81-Year-Old Man Learns He Has a Long-Lost Son

Tony Trapani always wanted a son. Now, at 81, he finally has one — and they met for the first time this week.

Last year, after Trapani’s wife died, he was cleaning out one of her old filing cabinets when he found a letter from a woman in his past, according to West Michigan local news Fox-17. “I have a little boy,” it said. “He is five years old now. What I’m trying to say Tony is he is your son. He was born November 13th, 1953.”

STORY: Touching Super Bowl Ad Celebrates Dads

Trapani, who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., says his wife must have opened the letter — which was postmarked 1959 — and hid it, though he can’t fathom why. “He’s my full son that I’ve had my whole life, but why my wife hid that letter is beyond me,” he said through tears, noting that he and his wife tried for years, unsuccessfully, to have children.

Sam Childress, Trapani’s now 61-year-old son, always knew his mother sent Trapani a letter, but thought the lack of response was because his father wanted nothing to do with him. He says he grew up in Pennsylvania wondering about his dad. “I always asked my mom, I said, ‘Well what does he look like?’ She said, ‘Well, go look in the mirror.’”

STORY: Emotional Reunion: Abandoned Siblings Meet For The First Time

Though Trapani found the letter a year ago, he and his son met for the first time on Sunday in Grand Rapids. And while they both have plenty of unanswered questions about the past, they say they’re focusing, instead, on the present. “Just to know him now is so important to me. It’s going to fill that void,” Childress told Fox-17.

The Childress family didn’t respond to Yahoo Parenting’s request for comment. 

STORY: Stranger Reunites Family With Late Mom’s Ring, Lost for 20 Years

Despite missing a lifetime of father-son memories, Trapani says he feels like a proud papa. When asked about his excitement, he answered with a question of his own:  “How does anybody feel when they have a newborn son?”

Please follow @YahooParenting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? E-mail us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com