Father and son who became aware of each other through DNA testing meet for the first time
By Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
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TWIN FALLS, Idaho (eastidahonews.com) — Two men on opposite sides of the country started searching years ago for their long-lost relatives. That search brought them face-to-face for the first time last Friday.
Kevin Thompson, 55, of Twin Falls, met his biological father, Paul Griffith, 82, of Dayton, Ohio. They met in Twin Falls after about two years of phone conversations.
In a Zoom call with EastIdahoNews.com, Thompson says this culminated in a 55-year journey, and meeting his dad has been a “fabulous” experience for him.
“I was very excited, couldn’t hardly wait,” Thompson says. “It’s been 55 years in the making.”
Griffith expresses a similar sentiment, saying it’s been “enlightening” to learn about Thompson’s family and upbringing. He’s delighted to discover, “I have a great son.”
Griffith started on this journey about three years ago. His daughter gave him a DNA testing kit for Christmas, but he doesn’t remember what sparked his daughter’s interest in it.
It wasn’t something he paid much attention to at first because he had no idea he had a son.
Griffith says he had a brief relationship with a woman more than 50 years ago when he was serving in Vietnam. They parted ways soon after their introduction and moved forward with life.
Not long into his DNA search, he started getting messages from distant relatives, including one from Thompson.
“At first, I checked with my daughter. I said, ‘This couldn’t be a scam could it? I don’t want to be scammed into getting a hold of somebody (I’m not even related to),’” Griffith recalls.
When he read the message from Thompson, Griffith says he was “floored.”
“I had no idea there was someone out there that could be my son or daughter,” says Griffith. “I was pretty much floored.”
Thompson grew up in Twin Falls and was adopted shortly after birth. Learning who his biological parents are has been a lifelong dream. That led him to pursue answers through DNA testing, which he started a few years before Griffith. It led to his initial contact with Griffith.
“Six months to a year later, we finally got on the phone together,” Thompson says. “I was overjoyed and excited (to hear my dad’s voice for the first time).”
Over the last six days, Thompson says the flow of conversation has felt natural. The pair have learned a lot about each other and discovered similar traits, mannerisms and interests.
“We have similar political likes and dislikes,” Griffith says. “One of the things I was afraid of is that we would be on the opposite end (politically), but come to find out we’re pretty similar (in that area).”
Accompanying Griffith on the trip to Idaho is his daughter, Courtney, and his brother, John, along with Beth Gilmer, Griffith’s niece, and her husband, Barry. They’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with Thompson’s family as well. Thompson is grateful for the connections he’s made with other family members.
Griffith has also enjoyed meeting his grandson for the first time. Thompson’s 15-year-old son, Max, wasn’t home during EastIdahoNews.com’s conversation with the family, but Thompson says it’s been a joyful experience for Max to become acquainted with his grandpa.
Griffith is headed back to Ohio on Thursday, but he’s enjoyed every moment of his time in Twin Falls and the duo plan to stay in touch.
“I’m going to get him (Thompson) into Dayton and we’ll show him where I grew up, where our family grew up and go from there,” says Griffith.
Thompson says he’s looking forward to the trip sometime next year.
“It’s been wonderful and fabulous and I couldn’t ask for anything more,” says Thompson. “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine and it’s finally here.”
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