Shortly after a beloved grandmother, Bea Holston, passed away in 2007, her granddaughters Courtney Holston-Toth and Peyton H. Roberts found a trove of love letters she’d kept for more than 50 years, penned by her husband Bill in the early years of their marriage. In the wake of Bea’s death, the letters felt too private and painful to read so the granddaughters put them away for safekeeping. In 2014, three years after Bill had passed away, Roberts returned to the letters and was touched by the love that leapt off his pages to Bea. She said she knew their words would inspire others.
Now for the first time, Roberts has edited this rare collection of 1950’s-era letters from William Holston to his new bride Bea into a heartfelt book that illuminates their lives and love. “My Dearest Bea,” released May 1, offers a window into a little-seen slice of life during the Cold and Korean Wars, between two people new to the service and the sacrifices military life entails, as well as new to marriage.
After the Holstons’ wedding on April 7, 1951, Bill was soon deployed on the USS Midway, where he wrote often to his new bride. A musician in the US Navy Band, he played multiple instruments including the trumpet and saxophone, and welcomed dignitaries aboard with musical fanfare.
His first letter to Bea recounts both the everyday and extraordinary details of naval life:
“Last night we had some excitement. One of the Marines fell over the side and we all (the entire ship) had to go topside to muster. They finally found him swimming around. He was probably one scared Marine.
We have been having a lot of drills. GQ’s (General quarters) (battle stations that is), Fire drills, abandon ship and all types. We had a break and had to get up at only 6:00 this morning. The morning after I left you we had to get up at 4:30 A.M.!! – Excerpt from letter from William Holston to his wife, Bea, in May 1951
Above all, the letters reveal a sailor who longed for his wife, a timeless tale to which every military family – then and now – can relate.
“I’m sure going to miss you,” Bill wrote to Bea in October of that same year. “I don’t know how I ever enjoyed life before I met you.”
Her grandparents’ love served as a beacon throughout Roberts’ life, who often spent time visiting with them at their home in Pensacola. Seeing their love preserved through letters also offered Roberts another connection – Roberts’ own military love story. Over the course of her husband’s two decades as a Navy SEAL, the couple has weathered eight deployments and four moves of their own. (And full disclosure, Roberts and her husband introduced me to mine – the four of us have been friends since our college days.)
“My grandparents’ letters helped me appreciate how powerful it is to write down your love for someone else on a physical page,” said Roberts, who began dating her husband the summer before he left to attend the Naval Academy, mere months before the Sept. 11 attacks forever altered the course of our nation and her husband’s service. “Their letters made me strangely grateful for the separations my husband and I have gone through and for the messages we’ve written each other that have helped us stay connected when we were worlds apart.”
For Roberts, author of the Military Families Book Club selection “Beneath The Seams,” finding her grandparents’ letters led to an even deeper connection, one that can inspire others.
“My hope is that military couples will read these letters from 70 years ago and recognize that their own contribution is part of something bigger,” Roberts said. “These letters serve as a reminder that all military couples are part of our nation’s legacy of service.”
“My Dearest Bea” is now available for purchase on Amazon.
