DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa man has been reunited with his sister
65 years after the siblings were separated in foster care thanks to a
7-year-old friend who searched Facebook.
Clifford Boyson of Davenport met his sister, Betty
Billadeau, in person on Saturday. Billadeau drove up from her home in
Florissant, Mo., with her daughter and granddaughter for the reunion at a
hotel in Davenport.
Boyson, 66, and Billadeau, 70, both tried to find
each other for years without success. They were placed in different
foster homes in Chicago when they were children.
Then 7-year-old Eddie Hanzelin, who is the son of Boyson's landlord, got involved.
Eddie managed to find Billadeau by searching his
mom's Facebook account with Billadeau's maiden name. He recognized the
family resemblance when he saw her picture.
"Oh, my God," Boyson said when he saw and hugged Billadeau.
"You do have a sister," Billadeau said.
"You're about the same height Mom was," Boyson said.
Billadeau's daughter, Sarah Billadeau, 42, and
granddaughter, Megan Billadeau, 27, both wiped away tears and smiled
during the reunion.
"He didn't have any women in his life," Sarah said. "We're going to get that straightened out real fast."
Boyson said he's looking forward to visiting Billadeau near St. Louis and meeting more family.
"I'm hoping I can go and spend a week or two," he
said. "I want to meet the whole congregation. I never knew I had a big
family."
Eddie, who enjoys messing around with his family's
iPad, said he's glad he was able to assist in making the reunion happen
and that he learned about helping others at school.
"Clifford did not have any family, and family's important," the boy said.
Near the end of their tearful reunion Boyson and
Billadeau presented Eddie with a $125 check in appreciation of his
detective work.
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