Mike Daniels and Patricia Cuddy recently found their mother after 50 years of separation. Daniels and Cuddy are pictured here with their two sisters around the time they last saw their mother. (Photo submitted) |
Patricia Cuddy and Mike Daniels aren’t sure when they last saw their mother, sometime between 1961 and 1963. Daniels would have been about 5 or 6 years old, and Cuddy believes she was around 8 or 10.
Their parents divorced when they were young children, and Daniels said he has no memory of his parents ever living together. His earliest memories are of being with his mother, Nora Chaney, in Roswell, N.M., when his father came to take the four Daniels children to live with him.
“Even though we didn’t see her in 50 years, I always thought about her,”¿Daniels said.
Their father, Richard Daniels, was remarried and never permitted his children to speak of their mother. Cuddy and Daniels said they aren’t sure why they had to go live with their father, though they do know that, at that time, Chaney did not have the means to financially support four children.
“We weren’t supposed to say nothing about it, or mention it,” Daniels said of the family’s situation.
Growing up, the elder Daniels moved his children and seven stepchildren around the country while working as an electrician, including Ohio, Wyoming and Michigan. Daniels and Cuddy both wondered what happened to their mother, but had no way of getting information. Although both said their stepmother was kind and took good care of them, it didn’t replace having their own mother. Daniels recalled going to church on Mother’s Day, and being reminded that he couldn’t spend the holiday with his mother.
As teenagers, Daniels and Cuddy moved to Winchester, and still live here today.When Richard Daniels and his wife both died in September 2006, Cuddy, Daniels and their sisters Peggy Maynor and Donna Foster starting looking for Chaney, to no avail. They learned that Chaney moved to Texas to live with her brother shortly after the children left New Mexico, so they started placing ads in Texas newspapers.
“Dad passed away suddenly, and we didn’t get anything out of him, and we were trying to locate her and find her wherever we could, check the papers down in Texas. We didn’t have any leads,” Cuddy said.
The siblings were able to find their mother’s birth certificate, their parents’ marriage license and divorce papers, but never found a death certificate. They hoped that meant she was still alive, but there was little to aid them in their search.When social worker Ann Rose met Nora Chaney in Fort Worth, Texas, it wasn’t long before she learned about Chaney’s four children, and her long separation from them. Rose promised she would help Chaney find them, and thanks to information on Richard Daniels’ death certificate, she tracked down one of his stepdaughters in Ohio.
“Mom was talking about us, and telling her about our story, and she said, ‘If they’re out there, I will find them,’ and she was able to find us,” Cuddy said.
After so many years of searching, Daniels and Cuddy said there is no way to describe how they feel finally being in contact with their mother.
“It seems like it’s a miracle. We didn’t think we were going to find her, and then she just popped up. We couldn’t believe it, she couldn’t believe it, and we’ve just been trying to figure out ways we can get to her,” Cuddy said.
Because Chaney’s health is declining, and she is suffering from dementia, Daniels and Cuddy said they hope to make it to Texas as soon as possible.They have talked to Chaney several times on the phone, and Rose frequently shows her their pictures. Details of her life during the past 50 years are still sketchy, because of her failing memory. Daniels said they believe she worked in restaurants in Texas, but they have no idea how she acquired the last name Chaney. As far as Daniels and Cuddy know, Chaney never remarried.According to Chaney, she did try to find the children, but the family’s frequent moves made it difficult to track them down. Daniels learned after his father’s death that Chaney sent a letter to one of his sisters via their grandmother, but the children never saw the letter. Chaney’s name change made the search difficult for the siblings.
“She kept saying, ‘Don’t believe I¿didn’t love you, I just couldn’t find you,’” Cuddy said.
Although Ann Rose gives the family reports on their mother’s health, and they talk to her frequently, both Daniels and Cuddy said they hope to be able to travel to Texas and assess the situation for themselves. Because of their financial situations, a trip currently is not possible.
“That’s been our problem, trying to figure out how to get there. ... We’re making progress,” Cuddy said.
Ann Rose also said it is important for the family to be able to come to Texas, as they will likely have to make decisions about Chaney’s health care. For now, though, Daniels and Cuddy consider simply knowing where Chaney lives and hearing her voice a blessing.
“It’s one of those feelings, it’s still kind of shock. Even though she’s your mother, you’re still like strangers,” Daniels said.
Contact Rachel Parsons at rparsons@winchestersun.com.
