Woman Meets Father — Who Didn't Know She Existed — After Four Decades

Nov 04, 2020

In 2017, Jyll Justamond met an incredibly important man: her biological father. The two had a meal at a restaurant in New Jersey, and Jyll got to end a quest that had taken just over 40 years.

In this heartwarming story, Jyll learned that even though he didn't know about her existence until recently, her dad was still very excited to be a part of her life.

Jyll Justamond was born in the late 70s, somewhere along the East Coast. She was raised by loving parents and had an overall normal life.

When she was ten, Jyll's parents sat her down for a talk. Although they had raised her, they weren't her biological parents. They were her grandparents, and her mother was their daughter, reports ABC News. Jyll's mother, Linda Justamond, was 18 when she gave birth to Jyll. Not ready to be a mother, she asked her parents to raise the baby instead. 

Of course, young Jyll immediately wanted to know more about her biological parents. Her curiosity started a quest that would follow her for the next thirty years.

Jyll already knew the Justamonds' daughter; she just thought that Linda was her older half-sister. If the relationship was strained and awkward, she chalked it up to the difference in age.

As soon as she found out the truth, Jyll reached out to her biological mom, who was unfortunately not ready to build a relationship with her, reports ABC News. 

Linda didn't want to talk much, but she was open to discussing a few small details about Jyll's biological father. 

As Jyll recounts, her mom told her that dad was an Italian man named Al, who worked at bar called Neary's at the time. With so little to go off, Jyll had no idea how she would crack the case and meet her actual dad. She talked to several people and even asked one man to do a paternity test but to no avail. Taking her mother's advice, Jyll decided to entrench herself in the family that she already had.

Life for the Justamonds was good, but unsolved questions always seem to come back up. When she turned 40, Jyll's thoughts once again turned to her parentage, so she turned to social media to help complete her search. First, she checked to see if there was a page for Neary's, only to find out the bar had closed down years before.

However, Jyll did manage to find the bar's old location: Palisades Park, a little town in New Jersey. She also found a small Facebook group where current and former residents of that town kept in touch.

Through the group, Jyll contacted Dan Neary, who owned the bar at the time. Then, she asked him something that would lead to the end of her quest.

"I said, 'I know this is crazy, but do you happen to know a guy named Al that worked or you in 1976, 1977?'" Jyll told ABC news.

Dan Neary tried to recall those days and just like that, put a name on the man Jyll was looking for: Al Annunziata.

Even though Al suspected that it was a one night stand, Linda's baby was his back in the 70s. Still, he respected the young mother's insistence that he wasn't the father, and he didn't press the case.

"She wasn't my girlfriend, and we weren't really romantically involved, and I guess it was just two young people who got together," Al said.

"Of all the years this has been going on, it's been out there as a burning question. It was never resolved. When you're young, and you don't know, you take things at face value. I believed her mother."

Despite believing Linda, when Jyll sent him that fateful message, he says he wasn't surprised at all. 

With 40 years already behind them, Al and Jyll didn't waste any time taking a paternity test, which came back with a 99.9966% chance of positivity.

Jyll was excited, while her dad Al was over the moon. "I've never experienced a happier person in my life," Jyll told interviewers.

"He was so excited. He was like, 'I'm a brand-new father!'"

Al felt compelled to make up for all of the years he hadn't been in his daughter's life. After plenty of long Facebook conversations, the two arranged to meet up in person at an Italian restaurant.

When Jyll arrived, she was greeted by a large bunch of balloons. Al wasn't kidding about feeling like a new dad.

He brought gifts and made the entire meeting into a small party to celebrate all of the birthdays that had already passed. 

This story shows just how important family bonds can be. Jyll and Al are incredibly similar, even though they never spent any time together before 2017. It may have taken forever to find her dad, but now Jyll can confidently say she's solved one of the greatest mysteries in her life.

What do you think of the story of Jyll Justamond? Once again, social media saves the day; now, use it to spread the word to all of your friends!