![\"A](\"http:\/\/hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_0686.jpg\")
<\/a>A picture of my uncle and father from Atlantic City<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The back of the picture<\/p><\/div>\n
Franz grew up during World War II in France, living with his mother and grandmother. His mother traveled a lot as a musician and the war years made living in France difficult. She contracted tuberculosis and spent much time in her later years in a sanatorium.\u00a0 Franz and his mother rarely had time together to talk. When he did get a chance to see his mother he never asked any questions about his father.\u00a0 In 1951 when Franz was only 13 years old, his mother died of tuberculosis. His mother never married or had another man in her life which, as Franz states, demonstrated the love she had for our father. Growing up, his mother mentioned to him that his father was a soccer player and told him my dad\u2019s name. He didn\u2019t get possession of the picture Mily had until the death of his grandmother.<\/p>\n
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When his mother died he was without a parent and would have been sent to a public assistance\u00a0 orphanage had he not been adopted by his grandmother, L\u00e9a Fisse (after divorcing her husband L\u00e9a changed her married name, G\u00e9rard, back to her maiden name, Fisse). Franz, on being adopted, retained his mother\u2019s last name and appended it with his grandmother\u2019s name and was now Franz Elie G\u00e9rard-Fisse. It was hard for Franz to grow up without his mother and not knowing his father. Franz didn\u2019t discuss his father with his grandmother. He has no explanation as to why he didn\u2019t. Perhaps he had too much respect for his grandmother, or because he was afraid of the answer she would give him.<\/p>\n
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When Franz was about 24 years old, he had a colleague who was visiting the United States try to find his father. His friend\u2019s search was successful. He managed to find our family. He discovered\u00a0 that my father was married and had three children, two girls and a boy. He contacted my father. I was 11 years old and was not aware of anything that was going on. I would not learn about the rumored existence of Franz until much later. On returning to France, his friend gave Franz my father\u2019s address. Franz immediately wrote a letter to my father trying to make contact. The letter was returned \u201caddress unknown\u201d. Was it an incorrect address? Or had the mail been refused? Franz never tried to contact his father again. According to Franz fate had decided, he assumed his father wasn\u2019t interested. As time passed he destroyed the letter.<\/p>\n
…to be continued\u00a0in part 3<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Having written the story of Finding my Brother from my side of the ocean, I thought it time to try and write the story of Franz from his side. Understand that most of this information has come from his wife … Continue reading