Success Stories

Doris (Barker) Coughtrey and Irene (Barker) Baker An extra special Christmas was in store for a grandmother who was reunited with her sister after more than 76 years. Doris Coughtrey is thrilled that a friend’s determination has helped her to track down her long lost family. Sixty-six-year-old Gordon Low, managed to find Doris’s sister Irene Baker, 85, who lives in Kent. Grandmother Doris, 79, hasn’t seen her sister for more than 76 years but thanks to Gordon she is now able to talk to her regularly on the phone. Gordon said: “I applied for Irene’s birth certificate from the Family Records Office and once I received this I was able to track down further information. “I then went on Genes Reunited and discovered that Doris’s nephew Ken Barker and great niece Julie Howarth had been looking for her and, within a matter of hours, Doris was on the phone talking to her long lost family.” Doris said: “I can’t believe I’ve found my family after all these years. We have so much to catch-up on and I owe it all to Gordon. “I have discovered I have many nieces and nephews that I didn’t even know existed and I still have another brother, Robert Barker, to find which Gordon is helping me to track down.“ Irene is in a nursing home at present but Doris keeps in contact with her and they hope to meet in the New Year. Doris has already met Irene’s daughter and granddaughter and said: “It was very emotional and I am glad to have met them after all these years. I had so many questions and now at least I have the answers to most. 'In total I have five brothers and a sister sadly though only me, Irene, John (Jack) and Robert are still alive.” Doris added: “It is important to make notes for your children about your family history as one day they’ll want to know and hopefully they won’t have to go through what I’ve been through.”