It was in the fall of 1961, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that a 21-year-old Fred Lizyness first set eyes on his daughter, Aida.
Lizyness was in the midst of a six-year tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, stationed at the Naval Base in San Juan.
Shortly after Aida’s birth, in October of that year, he was shipped out on the U.S.S. Lorian County. Though he may not have known it then, it would be 45 years before he would look into his daughter’s eyes again.
On Dec. 23, a somewhat uneasy, but excited, Lizyness set out from his Lake Orion home for Metropolitan Airport, where he was reunited with Aida and his 5-year-old great-granddaughter, Iriada.
While the reunion was several weeks in the making, Lizyness said he was nevertheless emotionally unprepared for the meeting.
‘I didn’t know how I would feel or how I would act,? he said. ‘After we found each other in the crowd, we just ran toward one another and I hugged her. Then my granddaughter came up, and she hugged me like she knew me all my life.?
Lizyness, now 66, credited Aida for taking the initiative to contact him and establish a father-daughter relationship. He recalled some of the circumstances of their long estrangement.
‘I remember spending a little bit of time with her before I got shipped out,? said Lizyness. ‘But it was long enough to change her diapers a few times. I lost contact with her mother and didn’t know what happened to them.?
Aida, now 45, still lives in Puerto Rico, where she works as a secretary at a doctor’s office.
Having been raised by her grandmother, she has a 25-year-old son, John Quinones Lopez, who is the father of Iriada.
While not fluent in English, Aida understands and speaks the language well enough to converse on a basic level with her father and others.
She explained that she had wanted to meet her father, and mother, for as far back as she could remember. An earlier meeting with her mother ‘didn’t go well,? she said, without elaborating.
‘Since I was about 10 or 11, when I was able to understand, I wanted to meet my father,? Aida recalled. ‘When I would go to San Juan, I would see the people in the Navy and think that my father had been there. I would think about meeting him.?
It took patience, persistence, some details from her grandmother and the power of the Internet for Aida to finally track down her father.
‘She somehow found my address online,? said Lizyness, who professed to not having a computer, himself. ‘She told me that she had been looking for me for a long time.
‘I got the first call from her on October 29,? he said. ‘Since then, she has been writing and sending family pictures so we would recognize each other when we met.?
Several weeks ago, Lizyness sent Aida a money order to purchase tickets for a flight to Detroit, hopefully during the holidays.
A recent bicycle accident that sent Iriada to the hospital nearly spoiled their plans. But the 5-year-old healed up well enough to make the trip.
The visitors had a great time, and finally saw some snow on the ground on their last day. It was a first-time experience for both Aida and her granddaughter.
Lizyness said Santa Claus paid the family a visit, bringing some Christmas gifts for Iriada.
‘She got Barbie dolls and nice new clothes,? said Aida, adding that her granddaughter seemed in no hurry to go home to Puerto Rico.
The newly-united family has been busy, spending time visiting Lizyness? family members in Monroe and Dearborn.
Aida enjoyed getting out and meeting people, but preferred spending more time with her father.
‘I’m happy to be here,? she said. ‘I want to be with him. I don’t have to go anywhere. I’m happy here.?
Like all good things that come to an end, daughter and great-granddaughter flew back to Puerto Rico on Jan. 8, so Aida could resume her duties at work.
Neither Lizyness nor Aida was anxious for that day to come, and preferred not to think about it.
‘It will be sad,? said Aida. ‘This is what I wanted — to meet my father.?
Lizyness said his life has changed since his daughter found him. He intends to keep the lines of communication open.
‘I never dreamed this could happen,? he said. ‘It’s been wonderful and she’s the one who did it.
‘I think it’s the best Christmas I’ve ever had.?