A postcard mailed nearly seven decades ago finally arrived at its destination last week, landing in the mailbox of an upstate New York home.
“It was delivered in mint condition. We were so shocked,” the home’s current resident Laura Rundell told the Star-Gazette, calling the note “a treasure.”
The card, dated July 4, 1943, was addressed to sisters Pauline and Theresa Leisenring of Elmira, N.Y.
Their parents sent the note while visiting their brother, George Leisenring, a soldier stationed at the Medical Center Barracks at Camp Grant in Rockford, Ill., during World War II.
“We arrived safe, had a good trip, but we were good and tired. Geo. looks good, we all went out to dinner today (Sunday). Now we are in the park,” the note reads.
“Geo has to go back to Grant at 12 o’clock tonight. Do not see much of him. We are going to make pancakes for Geo for supper tonight. See you soon. Love Mother, Dad.”
A postal official said the postcard was likely found by someone outside the postal service and put it back in the mail.
“We hear about things like this happening every once in a while,” Karen Mazurkiewicz told the newspaper.
“Generally, if old mail pieces are uncovered in a postal facility, they are put in the mail with information about where the items are found.”
Rundell and her husband have reached out to relatives of Leisenrings to see if they want the postcard.
If they don’t, Rundell said she’s happy to hang on to it.
“It finally made it to this house,” she said. “We’ll find a place for it in our home.”
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