By . Associated Press Reporter and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:26 EST, 22 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:48 EST, 24 September 2013 . A World War II soldier's heartfelt letter to the daughter he never met has finally reached her, seven decades after it was written, along with his military honors. Peggy Eddington-Smith received the letter penned by her father, Pfc. John Eddington, as well as his Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, during an emotional ceremony Saturday in Dayton, Nevada. The father, who never made it home, sent the three-page letter shortly after she was born and shortly before he died in Italy in June 1944. He sent it while stationed in Texas, just before he was sent overseas. Emotional: Peggy Eddington-Smith receives a flag in honor of her father, who she never met, in Dayton, Nevada, on Saturday. Pfc. John Eddington died in World War II three weeks after her birth . Honored: Peggy Eddington-Smith received her father's medals during the ceremony, such as this Purple Heart. Earlier she received a heartfelt letter from the soldier, professing his love for his newborn daughter . Tribute: Donna Gregory of St. Louis (center) found the personal items and then spent 14 years trying to track down the soldiers daughter. She then organized an honor guard of veterans for Saturday's ceremony . Getting his medals was nice, but the letter meant more because it made her feel closer to her father, Eddington-Smith said. She knew little about him since her mother could rarely bring herself to discuss the love of her life. 'The letter gave me more knowledge of who he was,' she told The Associated Press. 'He poured out his heart to me, and a lot of men don't put that kind of emotion in writing. I'm just overwhelmed by everything, trying to absorb everything.' Donna Gregory of St. Louis found the soldier's letter and other World War II memorabilia in a box 14 years ago while helping her then-husband clean out his grandparents' home in Arnold, Missouri. Reunited: Donna Gregory read from the emotional letter sent by Pfc. John Eddington to his newborn daughter. Gregory's voice cracked with emotion as she read, bringing tears to Eddington-Smith and many in the crowd of about 150 . Comfort: Eddington-Smith and Smith at the ceremony. Both women cried during their initial phone conversation that left the daughter shocked by the items' discovery . Gregory's voice cracked with emotion as she read the letter Saturday, bringing tears to Eddington-Smith and many in the crowd of about 150. The soldier devoted the first page to his wife, saying he hoped she did not find it 'silly' that he was writing a letter to a child who could not read. Addressing the next two pages to his 'darling' daughter, he wrote that while she may not see him 'for some time,' he wanted her to know that she was always on his mind. 'I love you so much,' the letter says. 'Your mother and daddy ... are going to give you everything we can. We will always give you all the love we have.' Eddington urged his daughter to 'always treat your mother right. You have the sweetest mother on the Earth.' He closed the letter by writing, 'I love you with all my heart and soul forever and forever. Your loving daddy.' Memories: Peggy Eddington-Smith receives a reproduction copy of her father's dog-tags. She knew very little about her dad, as her mother was too upset her lost husband, until this discovery . Peggy and Kevin Smith of Dayton, Nevada, are pictured. Peggy was four months old when her father, Pfc. John Eddington, was killed in action in World War II. Seven decades later Peggy Smith is about to get his Purple Heart medal and an emotional letter the father she never met wrote just weeks after her birth . Eddington-Smith and Gregory are . unsure what connection the soldier had to the couple who owned the house . where his memorabilia was found. Eddington was from Leadwood, Missouri, about 75 miles southwest of Arnold, a suburb of St. Louis. Gregory tracked down Smith in June after a search that involved libraries and the Internet. She sorted through several . letters, including the War Department's message to Eddington's mother . about his death in Italy in June 1944, four months after his daughter's . birth. At the bottom of the box she found the Purple Heart, the medal . awarded to members of the Armed Forces wounded or killed in action. Gregory then spent the next 14 years in libraries and on the . Internet trying to track down the elusive daughter. She called every . Eddington in Missouri, trying to find the right Peggy. No one could . help. Pfc. John Farrell Eddington and his wife, Helen, are pictured on their wedding day . Earlier this year she enlisted the help . of friends and began reaching out on Facebook, leading to a breakthrough - she found Peggy Smith. Both women cried during their initial phone conversation that left the daughter shocked by the items' discovery. Eddington-Smith . knew her father died in the war. She was unaware of the letter and . other contents of the box. This included 16 letters from Eddington to his . mother, his draft card and military dog tags, his high school diploma . and newspaper clips. An . only child, she grew up in St. Louis and lived there until her mid-20s. She moved with her four children to Nevada in 1972 after a divorce. Her . mother, Helen, never remarried and died in 1997. 'I . would ask my mother why she didn't get remarried and her only comment . was that she found the perfect man and will never again find the perfect . man,' Eddington-Smith said. 'My . mom didn't tell me much about my dad,' she added. 'I think she was . just distraught. She was so much in love with him. 'I learned as a young . girl not to bring it up because she would just get so upset.' This photo shows the back side of the Purple Heart medal awarded to Pfc. John Farrell Eddington . This was Pfc. John Farrell Eddington's obituary. He died three weeks after the birth of his daughter .
Pfc. John Eddington was fighting in Europe in World War II when he learned his wife gave birth to a daughter .
He penned a letter to her, pouring his heart out and sweetly telling her how much he loved her .
He never made it home, and the letter .
and his Purple Heart medal ended up in a box thousands of miles away .
from Peggy Smith, the daughter who was told nearly nothing about him .
A Missouri woman found the box many decades later and Smith received the medal and letter in a heartfelt ceremony on Saturday .
By . Associated Press Reporter and Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 09:26 EST, 22 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:48 EST, 24 September 2013 . A World War II soldier's heartfelt letter to the daughter he never met has finally reached her, seven decades after it was written, along with his military honors. Peggy Eddington-Smith received the letter penned by her father, Pfc. John Eddington, as well as his Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, during an emotional ceremony Saturday in Dayton, Nevada. The father, who never made it home, sent the three-page letter shortly after she was born and shortly before he died in Italy in June 1944. He sent it while stationed in Texas, just before he was sent overseas. Emotional: Peggy Eddington-Smith receives a flag in honor of her father, who she never met, in Dayton, Nevada, on Saturday. Pfc. John Eddington died in World War II three weeks after her birth . Honored: Peggy Eddington-Smith received her father's medals during the ceremony, such as this Purple Heart. Earlier she received a heartfelt letter from the soldier, professing his love for his newborn daughter . Tribute: Donna Gregory of St. Louis (center) found the personal items and then spent 14 years trying to track down the soldiers daughter. She then organized an honor guard of veterans for Saturday's ceremony . Getting his medals was nice, but the letter meant more because it made her feel closer to her father, Eddington-Smith said. She knew little about him since her mother could rarely bring herself to discuss the love of her life. 'The letter gave me more knowledge of who he was,' she told The Associated Press. 'He poured out his heart to me, and a lot of men don't put that kind of emotion in writing. I'm just overwhelmed by everything, trying to absorb everything.' Donna Gregory of St. Louis found the soldier's letter and other World War II memorabilia in a box 14 years ago while helping her then-husband clean out his grandparents' home in Arnold, Missouri. Reunited: Donna Gregory read from the emotional letter sent by Pfc. John Eddington to his newborn daughter. Gregory's voice cracked with emotion as she read, bringing tears to Eddington-Smith and many in the crowd of about 150 . Comfort: Eddington-Smith and Smith at the ceremony. Both women cried during their initial phone conversation that left the daughter shocked by the items' discovery . Gregory's voice cracked with emotion as she read the letter Saturday, bringing tears to Eddington-Smith and many in the crowd of about 150. The soldier devoted the first page to his wife, saying he hoped she did not find it 'silly' that he was writing a letter to a child who could not read. Addressing the next two pages to his 'darling' daughter, he wrote that while she may not see him 'for some time,' he wanted her to know that she was always on his mind. 'I love you so much,' the letter says. 'Your mother and daddy ... are going to give you everything we can. We will always give you all the love we have.' Eddington urged his daughter to 'always treat your mother right. You have the sweetest mother on the Earth.' He closed the letter by writing, 'I love you with all my heart and soul forever and forever. Your loving daddy.' Memories: Peggy Eddington-Smith receives a reproduction copy of her father's dog-tags. She knew very little about her dad, as her mother was too upset her lost husband, until this discovery . Peggy and Kevin Smith of Dayton, Nevada, are pictured. Peggy was four months old when her father, Pfc. John Eddington, was killed in action in World War II. Seven decades later Peggy Smith is about to get his Purple Heart medal and an emotional letter the father she never met wrote just weeks after her birth . Eddington-Smith and Gregory are . unsure what connection the soldier had to the couple who owned the house . where his memorabilia was found. Eddington was from Leadwood, Missouri, about 75 miles southwest of Arnold, a suburb of St. Louis. Gregory tracked down Smith in June after a search that involved libraries and the Internet. She sorted through several . letters, including the War Department's message to Eddington's mother . about his death in Italy in June 1944, four months after his daughter's . birth. At the bottom of the box she found the Purple Heart, the medal . awarded to members of the Armed Forces wounded or killed in action. Gregory then spent the next 14 years in libraries and on the . Internet trying to track down the elusive daughter. She called every . Eddington in Missouri, trying to find the right Peggy. No one could . help. Pfc. John Farrell Eddington and his wife, Helen, are pictured on their wedding day . Earlier this year she enlisted the help . of friends and began reaching out on Facebook, leading to a breakthrough - she found Peggy Smith. Both women cried during their initial phone conversation that left the daughter shocked by the items' discovery. Eddington-Smith . knew her father died in the war. She was unaware of the letter and . other contents of the box. This included 16 letters from Eddington to his . mother, his draft card and military dog tags, his high school diploma . and newspaper clips. An . only child, she grew up in St. Louis and lived there until her mid-20s. She moved with her four children to Nevada in 1972 after a divorce. Her . mother, Helen, never remarried and died in 1997. 'I . would ask my mother why she didn't get remarried and her only comment . was that she found the perfect man and will never again find the perfect . man,' Eddington-Smith said. 'My . mom didn't tell me much about my dad,' she added. 'I think she was . just distraught. She was so much in love with him. 'I learned as a young . girl not to bring it up because she would just get so upset.' This photo shows the back side of the Purple Heart medal awarded to Pfc. John Farrell Eddington . This was Pfc. John Farrell Eddington's obituary. He died three weeks after the birth of his daughter .
received the letter penned by her father, Pfc. Saturday in Dayton, Nevada. The father, who never made it home, sent the three-page letter shortly Dayton, Nevada, on Saturday. Pfc. John Eddington told The Associated Press. 'He poured out his and other World War II memorabilia in a box 14 find it 'silly' that he was writing a letter to a in World War II. Seven decades later Peggy Smith is about to get his Purple Heart medal and an memorabilia was found. Eddington was from Leadwood, Missouri, about 75 miles southwest of found the Purple Heart, the medal . awarded to Eddington and his wife, Helen, are pictured on