Found: Love Letters From World War II

[Janet Harrington]

This is wonderful.  I hope that Alice will appreciate the letters.  However; it could be that she left them to be sold or sold them at a sale because she did not marry Kinyon and had moved on with her life.  Maybe she didn't want to share them with her new husband.  Who knows?

[genealogynut]

Winfield Daily Courier
Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Love Letters update

(Editors note:  The following information came from Shawn Irons, who found a sheaf of love letters in an antique store and wants to reunite them with their owners.)

I just wanted to thank you for printing my story about the lost World War II love letters on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, written by Susan Brinker in Stillwater, Okla.

I received a reply from one of your wonderful readers.  Her mother has a friends who knows Alice Van Gundy.  Alice is 83 years old and lives in Lehigh Acres, Fla.  She is a retired Navy nurse who travels a lot.  I was also sent through e-mail a picture of her and her friend in their Navy uniforms, and a newspaper article about her.

I have tried several times to call Alice over the weekend, and I finally left her a message that I have her letters (which may shock her) with my name and phone number.

I just have so many questions I want to ask her, and I am so anxious to talk with her!

I wanted to thank you for your smart insight in printing this article, as I feel it is very newsworthy, and I am surprised more newspapers or new stations have not picked up on this story.  So many people have been intrigued and filled with joy and wonder at this wonderful, feel-good story.

Alice just does not know how much joy people have gotten in hearing about these letters.

If you are interested in any more information or the e-mail with her pictures or any updates on her, please contact Shawn Irons at ironsline@suddenlink.net

[Ironsline]

***ALICE VAN GUNDY FOUND***

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have spoken to Alice and she is alive and well at 83.  She lives in the southeast part of the county and keeps very busy.  Her married name is Alice Parrish.  I would have never guessed that when I started looking for family members of Alice that I would be talking directly to her.

Now the big questions and answer that everyone has been waiting for....

Did Alice every marry Robert.. NO they just dated.

How did she meet the love of her life.  He was injured and in the hospital in San Degio, Calif.

To show how small this world is I live in Stillwater, Ok and she was in Stillwater last spring.  She went to eat at Eskimo Joe's. 

She did not know how the letters ended up in an antique shop in Bartlesville, Ok.  When we ask she did say she would love to have the letter back. 

So there will be some more articles from papers and TV stations that have picked up the orginial article and hopefully one day we will be able to meet Alice.  We feel that we have come to know her very well. 

I again want to thank all of the people that have assited in this great love story and hope that in some way a past happy memory will come back for everyone who reads this article.

Love in Christ
Shawn 

[genealogynut]

Thank you for posting that, Shawn.  Please keep us informed, as this story unfolds.

[Janet Harrington]

I think that should be a Larry Hatteberg story.  I'm going to pass this information on to Larry Hatteberg at KAKE.

[genealogynut]

That sounds like a fantastic idea!!!!!  If Larry Hatteberg does do a story on that, is there any way of making it available to those that do not have access to the Wichita TV stations?

[Ironsline]

Keep watch for the Tulsa World tomorrow Friday Feb 9th for a story on Alice VanGundy Parrish.

Also might be on KOTV 6 out of Tulsa on Feb 14th for a Valentine Day story on the 5-6 pm news story.

Shawn

[Ironsline]

Take a look at the folllowing news article from the Tulsa World

http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=070209_Ne_A1_Longl39148

Shawn 

[Janet Harrington]

I have not been able to figure out how to contact Larry Hatteberg from the KAKE website.  There has to be a way and I just haven't located it yet.

[Marcia Moore]

larry.hatteberg@kake.com