Father and Daughter Reunite After 30 Years
The reunion of Stephanie Benediftsson and her father Thomas Weaber was similar to an emotional scene in a movie. The two embraced at Harrisburg International Airport and kissed as if they had been waiting for this moment their whole lives.
Stephanie was separated from her father even before she was born. When Stephanie’s mother was pregnant, she took off to Iceland, leaving the father and her family behind. The family was shocked at her disappearance and never imagined when she left for Iceland that she was leaving for good. “On the day she was supposed to come back, she didn’t show up,” Thomas’ mother, Nancy said. “We had no indication (she wouldn’t return).” Stephanie grew up never knowing if she would ever speak to or meet her birth father.
When Stephanie was 14, she was placed in foster care at which time she had brief contact with her father. Thomas searched endlessly for a number to contact her. “Children and Youth or the (U.S.) embassy got us that phone number,” he said. “I spent a lot of money on phone bills.”
After this brief contact, Stephanie received some letters from her father until she left foster care at 15 and went on her own. The two never spoke again. Stephanie moved around a lot and frequently changed locations. She eventually married and settled in Canada with her husband, a construction worker.
Stephanie was determined to re-connect with her father and three half-brothers. By using MySpace, she was able to locate her half-brother Andrew. Thomas also had two other bys, Ryan and Michael.
Andrew called his father to let him know Stephanie had been located. “When (Andrew) called me and I got a text, I dropped my phone,” Thomas said. “I called Canada from my cell phone,” Once Thomas heard his daughter’s voice on the phone, he dropped his phone again in shock.
Once connected, the two used Skype to keep in contact. The conversations would last hours as the father and daughter shared precious memories and heartfelt thoughts. “We felt a connection even though we never met,” Thomas said. “It was weird. You can just feel it. I wanted to reach through (the screen) and give her a hug.”
The in-person reunion was a thrill for both parties. Thomas was anxiously waiting for his daughter to get off the plane at the airport. Stephanie was sneaky and saw her father pacing back and forth nervously but he did not see her. The two met in a long embrace and enjoyed the next week together.
They visited family, shopped, relaxed and talked the nights away.
Nancy, Thomas’s mother, is enjoying her granddaughter’s company and the lightness her presence brings to the home. “I haven’t heard so much laughter in this house in years,” she said.
Thomas documented all of the research and paperwork from various organizations and the U.S. Embassy when he was looking for his daughter. Stephanie was relieved to see the documentation and how her father longed to re-connect with her because she was told that he wanted nothing to do with her. “She got to see everything,” Thomas said. “She was told lies. She was told I didn’t care.”
Stephanie has plans to start a new career and she and her husband are contemplating a move closer to her father. Thomas has never been happier.