When they were in their teens, this couple was torn apart; but, after 50 years, they found each other and went to search for their daughter whom they gave up for adoption.
Denny and Karen Vinar were teenagers when they fell in love; in the year of 1961, it seemed like they have a whole future together.
Karen says she lived only two blocks away from her school and Denny would walk her home every day.
She waited for him after football or basketball games.
Things Become Complicated when Karen Learns She Is Pregnant
Their dreams of shared future crumbled when the 15-year-old Karen learned she was carrying a child. Her family decided to take her to a home for unwed mothers.
Denny visited her there a couple of times, including the day their daughter was born. They held her for around an hour and then she was given up for adoption.
Karen recalls taking a photo of their baby girl and this was their last memory of her. After coming back home from the military, Denny asked Karen to marry him and she said yes; however, Karen’s family wanted her to get an education first.
So, torn apart, they lived in different parts of the country for around 53 years. However, Denny explained he never stopped thinking about her and how she always held a special part of his heart.
In 2014, his curiosity made him do an online search for Karen. He found her and wrote her a message. She called him back very soon and immediately asked him ‘how did you find me?’
After this call, they started talking every day and it seemed like they weren’t apart for half a century.
Denny Decides to Go & Visit Karen
He decided to go and visit Karen. When he got there, he described it as magic and remembers her getting out of the car and running around, jumping on him, telling him that he’s home.
Karen said it didn’t fell like things changed, including the dimples on Denny’s face when he smiles and his sparkling eyes.
36 hours fast forward, Denny and Karen are married and living in Twin Cities. But, they say their lives weren’t complete yet. Something important was missing.
Karen told Denny that it would be complete if they would locate their daughter.
On the Road to Finding their Daughter Who Was Given Up for Adoption
They contacted the Lutheran Social Services to try and locate their daughter, Jean Voxland. According to their adoption agency, she initially dismissed a letter she received; however, the good news is that her husband read it.
Voxland later explained that when she came from work one day, her husband told her to better sit down for this one.
He told her that he read her letter and that her biological parents were trying to locate her. So, they started exchanging letters until one day in May of 2016, they decided to meet.
Voxland explains that when Denny walked through the door, she looked at him and thought ‘oh my God’ because she never looked like anybody and now she did.
Voxland later met the half-siblings from her biological parents’ previous marriages and developed a fine bond. They’re now making up for all the lost birthdays and holidays, all thanks to the love they hold for each other.
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