their house. (A side note... There are 9 of us, aged at the time from 12 - 26).In the house, we found more than 20 wrapped presents and envelopes of money, addressed to all of us. They were for the big occasions that she knew she wouldn't live to see us have. Before she had passed away she had organized 21st birthday presents for those of us who weren't yet 21, engagement presents, and wedding presents, each with a card written by hand. I remember being so overwhelmed with emotion. She was an incredible woman who loved her family dearly and wanted to celebrate her grandchildren, even if she couldn't be there herself.
Image credits: joey130312
#3 Grandma's Journal Which Showed How Sad She Was
My grandmother passed after a blood clot incident. She had several conditions that no doubt led up to this. For example, her medical team decided not to treat her breast cancer because they figured she would pass away before it would spread.My father, uncle, and my sisters were left to clean out her things from her apartment. She had a lot of old, expired food. Like ketchup that had gone completely black. We found things from when she was well and social, like her quilting and handmade soaps, which were beautiful. She has a quilt that had the names of all of our family, but the names were sewn in the individuals handwriting style.
However, one day it was just my dad and me going through her bedside table. We found her journal. Toward the end, all of the entries were about how lonely she was, how she only got to see her grand children twice a year, and how her own children never saw her unless they needed something. She said she wanted to die. My dad threw it away so his brother would never have to see it.
So, um, yeah. Go hug a grandparent.
Image credits: AccidentalHipster93
#4 Money Everywhere
My grandma's house had money EVERYWHERE. Every purse had at least $100 cash. Suitcases had a few hundred more. Every coffee can or other container in her kitchen had rolls of money. There were even bags of frozen veggies in the freezer that had been split open and money hidden inside. And her bank accounts...thousands upon thousands of dollars. No one had any idea, she lived so simply and never spent a dime on anything unnecessary. I'm sure her financial paranoia was due to growing up in the Great Depression.It made for the best scavenger hunt ever, though.
Image credits: HomemadeJambalaya
#5 A Shoe Box Full Of Things For Our Son
My boyfriend passed in a car accident while I was pregnant with our first child. When I was cleaning out our room to move, after the accident, I found a shoe box full of things for our son. Some of the items included were a note to our son about the future, what dreams and hopes he had had, some Pokémon cards, tips on fishing, and a letter to give to me upon his death. Almost four years later and I haven't been able to open it.
Image credits: bebuzzie
#6 Photos Of Boyfriend's Uncle And His "Best Friend"
Recently my boyfriends uncle passed away. He left his house to him in his will. We've been slowly going through the rooms, but on day one of the clean, we started in his closet.We live in a very republican conservative part of Texas. Mind you, the man was never married, but was loved by all as he housed his niece who suffered from addiction.
When we went through his closet we found numerous sparkling thongs, and various phallic devices. We thought it was strange but when we moved to the bedroom we discovered photos of him and his "best friend"
Through his death we discovered that uncle was a gay man. Something he never came out with while he was alive . It makes us sad to think he had to hide who he was for his whole life as our families are pretty open and non Judgmental.
Image credits: cococooley
#7 A Little Note Admitting How Much Sister Loved Her Siblings
In 2005, my sister passed in a jet skiing accident out on the lake. She was 11, I was 9, and after the funeral my parents decided it was time to go through her stuff to pack up and donate. I'm really nosy, and I really needed something to do, so I was allowed to help them. I served mostly as a runner boy for the items as they went through it, just sorting it in the living room while they went through everything in her room. Now, understand that the last thing she said to me was "I hate you". We had gotten in a fight just before she got on the jet ski with my aunt, and that's the last time we spoke. Anyways, going through her stuff I found a picture she had drawn of me her and one of my other sisters, and a little note admit how much she loved her brothers and sisters (an art project for school of some sort if I'm not mistaken). This really helped put my mind at ease about the whole thing. I know she really loved me and that if she had known those would be the last words she said to me she would not have said it, but being 9 years old, watching her be in the hospital for three days, then waiting 4 more days for the funeral and what not to get to that picture. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with, but that picture helped.I never leave someone now when bad words have been exchanged. Not knowing if that's the last thing they hear me say, I cannot in good conscious leave on a bad note.
Image credits: Bobsbestgame
#8 A Letter Written By Husband's First Wife
My husband passed in 2009 of a heart attack.He was a widower when I married him. I found a letter written by his first wife, before she passed away of cancer, telling him how upset she was with him and how he wasn't being supportive and how if she wasn't so sick that she would consider a divorce.
Their son (who became my son) was 3 when his mom passed and 12 when his dad passed. I destroyed that letter. I honestly think he never, ever needed to see that letter. I'd much rather he's left with the illusion that his parents had a perfect, if tragic, marriage.
Image credits: MsAlign
#9 3D TV
My great aunt passed at 100 years old, and I got her fairly new Samsung TV. The TV turned out to be 3D, but she only had one eye.I couldn't shake the thought that some salesman sold an old lady with one eye a 3D TV.
Image credits: Jyeebs
#10 Really Cool Puzzle Box That Had Pot In It
When my dad passed of lung cancer we found this really cool puzzle box. He had JUST passed and my closest relatives and I were gathered around as I solved the puzzle box to open it. We get it open and we found none other than a ton of pot. Was hilarious and awkward at the same time. But even better than that I found my two siblings he hid from the family for years. We're actually all currently sitting on the couch together. So, thanks you old hippie. RIP.
Image credits: HeatherlyHills
#11 Papers And Gun
Yes, actually. My mother and I found out my maternal grandmother was a spy during world war 2. We found her papers and gun in her dresser in a retirement home. Oh boy was that a crazy time.I didnt mention my grandpa was in the NSA. He was just an IT guy, so he wasnt an agent or anything. But that should still earn some cool points haha.
Image credits: chronic_z
#12 Jewelry, Dresses That Grandma Had Kept For Us As Gifts That We Never Received
My husband and I cleaned out my grandma's house after she passed, she was a big time hoarder but luckily of the "pack rat" variety so everything was neatly packed away in thousands of boxes and drawers. It took us nearly 3 weeks to get everything out of the house and we found so many things that I had never knew my grandma had done.She built a boat with her first fiancé prior to marrying my grandpa, she travelled the world making friends with some of the most interesting people like a legit member of African royalty whom she had a long lived penpal friendship.
Among the cool memories we found beautiful jewelry, dresses that she had kept for us as gifts that we never received. I also found out that my dad had been a baby model for sears through the newspaper clippings she kept.
It was an emotional, wild ride for those 3 weeks. Her sons sold most of the non-keepsake items in a garage sale and made nearly $4,000, all things priced under $5 so you can imagine how much stuff she had accumulated through out the years.
She was the coolest, spunkiest grandma and I miss her everyday but I am glad I got to learn so much more about her through her collections (or junk as my dad would call it).
Image credits: UnderpaidMilkmaid
#13 A Lot Of Rocks In Little Brother's Toy Box
I personally packed up my little brother's room after he passed. He was only 8 years old when he passed, so I didn't find anything risqué. I did find a lot of rocks in his toy box though. Another 3 years later, I was helping clean out my grandmas house and found letters he had written her.
Image credits: renee_nevermore
#14 Grandfather's Brother Almost His Entire Life He Had Been Dressing As A Woman
This isn't me personally finding the items but my grandfathers brother (let's called him Frank), passed away suddenly from a brain aneurism. My family had to clean out his room, and discovered almost his entire life he had been dressing as a woman and living as one without his family knowing. There were photos of him in women's underwear, and an entire cupboard of dresses, make-up, you name it. No one had any idea until after his death. Go Frank!Frank was also a huge, muscly rugby player. A real mans man in his everyday life. I think that's what made it so blindsiding for my family - but I think that just makes it even greater!
Image credits: MilDorado
#15 A Poem Grandma Wrote To The Infant Child That She Lost
After my grandmother passed away I helped my grandfather clean out some of her stuff and found a poem she wrote to the infant child that she lost some 50 years ago. I don't think my grandfather knew about the poem or he forgot about it.
Image credits: rockhead72
#16 Found Out Grandad Worked For The Army And His Job Description Was Classified
After my grandfather passed, I found out that he worked for the army in Fort Monmouth. Whenever anyone asked what he did for a living he said he “makes coffee”. Turns out his actual job description was classified and nobody knew what it was. Not even my grandma.I look just like him
Image credits: freefire137
#17 Liquor Bottles That Were Full Of Water From 40 Years Ago
When my great grandma passed away we were cleaning out her house and we found all these liquor bottles that were full of water from 40 years ago when my dad and my uncles had drank all her booze and replaced it with water lol.
Image credits: [deleted]
#18 Grandma's Letter Venting About Her Sick Husband
Had to clean up after my grandmother passed. Found a note from back when she was with her second husband (who passed in 1995) that she never gave him. She poured her heart out to him and said she couldn't be with him, she knew the timing was hard because he was sick, but she was just done. She must have had a change of heart, but it was hard to read something that carried so much of her pain and know how unhappy she was in his last year.Like many have suggested, I believe this was a letter she wrote to vent and cope with the stress of caring for a sick and, from what I've heard, somewhat grumpy man. He apparently didn't handle pain in the best way and she never spoke ill of him later on, so this was a drastic shift in his temperament from the usual. She loved him, although it was clear that they were more companionate than passionate (as her true love was very clearly my grandfather, who passed in the late 1970s), but she was always warm and fairly happy when she spoke of him later on. I think this was just something she wrote to avoid blowing off steam at him, and she saved it so she didn't forget where she came from. It was simply surprising because she did always speak well of him and none of my family expected to find this. It didn't tarnish our view of her, it was merely hard to read.
Image credits: Lancerlandshark
#19 A Cassette From An Old Answering Machine That Grandma Kept Full Of Messages From Her Husband
My wife and I moved into our granny's (wife's grandmother) house after she passed with a pretty aggressive cancer. While cleaning things out, moving our stuff in, we found a bunch of letters and cards the kids all made for her, she kept every single one next to her chair, and would often read them.Most recently we found a cassette from an old answering machine that she kept full of messages from her husband, who had passed over 15 years before, saying how much he loved her and couldn't wait to see her. Sadly I'd never met the guy, but figured we'd have gotten along well.
Image credits: Vehemence0
#20 My Mother's Cousin Lived For Years With Her Bff James's Ashes Just Hanging Out In A Cardboard Box
Helping my mom sort through her cousin's belongings, it quickly became obvious that her cousin had led a lonely, yet eclectic life. In between beautiful pieces of modern art and Louis Vuitton luggage was stacks of letters that were never mailed and odd collections of random items. I came across a small cardboard box taped closed and labeled with "James" written in marker on the outside. I shook the box a bit, noting that felt full and was relatively heavy. I turned to my mom and told her that I thought her cousin meant for this box to go to someone named James, to which my mom said, "Oh no, honey, James is what is IN the box. Well, after he was cremated." Yep, my mother's cousin lived for years with her BFF James's ashes just hanging out in a cardboard box next to her luggage.I quickly dropped the box of the complete stranger's ASHES and decided I had enough of packing for that day. Sadly, more than 20 years later, my family still thinks it is humorous to label gifts to me in boxes with a "James" written in black marker.
Image credits: Diedra_Bro
#21 We Found Details Of My Nan's Secret Credit Card
We found details of my Nan's secret credit card. She had a gambling problem and didn't tell my Pop about the card...she had been paying a little off every week for years.My Pop didn't have much money and he was really worried about how he was going to pay the bill. It turns out that he didn't have to pay the bill because she was deceased and it wasn't his debt.
He's an old, grumpy man from country Australia and was super proud of her for "sticking it to the bank".
Image credits: shinyshieldmaiden
#22 A Picture Of All The Guys In My Dad's Dorm, And They'd All Signed It
After my dad passed a couple years ago, I went through a bunch of old pictures from his college days. He (let's call him Todd) and my mom (call her Nancy) met when they were both living in the dorms there. I found a picture of all the guys in my dad's dorm, and they'd all signed it. My dad's roommate had written, "Todd, you were the best roommate ever... since you hardly spent one night here since meeting Nancy..."At first I felt a little uncomfortable, but in hindsight, it seems kind of sweet. My parents were never overtly romantic in front of my siblings and I, so although I knew they cared about each other, I never really thought of them as being "in love". I guess it's nice to know they were so crazy about each other when they first met.
Image credits: sarah-bellum
#23 Cash
When I cleaned out my grandpa's stuff the thing that caught me off guard the most was his wallet. There was still cash in it and I felt like I was stealing when I took it out. I didn't know what to do with his cash.
Image credits: prudencelane
#24 I Found A Collection Of All Of My Achievements Throughout School
Finally a post that I can contribute to! (though it may be too late to do so at this point but I will anyway) my mom passed away extremely unexpectedly and as her only child, it was my responsibility to clean out her belongings. We didn't have a great relationship to say the least. It was a lot of fighting among other things for years. However towards the end we did start to patch things up a bit. Regardless, when I was cleaning out her room, I found a collection of all of my achievements throughout school. Dating back from kindergarten to my senior year of high school. I didn't know that she kept things like this. There were things like random spelling tests or awards for the highest grade in English. It was really heartwarming and I honestly had no idea that she cared enough to keep all of those. Further more she ended up getting rid of a lot of her belongings when she moved shortly before passing so the fact that she kept and held onto all of this was amazing to me. I just wish that we had spent more time getting along instead of all of the rough patches.
Image credits: CanIBeEric
#25 A Cupboard Full Of Grandma's Notebooks
After my grandmother passed away, i was helping clear her flat. She was apparently 87 when she passed away, but we also had suspicions that she was older. She had grown up in Nazi Germany, and crossed the Berlin wall as a Russian spy and then gave herself in. We had a lot of questions that she never answered.Then i found a cupboard full of notebooks. They were detailed diaries, and gave a lot of answers. My mum was heartbroken though when she found the date of her birth... it only said "It was born today." and then a week later said "It has been named by my mother in law."
Her diaries were written in German and English, depending on where she was living at the time. She was in Glasgow at the time of my mums birth, and for the first two births as well. I am fluent in German, and yes you have das, which can be translated as it by some people. Sadly there is no wiggle room and she just distanced herself from my mum's birth
Image credits: sparkleotters
#26 A Recent Marriage - And Quick Divorce Papers
While cleaning out my mother's house after she passed away, I found numerous empty whisky bottles hidden amongst her belongings. I had no idea she had a drinking problem.Also found paperwork regarding a recent marriage - and quick divorce - that I knew nothing about. Never even met the guy. Realizing that she hid so much from me made her death much harder to take.
Image credits: ironsprite
#27 A Love Letter Dad Had Written To The Woman Who Would Become His Second Wife While He Was Still With Our Mother
My parents divorced when we were kids and my dad remarried a couple years later. Thirty years later when my dad passed we (grown kids) went through his large office to determine what to keep or sell. In his desk my sister found a draft of a love letter he had written to the woman who would become his second wife while he was still with our mother, confirming our suspicions that he had cheated on her. Although it was generally assumed that this had happened, seeing the evidence was painful.
Image credits: omnificunderachiever
#28 Underground Newspapers
When we cleaned out my paternal grandparents' house, I found a few underground newspapers. Unfortunately, they were of the white supremacist variety. :(
Image credits: wisaaka
#29 I Found A Note In A Book From My Grandma To Me
When cleaning out my mom's house last October to move her into memory care assisted living I found a note in a book from my grandma to me. It was written in 1982. It mentioned that my mom was married before marrying my dad. News to me! It hurt that in 35 years my mom never told me. Especially when i had gone through a divorce in my early 20s, 10 years ago. Later I found my mom and dad's marriage license. Her divorce was about 6 months prior to marrying my dad. So many questions! They divorced when I was 4.
Image credits: JK_not_really
#30 Small Little Baggie Full Of Our Baby Teeth
This isn't as serious as some others in this thread, but when my mom passsed, my siblings and I were going through her stuff to see if there were any sentimental things we wanted to keep. The usual you know, a necklace for my sister, some knick knack elephants for my brother, I kept a ring and some tshirts.We then came across this small little baggie full of our baby teeth that she kept after the tooth fairy came to us. Some people might think it's cute or whatever, but we all thought it was pretty weird and creepy to come across. Thanks, mom.
Image credits: mawtha
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