A Mississauga, Ont. woman recently reunited with a sister she hadn’t seen in more than 30 years. It was 1972 when Pam Murray, 80, last saw her sister, Pat Ford, 66.

After almost three-and-a-half decades, the siblings finally met again, this time in Mississauga. The reunion is even more remarkable because the pair was separated by more than 4,500 miles.

Murray has lived in Ontario for almost 50 years – the last 15 in Mississauga – after coming from England in the late 1950s.

“We last saw her in 1972 when she came over here for a three-week holiday,” said Ford, who lives near Portsmouth, England.

Although they didn’t know it at the time, that holiday was to be the last time the two would see ach other, until now. Ford reconnected with her sister this summer during a two-week visit to Mississauga.

“We lost touch after Pam had gone back. I sent letters, but she had obviously moved,” said Ford, who for years tried to contact Murray. Meanwhile, Murray was busy raising two daughters by herself after the breakup of her marriage. “To be perfectly honest, as the years went on I thought I wouldn’t see her again,” said Ford.

However, a chance conversation between Ford and a cousin three years ago was the first step in finding Murray. “We were talking and I told her I’d love to try to trace Pam and her children,” said Ford. “My cousin said she knew a couple of people in the Salvation Army who do this sort of thing. We decided to give it a go.”

It took two-and-a-half years, and last October Ford could hardly believe it when her cousin called to tell her the news. “I was gobsmacked. There were tears. It was very emotional,” she said.

Murray is not in the best of health, So Ford came to Mississauga. “After such a long time apart, Pam and I have so much catching up to do,” said Ford.

Printed with permission from the Mississauga News

For more information on Family Tracing contact The Salvation Army Headquarters 416-425-2111