A display case at the Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library showcases photos, uniforms and memorabilia from the life of WWII veteran and Martins Ferry native Lin Blake Gronvold-Westran, who died in 2015 at the age of 92. The display will remain inside the library through Dec. 11, when the items will then be donated to the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum. T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM

BARNESVILLE — The Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library recently added a display based on the life of former Belmont County resident and World War II veteran Lin Blake Gronvold-Westran, who joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943.

After Gronvold-Westran died in March 2015 at the age of 92, her longtime Portland, Oregon, neighbors wanted to honor her last wishes to find a place to display and store her belongings. Some of those belongings included letters from the war, her uniforms, photos, journal and other memorabilia. According to her obituary, she had little remaining family at the time of her death.

The thoughtful neighbors, Cynthia and David Berg, did not want to see Gronvold-Westran’s belongings end up in storage so they began writing letters to Eastern Ohio entities and eventually contacted the Barnesville library, which agreed to accept the items.

Diane Burga, library assistant, said the staff happily agreed to accept the items and put some of the military memorabilia on display inside the facility.

“They said it was her wish to get it somewhere, not just have it sit in a box, so we said we would take it. Her stuff was in such pristine condition and we didn’t want to turn it away,” Burga said, adding that they received eight boxes of personal belongings.

Gronvold-Westran was born May 13, 1922, in Martins Ferry. According to the letter addressed to the library, Gronvold-Westran, who was born Lillian Marjory Blake, did not like her name due to being named after her aunt — her father’s first wife and mother’s sister – so she changed it to Lin sometime during the 1950s.

She enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 in hopes of serving alongside her brother, Robert. Unfortunately, that did not happen and she was instead stationed in San Francisco, California, away from her brother. She was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of corporal.

Burga said there are a lot of interesting pieces from Gronvold-Westran’s life including around 100 old letters written in the ’40s to her family, a small military Bible, binoculars and her government-issued uniform and shoes, which were in nearly “perfect condition.” Also on display are her brother’s military photos, letters and a folded flag.

“On the left side of the display case is all her brother’s stuff. She joined the military so they could be together,” Burga said. “There’s a lot of information in there, it’s really fascinating.”

Most of the non-military items were sent to the Martins Ferry Public Library for its genealogy department. Burga said there were old family photos from the area that the library staff thought would best be housed in the Purple City for its residents to enjoy. Gronvold-Westran had family ties to the city with her family owning a farm on Mount Pleasant Pike.

Burga said she has corresponded with the Bergs, who said they hope to visit the hometown area of their old friend and neighbor.

“They said they hope to travel here and see the places that she spoke of,” Burga said, adding that she sent the couple photos of the display case and let them know where Gronvold-Westran’s memories would be housed.

The display will remain inside the library through Dec. 11. The items will then be donated to the Tri-State Military Veterans Museum in Belmont.