Grants Pass, Ore. – After more than 70 years, two sisters have found each other for the first time.
“I used to tell people that the martians had dropped me here,” Margie Lewis Weber said.
Margie’s family tree has always been a bit hard to explain, but for the first time – she was able to hug her sister.
“Then I saw her, and I got to hug my sister,” she said.
Her sister, Joyce Lewis Wyatt was separated from her family at a very young age. After bouncing around to different foster homes, she landed in Grants Pass.
“Less than a month ago, I’m sitting there -not well – and I say dear lord are you going to let me go without finding out who I really am,” Joyce said.
Meanwhile, Margie has lived her whole life on the other side of the country. She always knew she had a sister, but never knew where she was.
“Every time I’d run into somebody that’s name Joyce, or somebody who said they knew somebody… What was her original name, how old is she,” Margie said. “Every Joyce that I’ve ever met or ever heard about has been inquisitioned.”
Margie searched for Joyce tirelessly, and almost gave up until one day her son suggested an online DNA test. Little did she know, Joyce’s son suggested the same thing to Joyce, 2500 miles away. By gathering results from two different DNA sites and through some additional research, Joyce’s son was able to find Margie online.
“I got so excited then, I just hit the moon. And I was on the computer and so I just fired off about 50 questions, just as fast as I could go,” Margie said. “I said what’s her phone number and he gave it to me, and I think the first day she finally went to sleep on the phone.”
After 70 years, the two had their first conversation on the phone on August 17th. One week later, they met in person.
“It didn’t seem real to us,” Margie said. “No it’s not real, it’s still not real,” Joyce said. “No, it’s not,” Margie said.
The discovery of their new family has changed the two sisters lives forever.
“My thing is now, not only I, but my children have more of a history, before it was all on their father’s side. Period,” Joyce said. “Now they have something to go look forward to in their lives.”
And they say, it’s never too late to find your other half.
“A life time of prayers being answered, and it makes you feel like a whole human being,” Margie said.
The pair says they have another sister they are still hoping to connect with.
Tonight, Margie will fly back home, and she says she plans to bring the southern side of the family to visit Joyce just as soon as she can.
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