Letter, Frank Gilreath to Mrs. Conole
A letter from Irene’s fiance, Frank Gilreath, to “Mother Conole” after Irene’s death. Frank was engaged to Irene and is devastated by her death. He says he has been lost without her and hopes to be able to visit Mrs. Conole in the future.
[page 1]
Long Beach
July 25, 1954
Dear Mother Conole,
I can offer no excuse
for not answering your
letter. For the first
time in my life, I’ve
been completely lost.
Nothing that I’ve done,
makes sense, well to
me. With the help of
the priest here in Long
Beach, I’ve been able
to exist. Mom, Irene
meant such an awful
lot to me. I don’t have
to tell you that though,
as I know that she kept
nothing from you. The same
question keeps hammering
in my brain. – Why. I
know that will never be
answered, yet I keep asking
the same thing. She
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had such an outstanding
outlook on life. Maybe
some day, we will understand
the answers, but as yet,
there just isn’t any
reason.
Mother Conole, I feel
so sorry for Strickland’s
wife. How she must feel
over all this.
A Wave from San
Diego, Joan Rapallee, wrote
me a letter, and I called
her on the base. I didn’t
get to see her, but
if I get back down to
San Diego, I will go have
a talk with her. I
haven’t had any word
from Miss Lewis, but
then I’ve been moving
so much that I may have
some letters still trying
to catch up with me.
[page 3]
I have been kept
rather busy these past
few weeks, as there is
so much training that
we must have when
we change types of ships.
The commissioning date of
my new ship has been
delayed until October 5th,
so I will still be
moved from one duty to
another for some time.
Thank you Mother Conole,
for you letters, and I can
only say that I’ll try
not to be so slow with
my correspondence in the future.
If I ever get back in
the east, I will be sure
to visit you. I want so
much to meet you –
Love, Gilly