In 1970, Patricia “Pat” Wilson and her ex-husband had a simple custody agreement in place for their son, Sean Barron.

Sean’s father had regular visitation dates, with each visit lasting a few hours. But one day, Pat and her new husband, Bob Wilson, grew worried when Sean was not returned to them on time. Her sense of panic growing, Pat reached out to mutual friends and family, but no one could help.

She wouldn’t see her son for the next 46 years.

Thankfully, Sean’s wife, Trysha Barron, is the tech-savvy sort. Trysha found her mother-in-law through ancestry.com and connected her to her estranged son via Facebook on May 21, 2016, the morning of Pat’s 70th birthday.

Pat and Sean reunited this August in Sean and Trysha’s hometown, Anchorage, Alaska.

“The experience was just incredible,” Pat said. “Bob and I got to the airport and all we knew was that he would have a sign. So we’re walking through the airport and I’m seeing all these families. But then there he was, holding a sign that read ‘Mom.’

“I was just so happy and overwhelmed – I just dropped my suitcases, ran over, and wrapped my arms around him and didn’t want to let go.”

The way we were

Technology in 1970, of course, was nothing like it is today. When hours passed and Pat realized her son and his father had gone missing, the worry and panic set in.

Those feelings quickly turned to motivation to find Sean.

But Pat and Bob had no idea where Pat’s 3-year-old son could be, and they had no leads to help them search.

“They were only supposed to be gone for a couple hours,” Pat recalled. “When he didn’t come back, we knew something was up. We called mutual friends, and nobody seemed to know anything. In those days, the authorities just didn’t get involved with custody. So we had to keep calling people but nobody could help.

“So that was the thing. It was like the end… We hired a private detective, but it just floundered and we couldn’t find any trace of him.”

With a heavy heart, Pat made the hardest decision she’d ever make: She gave up the search for her son.

“We just had to go on with life,” Pat said. “I never gave up hope that I would, at some time, see Sean again.”

Moving on

Pat and her husband moved from Auburn to Federal Way. Pat became a teacher with Federal Way Public Schools and Bob got a job with Boeing. They had two children.

“We really tried to settle down and have a family of our own,” Pat said. “It was just part of the process of moving on. But there was always hope there that Sean would turn up someday.”

Despite creating a new life, Pat said there was always someone bringing up or asking about Sean. The comments and questions were sincere, but Pat decided to stop talking about her missing son. She couldn’t bear the unpleasantness of the memory.

So close, so far

After reconnecting with Sean, Pat learned her son had been taken by his father. Pat said she’s not upset or angry with her former husband after so much time had passed.

“You would think I would or should be,” she said. “But during that time, I was only worried about Sean. Looking at it now that we have each other again, I’m still not upset. Sean is fine, and he grew up to be a wonderful man.”

Lit up bright red

Sean grew up in Alaska, where he met and married Trysha. Like Pat, Trysha has a keen interest in genealogy, and both have an ancestry.com account. Out of curiosity, Trysha began searching for her husband’s long lost mom.

Pat said she still doesn’t know how Trysha was able to find her. “Patricia Wilson” isn’t exactly a unique name.

“I’ve never been able to piece the whole process together,” Pat said. “Unfortunately, my name is so common. My married name is Wilson and my maiden name is Smith, so it had to be a challenge.”

Trysha found Pat’s current marriage certificate through the site, along with the marriage certificate of Pat’s sister. She discovered Pat’s sister on Facebook and, through that profile, was able to find her mother-in-law.

A few days before her 70th birthday, Pat received a smartphone that had the Facebook app installed. She wasn’t especially fond of Facebook, but she had a basic profile. While figuring out how to set up her email, she noticed the “private message” box on her Facebook account. It was lit up bright red.

Pat said that box is never lit for her, so she put off checking it out. On her birthday, however, she finally decided to see what it was.

It was a message from Trysha.

“No one messages me on Facebook. I’m not that sophisticated about it, but I thought, ‘OK, I’ll press the button and see who it is,'” Pat said. “It turned out to be Sean’s wife. But at the time, I didn’t know that and remember thinking, ‘I have no idea who this young woman is.'”

She admits she was skeptical at first.

“Honestly, when I started reading, I thought it was yet another false lead. Like, I’m going to get back into this and get my heart broken again,” Pat said. “But she gave details about where Sean was born, where he lives now, told me about his children. She sent pictures and I just knew. I was flabbergasted, dumbfounded, overjoyed.

“It was the best birthday present I ever had.”

Pat and Trysha began a back-and-forth dialogue that went on for the next two months.

Keeping connected

Upon finding one another after 46 years of separation, Sean immediately made plans to fly to Washington and visit Federal Way, but Trysha fell ill and he had to stay in Anchorage.

Pat and her husband flew to Alaska in early August. For the first time, the couple got to meet their grandchildren and their daughter-in-law.

Sean is visiting Pat in Federal Way now, staying for 10 days. He returns to Alaska on Sunday.

“We’re having a wonderful time,” Pat said. “We’ve been catching up on things. We actually had a family wedding to go to a day after he got here, so we took him with us. He really had no idea he had an extensive family. He’s visited with my brother – his uncle – who was 19 when Sean was taken. And my brother was devastated, but now they’re catching up on things.”

Sean declined to be interviewed for this story. Pat said he doesn’t remember anything about his life prior to being taken to Anchorage.

Pat said she and Sean have missed out on 46 years of memories, but the two have been inseparable since reuniting. She said the plan is for the family is to stick together, visit and talk regularly.

“Sean always says, ‘Alaskans fly like we go to the grocery store,'” Pat said. “They don’t think anything of getting on a plane. He’s planning on visiting often, and he and I text every day. His wife and I text every day.

“I guess that means I’ll have to be better with Facebook.”