Local Man’s Tale Leads to WWII Reunion

Helen and her family survived the war after being sent to Westerbork, a transit/concentration camp in North Holland. At the suggestion of her daughter, Helen had decided to do some searching of her own about that chapter of her life, and came across an excerpt of the book, Two Gold Coins and a Prayer. “Helen began to read … and, lo and behold, realized she was reading about herself as a young girl,” said James.

And so last month, sixty-seven years later, the reunion between Helen and Jim took place at Jim’s Seattle area home. “It was a very moving experience,” says James. “I was greatly honored to have been able to bring my father and Helen together again. Helen said the reunion was a ‘closing of a circle’ and a healing time for her as she was finally able to talk about some of the events she had endured. For my father, the reunion was a joyful occasion.”

WWII and Korean War veteran James H. Keeffe Jr. lives in Bellevue with his wife Sandy. They have six children and many grandchildren.

James Keeffe III spent four years in the Air Force and is a network engineer at Seattle’s Group Health. He lives in Fall City, WA with his wife and continues to research his father’s war years. Information about “Two Gold Coins and a Prayer - The Epic Journey of a World War II Bomber Pilot and POW” is available at www.AppellPublishing.com