Lena; sorry to hear of you dad. There have been seasons in my life that came upon me by surprise. How do we deal with them?
Yardage accumulation happens; deliberately or by accident. I've bought fabric for a project then the project didn't happen or I found something better. Into stash.
Downsizing is either use it up, sell it or give it away. Each of my quilts has used up 5-8 yds. Considering I have 000's it adds up to hundreds and hundreds of quilts. It takes a long time to make a dent. First I noticed I could put fabrics back on the shelf without having to wedge it in. Finally it got to an empty shelf. Then I started giving it away. I've sold some. Now it's divided into two groups; give away, sell it or charity quilts is the first. The second is my creative stash for my enjoyment. It's still 000's of yards.
It takes deliberate choices. The joy is in the using and the recipient. I only need so many around my house.