Man Raised in Orphanage Meets His Dad After 55 Years

After 55 years of wondering why he was never chosen, Joshua Schneeloch finally got his answer: he was loved all along.

Joshua grew up in a German Catholic orphanage, watching other children leave with their new families while he stayed behind. For 19 years, he prayed with his rosary every day, asking for just one thing: to meet his father.

Last year, his wife Nicole gave him an Ancestry DNA kit. She knew the search might bring painful emotions, but she also knew Joshua deserved answers about where he came from.

With help from a genealogy professional, the search began. A few cousins appeared in the results, and then came the phone call that changed everything.

"One day she called me and said, 'I think I found your father,'" Joshua recalled.

His biological father, Arthur Colbert, had served in the military and was stationed in Europe in the late 1960s. He had no idea he'd fathered a child in Germany.

"If I had known, I would've brought him back to the United States with me," Arthur said.

Joshua reached out without revealing his identity right away. During their conversation, Arthur mentioned he'd been stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany in 1969 and 1970, exactly where and when Joshua was born.

"And I stopped talking. Because I just spoke with my father," Joshua said.

A DNA test confirmed it with 99.99% certainty. When they finally met in person, both men cried.

Joshua gave his father the rosary he'd held throughout all those childhood prayers. "Putting my rosary around his neck, the rosary from every time I prayed, he has it now," Joshua said.

Sunny's Take

The reunion didn't stop there. Last Saturday in Jefferson, Texas, Joshua walked into a room filled with more than 60 relatives meeting him for the first time.

After a childhood spent wondering what belonging felt like, he was suddenly surrounded by family who wanted him there. "I'm overwhelmed by how much they welcomed me," he said.

For children who grow up in orphanages, the questions can be haunting. "Why am I not loved? Why am I not home? What did I do wrong?" Joshua said.

After 55 years, he finally received his answer: he was loved, and he was home.