Childhood sweethearts Karen Lehmann and Denny Vinar have reconciled after 53 years of separation, which happened after she got pregnant with their daughter at 15 years old.
Lehmann and Vinar were high school students in Minnesota in the 1960s and became young parents, much to the surprise of their family. Lehmann, however, was forced to give up their daughter for adoption because her parents were against her relationship with Vinar.
After five decades of no communication, Vinar searched for Lehmann on the social media platform LinkedIn. As luck would have it, he was able to reconnect with his childhood sweetheart and met Lehmann in person. Three days after that meeting, the pair sealed their love by marrying each other.
Lehmann said that she felt nothing changed between her and Vinar. For the woman in her 70s, meeting Vinar again was like "love at first sight."
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High School Romance
Speaking with My Journal, Vinar said they both knew they found "the one" in high school. Their romance blossomed naturally, but they were ripped apart before they could start their lives together.
Vinar was a sports jock who excelled in South High School. Lehmann was a bookworm, quiet but quick-witted. They crossed paths in the school hallway and were introduced to each other. In no time, the pair started dating and became exclusive childhood sweethearts in 1959.
However, their fairy tale romance took an unexpected turn after Lehmann's unplanned pregnancy just as she was turning 15 years old. Concerned about the gossip in their small town, her parents sent her away to the Lutheran Social Services home for pregnant girls out of wedlock.
When she gave birth to her daughter, Lehmann chose to name her Denise because her face resembled her father. Hours after having Denise, the baby was whisked away for adoption.
Lehmann recounted that Vinar was at the hospital during the birth and held their daughter. He was also able to sign his name on the official birth certificate, but all that remained of their baby was her one and only photo at birth.
Vinar had asked to marry Lehmann more than once, but her parents had different dreams for their daughter. This strained the young couple's relationship, prompting Lehmann to break it off with Vinar for good. In due time, Lehmann and Vinar lost contact as they moved on with their lives.
Finding Each Other Again
All those years, Vinar said he never forgot about Lehmann and decided to actively find her on the internet after attending a party where he was asked who he'd like to have dinner with if he had just days to live.
"She has a corner of my heart," Vinar said.
Then in 2014, Vinar found his childhood sweetheart, now a widow, on LinkedIn. They spent a few months exchanging messages, then finally meeting again in person and getting married. They also decided to settle back in Minnesota and find Denise with the help of the adoption agency.
In 2016, Lehmann and Vinar met Jean Voxland, their daughter's new name, based in a suburb not far from her birth parents. Voxland said it crossed her mind to search for her birth parents after becoming a mom for the first time. She could not believe she would have the opportunity and learn of their amazing love story. Voxland also agrees that she looks absolutely like her biological father.
Today, the childhood sweethearts and their daughter have been making up for lost time and are regularly getting together with their other children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Their family's story has been turned into a book, "How Did You Find Me... After All These Years."
