Sometimes, life gets in the way. This former couple finally reconnected after decades apart, and went on a search for a missing person from their past...
The Summer Before College
In 1960, Dennis and Karen were preparing to graduate high school and move on to college together. They were excited to make plans about their future together. They wanted to get married after college and start a family...
Their Fourth Anniversary
Karen and Dennis couldn't be more in love. Their story was reminiscent of "The Notebook," and any other love story you've seen. They were head over heels for each other. The spring of their senior year was their fourth anniversary together, and Dennis wanted to plan something special for her...
A Romantic Evening
Dennis wanted to surprise Karen for their anniversary by taking a romantic walk through the park and then eating dinner at a fancy restaurant that she'd always talked about trying. But the real surprise was for later, when he planned to take her to a hotel room that he'd gotten for the two of them so they could spend a night together...
The Next Step
After their date, Karen knew she couldn't love Dennis any more than she already did. He'd planned an incredibly romantic evening, and the night they'd spent together haad been perfect. Little did she know, everything was about to change...
Unexpected News
A few weeks before graduation, Karen had started feeling sick. She'd thought nothing of it at first, but when her symptoms didn't let up, she and Dennis decided to take a pregnancy test. Her worst fear was confirmed...
A New Reality
Dennis and Karen were scared. They were eighteen. They weren't ready to have a baby. What were they going to do? Karen's parents were so upset and disappointed. All their plans for their daughter's education and future were seemingly ruined. They tried to convince her to put the baby up for adoption...
A Heartbreaking Decision
Karen decided that the best thing for them to do was put the baby up for adoption. They had a daughter, Denise, born in December. Both Karen and Dennis had put off college for one semester, but the stress had put a rift between them. Dennis hadn't wanted to give up the baby, but he wanted Karen to be happy. Their differing opinions were too difficult to get past...
A Last Effort to Change Her Mind
Before they could finalize the adoption, Dennis proposed to Karen in an effort to keep the baby and start their lives together the way they'd always planned. Karen's parents urged her to say no - they were far too young. Dennis didn't want to lose his daughter, and Karen didn't either, deep down. But she knew giving up the baby and turning down Dennis's proposal was for the best, and she said no...
Life, After
Dennis and Karen tried to make things work after their baby was adopted, but the pain was too much for Dennis. He couldn't handle the rejection, and he missed their daughter. This time, it was up to him to make the tough decision...
Going Separate Ways
Dennis told Karen they needed to stop seeing each other. He was going to move away to college since the life they'd imagined together clearly wasn't going to happen. She begged him to stay, but he felt like there was nothing left for them. He didn't know how to move on after all of the heartbreak he'd faced. He told her he was leaving, and the next day, he was gone...
How To Move On
Dennis started a new life for himself at college. He made new friends, joined clubs, and excelled in his classes. He didn't hear from Karen after he left, even though he'd hoped to. It was for the best though, because it was time for them to move on. Dennis never told any of his new friends about his past...
Rebuilding
Karen got a job working as a secretary. She'd become depressed after her pregnancy, and she hadn't wanted Dennis to leave, but she knew she had to let him go. She wasn't good for him right now. She'd hurt him too much and made huge decisions without him. She didn't blame him for his anger, but she missed him terribly...
Building His Career
Dennis was doing well. He was healing. He'd graduated college and gotten a job in the engineering field. He moved away from his hometown and began to leave Karen behind...
Someone New
He'd even gotten married. He met a young woman in his new town, and they hit if off instantly. She was kind, smart, funny, and she helped him move on from Karen. He loved he, truly. He never told her about the baby he gave up and the woman who'd broken his heart. He was devoted to being a good husband...
Karen Was Moving On, Too
Karen had met a man through work, and he was taken with her instantly. They dated and he quickly proposed to her. She couldn't help but remember the first time someone had asked her to marry him, but she quickly pushed it out of her mind and told him yes...
A New Baby
Karen and her new husband got pregnant quickly, but this pregnancy was much more emotional for her than when she'd had Denise. She thought only of the baby she'd given up, but she didn't want to tell her husband what was wrong. This made her miss Dennis, but it had been years since they'd spoken and she had no way to contact him...
Living Separate Lives
As the years went by, Dennis and Karen lived completely separate lives. Though they never forgot about each other, they never contacted each other again and attempted to build their own families...
Children of Their Own
Karen went on to have three daughters, and Dennis and his wife had a daughter and a son. They lived in spearate states, unaware of the passing of time, and eventually, the thoughts of each other were pushed to the back of their minds as they raised their families...
Growing Old Apart
Eventually, Karen's children all grew up and moved out, as did Dennis's. They lived with their respective spouses happily, starting the next stage in their lives. Little did they know what the future would bring for them both...
Heartbreaking News
Karen felt like loss followed her everywhere. Her husband was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, and passed away only a few months later. She was devastated, but had to go on for her children...
Parallel Stories
In a strange turn of events, Dennis was dealing with the same thing. His wife had recently passed away a few years prior to Karen's husband. It was in the back of his mind again, and he wondered where Karen was in life...
A Reconnection
Dennis looked up Karen's number, something that he'd resisted doing for years. His heart raced as he dialed, and, miraculously, she picked up...
A Second Chance at Love
Dennis and Karen found each other, and it was like picking up right where they left off. Lost time meant nothing. They still loved each other just as much as they did when they were teenagers, and this time when Dennis proposed, Karen said yes...
They Both Had The Same Idea
After much talking, Dennis told Karen that the only way he felt his life would truly be complete was if they found the daughter they gave up for adoption nearly forty years ago...
A Tireless Search
Karen and Dennis started contacting the adoption agency that had been responsible for finding their daughter, Denise, a new family. They knew it was likely that they'd come up blank, that her name had been changed, or that she didn't want to see them, but they knew they had to try...
Weeks of Waiting
The agency told them to hold tight and they would try and find their daughter. Eventually, after weeks of waiting, they got an answer...
They Found Denise
Denise, who'd been renamed Jean Voxland, was in her early 40s and married with children. Dennis and Karen knew they had to reach out...
Starting Over
Jean and her husband agreed to meet Karen and Dennis, and their reunion was one that she'd dreamed of her entire life...
Now She Has Four Parents
Though Jean always knew she was adopted, she alawys wondered about her birth parents. She fell in love with their story just as much as she fell in love with Dennis and Karen when they finally met her. She couldn't believe that they'd found each other again, and she was so happy that they'd found her...
A Love Story for the Ages
Karen and Dennis now live in Minneapolis, where they met when they were young, close to their daughter Jean, and the rest of their children. Their's is truly a happily ever after.