Cherry Hill Hoarding Home, Family's Unknown History Uncovered In New Book

CHERRY HILL, NJ — An author unexpectedly inherited a relative's childhood home in Cherry Hill. Her deceased cousin's unknown hoarding took her on an emotional journey that opened a window into her departed relatives' lives.

Eileen Stukane tells the story in her new memoir, published Thursday, entitled The House That Held Everything: A Family's Hidden Hoarding and the Secrets Left Behind.

Stukane and her siblings inherited the once-beautiful home from her deceased relatives, who unbeknownst to them were hoarders. Years of secret hoarding filled rooms wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling.

Her relatives also accumulated items through the disciplined collecting of clocks, glassware, Asian porcelain, toy trains and more.

It took Stukane and her sister a year to clean the home, separating junk from significant belongings. Through the year-long journey, she learned more about the people who had lived there — Stukane's uncle, aunt and two cousins — than when they were alive.

"My departed relatives gave me more of their true selves after death, through their objects, than I could have ever imagined was possible," Stukane wrote. "I gained a powerful awareness of the endurance of connections and the secrets they hold. For this, and for them, I am beholden."

Stukane has written five other books, including four widely read works on women's health.

Click here to find out more about Stukane's new memoir.