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Ellen Smith, of Glenview, holds photos of her mother, Gertrude Laarman, and her mother's fiance, Bernard Steenwyk, who dated during World War II, at her home on Feb. 18, 2019, in Glenview.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Ellen Smith, of Glenview, holds photos of her mother, Gertrude Laarman, and her mother’s fiance, Bernard Steenwyk, who dated during World War II, at her home on Feb. 18, 2019, in Glenview.
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When Glenview resident Ellen Smith and her sisters moved their mother into a smaller apartment, her mom gave Smith a box of letters, including some from a fiance her mom barely spoke of who died during World War II.