LINCOLN COUNTY, N.C. — Between email, social media and cellphones, handwritten letters are almost a thing of the past. 

A Lincoln County woman found boxes full of love letters from World War II written by her late neighbors, Johnny and Betty Gally. 

“I know that I was digging through their garage once and I found an ammo box and it was full of letters," said Janelle White. 

White spent her days as a young girl at the Gallys' home listening to stories about the war and the life the couple led. 

Betty Gally was part of WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, a division of the U.S. Navy. 

“I got to hear all the stories. I got to be the next person who carries those stories forward for them. Uncle Johnny, he was born in 1920 and she was born in 1924. They accepted me completely as part of their family. I love them, they loved that I loved them, and they loved me too. We just had a great time,” White said.

Carole Howell, president of the Lincoln County Historical Association, says to preserve letters, it's important not to handle them too much. 

"Because the oils on the fingers will break it down, and you want to keep them flat because they will degrade on the fold," Howell said. 

White says the letters are invaluable to her because her children will not grow up with veterans from WWII. She hopes to pass the stories on to her children and the next generation, and the letters are a first-hand account of the life of war heroes and a couple who loved each other very much. 

“I’m so glad that I get to impart these stories, and such a visual way and such a real way for me to my children because they won’t ever meet a WWII veteran," White said.