Arranging a unique reunion
On a December morning in 1974, a young family living in the suburbs of the Twin Cities was struck by an unimaginable tragedy caused by a faulty heater. John, 25, and Linda Ann Michels, 22, succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning in the middle of the night, leaving their children — Elizabeth, 2, and Matthew, 3 — unconscious but still alive.
My father, a Hennepin County sheriff’s deputy at the time, was the first to arrive on the scene. The family’s trailer home had filled with deadly CO2 gas, but by the grace of God, the window in the children’s bedroom had been left open just enough to dilute the toxic air. As soon as the two young kids saw my father, they rushed over to him and clung to his uniform, refusing to let go until they had gotten out of the trailer. Dad still chokes up whenever he tells the story. Out of all the calls he responded to over his years as a police officer, this was one of the ones he remembers the most. He feels fortunate to have arrived in time to save the lives of two children, but I think the sudden deaths of the two parents have always haunted him, especially with a pair of kids left behind.
This, actually, is not the end of the story. This last January, my dad asked me if I could find any news articles about this tragedy from 1974. I frequently look up old news stories at newspapers. com — an amazing treasure trove of archived newspapers — and, sure enough, the right set of search terms revealed a three-paragraph article in the Dec. 10, 1974 edition of the Star Tribune. I immediately downloaded a PDF of the page and emailed it off to my dad, not knowing what it would lead to.
Using information from the article and some other information he found online, my dad was able to track down the daughter of the couple who perished 47 years earlier. He called her out of the blue, explained who he was, and found out that she and her brother were still living in Minnesota. They had been raised by their grandparents, and her brother ended up taking over a family farm. My father suggested that he and my mom meet the woman for lunch near their home in Brainerd. The woman agreed, and the three of them had what must of have been one of the most unique and emotional reunions you can imagine.
Afterwards, my dad said it was a “bucket list” item for him to track down those kids he encountered so many years ago. I was more than happy to help him accomplish this goal and a little astounded that it actually worked.
So, I was glad to deliver my Father’s Day gift early this year. It didn’t cost any money, but I think it was better than a new pair of socks.
OUT FOR A WALK
KEVIN O’BRIEN
EDITOR