A letter from America GI to his family

By Amanda Jackson | CNN

Last month, Angelina Gonsalves received an unexpected but still cherished letter from the United States Postal Service – one her late husband wrote to his mother while on overseas deployment in 1945 .

The letter was written by Sgt. John Gonsalves, a 22-year-old Army soldier stationed in Germany. He wrote to check on his family and let his mother know that he believed he would soon be home to Massachusetts.

The letter dated December 6, 1945 – written a few months after the end of World War II – would never reach his mother’s house. But 76 years and three days later, it was delivered to his widow by the USPS.

“I had to read it and it was amazing,” Angelina Gonsalves, of Woburn, Massachusetts, told CNN Wednesday. “It is in really good condition. I myself am amazed by that.”

Angelina and John didn’t know each other when he wrote that letter. The two married in 1953 and had five sons. In 2015, John passed away at the age of 92.

In a two-page letter to his mother, also named Angelina, John discusses food options and the “bad” weather in Bad Orb, where he is stationed, saying the sun hasn’t set yet but it’s been half a day in a month. He closed the letter by sending a message of love to his family. The front of the envelope was stamped with a six-cent stamp.

Brian Gonsalves, son of Angelina and John, told CNN: “It was a pleasure to see her face light up as she read his words. “To be able to see her read something he wrote and look back on that history, that’s something she will always have now.”

So where has the letter been hidden all this time?

That part is unclear, but late last year it was found at the USPS Pittsburgh processing center, according to a letter from USPS sent to Angelina along with John’s letter.

The staff at the center realized the importance of the soldier’s letter and that it was part of a family’s history, so they began trying to track down John’s next of kin.

“We learn of your husband’s passing in 2015 (our condolences),” the letter from the USPS read. “Thanks to some dedicated work by the postal workers at this facility, we were able to locate your address, hence the delivery of this letter to you, despite a 76-year delay. Given your age and importance to your family history, it is of utmost importance to us to send this letter. “

Angelina received the letter on December 9, just before the holidays, which her son said was a nice Christmas present.

“It feels like he’s back for the holidays,” he said.