The News-Gazette.com: Nearly 70 years later, love letters surface

Nearly 70 years later, love letters surface

By Amy F. Reiter

Friday, October 17, 2008 5:02 PM CDT

CHAMPAIGN – It was 1938, and Joe Nipoti was in love.

His new bride, Geraldine Stogdell, lived 50 miles away in Champaign, but it felt so far. "It's the 18th, darling. 10 months of married life has made me love my darling wife more and more as time passes," he wrote in October of that year.

Less than two months later, he wrote again to "Dearest Jerry" in neat, trim script. He wrote of a new suit to buy, a friend's wedding and, mostly, of how happy he was to be married to "the best choice on the entire lot."

"All my love, Joe," he closed with.

But his Jerry never got those letters.

Some time later, Joe died. Geraldine remarried. She would be about 90 now.

And while she moved to California, two pieces of her history turned up in Champaign on Sunday morning. Postal worker Robert White could scarcely believe his eyes.

There he was, hand-sorting some mail, when what should he spot but a letter with a three-cent stamp on it.

Then he noticed something that really got his attention: The letter was postmarked Dec. 18, 1938.