Bryon Houlgrave,The Des Moines Register/AP
Clifford Boyson hugs his long-lost sister, Betty Billadeau, at the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa, Saturday. The pair were separated as kids when they were placed in foster care.Â
DAVENPORT, Iowa â" An Iowa man and his sister have reunited 65 years after being separated in foster care thanks to a 7-year-old friendâs Facebook search.?
Clifford Boyson of Davenport met his sibling, Betty Billadeau, in person Saturday. Billadeau drove up from her home in Florissant, Mo., with her daughter and granddaughter for the reunion at a hotel in Davenport.?
Boyson, 66, and Billadeau, 70, both tried to find each other for years without success. They were placed in different foster homes in Chicago when they were children.?
Then 7-year-old Eddie Hanzelin, who is the son of Boysonâs landlord, got involved.?
Eddie managed to find Billadeau by searching his momâs Facebook account with Billadeauâs maiden name. He recognized the family resemblance when he saw her picture.?
âOh, my God,â Boyson said when he saw and hugged Billadeau.?
ELDERLY COUPLE REUNITED WITH THEIR STOLEN WWII LOVE LETTERS 45 YEARS AFTER THEY VANISHED
âYou do have a sister,â Billadeau said.?
âYouâre about the same height Mom was,â Boyson said.?
Billadeauâs daughter, Sarah Billadeau, 42, and granddaughter, Megan Billadeau, 27, both wiped away tears and smiled during the reunion.?
âHe didnât have any women in his life,â Sarah said. âWeâre going to get that straightened out real fast.â?
Boyson said heâs looking forward to visiting Billadeau near St. Louis and meeting more family.
âIâm hoping I can go and spend a week or two,â he said. âI want to meet the whole congregation. I never knew I had a big family.â?
FAMILY WILL BE REUNITED WITH BABY ADOPTED WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE
Eddie, who enjoys messing around with his familyâs iPad, said heâs glad he was able to assist in making the reunion happen and that he learned about helping others at school.
âClifford did not have any family, and familyâs important,â the boy said.
Near the end of their tearful reunion Boyson and Billadeau presented Eddie with a $ 125 check in appreciation of his detective work.
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