Imagine reaching your 70s thinking you had no siblings, only to discover not one but three sisters longing to meet you.That is what happened to Betty Bracey when she was finally tracked down by sisters Gwen Metcalfe, Pat Easton and Fran Sharp.
The four were separated as babies and toddlers, and it has taken more than seven decades to get the family back together.
During the 1960s, Pat, Gwen, who is 71 and now lives in Kennington, and Betty also all lived less than two miles apart in north London – but their paths never crossed.
It was not until an unknown half-sister died and left a request in her will that her estate be split between any siblings she had who had not been adopted that any progress was made.
Pat, 69, from Little Chart, explained how she was contacted this year by a company called Finders who had tracked down Betty, now living in Preston, Lancashire: “I can’t describe how I felt. It was just like a miracle.
“She didn’t even know she had any sisters. You couldn’t make up a story like this.”
As soon as contact was made the siblings could not wait to meet up, and last week that dream came true when Betty, 71, and her daughter Andrea travelled south for an emotional reunion with her family at The Croft Hotel in Ashford.
Sisters (from L-R) Betty, Pat, Gwen and Fran
However, the happiness of finding Betty is also tinged with sadness as a fifth sister remains lost to the family.
Despite years of trying, Margaret, the eldest of the quintet, has never been tracked down.
Pat said: “We think she was living in Coventry, but she was adopted so we don’t even know what her name might be.
Fran, 72, said: “It would be so lovely to find her. Who knows, we’ve had one miracle, so who says we can’t have another?”
Can you help trace the fifth sister? She was registered in Paddington in 1942 and her birth name was Margaret Elizabeth Paitson. Call Finders on 0800 085 8796 or Send Mail
This story originally featured on Kentonline
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