Iconic Shell Factory auction connects families with veterans’ banners

The closing of the iconic Shell Factory in North Fort Myers led to an auction where many of its items, including several military banners honoring veterans, were put up for sale.

Brooke Timm, a local resident, was eager to own a piece of the Shell Factory‘s history.

“I wanted a piece of the Shell Factory history so I went on the auction website and bid on a few items,” said Timm.

Among the items she acquired were several military banners dedicated to veterans.

“I was quite surprised at how many there were. I started going through them and the ones that were personal I cleaned up a little,” said Timm.

Realizing the significance of these banners, Timm decided to reunite them with the families of the veterans they honored. She turned to social media to aid her mission.

“Posted on Facebook in a local group looking to see if anybody recognized these men,” said Timm.

Her efforts led her to Janet Stovall, who recognized her father’s image on one of the banners.

“We said ‘wow that’s daddy.’ We have been looking for it for so long so we were just thrilled,” said Stovall.

Stovall, a frequent visitor of the Shell Factory, was unaware of the banner’s presence there.

“Not a clue, and we thought it rather fortuitous in that we had the conversation here recently. Brooke contacted us soon after my mother had passed and we thought isn’t that a coincidence how it all played out that way,” said Stovall.

Now, the military banner has been returned to its rightful family. They plan to use it as a symbol of remembrance and are working to find a permanent place for it.