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A half-century later, father, daughter reunite
By Judy Erickson
Times Advocate
FALLBROOK - The war in Europe was heating up when a Fallbrook woman lost her Army officer father in 1944.
Although he didn't die, Stella Garrett-Uptain was only 6 months old when her mother divorced Louis George
Glomb, who was serving in Japan and Germany.
Garrett-Uptain's mother re-married and changed her name, which made it even harder for Glomb to find her when the war was over. For 49 years, father and daughter had wondered if the other were alive or dead. But the two never gave up on finding each other.
Tuesday afternoon, their persistence paid off.
Glomb, 73, drove all the way from El Paso, Texas, in time for
Garrett-Uptain's 50th birthday next week.
The retired soldier had no trouble following the yellow ribbons and balloons to the banner and hero's welcome at
Garrett-Uptain's home.
Garrett-Uptain found her father through Victoria Robinson of Worldwide Tracers of Fallbrook, who said tracking Glomb was embarrassingly simple, yet rewarding.
"There are cases and then there are cases," said Robinson. "There are ones I get emotionally involved with and Stell's [case] is one."
Said Garrett-Uptain: "There's the father I never had. And now years later - it's truly remarkable. It's just so hard waiting for him to get here."
Robinson always screens people before she arranges meetings because some don't want to be found.
"This man was so thrilled," she said of Glomb. "He was always thinking of Stella and wondered how she was and if she was OK. It's such a happy occasion for her. She wants to share it."
Robinson got into the tracing business after her own long search for the father she was told never wanted her.
"Everything's been going so fast," said Garrett-Uptain, who has been corresponding and exchanging photos with her father since June 27, when Robinson found him.
She recalls the day Robinson called with good news: "It was 100 degrees out there and there were chills all over me. I haven't slept in two nights, just waiting for this."
A free-lance photography assignment was the only thing that kept Glomb from arriving at
Garrett-Uptain's sooner. When he finally arrived, there were plenty of hugs and smiles all around. The two were starry eyed.
"The last three years, I needed to find out about my father," explained
Garrett-Uptain. "It's the best thing I've done in my life. I got to thinking, 'He's 73 years old and if I don't do something now, I'll never know.'"
Garrett-Uptain's husband, Waid Garrett, said he, too, is relieved by the reunion, because holidays had always been depressing for her when she thought of her lost father.
Although Garrett-Uptain had hoped she would find a whole lost family, including brothers and sisters, "She's all I have left," said
Glomb, who lost his parents, five brothers, son and second wife.
Since arriving, Glomb learned he has two grandsons and two great-grandchildren, whom he will meet next weekend.
"We're going to have lots to talk about," said Garrett-Uptain.
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