American soldier’s World War II letter to his mother is delivered to widow 76 years later
Sgt. John Gonsalves wished he would be seeing his mother soon, letter says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A letter an American soldier wrote to his mother in Massachusetts during World War II has finally been delivered – 76 years later – to his widow.
Angelina Gonsalves – the widow of Sgt. John Gonsalves, who was only 22 years old when he penned the message on Dec. 6, 1945 – received the letter last month in a package that was sent to her Woburn residence, according to WFXT.
"Dear, Mom. Received another letter from you today and was happy to hear that everything is okay," her late husband reportedly wrote from the German town of Bad Orb. "As for myself, I’m fine and getting along okay. But as far as the food it’s pretty lousy most of the time."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Angelina Gonsalves reads the letter written by her late husband. (WFXT)
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"Love and kisses, Your son Johnny. I’ll be seeing you soon, I hope," read its signature.
The process that resulted in the letter arriving at Gonsalves’ doorstep began when it randomly surfaced late last year at a U.S. Postal Service processing facility in Pittsburgh, WFXT reports.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The sergeant had died in 2015, and with his mother also gone, postal workers at the facility searched for his next-of-kin, the station says.
The letter was addressed to Gonsalves' mother, who also lived in Woburn, Mass., during World War II. (WFXT)
It then arrived at Angelina Gonsalves’ home on Dec. 9, along with a note from the USPS offering their condolences.
"We are uncertain where this letter has been for the past seven-plus decades, but it arrived at our facility approximately six weeks ago," the USPS message said, according to WFXT. "Due to the age and significance to your family history… delivering this letter was of utmost importance to us."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Angelina Gonsalves, who is set to turn 90 in January was married to John for 61 years. Together, they raised five children.
The U.S. Postal Service sent a message of their own alongside Sgt. John Gonsalves' letter. (WFXT)
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"I just I couldn’t believe it. And then just his handwriting and everything. It was just so amazing," she told WFXT on Tuesday when describing her feelings about receiving the letter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s like he came back to me, you know? Really. That was amazing," she added. "He was a good man. He really was. Everybody loved him."