On June 9, I received a phone call from a private investigator. He asked me a few questions about my aunt Barbara, then inquired if I was aware that she may have had a child “out of wedlock.”

I certainly had not heard that story. Yet, when he told me what he knew about her — her interest in music, theatre, dance, her year of birth, her city of birth (Vancouver) and her Irish heritage, I told him that sounded like my aunt Barbara.

This child was male and recently hired the investigator to see if he could find any family. I had posted a memorial for Aunt Barbara on Find A Grave as we buried her ashes in the Evans plot at Mountain View Cemetery at the same time as her older sister Betty, in April 2013.

Unfortunately, I had nobody to ask about this as both of her sisters were dead and she had lived in Ontario since the 50s and had no contacts here.

I gave the investigator permission to give my contact information to his client and waited to hear.

On June 11, I did a blog post to provide this possible new cousin with more information. As I had been through a similar experience when I found my biological father, two full sisters, and three half-siblings, I knew that there could be fear and reluctance to make contact.

I waited to hear . . .