The Mystery Comes to a Close - 11/19/1917

Sameplace

Nov. 19, 1917

My Dear Dad: - 

Your letter, the magazines, and the Shriners booklet received. O.K. and will read marked articles after I finish this letter. It sure is dandy of you to treat the Bunch with "Smokes". I watch for their arrival.

It has rained about all day and will probably continue to drizzle all night. I think the mud is worse here than the sand was at the Border. About all they have here is red play, & believe me it can certainly stick to one's shoes.

You can tell Mother that Pvt. Hugh Navarre of the Amb. Co was discharged on account of physical disability. Mrs. Bachman is here to take Thurlow back to Toledo. I had quite a visit with her this afternoon when she was here, waiting to see Maj. Wilson. 

I rather think that Thurlow's discharge papers will be O.K.ed & returned tomorrow. However, if they do not approve of them, we will send thru his application for discharge, with the three affidavits which you sent. 

Got a letter this afternoon from Elizabeth Saal. I had begun to think she had forgotten me by this time. 

Must close for tonight.

Love to All
Howard

P.S. Marion's letter rec. Glad to hear she got such good grades. She is wrong about the picture. It is one of the fellows in our tent (in the A.Co.) who dared me to take it. Also tell her I saw "Bab's Burglar" last week up at the city.

There's wonderful news for Howard today. Not November 19, 1917...but November 19, 2018. He is reunited with his daughter, Carol, and his family is whole again. My Grams passed away on November 16, peacefully in her sleep. I know how much she loved and missed her parents, Howard and Leona, and it's a relief to know she's with them and my grandpa again.

As I was looking through Grams' things, I came across the above clipping from 1932. It looks like Howard likely joined the Shriners, probably thanks to his dad's prodding. There's little Carol and her sister Sue, right there in the middle, sporting their Shriners' fezzes.We'll all miss you Grams, but you're with Aunt Sue again now too.

Going back to 1917...I guess Aunt Marion must have been a movie fan. Bab's Burglar was a silent black-and-white film that was part of a series of Babs movies. It's crazy to think that there wouldn't be a "talkie" for another 10 years.

As far as Thurlow's future, his headstone application indicates he was discharged a few days later on November 21. When January of 1920 rolled around, he was living with his parents and uncle. His occupation was listed as brakeman on a railroad. The next month, he got married to Maude Barnes in Los Angeles. It's unlikely that he and Maude had children. In 1930 and 1940, there were no children in their household. Thurlow died in 1942.