Love this story. Our family had a similar situation...my father's sister left California at the end of WW2, and didn't keep in touch. No one heard from her for 65 years. My grandmother spent lots of $$ and time trying to find her, but she passed away in 1990 without finding her...then my missing aunt ran into someone she knew who also knew their oldest sister, and that lady put the two sisters in touch. We got to see her twice and talk to her by phone lots of times. Unfortunately, she passed away from cancer last Fall. I love your purple quilt, and hope it made it to its destination.