That was the newspaper headline back in early February of 1995, about 2 weeks after my life changed forever.  I am one of those "other people."  You know - how many times have you said, "Oh nothing like that ever happens to me. That only happens to other people"?  Well, I am living proof that miracles really do still happen today!

I was adopted at the age of three by two very loving people, Fred and Alice Sturzenegger, who were already in their mid-forties by the time they adopted me.  They gave me the name of Jule Anne Sturzenegger.  I was raised as an only child.  We weren't rich by any means, but we always had enough. My adopted parents were farmers - back in the days when farming was good, honest, hard work, but you knew you were never going get rich at it.  Still, my parents always made sure that I always had everything I needed - food, school clothes, money for piano lessons, bicycles, and my share of childhood toys.  My parents were strong Christians and were very active in their church.  Mom taught Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, served on various committees and also hand-made all the baptismal napkins over a 15-year period.  My father served in every capacity from Elder to Trustee.  Many nights he attended Elders' meetings that lasted until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., only to return home and arise at 5:00 a.m. to begin his daily routine!  My parents are both deceased now, and I miss them terribly.  I am very glad to have been a part of their lives and feel fortunate for their nurturing and guidance.

The miracle began in January of 1995.  On Wednesday, January 25th, at 5:00 p.m., I received a telephone call at work that changed my life!  Before moving to Des Moines, Iowa, I had been a deputy sheriff for nearly 20 years in Creston, Iowa.  A dear friend and former coworker, Jo Anne Duckworth, still Chief Dispatcher there, informed me of my brother and family's 25-year-old search for me!  On that day, their search ended in success!  When my friend called me, it took a moment for everything to "sink in."  She asked me a "theoretical" question.  She said, "What if you had a chance to meet your biological family?  Would you be interested?"

Not realizing at first that she was serious, I replied, "Well what do you think?  Of course!  Mom is getting up there in years now - of course I would be interested."  (My adopted mother was still living at the time.)  I thought perhaps my friend was about to tell me about some private detective I could contact to search for my family.

My friend stated, "Well, I just talked to your brother!"  My head reeled!  My first reaction was absolute disbelief.

I kept asking my friend over and over, "How do you know?"  Unknown to me at the time, after talking to my brother, she had gathered enough facts to verify that this was "the real thing."  I had known certain facts concerning my biological family, including my actual birth name, Marlene Marie Neff.  Gradually, one at a time, my friend began filling in all the facts she had received from my brother.  She told me the name of my brother,  Francis Henry Neff, who was named after our father, Francis Neff.  The name was right!  When she relayed the story of my biological father's accidental death (truck/train accident), it hit me like a ton of bricks!  I was overwhelmed!  Numb!  In shock!  And I remained in that state for the next week.  The rest of the family lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a city about 120 miles from Des Moines.

That evening I telephoned my brother, Henry.  What do you say when a sibling you've never met, for the first 45 years of your life, answers the phone?  I remember being very nervous!  When he answered, I politely stated my name and said, "I understand that we may be related."

Henry said, "Honey, there ain't no maybe about it!  We ARE related!  I'm your brother!"  I don't remember much of the phone call after that.  Plans were made to meet the next afternoon at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant, in Des Moines.  The meeting was incredible!  After 45 long years, my biological family and I finally found each other!  Henry had brought along a family album, and I spent much of the afternoon looking through the album in amazement and wonder.  Included in the album were pictures of me at the age of one month.  I had never seen any pictures of myself younger than 3 years old.  The album also had pictures of our father (I had never seen any pictures of him) and also pictures of our mother.  I had briefly seen a picture of my mother when I was very young.  For years, I had not seen the picture, yet its image had been permanently "branded" on my mind.  If I had any doubts, there in the album in front of me, was all the proof I needed.  The years rolled back in my mind as I once again saw that same picture!

In 1949, I was born the youngest child into an original family of four children - two boys and two girls.  Due to unfortunate circumstances, beginning with the accidental death of my father, I was the only one not raised with the family.  My mother eventually remarried.  She and her husband had three more children - two boys and a girl.

My initial meeting with Henry lasted about 3 1/2 hours, ending with plans for me to come to Council Bluffs that weekend to meet the rest of the family.  What a weekend!  I met my mother, and the rest of my siblings, nieces and nephews, including Henry's family, another brother, Ken and his family, and my half-sister, Bonnie, who flew up from Ft. Worth, Texas, for the occasion.  On hand to document the occasion were reporters from a local Council Bluffs newspaper and an Omaha, Nebraska, television station.  It was truly a "landmark" weekend!

Later in the year, during the July 4th weekend, I was able to meet still more family members from as far away locations as Texas.  At Thanksgiving, I joined Henry's family, with 18 people present at the dinner table!  I was also able to include a visit with my brother, Ken, and his family.

In 1996 I met my sister, Rebecca, also from Ft. Worth, Texas for the first time.  We met at my wedding to John!  When John and I were married, my brother, Henry, an ordained minister, gave us the great honor of officiating at our wedding ceremony!

I am so very lucky for my family to have found me!  Sometimes you hear unfortunate stories of long-parted families finally meeting, and that did not have the happy results that we were blessed with.  I can truly say that I could not have had a better family if I had "hand-picked" them, myself.

I consider myself most fortunate to have been blessed with two families.  I cherish my adopted family of my (now-deceased) father and mother, as well as all of my aunts, uncles, and many cousins.  I am also overjoyed to welcome my "new" biological family of my mother, brothers, sister, half-brothers, half-sister, and many nieces and nephews!  For in the heart, there is no subtraction or division, but only addition and multiplication!

Yep, there you have it!  I am, indeed, "one of those other people!" - other people who have stories like that happen to them!  My hometown (Creston) newspaper ran this story about 2 weeks after we all met.  As my mother has said, we feel that this was ordained by God.  Only God could have gotten us all together again!

"Immediate" Family Members:

Francis Neff (Father - Deceased)
Marie Carter (Mother)
Henry Neff (Brother)
Ken Neff (Brother)
Rebecca Cole (Sister)
Jule Loy Gray (Me!)
Bonnie Gary (Half-sister)
Ron Carter (Half-brother)
David Carter (Half-brother)