Losing a loved one is hard in itself. But when that person was a hoarder — like roughly 19 million Americans — managing grief while sorting through mountains of stuff is even more challenging. I know; my widowed grandmother was a hoarder, and I dealt with the aftermath after she died.
It was difficult, painful, and exhausting.
Jacquelyn passed away at 77 in 2015, only a year and a half after my mother died. Even though I already had my hands full with a three-year-old and eight-month-old, the only ones available to tie up all the loose ends after Jacquelyn’s death were my aunt and me.