Hidden for half a century – storage pods’ contents reveal link to long-lost relative
Family ties can have their strange moments, like a long-lost relative arriving at your front door with suitcases, ready for a surprise reunion.
For Brockport resident Sarah Hart, it was her great uncle’s brother who showed up in Brockport, not in person, but in six storage pods of his possessions in Allied Storage. The 93 year old World War II veteran, Bill Munchmeyer, had placed them in storage 52 years ago with a company in Queens. The containers were moved to different cities, as the storage company changed ownership, incredibly ending up in Brockport ten years ago. The discovery caused a gathering of a dozen family members to sort through the contents on his behalf. It was partly an effort to find discharge papers to allow him Veteran’s Administration services for the first time.
The storage pods held a hoard of treasures and trivia Bill had saved, including clothing items still in wrappers from the dry cleaner, five-decade-old powdered sugar and toilet paper still in original wrappers, and Lionel trains. More serious collector’s items included folders filled with magazines from the 1940s and 50s, newspapers, photographs, and boxes of letters, some of them containing collector stamps sent as gifts. There were books of Shakespeare’s works and the complete works of Mark Twain. “I love time capsules. They are fascinating,” Sarah said. “This is a six-pod time capsule from the 1940s and 50s about a man who is an artist, photographer and a vet.”
The family reunion was triggered in 2012 when the reclusive Bill Munchmeyer, living in squalid conditions, had fallen in the street in Queens and was taken to the hospital. Officials traced his family to Dorene MacDonald, Sarah’s aunt. With court authority she looked into his affairs, and eventually found overdue bills for the storage containers. The bills were traced to Allied Storage in Brockport and were paid, giving her access to the storage pods. “Bill Munchmeyer has been searching for a loving family for 87 years, ever since his mother died,” Dorene said. “He finally found us all through what he had placed in storage 52 years ago.”
Bill’s search for a loving family was revealed in unsent letters found in the storage pods, Sarah said. “He never married and knew only his aunt, uncle and sister.” Why were the items in storage so long? “It’s a mystery,” she said. “He was sleeping on the floor in a one-bedroom apartment. Maybe he thought he would get a house some day and put these things in it.”
Sarah, a prominent artist with her studio above A Different Path Gallery in Brockport, beamed with excitement over the pods’ contents which revealed Bill as an artist and photographer. “I’ve been so entertained opening his sketches, paintings, and supplies. I’ve kept some items for myself,” she said, showing a 50-year old watercolor set made in Germany and sketch books she is now using. Sarah may bring Bill’s hidden works into the light after 50 years. “His photos are especially amazing,” she said. “A few of my artist friends and I have thought of showing some of his photos and paintings here in the gallery. Other friends say they are ready to go on a road trip to do a documentary on him.”
The contents of the pods will be offered at an estate sale in Brockport, advertised as 1950s and 1940s vintage items sealed in a 55-year-old time capsule. “I love Brockport,” Sarah said, “and I am delighted that I can share this story through a sale here.”
“I feel that there is some higher power at work, causing the items to end up here,” Sarah concluded. “Now, Bill is going to have a happy ending.” She spoke of family traveling to visit Bill, or perhaps moving him to this area closer to family. “He is going to find love here and his last years will be filled with family and happiness.”
The estate sale of William Munchmeyer will take place at 58 Park Avenue in Brockport, June 13 and 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More happy ending for Bill Munchmeyer
Following up a reference early in this story, Dorene MacDonald could not find Bill’s military discharge papers in the storage contents. But, she took several official documents to the Veterans Administration facility in Canandaguia to see what could be done. She found a sympathetic Veterans Administration representative who said the papers qualified him for full benefits. Bill soon went for medical attention at a Veterans Administration hospital near his new residence. He is in an assisted care facility in New Jersey, made possible after Dorene uncovered funds in Bill’s estate.
Photo by Dianne Hickerson.
