Contact: Lisa Lipsey, Activity Director
Office Phone: 858/674-9719
Cell Phone: 760/822-3764
E-Mail: lisa@sunshinecare.com
The 146 Letters: Imagine This Family’s Surprise!
Musician Ben Heim made extra money working for a salvaging company. His job was to go through all of the stuff thrown on the cement floor of the Berkeley Transfer Station in Berkeley, California (A.K.A. the
dump). He salvaged lumber, hardware, doors, windows, sinks and other house ware items. On a typical day
he and his co-workers would haul out more than two tons of materials for the salvage store.
While sifting through the refuge, Heim would often come across photographs and letters. Heim, who had
lost his home, family photographs and correspondence during a fire, made it his mission to save these
items and reconnect people to their old photos and letters.
One of Heim’s findings was a box of 146 letters and drawings dated 1944 -1945. The letters, written by
Sunshine Care Resident Waters Allyn Sliter, Jr., were in mint condition. Mr. Sliter had written them to his
parents and sister while serving overseas in the U.S. Army. He was just 19 years old.
Heim did some research to find Mr. Sliter. The first few internet searches brought-up zero results. But Heim
did not give up. Every few months he would do a search. Finally, two years later, his research led him to
Sunshine Care. Waters Allyn Sliter, Jr. had been named Sunshine Care’s Resident of the Month. There was
a biography about him in the newsletter featured on the Sunshine Care website. Heim immediately
contacted Sunshine Care and then mailed the letters and drawings to Mr. Sliter’s son.
“The letters brightened our day! My father is very ill now and the time I spend with him, reading these letters
aloud, is a joy for him. And for me, the opportunity to explore that part of my father’s life, his experiences in
the army, and the relationship he had with my grandparents and my aunt is a pleasure. I am so thankful. It’s
the stuff of family legends. We will treasure the letters and tell the story of their discovery for years to come,” says Mr. Sliter’s son, Waters Allyn Sliter, III.
“We’re tickled pink around here,” says Sunshine Care Activity Director Lisa Lipsey, “I can only imagine how
Allyn’s son felt when he received the letters. Our Resident of the Month program serves to uplift and
celebrate those in our care; to share and honor their life experience. These letters take that idea to a whole
new level. Ben Heim is what I would call an ordinary hero. To understand the significance, save the letters
and search for Allyn. That takes someone special.”
Heim is proud of his efforts. “So far I have had some small successes, but this is a big one. Returning those
letters to Mr. Sliter and his family makes me truly thankful that I worked that job.”
PHOTOS Available: We can send photos of Mr. Sliter during the years he wrote the letters & current photo.
ABOUT SUNSHINE CARE, POWAY, CALIFORNIA (North San Diego County)
Established in 1990, Sunshine Care is a community of assisted-living homes on a 28-acre Campus in
Poway, California. This unique alternative for assisted living specializes in Alzheimer’s and Dementia care
while providing an environment with all the comforts and reminders of home.
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