‘Everything Has A Story’: Edmond Goodwill Discovers Historic WWII Documents

Employees at a Goodwill store in Edmond found pieces of one family’s history and they returned them to their rightful owner. 

The phrase, “out with the old and in with the new” is the reason Katie Duer and her team at this Edmond store stay busy taking people’s donations at Goodwill.   

“We’re receiving donations throughout the day,” said Duer, who is the assistant store manager at the Goodwill store on 164th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Edmond.  

Duer said she finds joy in Goodwill’s mission every day. 

“There’s a lot of people who have heart,” Duer said. “It’s more than just about selling second hand items.”  

Every item tells a story, and Goodwill gives them a new purpose.  

“[We find] anything you can possibly imagine,” Duer said. 

Duer found something recently with a rich history that hasn’t aged at all.  

“Just in excellent condition,” she said. 

Someone donated an old metal lockbox that is more than meets the eye.   

“Doesn’t really look like anything spectacular,” Duer said. “It’s invaluable when it has something like that hidden in it.”  

Another employee noticed a small detail. Another place inside no one bothered to look, including the previous owner.   

“You really can’t tell that there’s a compartment right here,” Duer said. “It’s kinda like a little mailbox if you would. [The owner] was surprised as well. She had no idea that they were in the box.”  

Inside was military discharge paperwork and war medals from a gentleman who served in the Navy during World War II, including a letter from President Truman. 

Duer took a journey into the story of another person’s life.  

“He joined the military right out of high school during World War II,” Duer said. “I can only imagine what our nation was like at that time.”  

This veteran passed away in 2017, but they returned this family treasure to one of his surviving daughters.   

“It was definitely an adventure for sure,” Duer said. “One man’s trash is another’s treasure. That’s definitely accurate. 

This closes the case to this mystery and gives a priceless heirloom a new life.   

“Everything has a story," Duer said.