82 Years Later, LI Woman Reunited With Biological Mother
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island woman reconnected with her long-lost mother in an extraordinary reunion 82 years in the making.
Betty Morrell, of Long Island, met her mother, Lena Pierce, 96, in an emotional reunion at an airport in Binghamton earlier this month, CBS2's Dick Brennan reported.
"All this time, and now I'm finally going to see her again," Pierce said.
Pierce gave birth to Morrell, originally named Eva, in 1933. However, Pierce was only 14 years old at the time -- prompting the state to take custody of Eva on claims that she was too young to be a mother.
"So there was a lot of times I worried about her, and wondered where she was," Pierce said.
Morrell grew up on Long Island as an only child of adoptive parents, who renamed her Betty.
"I had imaginary sisters, and I had imaginary brothers. And, I had them all named and I would talk to them at night," Morrell said.
Morell's parents passed away when she was in her 20s -- an event that set off what would become a 50-year search for her biological mother.
"An aunt of mine had one day slipped and said my name was Eva," Morrell said. "And I said 'oh.' And she says, 'and you know you were born up in Utica?'"
Once Morrell had some clues about her past, she began searching for answers through Ancestry.com. Morrell was able to locate the hospital in Utica where she was born and retrieved her birth certificate -- which listed her biological mother's name,
"You know it came through -- and she was alive -- and my God, I had been talking to her on the phone and it was like it's all gone. My life is complete at this point," Morrell said.
Pierce and Morrell spent the Saturday after the reunion surrounded by family and friends in Hallstead, Pennsyl., where Pierce now resides in an assisted living home.
Both mother and daughter said they planned to keep in touch when Morrell returns to Florida, where she currently lives.
