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Show Separated since parents deaths Siblings reunited after 66 years k : - ,r ' ' L A 4- '-f , s?$fSw I -'y- v:. xm , - ' 'f -f ' jmr ... - ' ? i v .3, ; f 1 ' ' x-i. f i - - f . - i i ' ,. , ; hin m Mi By JAMS CARTER KAYSVILLE The holidays are special at Dorothy Stanton's Kaysville home, for that is when she was reunited with an orphaned brother she had not seen for 66 years. In 1924, when she was just 4-years-old, Dorothy's close-knit world with her five brothers and sisters was shattered by the deaths of her parents. The orphaned family was split up following the deaths. Her grandparents took in the two oldest boys. But Dorothy, along with a a sister and two other brothers were placed in an orphanage in 'Salt Lake City. All four were quickly adopted, but to separate families. Under the state's adoption procedures, the children were not told where their siblings were or who had adopted them. But by a quirk of fate, Dorothy and one of her brothers, Alan, were adopted by two families in Lehi yet they were so young neither knew that the other was nearby. The Wilbur A. and Florence Ford family took Stanton, Stan-ton, and a family with the last name of Chipman raised rais-ed Alan. As fate would have it, Dorothy's best friend was Alan's adopted cousin, Geraldine Taylor, and even though the brother and sister attended the same elementary school and Dorothy sometimes visited ''-Alan's house with his cousin, Geraldine, they never knew they were siblings. : 1 Dorthy grew up, married and eventually settled in "' Kaysville, Alan matriculated through the schools and movea to San Jose, Calif., where he made his life. The brothers and sisters began finding one-another about 45 years ago, spearheaded by an older brother, Arnold Wilkins. He was able to find those still living - Dorothy and a sister living in Salt Lake City. Two other brothers had died and there was no trace of Alan. It turned out that Alan also had deveoloped a yearning yearn-ing to find his roots. In fact, when Dorothy was a senior in high school and Alan was a sophomore a friend told him that Dorthy Ford was his sister. But he didn't believe it, Alan said, because he thought he was an only child. But the realization that Dorothy might be his sister kept coming back to Alan over the years. When he returned to Lehi for his 50th class reunion last year, Alan ran into Geraldine Taylor, and asked her if he and Dorothy were brother and sister. This time she said, yes, and gave him Dorothy's address and telephone number. Alan apprehensively telephoned ahead and announced an-nounced to Dofothy that he was her long-lost brother. The elated Dorothy told Alan that he also had a living liv-ing brother, Arnold, and told him she would arrange a reunion. The news was a shock to Alan, who had not realized real-ized he had still more siblings. It was a happy reunion when the three adult children got together on Nov. 18 at Stanton's Kaysville Kays-ville home and shared their life's stories. They went through a family Bible that Arnold had received from their grandparents and were able to see names and dates of all six children and their parents. w After 66 years of separation, Dorothy Stanton became aware that she had siblings she had never met. Pictured is Dorothy with her brothers, Alan and Arnold. The three enjoyed a special reunion when Alan made a business trip through Utah from his home in California. |