Northern Ont. family finds wartime love letters that had been missing for weeks
A Sudbury-area family is relieved after a missing box of love letters sent during the Second World War was found.
The Racicot family had been searching for roughly three weeks for the box of precious mementos that contained love letters sent between Stella and Frank Racicot.
Photo of Stella and Frank Racicot. Dec. 14/21 (Molly Frommer/CTV Northern Ontario)
Earlier this week, the family received a call saying the letters had been found.
In mid-December, a relative, Wayne Price, made a trip to Thunder Bay to collect three boxes of old photos and the love letters from a family member.
Once he returned to the Sudbury area, Price was packing up his vehicle and mistakenly left the box of letters on the back of his truck and drove off.
Luckily for the family, the letters were found by Steven Sullivan, who was driving on the same road where the box of letters had gone missing.
"It was a clean box and that’s what caught my eye. So, I picked it up and I thought, wow this is interesting," Sullivan said
A Sudbury-area family is relieved after a missing box of love letters sent during the Second World War was found. (Molly Frommer/CTV News)
"So, I put it in my truck, and later that day, I took the box out of my truck and I explored the box more. And that’s when I saw, like, 50 letters and the stamp was four cents so I knew it was pretty old."
Stella and Frank’s son, Richard Racicot, said he can’t express how happy he is to have the letters back in his possession.
"It’s a link in the chain that put the chain back together and I’m so happy," Racicot said.
"These letters showed me a side of my father that I did not know existed. He raised me to be the man that I am and he was so in love with my mother, and I had no idea just how much they loved each other until I got these letters back."
The Racicot family said they are looking forward to reading all the letters and are thrilled they were returned in the same condition they were last seen.
"Everything was in pristine condition. There was no water damage, there was no damage whatsoever. Everything was in exactly the same condition," said Jennifer Racicot-Rybachuk, the couple’s granddaughter.
"For me, it’s relief and I’m at peace now. I’m happy. It warms my heart knowing that true love does exist ... I’ve never seen a love like that before."
It turns out that Sullivan is a distant relative of the Racicot’s.
"The fella who found the letters, I did not know existed but when he contacted us and I got to know him I find out that we’re related," said Richard Racicot.
"His grandma and my mom were sisters … We’re going to keep in touch a little more this summer. I’m going to have him and his parents out for a BBQ."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
Manitoba man sentenced to house arrest for keeping fishing tournament funds meant for Children's Hospital Foundation
A Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to keeping the funds raised from an ice-fishing fundraiser for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has been handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest.