A chance internet search last year led Mary Liska of Winnipeg to discover unknown family connections in Powell River.
Liska was given up for adoption in 1966 at two months of age. Sadly, she learned the identity of her birth mother, Margaret, after her death.
Last fall, Liska typed her mother’s maiden name into an internet search engine and a result led to June MacKenzie’s obituary in the Peak. Liska found her mother had been June’s identical twin sister, and that she had a large extended family in the region. She had no way to get in touch with the family, though.
When a second obituary appeared this September for June and Don MacKenzie’s son, Joseph, Liska said she felt she had to reach out before all her relatives were gone. She wrote to the Peak and asked if her contact details could be given to the family.
“Within 24 hours of contacting the paper they were able to get me in touch with Don,” said Liska. “It was truly a small miracle.”
Don and June MacKenzie were married for 55 years. They moved to Powell River with their two small children from Fort William, Ontario, in 1970. Liska was born the same year as Joseph and they had known of her birth at the time, said MacKenzie.
“Back in those days everything was taboo,” he said. “There was no welfare and Margaret couldn’t raise her on her own so she put her up for adoption.”
Joseph had battled cancer as a child and wasn’t supposed to reach his 19th birthday, said MacKenzie. “He died two days short of his 52nd birthday.”
To receive the unexpected contact from Liska after a year of loss and grief was joyful and overwhelming for MacKenzie.
“After what I’ve been through it’s been nothing but excitement and good times for the last three weeks,” he said. “My family is expanding again.”
Since October 25, Liska, MacKenzie and his daughter Lenore Marko have been talking for hours, sharing pictures and planning to meet.
“I hung on every word when they told me about the family and growing up in Powell River,” said Liska.
On November 12, Liska flew from Winnipeg to Comox and MacKenzie took the ferry over to meet her.
“Don greeted me at the airport with open arms and a dozen roses,” said Liska. “He hugged me and we both had a cry.”
The pair then travelled to meet Marko and her three children and grandchildren in Port Alberni.
“It was a beautiful reunion. It was joyous. Lots of hugs and ‘I love yous,’" added Liska. “I’ll spend a lot of time cherishing those moments.”
Liska and MacKenzie will visit Powell River this week before she flies home to Winnipeg. She is thankful her online search led to such an outpouring of love and family reconnection.
“This is the beautiful thing of the internet,” said Liska. “It’s how I discovered my family.”
