Researching Letters to Mom

Most of the research for this Memoir Paper comes from letters I wrote home to my mother when I was in the service from 1961-65. She saved every letter I wrote and it is those letters that make possible the reconstruction of my experience and adventures in the Navy/Marine Corps. I am now reading each letter and coding the rear envelope with notes on the content of the letters and placing them in chronological order.
I have been reading some very interesting letters that I sent home, at least interesting to me. One of the recent letters I read details the first meeting with Darvin and Lori Haupert who lived in Honolulu where Darvin was an employee of the Bishop Estate, one of the primary land barrons on the island of Oahu. Darvin was also a 1st Lieutenant in the Navy reserve stationed at Pear Harbor, serving out his time in his dress whites. My connection with Darvin was through his father who was a shoe merchant in Huntington where my father called upon him as a salesman with Portage Shoe Company out of Milwaukee,Wisconsin. Mr Haupert had my father forward Darvin's phone number and address in Honolulu, and suggested I call. Well, I did, and that was the beginning of a long and wonderful experience of enjoying the hospitality and companionship of Darvin and his wife Lori over a three year period of time in Hawaii. They were recently married and opened their entire home to me, even providing me with my own room when I came to stay with them on liberty weekends, and I frequently did just that. Darvin had a sweet 57 T-Bird convertible that was his pride and joy, and he let me drive it on weekends when I went to Waikiki for fun in the sun. You couldn't ask for nicer people, who took me in like I was their son. took me along to meet their friends for social weekends, and never let a holiday go by without an invitation to spend that special time with them. They were just wonderful people!
I did a search this week for Darvin and Lori and tracked them from Honolulu to Texas and then to North Manchester where they reside today. I think they are at Peabody Retirement Community, their age and lack of property ownership in Wabash County tells me that. I look forward to making contact with them and get their side of the story of the young man they befriended so many years ago. I want to do something special for them, as a gesture of my gratitude and thanks, and just let them know that forty years doesn't erase a memory and strong feelings.