DI photo album returned to veteran’s family


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MAGNA — A woman hoping to find the family of a veteran whose photos she found at a Deseret Industries (DI) store got her wish. About 70 pictures of Eugene Wise Pierce were placed in the hands of his grandson Friday evening.

KSL News first shared Brittany Jones’ story Tuesday night, when Jones showed us the photo album she found at the West Valley DI.

She knew Pierce’s name at the time, thanks to military discharge papers that were in the album. She also knew he was from the Marriott-Slaterville area near Ogden and that he died in 2002.

“I was just hoping to get it back to his family, because I would treasure having pictures like that,” Jones said.

About 10 minutes after our story aired, we received our first call in the KSL Newsroom. There wasn't a doubt in Kent Davis' mind that man in the pictures was his grandpa.

Friday night, Davis met up with Jones. They started talking about Pierce, and Davis even had other pictures of his grandfather to show.

“He had a gray derby hat, just like you see right there,” Davis said, pointing to a photo. “That was my grandpa.”

Jones found out Pierce became a farmer — raising chickens, goats and cows.

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“He’s a simple farmer who used to love to tell tales and loved to drink his beer and hide his whiskey in his haystack,” Davis said with a chuckle.

Davis couldn't believe he had his grandfather’s photo album back. “I haven’t had my hands on that since I was 7, 8 years old,” he said.

As for Jones, she's just happy she was able to bring such happiness to a family who probably thought the photo album was long gone.

“I never knew my grandpas; they both died before I was born,” she said. “So, I see old black and white pictures of them and I love them.”

She didn't have to do it, but Jones said finding the album’s rightful owner was the right thing to do.

Some of Pierce’s other family said they're also missing an old, leather-bound photo album that has Yellowstone National Park on the cover. If you have any information on that, contact KSL News.

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