Patsy, when my father died he and my mother had been divorced for many years, so what she thought wasn't an issue (but she would have agreed): I took a couple of large moving boxes and filled them with pairs of shoes (keep count) and pants, shirts, and jackets (also keep count) and took them to a local thrift store. I was able to get a considerable tax advantage from that donation, but even better, they received shoes and clothing in excellent shape that they could use for the shelter that they sponsored. Too many older men end up in there.

The thing to realize is that giving away the possessions doesn't mean you're giving away your father. You're sharing the wealth. You may remember things, perhaps stories, as you go through the garments. I kept a couple of sweaters and a bunch of his folk festival t-shirts, and my children wore those for sleep shirts for many years.

Ask yourself if your father would want you to be loaded down with the various things from his lifetime. Probably not. As parents get older some of them try to sort it out, others don't. But they wish the best for their children and I suspect he wouldn't want you to worry about this, if human nature can be relied upon.

That said, it has been many years since my father died, and I still have some of his music collection, that I will one day donate somewhere appropriate.

Good luck with the process. These threads are here because over the years a lot of people have needed to air the difficulties of managing surplus stuff. They came by it through various avenues, but inheritance is the most common. Keep posting if you need to.

SRS