Woman thought she lost late grandpa's 'National Geographic' treasure — until Goodwill delivery after 18 months felt like a gift from heaven
Grandparents often give us memories that stay with us for a lifetime—a familiar smell in an attic, a phrase repeated every day, a habit we inherited from them without realizing. For Analyse Capodiferro, things related to her grandfather were close to her heart, and became even more precious after May 2, 2019. Just as she was preparing to leave for a dream internship in New York City, her grandfather, Jon Allen Roachell, passed away at 79, as reported by PEOPLE on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
He had been “the man who helped raise her.” The 25-year-old recalled, “I wanted to be able to be there to help [my family] clean out the house and support my grandma during this time, but I knew [my grandpa] would want me to go.” One of the last things he told her was how proud he was of her. Though she wasn’t home when her family began sorting her grandparents’ things, she knew the Memphis house was a treasure in itself because her grandparents had spent decades at yard sales, filling their house with finds that were interesting.
Among those treasures was Capodiferro’s favorite thing: a collection of over 20 vintage "National Geographic" magazines. “They were in great condition aside from a bit of dust,” she said. However, that didn’t matter because for her, they were not just magazines. “The magazines were special to me because my papaw and I had spent time together admiring the world through them,” she shared.
But when her mother unknowingly donated the magazines during the house clean-out, a piece of her childhood disappeared. Capodiferro understood the circumstances, but the loss stung. A year and a half later, she decided on a whim to search for the magazines as a Christmas gift to herself, a way to get what had been taken. She didn’t remember exact dates, and she knew the odds were slim. “Statistically, it was impossible,” she shared.
Yet she kept looking. While browsing Goodwill’s online listings, she found two boxed sets. She bid and won, and the magazines were arriving soon. The return address surprised her like anything—Tucson, Arizona, the same city where her grandfather was raised. “It felt as though he had shipped them straight from Heaven,” Capodiferro says. “They truly could have come from anywhere in the U.S., but they didn’t.” Though she doubts they are the exact copies she once held, these felt even more meaningful.
“For a moment, it felt as though he was right there with me flipping through the pages,” she revealed. Then another surprise surfaced. Tucked inside the set was a 2019 special edition titled "Women: A Century of Change." At the time, Capodiferro was deep into reading the works of iconic women like Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, Virginia Woolf, Sarah Ruhl, and Samantha Irby. Finding that edition felt like a nudge, a sign from her papaw. “The experience felt like pure magic. A miracle, if you will,” she expressed. “Receiving a gift from him in Heaven was one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.”