Woman Tracks Down Long-Lost Dad Using Newspaper Ad–And Discovers 11 Siblings

Woman Tracks Down Long-Lost Dad Using Newspaper Ad–And Discovers 11 Siblings

Thanks to a good old newspaper back page ad, an English woman has found a whole new side to life—her father’s, whom she had never met.

It started when Louise Walters was 8 years old and found out the man she thought was her father, wasn’t.

Louise’s mom, Angie Ishmael was in a relationship and living together with another man in Brighton back in 1969 for around a year before finding out she was pregnant.

During Louise’s childhood and adolescence, her mother would say that her real father was irresponsible, and probably in prison or dead. One of those two prognostications turned out to be wildly accurate.

But Walters always wanted to know who her father was, and so in 2010, she placed an ad in the Lost Touch column of the Brighton Argus which read: “I am trying to trace a Gary Pavella who lived in Kemp Town in the late 1960s.”

“It’s really hard not knowing who your dad is,” Walters told England’s Southwest News Service. “It’s like there’s a piece missing. It was amazing to hear his voice for the first time on the phone.”

Ishmael had known Louise’ dad as Gary, and remembered he ran a barber shop, called Pavella’s. Despite her mother’s low opinion of Gary, they placed the ad together in 2010. Three years later, Ishmael got a call from a woman called Marie-Ann who said she was Louise’s half-sister.

“Mom phoned and said ‘I think we’ve found your dad,'” Walters remembers.

It happened during that year a Mr. Graham Peveller, now 81 years old found the ad when he was Googling his old name. He had always wondered about Louise, and so decided to send an intermediary to get in touch to reunite the father and daughter after more than 4 decades of separation.

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The reunion led her to discover or acquaint herself with 11 new half-siblings from all across the world—a testament to her mother’s declaration of her former lover’s irresponsibility.

Including Walters, Graham Peveller fathered 12 children by 7 women, so Louise now has 11 siblings, to add to the two step-sisters she grew up with. Despite the ill-repute, Walters said that hearing her real father say “I love you,” was very moving.

“I felt complete,” she recalled. “We just hit it off straight away. I feel like I’ve known him forever.”

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From her home in England’s Nottinghamshire, she’s made the effort to acquaint herself with as many of her half-siblings as she can. These include 54-year-old Marie Ann who first contacted her, as well as Zoe, 43, and Jenny in her 20s.

She has half-brothers too: Jamie, Emil, Leslie, and Diamond, in their 20s.

One lives in Sweden, another’s a monk in Thailand, and one passed away. Louise is closest to Leslie, Zoe, and Marie-Ann, who she visits and speaks to regularly.

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“We’re all different and have had very different lives, but we’re all very kind and welcoming,” Walters said. “We all have a certain look about us: we have very similar shaped faces.”

“I have a lot of children and I love them all,” Mr. Peveller said. “No matter how long it is that we’re apart my feelings don’t change, I always think of them.”