Rachel DeGolia he experienced one of his worst fears: his brother had left one collection of letters written by his mother Lois between the 40s and 70s on a Southwest Airlines flight. For Rachel these letters were a precious link with her mother, who passed away in 1996.
Writing to her brother Phil, Lois he talked about his youth in the small town of Lansing, Iowa, about her move to Chicago, and her love for the man who would become her husband, Frank Rosen.
Fortunately, however, this story has a happy ending because the collection was found by chance by a Southwest Airlines crew member who delivered the letters to the baggage service at Chicago Midway Airport.
There Sarah Haffner, a supervisor, came across the file. Curious, she opened a letter, discovering intimate details of Lois’ life, including her love for Frank, which was opposed by both families due to their different religions. Struck by the personal importance of those letters, Sarah decided to do everything possible to trace the owners.
A long search until we reach Rachel
The letters reported no direct contact, but only one name: Rachel DeGolia. Since his name was not present in the passenger records, Haffner extended the search to Google, finally finding Rachel’s number. When Sarah called her, Rachel was in disbelief and immediately shouted it was a miracle.
After weeks of researchthe letters were finally returned to the family. Rachel underlined how important those documents were: a window into the past, which allowed her to discover previously unseen details about her mother’s life and thoughts. Since then, the letters have been digitized and guarded carefully to prevent a similar accident from happening again.
Sarah Haffner said she was moved by the experience, explaining that it wasn’t just about letters but about a piece of family history. This is why he did everything possible to return this priceless treasure that he could not have ended up in a warehouse.
