Man finds 70-year-old love letter from Army veteran in toolbox

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WXMI) - A Michigan man found a love letter that is standing the test of time, written more than half a century ago.

He found the letter in a toolbox, and it was written by an army veteran to the love of his life.

Now the hunt is on to find the couple or their surviving relatives.

“It’s almost like a true love story. People just don’t write things like that nowadays, it’s almost like poetry,” Rick Trojanowski said.

Back in 2017, Trojanowski bought this toolbox at a farm auction. But what he found inside a couple of years later was like a scene out of a movie.

Inside was a love letter written 70 years ago addressed to Mary Lee Cribbs in Grand Rapids from Cpl. Irving Fleming.

“1953. Wow. So, it’s pretty old. San Francisco, California,” Trojanowski said. “And this is where Irwin was actually stationed, evidently.”

The letter is a tale of two hearts separated by distance, as Fleming served in the Army.

“‘Haven’t wrote you a letter in such a long time,’” Trojanowski read from the letter. “And the letter goes on and on.”

In it, Fleming revealed he hadn’t heard from Mary in five months after the two had a disagreement.

He apologized profusely and expressed his unyielding love to Mary. Writing in part, “Mary, I need you so very much and I know that I’ll always love you.”

“Kind of read through it; kind of a love letter and things and that and it was just kind of really interesting,” Trojanowski said.

Fleming also wrote how slow his time in the army was going without hearing from Mary and shared that when he returned home in seven months, it would be the happiest day in his life.

He wrapped up the letter asking Mary something he’d asked before and apparently something she previously agreed to, to marry him once he returned home, and telling Mary he loves her with everything he’s got.

“I did try to do a little research through Facebook, to try to locate some of the people in that involved with it,” Trojanowski said.

Rick has tried to find the person this belongs to or their relatives but hasn’t had any luck.

He’s hoping this story will help get this long-lost love letter into the right hands.

“I really don’t have any use for it and if we can find the people it belongs to or the kids, I think it’d be really neat for them,” Trojanowski said.

If you believe you know the person this letter was intended for or you’re a relative, email news@fox17online.com.