One UPS store owner in Minnesota went above the call of duty to search for a package containing special remnants honoring a late U.S. Navy Veteran.
Randy Hoist has seen plenty of packages marked “Return to Sender,” but one in particular caught his eye when, and sent him on a four-year journey to find the intended recipient.
And for good reason. The package that landed at the doorstep of his UPS store in Golden Valley contained letters from former presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, as well as an American flag honoring the recipients late father, a U.S. Navy veteran who passed away from cancer more than 30 years ago, Good News Network reported.
The box also contained poems, photographs and letter the veteran has written during his time serving in the military.
The package ended up at Hoist’s store because the recipient no longer lived at the listed address, KARE reported. The sender, who lived in Twin Cities, was nowhere to be found as well.
“When it came back to us, we tried to find the sender of the package, that number had been disconnected,” Hoist told KARE.
Once Hoist realized what was inside, he made it his mission to track down the man’s son, sending several dozen Facebook messages to potential relatives.
It took longer than expected, but Hoist eventually found the rightful owner of the package earlier this month: a man named Tim Burchell, who now lives in Florida.
The time and effort Hoist put into the search was worth it, saying he felt like a “giddy kid” when he found Burchell, who was overwhelmed to be united with the invaluable family heirlooms.
“I can’t express how thankful I am that Randy was so passionate to find us,” Tim said.“I couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2017. Receiving this package has been priceless.”
Hoist said he refused to give up with searching for Burchell.
“Giving up was not an option—not with a family photo album. I was a photographer and I believe that pictures are a way to share and remember your family history. I could never have thrown away something that important.”
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