Woman Seeks Help Finding Husband’s Long-Lost Sister

by Steve Yablonski | February 20, 2015 6:58 am

OSWEGO, NY – In 2004, Kim Allen’s husband, James, discovered that he has a half-sister somewhere. The child was given up for adoption right after birth.

“My mother-in-law didn’t want to (give up the child). But, in 1960 and in a small town, her choices were slim and her parents had control of the situation,” Kim Allen told Oswego County Today. “She was sent to stay with friends for the duration of the pregnancy. Diane was just out of high school when she found out she was pregnant. She grew up in Ilion and went to Ilion high school.”

On Feb. 9 or 10, (they are unsure of the exact date), Diane Bouck Allen gave birth to a little girl she named Patricia Phylis.

The baby was separated from her immediately and she never knew what became of her.

Now, her son and daughter-in-law are hoping OCT readers can help them connect.

“Diane was a young girl in love with a young man named ‘Eddie,’ who came to visit his aunt next door and they got caught up in teenage love. When she became pregnant her mother and father, although it seemed harsh at the time, were doing what they thought was best for Diane,” Allen said.

The Allens currently live in Mohawk, NY.

“My husband’s mother died in 2004 quite suddenly and many questions were left unanswered,” Allen said. “We were told that she was born in Oswego Hospital. And we believe that she was born in the middle of the night as my husband’s grandmother, Ruth, said they received a very early morning phone call that the baby had been born.”

The baby’s father has searched as well, with no luck, she said, adding that they haven’t spoken to him in a few years. The father’s name was most likely not put on the birth certificate as it wasn’t required until the mid-1970s, Allen noted.

“My husband’s mother’s name was Diane Bouck at the time she gave birth. She went on to marry William Allen and gave birth to two boys; John was born in November of 1965 and my husband, James, was born in April of 1966,” she said. “She passed away from a blood clot; her father had a stroke, high blood pressure and epilepsy. These are some health issues that my husband’s half-sister may suffer.”

Diane was short, maybe 5′ 3″ or 4″ with dirty blonde to light brown hair and blue eyes. She also had dental problems which resulted in her having dentures eventually.

“She always had a space between her two front teeth which was not unappealing; it was just something that made her Diane. She loved reading and journaling, collecting dolls (and dressing them up) and she loved Red Fenton. She loved beagles, too,” Allen said. “She would sew and made quilts often for her grandchildren. She was very good with money and could manage it better than anyone I have ever met.”

“When I came along, with a daughter from a previous relationship, she became very attached to her; always dressing her up and taking her to the hair salon,” Allen continued.

James Allen has worked for more than 23 years building water tanks for Statewide Aquastore out of Syracuse. He grew up in Ilion. They could hire a private investigator, but, have no desire for the woman to find out that way, if she doesn’t know she was adopted, Stella Allen said.

“Yet, if she is searching and she should read this or recognize similarities in a photo we want her to know she has two brothers and several nephews and a niece waiting for her,” she added.

Her husband’s father, Bill Allen, was sick (not the baby’s father) and came to live out his last few weeks with Kim and James where they could (hospice) care for him.

“The night before he passed, we sat in his room sipping on Chamomile tea and were watching TV news. There was a story about something going on in Cicero. He looked at me and said, ‘I am not going to live long, you know that and I know that. Jim is loosing his father and he already lost his mother. If you want to search for his sister, I suggest looking in the Cicero area that is all I know.’ So, if the child was born in Oswego, the chances are she may have been taken to Onondaga County to stay in a foster home until she was adopted,” Allen said. “We are very anxious to meet her. But, also sensitive to the idea she may not know or may not have a desire to meet. If that is the case we accept that and at least my husband got to reach out and let her know she is loved and wanted.”

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/woman-seeks-help-finding-husbands-long-lost-sister/

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