Sisters Meet For The First Time In 75 Years After One Was Adopted When WWII Ended

Mar 24, 2023

A British woman who knew she was put up for adoption after World War II has met her Dutch sister for the very first time after 75 years. Sheila Fry was aware of some of the circumstances surrounding her birth in 1946, and she was actually looking for details of her biological father but discovered she had a sister.

Fry’s adoptive parents, Clifford and Mary Willmott, did not hide the fact that she was adopted. While she had the name of her biological mom, all she knew of her biological dad was that he was a Canadian soldier who fought in Europe and then returned to his motherland. 

With the help of Karen Fry, her daughter-in-law, Sheila tried to search for any traces of her father for eight years with no results. Karen also could not verify the information of Sheila’s birth parents as they were long gone. 

Miles away in the Netherlands, Annie Ijpelaar, overheard from relatives several years ago that the man she called dad wasn’t actually biologically related to her. Though she grew up with her biological mom, no one in the family wanted to talk about her real father due to the shame attached to it.

So, Annie tried to search for her real father’s identity on her own in her 40s but only managed to uncover his name. She also learned that he was a Canadian soldier who helped with the Netherlands’ liberation from the Nazi occupation. 

However, it wasn’t until her son, Marc Ijpelaar, bought a DNA test kit that information about Sheila started to unravel that allowed them to connect to Karen. Marc discovered that he may have an aunt in Britain who could be his mother’s sister.

Marc sent Karen a message and explained why he was getting in touch with her. He didn’t tell his mom right away because he wanted to protect her in case this discovery would not pan out. To further verify that their families could be linked, he asked Karen about a Canadian soldier who was in the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II. After a few more conversations and confirmations, by letting Sheila and Annie take a DNA test as well, the sister had their first video call in May 2022. 

“There were challenges because they both had trouble hearing and the communication between them was funny,” Marc said. “But they look the same, they have the same hobbies. It was amazing.” 

During their conversation, Annie learned that Sheila was born just a few months after her. The sisters assumed that their biological dad was aware of Annie’s existence but did not know about Sheila.

After that first phone call, the families planned a face-to-face meeting between the sisters in Holland in June 2022. Coincidentally, the sisters both chose to wear the same shade of blue for their first meeting. When Annie opened the door to her home to welcome her sister, they shared a long embrace and had that instant connection. 

“Although the language was a problem it felt very strange and also natural to see and talk to my sister after all these years,” Annie said, per Hull Live. “My English is not good, but I am trying to learn. I wish she lived closer.” 

Karen said that the sisters continue their regular contact today with the help of technology and their families. 

It’s indeed amazing for long-lost sisters to find each other! Sheila Fry and Annie Ijpelaar are making up for the lost time. What can you say about this reunion? Do you know anyone with a similar story or who could be inspired by this tale? Pass this one along!