What did you find in Mom and Dad's closet?

[Ally]

I found that my parents had never unpacked the boxes and trunks from their own parents after their deaths. So we found a treasure trove of old photos and memories.

My favorite thing was finding all the letters my mom wrote daily to my grandma after she left in the first group of Navy Waves to be trained as officers at Smith College. She wrote all during her training and later assignment to the Bureau of Ordnance. The letters also included her courtship with my dad and up to their marriage. I made copies for my brothers and children. I wished I could have discussed them with her.

[calico1597]

Dad had a tool box in the closet. I found over $12K in cash and $10K in travelers checks. Mom said, oh, I had forgot about the travelers checks........These are the same people who kept $75K in a non-interest checking account. Because you just never know when you need to write a big check.......

He also did metal detecting, there was a couple hundred dollars in dirty pennies. I had to wash them before the bank would accept them.

[48Fire]

My wife found some paper work, showing that her Dad was previously married and divorced.

[braumeister]

A number of photos from Mom's time as a WAC in 1944-45.
She was 5' 2" and they made her a truck driver, which she absolutely loved. Had to sit on two telephone books to see over the steering wheel.

Later she became the driver for high ranking officers and got propositioned more than once, but married my PFC dad anyway.

Here she is on her truck in 1944.

Yeah, I know, "Your mother wears Army boots!"

[athena53]

Another find in the spirit of Memorial Day, but from DH: after he died last year, I found a faded chambray shirt in one of our closets. It had obviously been washed a few hundred times but still had his name on the pocket, a Contract Number inside the collar instead of a manufacturer's name, and two stripes on the left sleeve.

DH's career in the Navy was short and unremarkable- it was between the wars and he worked as an electronics technician on aircraft. He did have some good stories, though, especially about his days living in Argentia, Newfoundland.

I had no idea he'd kept it- it must be 50 years old by now. I offered it to my stepson, who was happy to get it.