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7:30 pm Thursdays - telling compelling stories about central Illinois for the past 16 years.

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Story Subject Category: Oakwood

Love Blooms During World War II
From Episode number 702, Butterfly House, Sweitzer Shaker Furniture, Edible Books, Love and War, air date Thursday, February 14, 2008

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By producer Denise La Grassa

The story of Jerry and Wilma Ashenbremer of Oakwood is one of love amid the ruins of war. They met in Vienna at the conclusion of World War II. Wilma was a young Austrian, Jerry a GI patrolling the city. They began a silent relationship.

Bob and Hattie Marion of Urbana sustained their love throughout the war when he was overseas. Letters kept the spark alive. But every time the letters temporarily stopped, Hattie worried.

The couples are similar in that they’ve been together so long that there’s a great friendship and a close bond. I found the way they interacted to be very fresh and youthful, yet both couples are older. I wonder if it’s because they came through so much in their years having to go through the war and its aftermath together.

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Segment duration: 06:59

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Producer: Denise La Grassa
Editor: Eleanore Stasheff

This segment is filed in these categories: World War IIOakwoodUrbana

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