Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
30 Unexpected, Bizarre, And Disturbing Things People Found In Their Loved One’s Homes After They Passed Away
Most of us own at least one thing we prefer to hide from strangers' eyes. You know, those little secrets we keep tucked away deep in the closet under lock and key. We might plan to take them to our graves, but if there’s one thing we know about truth — it comes to the surface one way or another.
Sorting through a deceased person’s belongings is a tough experience, one that brings out a myriad of emotions. But while going through their stuff might be painful, it can also lead to some unexpected discoveries. Redditor ChairForces wanted to find out what these items are, so they asked: "People who cleaned out their loved one's home after they died, what is the strangest thing you found?"
Surprisingly, quite a lot of users decided to come forward and share the objects they uncovered. From hidden letters and bayonets to rodents' skeletons, we selected some of the most interesting things this thread had to offer. So continue scrolling and make sure to share your own stories with us in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Last month i had the sad task of clearing out my dad's home, He lived alone as he separated from my mum when I was 5 (I'm almost 32). I found that he kept every single card i had ever sent him, every little note I ever left him when I lived with him in my teens and more recently cards and doodles from my little boy. Nothing unsavory, he was just a lonely man who really loved his daughter and grandson.
Natalie Phipps 3 years ago
When my mum passed away in 2009, my sister and I were clearing out her clothes and in one of her drawers, I found a tiny t-shirt of mine from when I was about 4 years old. It was my absolute favourite (it was a white tee with the Pink Panther on it and silver glitter around the edges of him) and I had no idea she'd kept it. My heart broke a bit more at that moment - realising she'd kept hold of it for all those years. I was 31 when she died.
pigasus1 3 years ago
Sometimes a person becomes broken, and realizes it once they have children. They are afraid of damaging their children the way their parents damaged them.... So because America, they don't have access to mental health care, they leave the family thinking that it's the lesser evil. Our country would be so much better and happier and peaceful if you only realized that each human is entitled to good health care..... Especially with the richest nation in history. Don't keep listening to our politicians telling the lies that Corporate America bribes them to tell, quit paying for welfare for billionaires and multimillionaires and lets start taking care of ourselves and break up every Large Corporation in America, and claw back what they have stolen and redistribute it fairly.
Paddling Panda 3 years ago
My dad just passed away and as we went through his things, we discovered that he had kept every single business card for every single job each of us three kids have worked in our respective careers. He also still had 90-minute cassette I made for him of me playing piano when I was 15. He was at sea for several months at a time throughout his career and I'd sent him the cassette because he loves classical music. He listened to it all the time, so much so that when I met some of his crew mates when I was 26, they knew who I was and thanked me for the music. Rest easy, Daddy. I hope that you're enioying all the music you love and dancing up a storm..
Helen Vertannes 3 years ago
When my mum died at 73 6 years after my dad at 68 I found every single birthday and mothering Sunday card. It brought both tears and a smile. It used to take me ages to track down mothering Sunday cards. She didn't believe in mothers say as she knew how the tradition started over here.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
That's very precious though. So many memories he held dear to him.
Shortstuff 3 years ago
My mum had kept every card, scrap of paper, flower, drawings etc from my daughter, who was 48 when my mother passed away.
RELATED:
#2
Cleaning out my grandpa's apartment we found different pieces of a handgun scattered around. He struggled on and off with depression, and apparently he did it so that if he was thinking about suicide, he would have to go find all the parts and give himself time to talk himself out of it.
Joe Reaves 3 years ago
That is a genius idea to be honest. Anything that makes you slow down and take time reduces suicide rates. It's why we can't buy bottles of painkillers any more and they have to come in blister packs instead. It's really annoying if you have chronic pain and take a lot of pain killers but I'll take being annoyed if it reduces suicide rates (which it does).
Kristin Ingersoll 3 years ago
When your healthy self cares more about your sick self than your sick self is capable of caring. I would leave sticky notes all over the place reminding me of things I loved, enjoyed doing, made me happy. I never mentioned the people I loved because when you're that sick, you truly do think you'd be doing them a favor - just disappearing. It's the opposite of selfish. <3
kasei10 3 years ago
Really... I imagine all the people saying he was smart about it are American though, they get a free gun at birth.
Load More Replies...
To learn more about grief and how sharing experiences with others can help cope with the pain, we reached out to Nathalie Himmelrich, a holistic counselor and coach, and founder of the Grieving Parents Support Network. Usually, experiencing grief is extremely difficult and can make it hard for people to speak up about it.
"The grievers sometimes tend to avoid talking about their pain because they have experienced their surroundings not be able to cope with it or use well-meant statements such as 'You can have other children' or 'Your grandmother was old and had a good life, it was better that she could go'. These sentences might be cognitively true but are emotionally barren," Himmelrich told Bored Panda.
#3
We found out that my grandma had another child. Bringing the total to 8. That she gave up for adoption and never told anyone about. Not even my grandpa.
We tracked him down and he was the coolest, most normal one out of the bunch!
Mad Dragon 3 years ago
My great-grandmother had a child out of wedlock when she was 18. She was forced to go into a home for unwed mothers and the baby was given up for adoption. Her daughter managed to get the adoption records when she was in her 70s. She figured at most she would be able to find her birth-mother’s grave and perhaps a sibling or two. She was overjoyed to find my nana was alive and she was able to get to know her at last.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
That is so nice they managed to get into contact. A lot of hurt comes along with those situations.
Load More Replies...
GirlFriday 3 years ago
He was the most normal because he wasn't raised in the same family as the rest.
Jasam Nitko 3 years ago
My granduncle's mom had him out of wedlock and was forced to give him to her sister. They lived in the same village and she saw him every day, as her sister's family raised him as their own. It's horrible to think of. She got married and had four more children. When her daughter got pregnant out of wedlock too she fought for her daughter's right to keep her child and won.
Michelle A 3 years ago
Back then,it was the shame of getting "knocked up" outside of wedlock. Families would send the girls to " live with their aunt" which was actually another relative sometimes or the home for unwed mothers. They went away, gave birth, adopted baby out, then came back like nothing ever happened and often carried secret to their graves.
Load More Replies...
marianne eliza 3 years ago
I'm also adopted. For the past 5 years I've been struggling with the idea of a DNA test. I've let 2 test kits expire while they sat on my coffee table. I'm almost 62 now.
Pete Häkkinen 3 years ago
I think you should do it. It might bring up stuff you don't want to hear but then you'll know and can deal with it instead of struggling with questions without answers.
Load More Replies... 
Robyn Corboy 3 years ago
My grandmother had a child out of wedlock which she gave up. She then got married and had 11 more children. We only found out about this first child when her grandchildren came looking for the rest of the family which is sad because she was gone and it was too late to get to know her.
Trisha Howson 3 years ago
My grandpa was old enough to remember that his dad left him at some rich relatives house an they adoptive him. He found out he had two brother and a sister he never knew about. I don't think he knew who his mother ever was. If she was alive. His name had been shaw but when he got adopted it changed to piatt. Crazy. He told my dad that his dad had been know as a rambling man.
#4
My grandmother hoarded silver dollars over the years and hid them throughout her house. When we cleaned it up after she died we found the coins everywhere - every spot where you could imagine hiding a coin had one or two. The whole hoard ended up being worth about $7000.
Claudia Schmid 3 years ago
Seriously??? All the stuff in the house can get stolen or just lost. And cash loses value due to inflation (don't know if that's the case with silver dollars, I'm not familiar with them)
Load More Replies...
Michael Vickery 3 years ago
My great grandmother evidently kept a small bag filled with silver dollars around her neck. When she died, the bag was gone. A big family scandal. A lot of people wouldn't talk to each other anymore, fifty years after.
Steve Fischer 3 years ago
Real silver dollars are worth $20 and up, depending on condition and rarity. As a retired senior numismatist, I sold one for $650,000, so some of them could be quite valuable.
Norman Woelk 3 years ago
My grandmother hid money in books around her room in her sister's basement. It amounted to a couple thousand dollars!
Curry on... 3 years ago
My mom told me to go through every book, drawer and cupboard before she died. We found money she had stashed in the most unusual places.
Shortstuff 3 years ago
This is why you don't bring in other people to clear out the house of a deceased person. If you hide money or jewellry, tell your next if kin where it is. I have shown my daughter my hiding places!
#5
Cousin after a motorcycle accident, cleaned out his apartment along with his brother. Nothing strange in particular, then went over to his computer to erase his history (as a bro should) turns on, linux OS , encrypted asked for password then a loud bang just goes off the computer just dies.
Turns out he booby trapped the PC. i had failed to press some secondary button unknown to me. and there was a shot gun shell filled with birdshot aimed at the harddrive rigged to go off if the button wasnt pressed. obliterated the harddrive
to this day i wonder what he had on there to go to such lengths to keep hidden.
Rick 3 years ago
I think we all know what he had on there to go to such lengths to keep hidden. Sorry.
UpQuarkDownQuark 3 years ago
It’s not right to assume it was something illegal or immoral. Perhaps he was closeted?
Load More Replies...
MiriPanda 3 years ago
Either tgis was a very paranoid person or they had something on there you could go to prison for, like child porn...
BorPand8 3 years ago
I'm going to try to believe the best of people and think it was nudes of his girlfriends and/or sex tapes of him with other consenting adults.
Load More Replies...
Iifa A. 3 years ago
I don't have anything on my laptop I would go to jail for. But if anybody from my family, or my partner or stranger would go through it I would shoot myself again. It's private, I w joy privacy and it creeps me out people die and their whole online life is going to be gone through. If I didn't share these parts with you when I was alive there was a reason. My parents and family would be deeply disappointed to find out what my real thoughts and life was in my teens. My partner still doesn't know what my life has been before him. And if anyone gets into my private folder of nudes I'd better be dead. (I haven't shared nudes with anybody, but it was recommended to do these to remind myself how I look, surprisingly it helped with my self love... But nobody will ever see them.) Doesn't have to be sinister, laptop is like a personal diary you do not mess with it. And if you do you can't judge, it's personal and private. Especially when I'm dead.
Sasha Kuleshov 3 years ago
Self-made porn, I would do that too, no one's gonna profit from my work :O
Austin Hicks 3 years ago
Something awful. You don't go to those bizarre lengths to hide something normal
Vicky Zar 3 years ago (edited)
Yes you do. There are lots of reasons to do such a thing. A) just for the heck of it. B) to mess with your family, so they would wonder what you had on there. C) to "hide" your sexuality. D) to "hide" that you are attracted to your brother/ sister in law. E) an exaggerated way to delete your journal F) an exaggerated way to protect your important work.... and so many more
Load More Replies...
J. Brelner 3 years ago
That's genius. I'd thought of rigging something like that myself. Not like I have anything to hide -- nice Mr. FBI person hoovin, gloovin.
People surrounding someone experiencing grief might also avoid talking about it "because they think they might cause the griever pain or remind them [of it]. The truth is that the griever experiences the pain anyway," she noted.
"Have courage, speak about the hard and intense emotional truth of grief," Himmelrich said and added that sooner or later, we all have to deal with it. So "the more openly we speak about it, the more this experience is normalized, and the taboo will be broken."
When asked about whether finding unexpected things in a deceased loved one’s home can make the pain even harder to deal with, the coach shared a story about her mother who had passed away. "I went through her belongings to clear the house," she said. "I was hoping that I would find something personal from her, maybe a letter or some personal notes. Having been living abroad for 15 years before she died, it was a way to get to know her and her life’s work from all the years I missed."
#6
We cleaned out my grandparents’ home and we found a letter from my sister to grandpa. ‘I HATE the new baby. All she does is cry cry cry. She is a crying WITCH!’
that baby was me, thanks sis
Robert T 3 years ago
I'm not sure which is worse - the letter itself, or the fact that they kept it!
PSimms 3 years ago
Assuming the sister was also a child when she wrote the letter, this seems quite funny to me.
Liv 3 years ago
Yes! Assuming that's the case, I imagine they kept it for a laugh! 😅 Children are adorable in their crude honesty as Luther said.
Load More Replies...
Luther von Wolfen 3 years ago
I think it's adorable when small children are shockingly honest. (I'm assuming the older sister was a small child.)
Kimberly Patterson 3 years ago
being a grandparent and knowing how new older siblings can act toward the new baby, i would keep the letter to show the girls when they're older and the very best of friends, for a good laugh.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I remember when my little sister was born, I was 9 and my younger brother was 7. My mum brought her in to school for our show and tell. I loved having a baby to show my friends. In my brother's class, my mum actually showed them how to give her a bath. My brother was both embarrassed and jealous of the attention she got and made sure we knew it! We still talk about it every so often.
Load More Replies... 
Suebee70 3 years ago
My childhood was anything but a fairy tale - too much & too private to tell here, but it led me to run away from home more than once. On the first time, I left my mother a nasty note, very hurtful, and said things that I regret as an adult, though many would say I had good reason to say what I did. Fast forward many years, my daughter (who had a far better childhood than I) wrote me a similar note - how she hated me, wanted me to die, etc - written during a fit of teenage angst & left where I would definitely find it. We discussed it, she apologized & I threw it away. Fast forward again, I moved in to care for my mom full-time in her final years & made her life as happy as I possibly could, given her failing health, etc. Found that she had saved the note I wrote her when I ran away. Don't save this stuff unless you *really* want to cause pain in later years.
Anne Edwards 3 years ago
Grandpa probably kept it to tease her about. He probably thought it was a really funny letter about an absolutely typical older sister's reaction to a new, whiny addition to the family.
#7
When we cleaned out my ex's grandmother's house, I stumbled upon her stash of how-to sex books, along with hand-written budgets from the 1940's. This dear woman was one of the most proper and gentle kind of people you would ever meet, and if you had known her, you would have been very surprised. My eyes kind of bugged out for a second, then I chuckled and showed my ex. He just nodded his head and quietly said, "Well, I am glad to know gramps was gettin' some". His aunt looked at one of the books and said, "Let's see if we're doin' it right."
Candia Lee 3 years ago
As to the handwritten budgets, we found a notebook recording cash loans and gifts to us kids, old shopping notes w prices, lists ...
pigasus1 3 years ago
An old fashioned lady wanting to make her husband very contented. Wise woman.
blugeagua 3 years ago
As long as she was getting pleasure herself. Hopefully he made her content too.
Load More Replies...
SoozeeQ 3 years ago
Their parents certainly wouldn't have told them anything beyond "do your duty" (Lie there and think of England)....
Load More Replies...
Claudette Shaw 3 years ago
Makes sense. Too often no one talks about about the how to of sex even today there is an assumption you will know what you are doing. And if neither had any experience then someone had to find out the how if they were going to have any fun.
Richard Willis 3 years ago
My late mother, b1913, once told me that when she married my dad, on her 21st birthday, she had absolutely NO IDEA about sex, and Dad had to explain everything. She must have thought she had married a pervert, but had four of us. One, my sister, b1939, told me she knew the theory but neither she or her husband knew how to carry it out, and had to buy a book!
#8
Cleaning out my grandparent's house after they passed away...
We found a booklet on sexual anatomy, a p**is eraser, a p**is that my grandma had crocheted and there were walnuts in the "nut sack", and a drawing my grandpa did of my grandma wearing nothing but a feather boa.
John Hackley 3 years ago
The penis eraser would be handy today in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Load More Replies...
Shannon Ongley 3 years ago
I find the cutesie names creepier, but I was a weird little girl with an exceptional reading level who loved reading medical textbooks.
Load More Replies...
Jo Choto 3 years ago
Because sex and passion don't magically disappear when you hit 60 or 70 or 80 or 90.
Catlady6000 3 years ago
Even if you can't, doesn't mean you shouldn't try
Load More Replies...
Earl Striegel 3 years ago
Why do young people find it unusual that elderly people engage in sexual behavior? They are old, not dead.
Joanne Lawrence 3 years ago
I would reckon it's probably also a heck of a lot more fun sometimes because 1) you're over your hang-ups about your body and can just enjoy being together, and 2) no need to worry about pregnancy anymore.
Load More Replies... Debb 3 years ago
Death is why I can't have sex toys in my house. I'd be mortified in the afterlife if my kids found them cleaning out the house.
kim morris 3 years ago
ah, do it! Let them know you were cool, and normal.
Load More Replies...
Catherine Côté 3 years ago
That's really cute! They loved each other to have that kind of activity still going on 💜
The holistic counselor explained that the situation of finding strange things "can shift the image that we have held on from someone. It does however also correct some of the assumptions we have held. The truth is that everyone has 'strange' things in their lives they might not be sharing with anyone else."
When you lose a loved one, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Especially if you’re responsible for arranging the services or handling their belongings. Himmelrich mentioned that the most important thing is self-care: "Taking time to pause when managing a deceased person’s affairs or asking for help."
"When clearing my mother’s belongings, there were so many beautiful clothes, artwork, and jewelry, besides all the furniture, etc., that I knew I needed help. My father wasn’t able to deal with it given the circumstances, but he helped organize an event for friends, sending them invitations and organizing some catering for the event," she said.
#9
Smoke detector started beeping. It's a very old one, like from the 1980s. I open it up. No battery, and a bundle of wires leading through the wall into the garage. Go into garage, trace the wires. They lead to a modern smoke detector in the garage, and a 12-volt battery. He had slaved the old smoke detector's beeper to the new one so he could hear it inside if there was a fire in the garage. My grandfather was a retired electrical engineer. When I saw that, I just shook my head and said, "That crazy old engineer." Genius move, but the work of a man with too much time on his hands.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
"Too much time on his hands" he hoped to save his garage if there were a fire. Definitely a winner in my book. More people should be so lucky to have a family member who could perform those tasks.
Seadog 3 years ago (edited)
Code now (at least where I live) is smoke detectors have to be hard wire integrated so if one goes off, all go off. Required in each bedroom, outside the bedrooms, near the kitchen, basement and attic if it's used for or contains anything other than insulation and rafters
Joanne Lawrence 3 years ago
This. My husband is an electrician and this was also code at the time we built our house. I would say grandpa was just ahead of his time. I read this and just thought, "This is brilliant." It's really too bad he kept it to himself because to be the first person to do this could have made him a lot of money - and probably drastically improved fire safety much earlier.
Load More Replies... marianne eliza 3 years ago
If you've ever seen a garage go up in flames from an electrical fault in a car, or a faulty dryer, you'll know why this is genius. House across the street lost a 1968 Mustang GT500 KR Convertible (check current prices) and an old Austin Healy. Fire started in the Healy. I heard the fire and called 911 before the neighbors, whose bedrooms were at the other end of a sprawling house, even knew there was a fire. Thank goodness for firewall construction laws. Didn't spread further than the room next to the garage.
badger 3 years ago
"very old" from the 1980s. I don't know what that makes me - I'm from the 1970s. :(
MagentaBlu 3 years ago
Good for him. Having free time for doing something truly amazing. Wish everybody could have that much free time for doing stuff, or being with they really love
#10
The night my mom passed, we found an envelope from an insurance company. She’d hidden the fact that she had maintained a life insurance policy, naming my Dad the beneficiary. (They’d been through a bankruptcy. He thought all policies were cancelled.) It ended up being worth $100,000. Good one, Mom.
Erik Lawrence 3 years ago
well, it still will be. It just makes it easier that now the pocket has 100k in it.
Load More Replies...
Suebee70 3 years ago
Good for your mom. Glad she did that for you. We were contacted many years after our father passed, by an insurance company that said the oldest 2 siblings were beneficiaries on a life insurance policy he'd held. When he died, I was tasked with going through all TONS of paper he'd saved over the years - there were many life insurance policy documents - I contacted each company and checked each one - all invalid due to starting a policy & then having to let it lapse due to non-payment when times got hard (which was quite often over the years). It took months and many hours of phone time to get it figured out - we were kind of excited, thinking maybe there was a small lump sum coming to each of us, because our parents were not wealthy and there was no "inheritance" to speak of left to us. Turns out the policy value was only the total of the premiums paid in before it lapsed. $120. But kudos to the insurance company for going through all the hassle to get it to us, I guess...
Betsy Novack 3 years ago
And a woman can't handle the role of President. She'd get Washington cleaned up, off the work and looking good for picture day. Puleeeze.
Annette Easton 3 years ago
That's just rude and uncalled for. You have no idea what the circumstances were. Many people have terminal diseases and linger for a long time before they pass, which while it doesn't make it much easier on the family does give a chance to have in mind a plan for what needs to be done. Like finding the appropriate information for various authorities and agencies. I still remember everything that had to be taken care of when my mother died, and she had most things all together in one place to make it easier.
Load More Replies...
#11
A bit late to the party, but ... my grandmother passed away a couple years ago; Before she died, my dad helped her with her numerous medications and tried to keep her on a relatively strict diet. When we went through Gammy's house we found almost a dozen (some unopened, some half-empty) boxes of Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies stashed all over the house (under pillows, under bathroom sink, behind her dresser, etc.) And one half-eaten loaf of bread in the closet. As a woman who was so "good" for her whole life (no drinking ever, bills on time, raised two boys and always had dinner on the table by 5:30, etc.) I like to think of the cookies as her own little act of rebellion
Mazer 3 years ago
When my friend’s grandmother died and she was cleaning things out she found candy bars everywhere. Her grandmother was diabetic. My friend seemed upset about the whole thing and was pretty much bad mouthing her grandmother and I said you need to stop. I said your grandmother was old enough to know better and she made her choice and she needs to be able to do that without somebody ragging on her choices especially after she’s dead
SoozeeQ 3 years ago
Same! My nana was like this. She was diabetic too, and hid chocolates under her pillow, in her hanky drawer, in her underwear drawer, etc. My aunt was furious when she found them, as she was trying to keep her on a sugar-free diet.
Load More Replies... Robin Roper 3 years ago
I hate it when children try to control what their older parents eat. If my 95 year old father wants to tuck up to a plate of lard, I'll let him. His not super died hasn't killed him yet.
Michelle A 3 years ago
Same! My father is 93, no illneses, never smoked or drank, stayed active and maintained a healthy weight. His blood work always within normal limits, no hypertension, no diabetes. Just an aging body. We let him eat whatever he wants. Chicken nuggets, sure, fries, whatever. Has a bowl of ice cream before bed at night. His pcp said let him have what he wants.
Load More Replies... marianne eliza 3 years ago
When anyone says anytning about my 90 year old parents' diet, I tell them that they're 90 years old and can eat whatever they want. Mom was strict about their diet after the kids had left home, last one in 1986. They both are in pretty good shape. But they get chips, crackers and cookies now. And they are NOT made with prune puree instead of butter like mom used to do.
Anne Edwards 3 years ago
That's very sad. She was obviously an older woman not allowed to enjoy a treat or two. It enabled her to live longer but definitely not better.
Thalia Lovering 3 years ago
I found hidden chocchies all over my grandma's house, even in shoe boxes. Thing is, she had no health problems and she could eat as many as she wanted.
So if you’re having a hard time, remember that sharing experiences in real life or online help deal with your emotions. "My clients come to see me just because of that: being able to talk to someone about all the emotions, the overwhelm, the misunderstandings from family and friends. What is needed is validation and normalizing, which we sadly don’t get from society at large."
"Talk to someone. Talk to a therapist and discuss the feelings that came up in that situation," Himmelrich advised. But if you don’t have the means for it, you may also join her peer support group called May We All Heal on Facebook, where you can share openly with other people who get it.
#12
My grandpa had four grenades he brought back from WWII in his garage. Still live. We had to call in the bomb squad.
Scagsy 3 years ago (edited)
Yeah, I better keep these, you never know when you're gonna need four grenades in civvy street. Always come in handy.
Seadog 3 years ago
Back in the 90's a couple of local guys were burning down an old barn. Turns out there was an artillery shell inside. They didn't survive.
Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
How many had he already used for tearing down an old shed or scaring the birds away from his grass seed?
Jasam Nitko 3 years ago
This is something I worry about with someone I know. I know he has old weapons so... Grenades is not a far stretch.
Celtic Pirate Queen 3 years ago
Hahahaha! Cleaning out the desk of the company president (who been removed) I found 2 grenades in his bottom desk drawer. The were really heavy with military webbing, so I assumed they were live, took them to my office and called the Seattle Police Dept. Bomb Squad comes out & determines they've been "de-commissioned". As they were leaving, one guy turns to me and says "Oh, and Ma'am? If you ever again come across something that may be an explosive device? Please don't pick it up". Good advice, that. I didn't bother to mention the machetes or shotguns hidden in the false ceiling.
#13
When my dad passed, my older sister (from his first marriage) came to help go thru stuff.
All our lives my dad had his army locker. None of us knew what was inside. He always kept it locked. So we had to know. The mystery of our entire lives were now ready to be cracked open.
Busted the lock off. Opened it. Some old army patches and souvenirs from his army days, stuff of his dad's and grandpas army days. Pics from his time overseas. Letter from government agency interested in him. Legal papers. Cool stuff.
And then the envelope.
The mystery of our entire lives... What was so important that he kept locked... Naked photos of my mom. Naked photos of my sisters' mom. (No, not together. 20+ years apart. Think Polaroids vs Kodak)
We never should have opened that locker.
kim morris 3 years ago
I think it's great! He loved your mom. He loved his other wife. It wasn't some rando woman, this is a good thing.
Jasam Nitko 3 years ago
I've already stumbled upon my parent's photos. No big deal to me. They are human, it's natural.
Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
How long did it take you to "stumble upon" the photos? 😉
Load More Replies... Jo Choto 3 years ago
It's okay to have nudes of your partners, but it's best to destroy them before you die!
Jackie Nettleton 3 years ago
What is so wrong for him to have kept these pictures? They don’t suggest that the pictures were taken secretly or forced into posing for them. Yes I get not wanting to see your parents naked but that’s no reason to not open his locker
Memere 3 years ago
It was definitely better to open it than sell it in an estate sale, or donate it to a charity shop! Can you imagine if some stranger bought it & then posted the pics online???
Load More Replies... 
Yvette Desmarais 3 years ago
Two thing no one wants to think about. Their parents having sex. Their kids having sec. We wish them a happy joyous sec life but just don't want to know about it.
Brandy Grote 3 years ago
We had to find Dad's will when he passed in Feb. I also found a bunch of old family documents, including Great Grandpa's diploma from 1898!
#14
My mom found over three grand in cash stuffed between the cushions of my estranged father's sofa. It was just enough to pay the mortgage and bills whatnot until my sister's social security payments started kicking in. (She was a minor and my mom was still receiving child support for her.) Thanks, dad.
Flash Henry 3 years ago
We had clients on an estate case where the family discovered that their recently deceased grandpa had hidden money in his books. He had a MASSIVE collection of books. Took the family something like 6 weeks to go through all of them one page at a time, but they ended finding almost $10,000.
Ren Karlej 3 years ago
My mother did this with £10s and £20s. Hidden everywhere. In the pages of magazines and books also. Was quite a tidy sum.
Load More Replies...
Seadog 3 years ago
My son worked for a delivery company once and upon delivering a mattress, the woman told them to go ahead and take the old one. When they picked it up some money fell out of a hole. They pointed it out to her and she said she knew nothing of it. They pulled $1500 out of that hole for her and she told them to just leave the mattress that she was going to cut it open to see if there was more.
Leodavinci 3 years ago
I've heard/read so many stories of people finding money in old furniture from yard sales or thrift stores.
pigasus1 3 years ago
Mom was always lacking enough money, all her life since marriage. She would hide cash in the pages of books all over the house. It took us four kids two days to go through each book.
Candia Lee 3 years ago
I hope my mom didn't do that; she had a massive collection, most of which went to thrifts.
Load More Replies... Mary Leverett 3 years ago
My maternal grandmother used the outflow from her washing machine as a piggy-bank (she was a bookie/numbers runner in Philly). Upon her death, my parents went to her row home & packed things up/cleaned up. My Dad ran a load of laundry - my mother raised 6 kinds of hell, because he UNKNOWINGLY flushed $3,000.00+/- - grandmother didn't bother to tell her only child, heard about it from associates.
#15
Not strange in a "wtf" sense but in a we didn't expect some things to survive that long. I had an uncle who died when he was a kid in a car accident. My grandma kept everything ever possibly related to him in her storage room. It wasn't particularly dusty either so i assume she still looked at the things regularly. Everything from graded papers, doodles, all his old toys, and pictures. Taken care of and in great condition even though it all must've been 50years old at that point.
AZ Panda 3 years ago
One of the saddest I've read so far... hopefully it helped in her grief... didn't add to it.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
That is key. I think if it was kept dust free then it probably helped. There were certain things of my brothers that mum kept and we didn't know why, but it did seem to help her grieve to keep things present in her mind.
Load More Replies... 
Ben Steinberg 3 years ago
Jebus that's sad. I have no doubt that people never really recover from the loss of a child...
Eucritta 3 years ago
My grandmother kept all my mum's schoolwork, records, little toys, photos, you name it. Baby shoes. Blankets. Little notes. My mum had died many years before we found these, and on the one hand, oof, grandma. I'm so sorry. On the other, wow, my mum was cute as a button when she was three, and what's this? Hah! She was terrible at math too!
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I love all of those sort of things. I'm effectively the family historian, taking it on from my grandad. I found in one of the boxes two get well cards to my nan (my grandad's sister in law) from my cousins when my nan had cancer. Nan died not long after they were given so they were bittersweet, but I will definitely be adding them to the keepsake albums when I get them organized.
Load More Replies...
Gini Sarver 3 years ago
I have the sleeper, blanket and socks my son was to wear home.. the itty bitty socks were new, had written on them “i 💙 grandpa”, i named my sweet baby after my dad… he passed away and never going t to come home…. 8 yrs ago i was watching my baby grandson, he was so tiny he hadn’t learned how to sit up yet 💙…. his little toes were a little cold, his mommy ((my first born)) wasn’t back home yet… 14 yrs after buying those tiny little socks, I removed them from their packaging and told my sweet little Nicholas the story of those socks and how special they are to me…. that baby started cooing and giggling like never before 💙. in my 💓 i knew he already knew the story of those tiny little socks, he’d never giggled or cooed like so before that day/story, so glad i have photos of it all
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
That is such a sweet gift to bestow on him! It was obviously just the right time for you to reflect and share.
Load More Replies... 
Seadog 3 years ago
My mom saved everything that was my brothers including simple receipts from school that just basically said PAID $2.00 activity fee, no detail as to what the activity even was.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I'm all for keeping mementos, but some of the things my mum has kept are similar, I just don't get the sentimentality of some of it.
Load More Replies... Melanie Rose 3 years ago
I would probably be the same way. I save all of my kids things no matter what they are and if something ever happened to one of them I would definitely make sure that nothing ever happened to the little things I had left. It was her way of grieving and still having a piece of him around.
#16
This is late. But here ya go. I hadn't talked to my dad in about 3 years. I went with my brother and mom to clean out his place. My dad was a great artist, he would doodle alot. I found a stack of white bristol board. On the top board, was a note to me. A moose (I love moose, but he didn't know that because I became fond of them after we stopped talking.) and a self portrait of him and a beer can (alcohol took him). It was weird to me. It was a massive sign of an apology. It was the closure I sort of needed but did not realize that when I found it. We reckon it was his last doodle. I still have it close to me today. His death brought my family closer and we don't deal with stupid drama anymore.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
It's always good to find that the person has been thinking of you in a meaningful way. And if it can bring you peace, happiness, joy, and light out of a dark place, then that is a very special and powerful thing to hold onto.
grindelwald_the_insomnia_panda 3 years ago
I know this isn't the point but, bristol board is the BEST!
#17
Nine thousand bucks in old-fashioned '50s [money] and somebody's beef jerky-looking finger with [a] ring stuck on it.
Mr Zipperface 3 years ago
Never mind the money, what happened to the finger?
Load More Replies... 
#18
My grandfather's house. I was there at the time. My Dad and my uncle was there too. We were catalouging all of my granddad's stuff so we could work out what would go to who, and what we could get rid of. However, there was a cupboard we couldn't open. It was hidden in the top of an old grandfather clock, and it was tightly locked. Nearly 2 months later, my uncle Matt had taught himself how to pick locks, and we all went back to my grandfather's house, and Matt picked the lock and opened the cabinet. And guess what we found? A revolver with a single bullet loaded, and 10,000 pounds.
Scagsy 3 years ago
The way that '10,000 pounds' is written, would suggest that this is from the UK. With some exceptions, handguns are outlawed and ammo is scarce so the fact that gramps had this gun opens up a whole raft of questions. What did he have it for? Had he used it? Where did he get it? Was he a criminal?
Lady Goldberry 3 years ago
I expect it was just left over from before the gun ban in 1996.
Load More Replies...
Mateo Buysse 3 years ago
One bullet....jeezes, to me that implies that the only reason he would ever get and reach for that gun was gonna be to kill himself.
Kimberly Patterson 3 years ago
it's a good thing it wasn't boobie-trapped like that computer full of child porn and government secrets
#19
My grandmother was a hoarder but also an antiques collector. There would be a stack of 7 boxes, 6 of them would have useless junk and the 7th would have $5000 worth of jewelry so we had to go through everything.
MJLstrd 3 years ago
My grandmother wasn't a hoarder as such, but when Mom & I cleaned out the house we found all the gifts any of her family had given her. She had never used them because "they were too good to use." That's the generation that came of age just before and during the first world war.
marianne eliza 3 years ago
Check every pocket in every piece of clothing before you sell it or give it away.
Pharmtechgurl 3 years ago
My ex MIL collects expensive things. She once told me that when she dies that I need to counsel my ex and bil about what she paid for stuff so they did not throw away expensive stuff
Faith Nicole 3 years ago
My grandparents (still alive) had to beloved into a nursing home. They loved in their house for over 50yrs So my dad, brother & myself would go over on the weekends to clean it out. They both had a lot of s**t but the important stuff was treated like garbage and the junk was treated like gold. We didn't find anything crazy like these posts but it is very important to go through everything of the elderly. We found my grandfather's paperwork from the military in a pile to be thrown away. An envelope that had a couple hundred in it was tucked away in a drawer under junk. The deed to their house and some other important papers were in a pile of bills from 20years ago that were about to be burned but for se reason I decided to go through that pile. So from that day forward, every drawer. Every envelope. Every jacket pocket and to be gone through. Again. To make sure their important stuff wasn't thrown away
LynzCatastrophe 3 years ago
My in-laws are hoarders and despite our best efforts (offering money, offering to clean, offering to pay for a professional cleaning crew that specializes in this), I've been met with "we're saving all this for when we fix up the house". After 10 years I don't see this happening. This will be something we do as well unless we give up. I'm at least aware of a piano under all of it.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
My mum is like that. When one of us questions something it's always "I got that to do such and such with". My stepdad is not happy, but at least they bought a new house with a big shed, so a lot of it is kept out of the house. I tried to help her go through some of it before they moved (and we did put a lot of books and fabric out and ditched the VHS and Cassette tapes) but because of lockdown occurring at the time, I wasn't supposed to go over.
Load More Replies... 
#20
My nan recently died, after finding her birth certificate we discovered that she'd been spelling her name wrong her entire life.
Kiss Army 3 years ago
After my husband's father passed away, we couldn't locate his birth certificate and had to send for a replacement to submit for the life insurance and other legal estate stuff. When it arrived, his last name was spelled incorrectly. We had to contact department it came from and after convincing them that the family did not change the spelling after immigrating to the US (the family had been in the US for generations), they went into the archives and pulled the original hand written documents and found that there had been a typo when the written documents had been entered in the computer system. We had to write VOID on the incorrect one and they had to receive it back before they would issue a correction. It was a mess!
Jaaawn 3 years ago (edited)
We discovered mine had been fibbing about her age! Since she lost her entire history in the Holocaust she decided to make herself a little bit younger when she arrived here 😂 It wasn't until I did a lot of research through Yad Vashem that I discovered birth certificates. 3 different birth certificates, 3 different dates of birth and not a single one even close to the one she used. I'll never know haha.
Ginny 3 years ago
When my mam passed and we went to get her death cert they couldn't find her name in the system or someone with her name using her date of birth. I searched her house and found her birth cert and realized her name on her birth cert was a different name and so was her date of birth.
Benita Valdez 3 years ago
After over 30's years my sister found out she was spelling her middle name wrong. My parents spelled it one way on her birth certificate and told her another.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
So, not wrong…just different from a piece of paper
Load More Replies...
HarriMissesScotland 3 years ago
I can relate. I was named after my great-grandmother who died when I was 2. When I was 7, I found my birth certificate and found out I had been spelling my name wrong. Thanks, mom and dad.
Trophy Husband 3 years ago
Was it an Ellis Island name? My wife's grandpa went by the name assigned to him at Ellis Island his whole life. He was told it was that it he wouldn't be an American...
Robin Roper 3 years ago (edited)
My husband gained his US Citizen Born Abroad status when he was 2 (he is now 66) and came to the US with his mother who was a legal "alien" until about 15 years ago when she became a citizen. His name on his birth certificate and his US Passport is spelled Lary. He has spelled his name Larry his entire life.
Rose Romano 3 years ago
My father's name was Vittorio but he always called himself Victor. He used that name everywhere--social security, taxes, leases, driver's license, insurance, etc. I don't recall that he ever had a single problem because of that.
Load More Replies...
#21
My great uncle's house had a rodent's skeleton that said "F*** you, Marty."
mulk 3 years ago
He went to the past with a friend's Dolorean, and change great uncle's life...
Load More Replies...
Michelle C 3 years ago
I kept scrolling and I was like tired of all this sentimental stuff and was waiting for something really strange like a skeleton in a box...honestly I wanted a human skeleton but I guess Marty will do.
#22
Helped clean out my hoarding grandmother’s house. We found my father’s ashes.
The ashes she affirmed that she scattered at the family farm.
We also found my uncle. They were both in the original container and sealed.
WHAT DID SHE SCATTER?
Robin Roper 3 years ago
Maybe she couldn't bear to part with the last of them - unless you know otherwise, it's probably better to assume best intentions.
Sa Ruuu 3 years ago
That's what I was assuming. Since they said grandmother, dad, and uncle, it's safe to assume those were her sons. Losing both sons before you die as a parent must be an absolute awful feeling. It wasn't right to lie to their spouses and kids, but I bet she just couldn't part with them
Load More Replies...
Helen Vertannes 3 years ago
Yes I read it and thought she'd kept the body
Load More Replies...
Tho Nguyen 3 years ago
Maybe she just wanted to keep her sons close? Her family didn't agree so she had to lie. Some cultures do that, cremate the passed family member and bring their ashes home so that we know they're always with us, nothing creepy about that. Just sentimental.
#23
When I went through my wife's things, I found her father's suicide note. I didn't even know he had left a note. Not a good day.
Random Panda 3 years ago
I have one of those from my biological father who did it when I was just a baby. It's in a folder with all of my important docs. I figure when I pass, my daughter can decide if she wants to keep it or not.
#24
I helped clean out a girlfriend’s grandparents’ house. Along with finding some racially insensitive salt and pepper shakers, there was also a desk with a hidden compartment that her mom found. Her mom pulled out about 5 photos of grandma and grandpa having sex. And they were recent photos.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
If they were recent they could have set up a timer
Load More Replies...
Kimberly Patterson 3 years ago
there should've been 25, 50 photos! ... the grandparents are deceased now, but for quite a few years, they were alive and living lives ... get a grip
James Souder 3 years ago
HRY THAT MEANS THEY STILL LIKED EACH OTHER AND ENJOYED IT BE HAPPY FOR THEM
Midoribird Aoi 3 years ago
Shows my ignorance, because when I grew up, stuff like that owned by family members were just called "antiques". (Shakers, not the photos.) Or those lawn ornaments I vaguely remember seeing. I was raised and was very innocent until I was an adult and began to realize others might see them differently.
#25
Was clearing out my fraternal grandfather's place with my dad and I discovered some bayonets, a whole collection of them, dating back to the Crimean war. They were wrapped in a bundle, with some letters, diaries and medals.
I went to show my dad and he was unimpressed. He then pulls out a large roll of what looks like blankets and unrolls it to reveal a full size ceremonial cavalry sabre.
Kimberly Patterson 3 years ago
"my dad was unimpressed and said, 'get a gawk at *this*!'"
Load More Replies... grindelwald_the_insomnia_panda 3 years ago
the crimean war was from Oct 5, 1853 – Mar 30, 1856 if anyone was wondering.
L.A. Trefry 3 years ago
The letters and diaries would give a real view into the kind of person the grandfather was. Father: yawn. But WEAPONS, COOL! Sigh.
Jane Laberee 3 years ago
What's a "fraternal" grandfather? It's either "paternal" or "maternal".
#26
Back when I was an Avon lady, I helped our regional director clean out a house when one of the little old Avon ladies in the district passed away. We found out that she'd been a hoarder, and her teeny little house was packed nearly from floor to ceiling, with these little canyon-like trails through it. In addition to an entire ROOM full of extra and unused Avon products (the more you sold, the more you get for free - either for your own use or to sell and get some extra cash), there were places where, behind the piles of Stuff, dust had accumulated to more than an inch and a half thick. It was like doing an excavation - and each layer was a different decade.
It was so strange and sad.
Kimi Tomminello 3 years ago (edited)
My mom is like this. I had been out of contact with her for a while and then a scare happened that my daughter and I had to go to her house to try to find her. Boxes and cans of food, clothing, construction supplies, animal waste all floor to ceiling with tiny little paths. Idk if I'm going to help her clean this hoard up when the town starts fining her for excessive waste/ unsafe environment again.
Busy Panda 3 years ago
If the accumulated things are scaterred / random, it might be a sign of depression. If they are tidy, it might be a sign of deep insecurity. Both are not healthy. I hope your mom got help.
Load More Replies... 
Marek Čtrnáct 3 years ago
We bought an apartment from a family friend, after his mom died. She was a hoarder and sold Oriflame (also a cosmetic MLM). Still haven't used it all up, and it was about two years ago.
#27
My family and I had to clean out my grampas apartment and we found 3 sets of binoculars. Now, that alone wouldn't be particularly weird, but we still had no idea why he had them. At least, not until we looked out his bedroom window, and realized we had the perfect view of a neighborhood swimming pool, complete with two bikini-clad ladies. We all kinda just laughed about it.
Anne Edwards 3 years ago
No one really knows what he was watching. He could have been a bird watcher....I mean real birds, hawks and robins etc.
Load More Replies...
Rage of Aquarius 3 years ago
It's a public pool. How much different is it than if he were down there ogling. We're all human. Semi-naked people will always catch the eyes.
LynzCatastrophe 3 years ago
Could have another explanation. My grandparents had two sets because my sister and I couldn't share them. Their backyard was massively long (and I'm still salty about the house being sold), but beyond that was a small field which separated us from the local hospital. My sister and I loved watching helicopters land there, we always thought it was the coolest thing.
Mateo Buysse 3 years ago
Not that disturbing...seriously, watching public stuff, who cares, as long nobody is taking pictures or actually invading privacy.
Candia Lee 3 years ago
Looking at people in public is not spying. There is no expectation of privacy when one is in public.
Load More Replies... 
#28
That my mom actually cleaned the room she fell in and that she cut a bush that was partly covering her window. The same window the EMT used to get her out of the house. All of that 3 days before. Like she knew a aneurysm would pop in her head days before.
Jennifer Johnson 3 years ago
Hoarder... they wouldn't have been able to get to her otherwise.
Load More Replies... Curry on... 3 years ago
I'm always telling myself I can't die before I thoroughly clean my house.
Candia Lee 3 years ago
Mom died of an aneurysm; child later found she had "prepared the way" for EMT by cleaning and trimming a bush.
Load More Replies... #29
A couple of years before my dad died, he dated a younger woman who claimed she loved him and wanted to marry. They later went their separate ways but my Dad never told me the full story. After his death I was going through his belongings and found a 4 inch stack of Western Union money transfers from him to the woman's family (~15,000 USD). Later found out she is nothing but a scam artist and preys on single older men. She convinces them she is in love and wants to marry, and gets them to spend money lavishly on fake wedding materials, reservations, etc.
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
I hope that piece of excrement got caught and went straight to jail where she belongs.
A_UserHere 3 years ago
these kind of stories make me happy that their making technology that can simulate 1000 years in 8 hours for people in prison.
Memere 3 years ago (edited)
My dad was seeing someone like that back in 2012-2013, he was 88 years old, she was 38 or 39 years old. My youngest brother was 55 at that time! Luckily it was only for about a year, & she only got into him for about 6,000 USD. She even had him sending money to her 19 year old son who was in prison.
#30
After grandmas death we found grandpa. Well his ashes. In an unopened FedEx box with a note from the crematorium saying essentially “you never picked this up.” The thing is he has an urn and a spot at the cemetery. Apparently the cemetery just has the stone but no grandpa.
Persephone 3 years ago
Yeah doing these things makes the grief more real. Some people put it off bc it's too devastating to deal with. I doubt it was malicious.
Load More Replies... 
Cory Tollman 3 years ago
I didn't know that FedEx could transport human remains, even cremated. I now the US Postal Service can but hadn't hear that FedEx could. Considering they started off shipping medical supplies I guess it would make sense.
#31
My grandpa lost his voice due to cancer surgeries when I was young and spoke with a synthesizer. It wasn’t always easy to understand him so he wrote a lot down. About 4 years later my grandma died, then my grandpa 4 years after her and we cleaned out their house. In my grandma’s room under a doily on the dresser we found a note written by my grandpa saying that started with wanted her to go lay on her bed then more description of what he would do to her. We stopped reading after we realized what it was so I don’t know the full details. Some cousins were grossed out, but I thought it was sweet they were still that active in their 70s despite major illnesses for both.
Vetus Vespertilio 3 years ago
Sex doesn’t have an expiry date, not even a “best before”. If you take care of your marriage, sex gets better the longer you’re together. You’ve learned all the buttons you need to push and all the work-arounds that make things better. You’ve probably had a couple of health scares that remind you of how fleeting your remaining time with each other actually is, so every date night becomes more special, because it might be the last. And there is nothing more joyfully life-affirming than realizing that, despite grey hair, stretch marks, store-bought teeth, hearing aids, overhanging belly fat, excessive flatulence, deflating boobs, and an annoying tendency to repeat jokes, you still love each other and you want to get it on.
Jaaawn 3 years ago (edited)
That's part of what love is about. Also, there's no way I'm staying alive for 4 years after my love has passed.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
We didn't expect my grandad to last long after grandma died, but somehow he hung on for three years. Dementia is a b***h though and he probably didn't have many days where he really knew she was gone :(
Load More Replies... #32
My Grandma was a bit of a hoarder and would hold on to the weirdest things. When we opened up one of the cabinets in one of her bathrooms I found a jar labeled "old". I opened it up and found a set of dentures that looked like they hadn't been used in a very long time. When we went down to the basement I was emptying out a drawer and found a large envelope. Inside of it were photos of a naked woman somewhere that I didn't recognize. I had never seen what my Grandma looked like before she was, well, old. So it took me a second to realize what I was looking at. I handed them to Mom and, with a bit of dread, asked if they were pictures of Grandma. Mom's eyes bugged out and all she said was "oh my god." So yeah. I saw naked pictures of my Grandma. I could have gone without that.
Peggy Shafer 3 years ago
So many prudish responses to the entries about grandparents' sex lives and nudity? Really, people?
Kimberly Patterson 3 years ago
OMG did your grandmother have extra body parts or something? horns and a forked tongue? what is the big fuss?
Marco Conti 3 years ago
Let's not forget that in the 60s and 70s everybody screwed everything not nailed down. In other eras too, but especially post 60s. No human race otherwise.
Honu 3 years ago
Yep. Pre-60s people still got up to stuff, but it was kept more private. In the 60s, people started being more open about it. Those people who were teens and young adults in the late 60s are septuagenarians now. One funny thing I find about getting older, is that once you reach a certain age a lot of younger folks think you were raised in the Eisenhower administration (1950s for non-US pandas), and will be terribly shocked by anything to do with sex, drugs, or anything not suitable for a church picnic. I'm 51. My parent's generation were kids in the 50s and young adults in the 60s. I was a young adult in the 90s. Just try to shock me. You can't.
Load More Replies...
KindredKiller 3 years ago
Y'all are so sensitive sometimes. To put it bluntly, how many of y'all would wanna see *your* grandma naked? Yeah, no thanks. Sure, she used to be young too, but I doubt anyone wants to see their relatives naked, no matter what age.
#33
My grandmother was a hoarder. When she died in 2001 we were able to move thru her apartment via "trails" with c**p literally stacked neck-high on either side. Found lots of unpaid utility bills at least 20 years old. A c**p ton of pink White Cloud toilet paper hidden in a closet. Diet Coke cartons from the mid-80s. Her oven was stuffed full of Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies. Dozens of them! (Which she never ate due to having a bad gallbladder) My personal favorite was the stacks and stacks of Costco-sized cans of Veg-All. Oh, and a loaded handgun under her pillow. And every burnt out light bulb she ever used piled high in her bathtub. It's like she was preparing for the zombie apocalypse.
oktopus 3 years ago
"carp", as in the archaic Middle English "carp tonne", meaning "a large amount".
Load More Replies...
Kimberly Patterson 3 years ago
well, little debbie oatmeal pies are involved, so...
Load More Replies... #34
All her love letters to an affair she was having behind her husband's back for two years during their 30 year marriage. They were pretty bad, not like p**nographic bad, but harshly dismissive of their relationship, like, "he's a good man, doesn't beat me, loves the kids, and makes good money. I stay with him out of a source of obligation, mostly. I married him at a time when I thought money and stability is what I needed, and love and passion would come in time. Ultimately, it did not." Apparently it ended abruptly, and no one knew who he was.
Jupittance 3 years ago
Back in the day it was a thing to "ask for your letters back" when you break up with someone. That way there are no letters in the other person's possession that could be used to embarrass you in front of others.
Load More Replies...
#35
My great aunt was a architectural photographer for various interiors magazines for most of her life. When her partner died we found dozens of boxes of slides - like actual slides you'd use a projector for - of what must've been every project she'd ever done. She had them turned into slides like she wanted to show off every cover of better homes and gardens she ever shot plus all the alternates. It was weird. Also, though this was something we knew existed, we found great-grandma's 'neck massager' that she bought out of some magazine stuffed into the couch cushions. She found it in one of those magazines that sell as seen on TV c**p labeled as a 'personal massager' and very innocently thought it meant an actual massager. she'd bring it out when everyone was around and turn it on and rub her neck with it. Now every Christmas we hand it out to a new unsuspecting victim, and they get the pleasure of opening a massive, hard plastic beige vibrator in front of everyone.
Eucritta 3 years ago
The slides may have been the original photoshoots, rather than made later. It wasn't unusual to develop a roll as slides, and then use the slides to select the best photos for enlarged prints.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I was thinking that. My grandad had a lot more boxes of slides than he got printed. They took up less space that way.
Load More Replies...
Parmeisan 3 years ago
When I was youngish, my parents got me a pen that vibrated so it would make cool patterns as you doodled. After a week or two I came up with a new, secret use for it... a few days after that my grandma was over at the house and my parents were like, "Why don't you show grandma your new pen?" In their defense I'd been using it as a pen quite a bit up to that point, but still, it felt really icky to bring it out and show off (even after a quick wipe-down) yet I had no idea how to say "no" to that. Whoops.
grindelwald_the_insomnia_panda 3 years ago
it would be extra embarrassing if there were guests...
#36
When my Grandma died, we found a cup with nail clippings in it. Like when she cut her toe or finger nails she put them all in a cup. It was halfway full so she must have been saving for awhile.
Joe Reaves 3 years ago
Where was she from? In more superstitious areas people are weird about just throwing out nail cuttings or hair cuttings because they can be used to hex you.
Randolph Croft 3 years ago
Yeah, I think I recall an Eastern European thing about having to burn that stuff.
Load More Replies...
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
I don’t know what that means, but it made me laugh. One up for you!
Load More Replies...
Kimberly Patterson 3 years ago
i wonder if she was in the habit of baking/cooking for family and friends ... just wondering
#37
Yeah...finding out about a brother in another country was interesting.
#38
We found a blood-stained German cross pin/medal with an old yellowed note in my grandpa's handwriting saying "taken from German soldier, Aachen, octo 1944". Probably not that strange, considering that my grandpa was in the army during WWII, but it was a bit chilling. He was always so gentle and mild, it was strange to think of him taking a "souvenir" from a soldier he had killed. Seemed too bloodthirsty for the type of man he was.
Kimi Tomminello 3 years ago
He may have held on to it to remind him of who he's not. My grandfather was a WW2 vet who was a decorated soldier had a jar of teeth labeled "dead". I don't think I need to elaborate. He told my dad on his deathbed he would look at the jar to remind him of who he never wanted to be again.
Marco Conti 3 years ago
Not many full time "gentle and mild" combat soldiers survived the war.
#39
In our grandparents' home, my parents found a cemetery deed for a 6-grave plot located in a state about 1,200 miles away. Apparently, the cemetery deed was a "wedding present" given to them by an unknown donor who was encouraging them to move to that part of the country. As far as we know, that 6-grave plot still belongs to our family and will remain unused.
M. L. Dew 3 years ago
Contact a funeral home close to the cemetery for the phone number of the sexton of that cemetery. You can find out if the cemetery has reclaimed the plots due to inactivity. If they have not, then ask about your options. [I know this from personal experience, the sexton of the very rural cemetery I dealt with told me after 50 years of inactivity the cemetery can resell unused plots. I requested my phone call to be listed in her records as 'activity' regarding my family's unused plots. That simple phone call has protected them from being resold for the next 50 years.]
Carrie Smith 3 years ago
So if you preplan as a young person but out live that time frame they can be like "welp, guess they don't want it anymore... maybe they died" or something? That sounds horrible!
Load More Replies... MuddyPuddles 3 years ago
Half the story is cut off.. I can't read past "unbeknown donor" Sort your app out please @boredpanda
Candia Lee 3 years ago
It's not BP. Have you tried restarting your device.
Load More Replies...
DumYum 3 years ago
Ha ha, to entice me to move to their state, someone gives me grave plots for my groom and me, and my entire future family— I think that is a offer I’d refuse. Definitely, would put at least 1,200 miles between us and the giver. But then maybe in some cultures this is considered a thoughtful gift.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
They can be very expensive and not everyone would have the funds or security for funeral cover so it was thoughtful in that sense, though I haven't personally heard of it being gifted liked that before. When family sizes were larger and the infant death rate higher they would have been particularly valuable.
Load More Replies...
#40
My grandma's ex-husband's father was apparently some kind of doomsday prepper/would-be inventor. When he died, I didn't go along to clean out his garage, but I understand that among the junk stashed in there was a drum of mercury and a landmine.
Robin Roper 3 years ago
You'd have to have a hazmat team get rid of the mercury and a bomb squad get rid of the landmind
Erik Lawrence 3 years ago
yup. other posts have had bomb squad used to eliminate grenades...
Load More Replies... 
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
I would expect to find something possibly odd in a situation such as this.
#41
For anyone who knows they will have to be the one to do the cleaning, from a person who had to clean out both parent's houses... There is a pretty high probability that you will find sex toys.
Honu 3 years ago
I did find some old porn in the garage. I'm pretty sure my dad would've had more but likely got rid of it knowing he was terminally ill, or it was on his computer. I refrained from looking at the browsing history. I think it's great that he and mom had a good sex life throughout their marriage, but I wouldn't want to intrude that far on their privacy.
LynzCatastrophe 3 years ago (edited)
Still not emptying my bedside table. I'll be too dead to be embarrassed. Not to mention I used to work in an adult boutique, if anyone is surprised by that, it's on them.
Madeleine Flowers 3 years ago
My parents haven't even slept in the same room since a little bit after my sister was born. I doubt they have that, but maybe I'll find something someday.
Bedlamite 3 years ago
Had a coworker back in the 80s whose grandmother died and they found a ginormous dildo under her bed. They could never figure out where she got it because she had been housebound for decades and the internet hadn't even been thought of at that point.
Honu 3 years ago
She could've ordered it through the mail. That was pretty common for sex toys before the internet was a thing.
Load More Replies... #42
We found a hand-dug basement behind a large kitchen cabinet. There is a family story how my great uncle was accused of murder, but the body was never found. Some of us think the body is in the basement.
#43
When my great grandmother died, we found a very old, black cut off ponytail wrapped in brown paper, hidden in the back of some drawers. No one in my family has black hair...?
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
So “blondes”. I’m fussy about this because I was a natural blonde. (I’m now a brown-haired former blonde.)
Load More Replies...
Seadog 3 years ago
Cut from pesky neighbor in their sleep to let them know their head was next?
Load More Replies...
#44
With my grandfather we found several pictures of a girl no one knew, a few DNA test results that were positive, and the entire Mormon bible in Spanish.
#45
My mother had a large collection of handwritten erotic campfire sing-alongs stowed away.
#46
I did this for a living for 5 years. Best things I found were expensive art, cash, gold etc. I've discovered a hidden sex dungeon. The deceased male was widowed 5 years prior and made it to 93. All the equipment looked pretty new. Most odd item I found was a photo album of their family which had a cut of everyone's hair in it. Given time I could probably think of a lot more.
#47
While helping my dad go through my moms things after she died we come across a stack of 4 old hat boxes and 3 cylindrical cases. I immediately knew that the cylindrical cases were Shriner fez cases because I already have 2 that I had collected years ago. Sure enough there were 3 beautifully bejeweled fezzes in those cases. The hat boxes contained a collection of different vintage hats including several amazing, completely feathered hats. The strange part was that neither my dad nor I knew that she had even bought any hats let alone that she had amassed such a collection. I'm a vintage seller on eBay and we talked almost every single day yet she never mentioned anything about them.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
That's interesting. Wonder if someone in the family had been a Shriner? My daughter's spine surgery was done at the Shriner hospital in Lexington KY and they were spectacular to her. Her or I have never been treated so well at any other hospital ever.
#48
My grandfather recently passed away and we cleaned out the garage. We found 12 sets of sunglasses, 5 wallets with $1200 cash and in his second freezer we found 22 ice creams on a stick. He loved ice cream apparently.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I'm sure when my grandparent's place was cleared out when they went into a nursing home there would have been plenty of ice creams. They would offer them to us, even if we were only there to drop them home.
#49
When my mum died I found a book with the cover wrapped in paper. It had my grandads name in the cover and was a book about marriage and sex. It explained everything that goes on in the bedroom and how to keep a happy marriage. I love the thought that my grandad had this secret book that he kept, even 50 years after his wife died. I like to imagine him sitting with the book, red faced while my granny knits oblivious.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
My grandma did this, but they weren't always explicitly sex book, she even covered romance novels.
#50
When my Grandpa passed away, he left all kinds of mathematical notes all over his bedroom. Maybe he was a genius? He did get 3 Master's degrees in Holland. His family was aristocracy over there. Then he brought his family to the U.S. and couldn't get a good job.
Insono 3 years ago
A family friend of ours was the same way but with designs. Anything from houses to airplanes to horse drawn carriages, complete with measurements and notes on materials and such. He actually made a bunch of stuff in his spare time too. He was a farmer because he inhereted the farm, being the oldest son, but his true passion was designing and building things. He was a master welder and made tons of custom carts, carriages and fences and towards the end of his life he also got very skilled in woodworking and made an insanely cool garden house that unfortunately never got fully completed before he passed.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Not just job market as such- the regulations for migrants can really restrict them and have a loss of potential. In Australia a lot of degrees from other countries aren't recognised here, so you have doctors, engineers etc having to settle for minimum wage jobs unless they can get a bridging degree.
Load More Replies... #51
Mom died in January. Dad found valentine cards addressed to each of us kids while changing the bed sheets.
#52
Not so much strange but after my nan died and my dad was cleaning her room he found an envelope in the very bottom of her dresser with a lock of his baby hair she'd kept for nearly 60 years. He was amazed because he didn't even know she'd done that.
MysteriousLegBruise 🇺🇦️ 3 years ago
I have a curl from my daughter's first haircut in a locket myself 😊
Load More Replies...
Jill Hojnacki 3 years ago
I’ve just recently come across a box of family hair. A couple of the braids are really long and thick and I assume they belong to my grandmother and aunt, probably cut in the 1920s when women’s fashions changed and bobbed hair was in style. A third long braid may have belonged to one of my great aunts, but God knows. And, there’s an envelope with baby curls in it. Those could have come from my father’s first haircut (he was born in 1909), or, for all I know, they could be from my own first haircut. It feels wrong to throw them away, but got knows what I’m going to do with a bunch of 100+ year old hair. At the moment, it’s all still in a box in the trunk of my car.
Louloubelle 3 years ago
I have a braid that was from my first haircut, that my mom had saved. When I look at it, it reminds me of how young I was at one time. And also the funny story of how my aunt whisked me off and got my haircut without my parents ok. Don't worry, they made up with her after a few months past. I loved my short hair.
Load More Replies...
#53
My grandpas collection of playboy centerfolds. No actual whole playboy magazines, just the centerfolds, neatly stacked in a box.
#54
Cleaning out my uncles home with his immediate family I found a Nazi book. When I opened it, it was a dedication book to the "Fuhrer" written by school children. There were photos of each student on each page and they appeared to be young, aged 7-10. Each page was separated by an attached piece of tissue and the books spine had not been "broken". On each of the student's page, there was beautiful artwork and words and though I don't speak German, there were recognizable words of Thank You's and it had a tribute feel. I felt that if it had been my book I would have donated it to a museum or somewhere that it could be studied. My cousins kept it and I don't know what they did with it afterwards. This was found in the mountains of Arizona in a large cabin style home. Lot's of other treats were found.
#55
When my mom’s brother passed away in 1995, my family were the ones that sorted his house cleaning as none of the other siblings were interested. We found cash stashed everywhere. He had over £50,000 in his bank and a few thousand stashed around the house. Me and my brother found this massive knife that could well have been considered a machete of some sort. He was a placid man and the fact he owned this was a surprise. Other than that, it was mostly possessions of his mother around the house that he’d not gotten rid off after her death 2 years previous. Very sad for my mom having lost them both in 2 years. Still remember that day clearly.
#56
Omg my time to shine. Let me list a few crazy things I’ve found in my mother’s house so far. Dried blood soaked sheets neatly folded in the bathrooms. We have to clean out the closets with bleach afterwards. Her former boyfriend’s teeth not in a typical teeth plastic container but in a jewelry box. The papers she sent her lawyer during the custody dispute with my father almost twenty years ago. The second paper was a list of reasons I was supposed to remain with her, first reason listed was “Daughters need to only live with their mothers.” 8000 photos so far. Nothing really good. My mom liked disposable cameras and would keep all of the photos from each one.
#57
When my wife’s father died, we found some papers in his desk with measurements written down labeled arms, legs and back. He had been having some health issues for a few months before he died and could be a little eccentric so we thought he had been measuring his body for some reason and puzzled over it for a while. Then one day a few months later it came to me that they weren’t his measurements, but rather measurements for a chair he planned to build. He was a amateur wood worker and that must have been an upcoming project.
#58
My grandma died in April we are still in the process of helping my grandpa clean out the house, but among the strangest things we found were receipts from the 90's and Christmas gifts she had already bought.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
We were very, very poor for most of my childhood, so my mother often did her next year’s Christmas shopping during the post-Christmas season, but clothes were always gotten just before until we were clearly fully grown.
Ines Olabarria-Smith 3 years ago
Un my grandma ‘s we found all the receipts of my mom’s furniture, also the receipt of the bridal bouquet and the bridal bouquet!
Candia Lee 3 years ago
I'm sure there were receipts for all major purchases (with manuals). I know there were undistributed gifts, some wrapped, some from travels with my dad who died 20 years earlier.
#59
Gran was in a nursing home. Gran was tee total. Gran had multiple small bottles of wine hidden everywhere (all unopened) as well as dozens of knives. Cutlery knives not stabby knives. She didn't eat in her room so I have no idea why she had them.
Diane Aguilar 3 years ago
Maybe the nursing home offered small bottles of wine to its residents for special events and rather than tell the staff that she didn't drink, the grandmother just kept them and stashed them inside her room. She could have also developed a little bit of a collecting habit re: the cutlery knives just to occupy her time. I always feel sorry for people who have to live out their final days in nursing homes, BTW -- such a depressing place to spend one's golden years. My people don't do that to our elderly unless we ourselves are physically unable to care for them.
Honu 3 years ago
As for the wine, I don't think the fact that they were unopened signifies much. Wine doesn't keep long once opened, unlike spirits. So maybe she was no longer teetotal, or had a friend that liked wine. She just got rid of the empties. I had an elderly relative who had never been much of a drinker, then after a stroke became a massive binge drinker. Like a fifth of whiskey a day kind of drinking, not half a bottle of wine drinking.
#60
When cleaning out my grandma’s house we got around to her bedroom and found a HUGE picture of me from when I was a toddler. I knew I secretly was her ‘favorite’ grandchild, but we were really surprised to find a photo that big and nothing comparable like that from the other grandchildren.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
That's funny, though hopefully it didn't mean she treated the others worse.
#61
Keys. Oh so many keys. My dad died and my mom and I found several dozen keys that we had no idea what they unlocked.
Mary Hiers 3 years ago
I save keys too, because you never know. My HS best friend's husband lost his cat one summer when he was a kid. They eventually discovered it was locked in the garage of a neighbor who had gone on vacation. Well, another neighbor saved old keys, so they got her box of keys and eventually found one that opened the garage, so they could rescue the cat!
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
I love old-fashioned keys and have a small collection of them because they’re absolutely beautiful and each is unique!
Judy Reynolds 3 years ago
My father picked up any keys he saw lying on the ground, or whatever. A number of them were nailed to rafters in the basement.
#62
When we cleaned out my grandpa's house we found probably 10 slingshots in a tiny one story house. Just slingshots everywhere. He was a pretty awesome guy.
#63
My dad lived with us in an in-law suite. Cleaning out his living area after he died I found a notebook filled with the comings and goings of our next door neighbor. Turns out my dad thought our AMERICAN next door neighbor looked too middle-eastern and might be a terrorist.
Jaaawn 3 years ago
For every old racist person that passes away, a younger one takes their place sadly.
Load More Replies...
#64
In my Great Grandparents house we found a very well hidden stash of Saltpeter (Potassium nitrate or KNO3). We think my grandpa's mom was slowly poisoning his dad in an attempt to chemically castrate him. No idea how long it went on, but he died almost 15 years before she did.
M O'Connell 3 years ago
That doesn't actually work, it's an urban legend originating from a movie. Perhaps it was well-hidden because it's explosive, and having it around isn't too unusual, stump-remover is 99% KNO3.
Rick Hoppenbrouwer 3 years ago
As A kid I made bombs with that all the time. Saltpeter, sugar and a little bit of pure sulfur make for a great smoke bomb.
#65
The night my grandpa died, me and my cousins were snooping around through the house while our parents were at the hospital, and we found hidden away in one of the cabinets, a plastic skull head decoration with bulging eyeballs covered in blood and green slime, and tentacular arms sticking out from the sides. It was late at night, and very out of place and the lights were off so it scared the living hell out of us. I took a video of us finding it. It’s pretty funny to look back at it now
#67
I found my mother's "Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership" card in an old wallet.
#68
my grandfather was apparently very high up in the local freemasons chapter, and my grandmother kept all of his stuff after he died in 1997. grandma passed away last august and my mom brought home the freemasons books he had had and a couple briefcases of paper. that was pretty weird
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
Would have been interesting to hear about some of the weird things.
Grumble O'Pug 3 years ago
I have an uncle’s freemason jewelry. Worth more in melt weight than as jewelry
Carrie Smith 3 years ago
My Dad is a freemason. My sister calls them the fraternal order of the p*nis
#69
My grandpa liked to spend money. When moving a couch I found a credit card zipped into the couch cushion hidden from my grandmother.
#70
We found a packet of wylers lemonade mix that expired in 1986. In 2012. Those things last like a decade at least too.
Jill Hojnacki 3 years ago
My aunt still had a partially empty box of the baby cereal they fed me when I was brought to visit as a baby tucked away in the cupboard. I was born in 1955.
Memere 3 years ago
That's odd, but kind of cool too. And there are people who collect that kind of stuff!
Load More Replies...
#71
We found a table that was half put together in my brother's house. Went out the back and there was a table exactly the same, they got stuck building it at the same place and clearly thought they'd buy another and start again.
#72
My mom went to clean out my aunt's house after her husband (my uncle) died and they were selling the house. They essentially had no marriage, he lived in the basment, spoke to no one. Never went out. Was a really weird guy even when he was younger, like a stereotypical nerd. My mom found pamplets on p**is enlargement he had picked up at a doctors office as well as invoices for p**is enlarging devices. If he hadn't died was he actually going to get his weiner enlarged?? and for what?? We'll never know
Charlie Taube 3 years ago
When? He never left the basement…oh wait they didn’t get the sex doll in the mail yet did they.
Load More Replies...
#73
When my family cleaned out my uncle's house after he died they found thousands of empty no2 cartridges for making whipped cream. Nobody was surprised, in fact they specifically did not let us kids help because they assumed there would be some and didn't want to expose us to drugs, but it wasn't that long after that I learned what "whipits" were and then my other uncle told me how funny it was gathering up bags and bags of them after he died.
David Naessens 3 years ago
Nitrous Oxide canisters. Google whipits. But the same thing is in spray whipped cream cans. Gives a sense of euphoria and light headedness for a few minutes.
Load More Replies...
Tiny Dancer 3 years ago
Yeah, I had to look it up 'cause I'm naive to the ways of anything other than pot! "'Whippets' (also spelled 'whippits' or 'whip-its') is modern slang for nitrous oxide used as a recreational inhalant. The name comes from whipped-cream aerosol canisters, which users crack open to get at the gas inside."
Beck 3 years ago
When you but cartridges the things you use to inhale it is called a cracker.
Load More Replies...
#74
My grandma's closet was filled with water and electricity bills way back 2010. We were sure we already threw it away but old people really can rummage through trash and take things back. There were also canned goods in it, snacks she opened then didn't eat again (or forgot), and some of our stuff that we've been looking for (thermometer, batteries, hand towels, etc). She was such a hoarder.
#75
When my great grandmother died, we had to clean out the whole house and she had soooo many stacked newspapers by her chair that all 10 piles went as high as your hips. I just found a lot of old candy, saved bags of chips, and unopened packages
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Oh, the number of lollies we found in my grandma's stuff. We would think we got it all and then find some more! It's no wonder her diabetes wasn't controlled and she lost her foot.
#76
There were random popcorn kernels everywhere.
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Jo Choto 3 years ago
Old people have sex. I feel like a lot of people really need to know this.
Debb 3 years ago
My aunt found a video tape box in her late brother's apartment labeled 'Terry's Wedding'. Terry was her daughter. Delighted to relive that happy event, she put the tape into the player only to discover a home-made tape featuring my single uncle and various elderly women in his apartment building engaging in wild sex. 😁🤣😆
Tiny Dancer 3 years ago (edited)
In a similar vein, when my father died in Australia (I'm in Canada now, born in Oz), one of his family members had to check my email address online to get in touch and stumbled on the website I made for his years in a band with my mother. More than 20 years with the band, released a Juno-award nominated album in the '70s, travelled the world entertaining royalty and soldiers alike, literally half of my life at the time! And not one single member of his Aussie family had heard a peep about any of it. Three sons with his first wife, all married now with kids, lots of folks at the family picnics and no one knew he could even play the guitar never mind that he had made a living with it. Gotta wonder why he hid it all from them.
Octavia Hansen 3 years ago
Helped boyfriend clean out his grand parent’s attic with his sis. She held up a marvelous ornately framed photo of a stunning Vaudeville woman in tights on stage. He says, “Wasn’t my grandmother beautiful?” Sister says,”That’s not your grandmother. That’s your GRANDFATHER -- a female impersonator!” Never saw the photo again . . .
The Starsong Princess 3 years ago
My grandfather had 200 empty margarine containers in his basement. To be fair, any time you visited, he would give you tasty food in a margarine container to take home but you had to give it back. My great uncle and aunt’s house had money and securities hidden all over the house. They lived through the depression and he immigrated from Germany after WW1 - I guess they always believed everything could evaporate in an instant. Eventually, we went through everything to find it all including taking off all the baseboards.
Kimberley McMillan 3 years ago
My grandfather had many old margarine containers too in his house when we were cleaning it out. Definitely a Great Depression thing.
Load More Replies...
Kar D 3 years ago
My sister bought a cheap house. The owner died. Got it extra cheap because she agreed to empty it herself. In the living room among all the other VHS, we found home videos. Some had the initial description (e.g. "Wedding of Jack and Jill") crossed out and just one word put in stead: porn. We also found the actual porn he bought. It was not humans. "Mr Horse"...
Bi-Polar Express 3 years ago
I found my grandparents marriage license very badly changed to a year earlier. I already knew that my grandpa was not the father of my oldest aunt but it was really poorly done. I also found out that I didn't know my grandma's name. She wanted me to name my daughter after her and I said no thanks. Then she told me that her real name was Lu Lu. I still declined. Found out after she died that her name was Lolu. Where you in witness protection grandma?
CaptainDinosaur 3 years ago
When my grandmother died we found her secret stash of smokes. No one in the family had any idea she was sneaky smoking for years.
PSimms 3 years ago (edited)
Our friends bought their elderly neighbour's house after he died, bought it from his far-away adult children including all contents of house. My friend was checking out the furnace, and noticed a brown envelope taped to the back of it, out of ready sight. In it was a smaller white envelope, and in that was a photograph (appeared to be from 1920s or so) of a small boy, and $5,000 in cash. Every bill in the stash was at least 50 years old (old versions not in use since 1960s or so). There was no identification on the photograph. I told my friend that it sounds like the beginning of a mystery novel. BTW, our friends kept the money, as they'd bought the house and contents.
Jo Choto 3 years ago
Old people have sex. I feel like a lot of people really need to know this.
Debb 3 years ago
My aunt found a video tape box in her late brother's apartment labeled 'Terry's Wedding'. Terry was her daughter. Delighted to relive that happy event, she put the tape into the player only to discover a home-made tape featuring my single uncle and various elderly women in his apartment building engaging in wild sex. 😁🤣😆
Tiny Dancer 3 years ago (edited)
In a similar vein, when my father died in Australia (I'm in Canada now, born in Oz), one of his family members had to check my email address online to get in touch and stumbled on the website I made for his years in a band with my mother. More than 20 years with the band, released a Juno-award nominated album in the '70s, travelled the world entertaining royalty and soldiers alike, literally half of my life at the time! And not one single member of his Aussie family had heard a peep about any of it. Three sons with his first wife, all married now with kids, lots of folks at the family picnics and no one knew he could even play the guitar never mind that he had made a living with it. Gotta wonder why he hid it all from them.
Octavia Hansen 3 years ago
Helped boyfriend clean out his grand parent’s attic with his sis. She held up a marvelous ornately framed photo of a stunning Vaudeville woman in tights on stage. He says, “Wasn’t my grandmother beautiful?” Sister says,”That’s not your grandmother. That’s your GRANDFATHER -- a female impersonator!” Never saw the photo again . . .
The Starsong Princess 3 years ago
My grandfather had 200 empty margarine containers in his basement. To be fair, any time you visited, he would give you tasty food in a margarine container to take home but you had to give it back. My great uncle and aunt’s house had money and securities hidden all over the house. They lived through the depression and he immigrated from Germany after WW1 - I guess they always believed everything could evaporate in an instant. Eventually, we went through everything to find it all including taking off all the baseboards.
Kimberley McMillan 3 years ago
My grandfather had many old margarine containers too in his house when we were cleaning it out. Definitely a Great Depression thing.
Load More Replies... Kar D 3 years ago
My sister bought a cheap house. The owner died. Got it extra cheap because she agreed to empty it herself. In the living room among all the other VHS, we found home videos. Some had the initial description (e.g. "Wedding of Jack and Jill") crossed out and just one word put in stead: porn. We also found the actual porn he bought. It was not humans. "Mr Horse"...
Bi-Polar Express 3 years ago
I found my grandparents marriage license very badly changed to a year earlier. I already knew that my grandpa was not the father of my oldest aunt but it was really poorly done. I also found out that I didn't know my grandma's name. She wanted me to name my daughter after her and I said no thanks. Then she told me that her real name was Lu Lu. I still declined. Found out after she died that her name was Lolu. Where you in witness protection grandma?
CaptainDinosaur 3 years ago
When my grandmother died we found her secret stash of smokes. No one in the family had any idea she was sneaky smoking for years.
PSimms 3 years ago (edited)
Our friends bought their elderly neighbour's house after he died, bought it from his far-away adult children including all contents of house. My friend was checking out the furnace, and noticed a brown envelope taped to the back of it, out of ready sight. In it was a smaller white envelope, and in that was a photograph (appeared to be from 1920s or so) of a small boy, and $5,000 in cash. Every bill in the stash was at least 50 years old (old versions not in use since 1960s or so). There was no identification on the photograph. I told my friend that it sounds like the beginning of a mystery novel. BTW, our friends kept the money, as they'd bought the house and contents.
You May Like “I Really Wish I Was Making This Up”: 44 Unbelievable Moments That Made People Question Reality “Her Scream Has Been Imprinted On My Heart”: 40 Moments That Left Hospital Staff Shaken 30 Of The Most Irksome Things Annoying People Often Say
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Greta Jaruševičiūtė
Neilas Šurkus
Related on Bored Panda
