I never met my great uncle. I really, only knew his name. His story begins for me with a box of letters and mementos saved by my great aunt. I always knew the box existed, but I had never opened it. My mother would often say, “Oh, those letters are from Lowell during the war. They are so sad.” Well, who would want to read anything that was sad? So, the story of Lowell Read and the true love that he had for my great aunt stayed packed away in a box for 65 years. My father and I came across the box during a spring cleaning frenzy and decided that it was time to read the letters and put them in some type of notebook to preserve them. Little did I know that I was about to become involved in the story of Lowell & Sue Read’s life and unwavering love for each other. As I read each letter and placed them in order, I grew to know and admire both Lowell and Sue. There were other items in the box besides the letters. These items included a small Bible, a set of dog tags, a service medal, a shell bracelet, a small notebook, and numerous other articles. The letters shed light on all these other items and I realized that my great aunt had saved everything because of the special meaning that they held.

Lowell ended almost every letter with the words, “So, goodnight Dear and I do love you.” I created this compilation to honor a man I never met and to preserve the memory of a love that never ended. I hope you enjoy reading his letters and getting to know him as much as I did.