Speedy Search Succeeds

Aged Endearment kit by Creative Victorian Designs

The article in this layout is from when I found my father in 1982. I had called the newspaper simply to ask "what was the world record for finding someone?" I was excited that they wanted to interview my...but saddened when I picked up the paper and it was riddled with jumbled facts. So here I will share the whole TRUE story of how it all unfolded.

Before the stroy:
I was 18 years old in December of 1982, living in Modesto CA. I had a roommate and live-in boyfriend. My roommate like me was raised by her mother's family, and had never had contact with her father. We were talking one morning (Dec 7) about how we'd like to find our fathers, and find out where we came from. We called Social Secrity Administration (SSA), who directed us to write three letters; one to SSA explaining why you want to find said person, a letter with all information you know about the person you want to find (last known whereabouts/scars/alias/tattoo. etc...), and lastly a letter to the person you are trying to find. We called our mothers to gather additional information and began to write our letters. My boyfriend came home from work for lunch and asked "You know what area their families lived when your mothers and fathers were together, right?" "You know names of family members, right?" "Call information (free back then) in those areas and try to find family." And that's what we did.

The Article: (and amendments)

Speedy Search Succeds

Some people spend there lives looking for missing parents. Stacye Gridley, 18, of Modesto found her father in less than 48 hours. (No, it was less than 2 hours)

"If I see it in the paper, " she says, "I'll believe it."

Stacye was born in Martinez in 1964. Her father, Richard Gridley, and her mother Joyce Mendes of Turlock for eight years, separated months earlier. (I knew how much dad hated being called Richard...he is Rick...Grandpa was Richard)

Stacye, mother of 20-month-old Michael White and a self described "house-mouse," had asked her mother about her father at times, but started her hunt in earnest on Dec 8 with a call to Sacramento area information. (The search started on Dec 7, I called my mom that morning, I called information in Anderson CA)

She called all the Arnold Gridleys around and soon talked to a grandfather in Shingletown she'd never met. He said he thought his son was in Houston, Tex., and another call to information followed. (I was searching for Gridley-Arnold or Richard. Arnold was my uncle-Richard my grandfather. There was no listings for Arnold, only a Richard in Shingletown. And yes...it was my grandfather. My grandfather who had severe asthma, and was in the middle of a nasty attack when he answered the phone. And as selfish as it sounds...my only thought was "please don't die til you tell me where my dad is!" Grandpa said he hadn't seen dad is 12 years, but the last he heard he lived in Houston)

That led to a listing for Rick Gridley, who soon told her he manages seven piano stores, is a songwriter-singer and has children 2-1/2 and 1-1/2, one younger than his daughter's. (I don't know about you-but that confused the heck out of me. Dad told me the managed piano stores, he was a singer-songwriter, he played bass in a band, and that I had a little sister, Lonetta who was 2-1/2 and brother, Kelly who was 1-1/2. Kelly is two months younger than my son Michael)

"Oh my God, I thought I'd never get to talk to you," Stacye says he told her as her tears flowed. She and her fiance plan to visit in February.(First...when I called the # a lady answered, I asked, "Is this the residence of Richard E**** Gridley?" She replied, "Yes, it is." I then asked if he were home, and she said no. But that she expected him home early evening. I left my name (without saying "I'm his daughter") and telephone # and asked for him to call. However, I was very anxious, and I called back after the time she gave me. I asked if he knew my mom, he said "Yes." And I said, "I'm Her daughter...I'm your daughter" Dad responded with, "Oh my God, I thought I'd never get to talk to you." He also told me how he had come looking for me in 1970, and was turned away by my mother's family)

More excited than I had ever been, I called my mom and told her I had just talked to my father. It was around 8pm... I had called her around 11am to get the info, I talked to my grandfather around 12:30pm, and called and left the message for Dad before 1pm. I didn't get to talk to Dad til around 5pm California time.

During a call on Christmas Day, Dad said there was someone who wanted to say, "HI." He put my younger brother Scottie on the phone...that day I found out that I had four more brothers and sisters. I had gone from being an only child to the eldest of 7 in just a few short seconds.