My Grandpa remarried twice after my Grandma died. His third wife got mad at him and gave all of our family pictures to Goodwill. She must have been really angry- he was very hard to get along with. I have often wondered why she thought that would hurt him. It only hurt his decendants... anyway, less junk to have around, I guess...
I am so sorry about your quilt. On a happy note- my Mom keeps every card, everything that everyone ever gave her. She is very organized, has them in files...