The Life of William “Willie” Ebel: From War, Captivity, and Loss to Rebuilding a Future
William “Willie” Ebel’s story is one of survival, displacement, and rebuilding a life from nothing. Born in Poland in 1915, Willie grew up in a close, traditional Jewish family, active in sports and community life. His father had briefly traveled to America in 1913, but the family remained in Poland — a decision that would shape their fate.
When World War II broke out, Willie was drafted into the Polish army. Within days he experienced the chaos of battle, near-death moments, and the collapse of Poland under the German invasion. Captured and transported through a chain of prisons and interrogations, he eventually found himself in the brutal conditions of a Soviet labor camp near the Finnish border — a place where starvation, freezing temperatures, and forced labor killed more than half the prisoners within months.
Willie survived. He endured interrogations, isolation cells, endless work in subzero temperatures, and years of uncertainty. During this time, he learned that members of his family — including his father, mother, and sister — were deported to Auschwitz and did not survive.
After the war, Willie began piecing together a life again. Through community connections and relentless determination, he eventually reached Sweden, where he met his future wife, Sally. They married in 1949, built a family, and later moved to Los Angeles. His daughters, born in Sweden and the United States, eventually settled across the world — Amsterdam and Auckland — while Willie and Sally remained in California.
Willie’s story is not only one of survival, but of resilience: from athletic childhood and wartime trauma to forced labor, loss, and the rebuilding of a new life in a new country. It is a testament to endurance, community, and the belief that life can be rebuilt even after unimaginable hardship.