At the beginning of World War II, Dorothy’s father willingly joined the military where he fought against the Japanese army in the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Before leaving, John Wilson gave his daughter a family heirloom made of gold that he had received from his grandfather. She was asked to keep it safe until he made it home.
John Wilson sadly came back home in a coffin wrapped in an American flag. The Wilson’s were torn apart by the grief they suffered from the loss of their breadwinner and head of family. Dorothy’s mother never truly recovered and never found another man to spend the rest of her life with.