Advanced Estate Planning Relieves Stress for Loved Ones
A sale for the estate of Dorothy Riedel will be taking place at 9385 US Hwy 10, a half-mile south of the Holiday Gas Station, starting July 5 through July 7 from 8am-6pm.
Among the items for sale will be bedroom sets, dining room sets, living room furniture, lots of antiques, vintage action figures, household items, artwork, holiday decorations, clothing, hunting equipment, and tools. Cash and Paypal are accepted.
The home was built in 1965 and hosts plenty of memories for the family. Cliff Riedel designed the entire house, which would be the home to six children and base for his farm implement sales business. Cliff sold farm equipment and built silo plans for nearly every farmer in the vicinity.
Called “Cookie Grandma” by her grandkids, Dorothy is now 90 and has moved to assisted living. The family organized the sale.
“Heart strings were pulled finding childhood memories stored away but the reality is, all of these treasures can’t go to the remaining family,” said Breanna VanDeHey, granddaughter. “We had to be realistic about what we could all reasonably keep, what was of value, what was actually antique and worth more, and what was actually destined for the dump.”
Downsizing before death or a move is important to make the process of selling an estate much easier on loved ones.
“Dorothy’s home was full of memories but also full of ‘stuff,’” said VanDeHey, granddaughter. “It has taken the family nearly four weeks of climbing in attics, backs of sheds and cleaning to just get ready for the estate sale. Plus, the family has been tasked with trying to determine the value of items that clearly meant a lot to Dorothy and Cliff for them to save for so long.”
The family enlisted the help of Marshfield Mercantile owners, Sean and Kelly Stonham, to determine pricing of antiques and vintage items.
Downsizing, VanDeHey said, can make final years less stressful and provide an income for end-of-life expenses. It’s also important to have those conversations early.
“Having conversations with your family early about what is really valuable, or where you stored your most precious memories can result in great stories and laughs but also make the process of having an estate sale much easier,” she said.
