WEST HAVEN, CT (WHDH) — For the Quirk family of West Haven, Connecticut, the sentiment “Better late than never” resonated after Tuesday’s mail delivery.
A 53-year-old postcard arrived in their mailbox with a picture of the Kennedy compound on Cape Cod.
“It took my breath away,” Joan Quirk said.
The post card was complete with a four-cent stamp and a message written by an aunt who has since died.
“They had said they had arrived safely and were having a good time and looking forward to my graduation,” Ed Quirk said.
Emerging with the postcard were memories of a different time.
“The Vietnam War was going on, my friends were worried about going there,” Joan Quirk said.
The big mystery is: where has the postcard been all these years?
“My aunt probably missed out because she never got a reply,” Ed Quirk said.
What is known, is that it ended up in Mane.
There was a note attached to the card from a postal clerk named Tom, who tracked down the rightful recipients and even apologized that it arrived five decades later.
“He was thrilled he was able to do the research, but he had no clue, he said it was probably stuck in a carrier’s bag or a box,” Ed Quirk said.
The Quirks were surprised by the lost letter and grateful for the care taken to get it to them.
“What really got me was he took the time on his own to find us, that’s just not heard of today,” Joan Quirk said.
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