A section of Eleanor’s last letter to her family before returning home, December 6, 1945. UWEC McIntyre Library Special Collections and Archives.​

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After being away from her family for just over two years, Eleanor was eager to go home. But it was hardly because she loathed being in the band. She would cherish the memories she made there and the friends she made along the way, all the places outside of small-town Wisconsin she went, and her growth as a young woman. In addition, she had plans to go to college with the tuition she got from the Marines, and more performance opportunities would be in her future.​

“I know you're jumping up and down with eagerness – and so am I, but it won't be long [before I'm home]!”​
- Eleanor, writing her family in 1945

The MCWRB plays once again at a reunion. Date unknown. UWEC McIntyre Library Special Collections and Archives.​

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Newsletters & Reunions ​

Even though they were once again spread across the country, the band refused to part ways for good. They set up a newsletter so they could keep in touch and announce important events in their lives. In addition, reunions would be organized so that the women could see each other face-to-face once more, meet any loved ones they brought with, and play music together just like old times. As the internet emerged in the 1990s and grew in the 2000s, the women would incorporate email and electronic newsletters into their communication as well.​

A pamphlet for Charlotte Owen’s memorial service, February 20, 2005. UWEC McIntyre Library Special Collections and Archives.​

In Remembrance 

As the decades wore on, members of the band passed away. Eleanor kept obituary records and funeral announcements for Charlotte Owen in particular, as they must have remained quite close even into the 21st century. Eleanor herself passed away  in April 2023, but she will still be remembered by the memories she preserved throughout her life. ​