Superior man reunites with family

SUPERIOR – After almost 80 years, a Superior resident was finally reunited with his birth family.

Johan Nilsen was born in 1935 in Mississippi and put up for adoption almost immediately. He was placed in a foster home and raised by the couple who fully adopted him when he was seven years old. Growing up was something of a struggle because Nilsen’s adopted parents were already over 50 and at a point in life where raising a child was difficult.

Throughout his life, Nilsen said he felt out of place and described himself as ‘the baby who got thrown out with the bath water.’ It was hard for Nilsen to not know who his parents were. Growing up he did not fully understand what it meant to be adopted. He recalled how a boy tried to cause problems and explained what the word meant, pushing Nilsen into a rage.

Because of heart problems Nilsen had a difficult time as a child, but he grew up healthy and eventually started his own family. He married Agnes, who has been his wife for 50 years, and had two children with her. Throughout all of this, Johan never truly knew where he came from.

All his life Nilsen was curious who his birth parents were and missed the emotional connections he saw in biological families. For Father’s Day this year, Johan’s daughter gave him a DNA test from ancestry.com. People who use the tests can send them to the website’s lab to get information on other site users who may be related to them. According to Agnes, there were over 100 pages of matches from the one test, all of whom were somehow related to Johan.

Once the Nilsens had the first list, Agnes sent out emails to the people with the closest relations. A short time later, an email came back from one of the contacts. Laurie Diamant was listed as Johan’s second cousin and it turned out her great aunt was his birth mother. Johan also learned he had a sister, who had recently passed, but saw pictures and heard stories about her.

The Nilsens and Diamant quickly got to talking and exchanged pictures, spoke on the phone and began to connect as family. After approximately an hour on the phone, Diamant said she would contact other members of the family and would call back.

Soon, the Nilsen’s phone was ringing off the hook with calls as cousins, nieces and nephews contacted Johan to introduce themselves. According to Agnes, one niece called and the first thing she said was ‘hello uncle Johan.’

At some point, the idea of a visit came up and plans began to form. About four members of the new family came to visit. A fifth was supposed to come, but was unable to get away for the trip. The new relatives were eager to welcome their long lost family member and did not hesitate to make the trip to visit and meet Johan.

“When they mentioned coming, we were just elated and they couldn’t wait to get here,” said Agnes.

Diamant went an extra mile and created T-shirts for everyone to commemorate the special occasion. According to Johan, he only began to worry when word came the family had passed St. Regis. When they arrived, it was like they had been family for years as both sides took to each other quickly.

“It was overwhelming,” said Johan. “It was so much love that these people had come from California to see me and it was like we had been neighbors all our lives…it is such a high to be loved by your own family.”

During the visit, Johan was given one of the best gifts of all, a true Thanksgiving dinner with his biological family. He had never experienced Thanksgiving with people he was related to. Though it was still a month away, the family celebrated early with all the dishes and traditions.

“To me, every time you’re with family should be a special time,” said Agnes. “I wanted him to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family.”

The Nilsens’ daughter was able to come and blended in immediately. While the Nilsen’s son was invited, he was unable to make it for the occasion. According to Agnes, there were no strange feelings about the encounter. The feelings of love were indescribable and neither of the Nilsens could express the emotions felt throughout the experience. According to Johan, it is a feeling a person cannot truly understand unless they experience it. It was a time none of them will ever forget.

“It was fabulous,” said Nilsen. “That was the best birthday or Christmas present anyone could ever get.”

The Nilsens are in active contact with Johan’s newly discovered family. Future visits from Diamant are eagerly anticipated with other relatives reported to be saving up to make the trip. According to the Nilsen’s, new relatives call and email all the time to introduce themselves. Johan said he was amazed at how many people he could now count as family.