IVINS, Utah — Long lost brothers met for the first time at the 85th birthday celebration of their father.
Mark Martindale and Michael Reed both recently found out through DNA testing that their father is Dennis Fay.
While both men met Fay after receiving the test results, they didn’t meet each other until this weekend.
“We found him [Fay] separately and independently of each other,” Martindale said. “It’s just been a marvelous, marvelous encounter.”
Fay believes the large gathering is possible only because of DNA testing.
“Without the DNA thing, part of my life would be missing,” Fay said. “Coming here for my birthday, I don’t know how many more I got, but I am going to remember this one.”
For the brothers, after overcoming decades of not knowing along with some nerves, the meeting was well worth the wait.
“You don’t know how well that would be received, a stranger entering other people's lives, 61 years down the road,” Martindale said. “We found out we had some parallel background.”
Fay has 11 children, which means scores of other relatives attended the reunion and met Mark and Michael for the first time.
“They have taken these two men into their lives as if they have known them their whole life,” Fay said.
