The owner of RadioShack in Windham plays a key role in connecting a Maine family with the long-lost recording of a relative.

Fifteen years ago, Mike Esposito, a co-owner of the North Windham RadioShack, purchased a batch of records for his used vinyl collection in the back of his store.

As he flipped through the collection, Esposito found two 7-inch “voice records” slipped into a yellowing United Service Organizations envelope. When Esposito played the records, he heard the voice of William Austin, a young Navy seaman, saying hello to his family in 1945 before deploying abroad during World War II.

“Eventually I got to play the records and realized it was my responsibility somehow to get it back to his family,” Esposito said.

Since the envelope was sent from a U.S. Naval Base in Orange, Texas, to a Mr. and Mrs. Austin, on 371 Court St. in Auburn, Maine, Esposito dialed up every Austin he could find in the Lewiston-Auburn area and the surrounding region, in search of relatives. No luck. A year later, Esposito tried again – to no avail.

Esposito then tucked away the record – intent on one day finding a home for it – until just after New Year’s Day of this year. Then, turning to the power of social media, Esposito posted a detailed message on Jan. 3 on his personal Facebook page describing the voice recordings, in an effort to find Austin’s relatives once more. It worked.

The following day, Dorna Davis, who lives in Leeds, received a friend request and a message from her distant cousin, Jeanne Sullivan of California. Sullivan told her that a man in Windham had found a recording made by her late father. At 5 p.m., Davis called Esposito.

“We were both so excited,” Esposito said. “She told me she didn’t ever even know about this recording.”

The following evening, Jan. 5, Davis arrived at Esposito’s store with her husband Michael, son Keith, brother Barry, sister-in-law Judy, and mother Dorothy, who is William Austin’s widow. The family, which does not have a tradition of producing home audio or video recordings, had not heard Austin’s voice since he died in 1984.

With local television crews on hand, Esposito played the scratchy recording of the 19-year-old seaman saying goodbye to his family before his departure to Japan.

“He said, ‘Mom, I miss all the family, and I can’t wait to get home and go fishing and hunting with dad,’” Davis said. “He said he hoped that his sister, Betty, would continue to do well in school and that his brother, Ken, if he wanted to use his skis he could, and make sure he put them back in the right spot so he could use them when he came home. He said hi to his cousin, Clint, and one of his best friends, Eddie.”

Dorothy Austin, who lives with her daughter Dorna, married William in 1947. Although she grew up two houses down the street from his family, she said she did not become acquainted with him until after the war. Hearing her husband’s voice for the first time in 30 years was “odd” – especially given how young he was at the time, Austin said.

“He sounded like a little kid,” Austin said. “It was real amazing.”

According to Davis, her son, Keith, born in 1985, was thrilled by the sound of his grandfather’s voice.

“My son was really overjoyed because my dad had passed away a year before my son was born,” she said. “So it was really special to him to hear it. He had seen pictures of his grandfather but he had never heard his voice.

For Esposito, it was gratifying to see that after 15 years, he had finally succeeded in connecting the Austins with their relative’s voice recordings. Just 28 hours after posting the message on Facebook, he had found the family.

“Part of my emotion was just the time frame the fact that I finally got this done,” Esposito said.

Davis said that the living members of her family were not aware of the recording prior to Esposito’s detective work.

“I’m sure it was sent to my grandparents, and my grandparents listened to it,” Davis said. “And then they tucked it away in an album for safekeeping. And when they passed away I’m sure everybody just forgot about it for a long time. When my uncle was cleaning out their house it must have just gotten sold off.”

For Esposito, it is no coincidence that he has finally connected with the Austins now.

“It just turned out that my dad had just passed here a few months ago and one of Dorna’s close friends just passed away before Christmas,” he said. “I just have a feeling somehow that played into this.”

Windham RadioShack co-owner Mike Esposito connected the family of William Austin with a voice recording that Austin produced during World War II. From left are Austin’s daughter Dorna Davis, Esposito, Austin’s wife Dorothy, grandson Keith and son Barry.Photo courtesy of Dorna DavisBarry Austin holds the envelope his father, William, sent home prior to deploying to Japan in 1945.Photos courtesy of Dorna DavisDorothy Austin holds the “voice record” her husband, William, sent home to Auburn before deploying to Japan in World War II.William Austin, a young Navy seaman from Auburn, in uniform during World War II.