The Codori Family

She married a man named Charles (Chuck) Edward Cadore, who is my biological father. My name was Jennifer Rachel Cadore, I even learned how to write it when I was a little girl in pre-school. When I was about 3 or 4 years old I believe, my parents divorced. The last time I ever saw my father was when I was 4 years old. I always remembered my father and the few memories that I have of him have never escaped from my mind. I remember sitting in the back seat of a car when my mom ran into the grocery store. My dad was sitting in the driver seat of the car and we waited for her to come out. He was drinking a beer and he gave me a sip of it. Not such a good memory I know. One time he was driving the car down the road and I remembered asking him how do you know how to stay in the middle of the lane and he told me, "You have to watch out the front window and you can look at the hood of the car and know that your in the middle." I remember him always playing this little piggy went to the market..ect. with my toes. I also remember his twin brother used to always say see ya later alligator, and bye a while crocodile. Oh and he used to make lizards bite his earlobes and hang like earrings. But the most vivid memory that I have in my mind of my dad is the very last time I saw him. He took me out to have pizza and then afterwards he took me to a toy store and bought me little twin baby dolls one was pink one was blue and they both had pacifiers and when you would take the pacifiers out of their mouth they would cry and say mama! I remember him walking down the sidewalk after dropping me off at home and I never knew that would have been the last time I would see him.

When I was 4.5 years old my mother met another man and married him and he is the one that I call dad to this day. After they got married he adopted me, and I had my name changed to Jennifer Rachel Schreiber. My real father signed over his rights to him, because he knew that at that time of his life wasn't stable enough for a child. He wanted to give me a better life.

As the years went on I always asked my mother about my real dad. Why can't I see him, where is he, do you think he thinks about me, I was so confused and I wanted to see him so bad. My mom always told me that she would let me find him when I was older like 16 because she didn't think that I understood why she did what she did. My real father went through a rough time when I was little he was into drugs really bad and he even went to prison for beating up a guy. So I can understand where my mom came from with her decisions.

When I was about 11 and we lived in Davie, FL and my mom worked at comcast cable. She told me that she had to tell me something and she told me that my father had come into her work at the costumer service counter, and she saw him. He came in to pay his bill. She told me she didn't say anything to him she just looked away and se wasn't sure that he even saw her. Well, I thought oh my gosh he's living right here where we are mom please let me see him. Well she didn't she still wanted me to grow up a little but.

Then the day came I was 12 years old, me, my mom and dad were at lunch at a pizza restaurant (go figure) and she said Jennifer I have something to tell you. Nancy (her first ex husbands girlfriend) called me and told me that she saw Chuck's (my dads) obituary in the newspaper. She shed a couple tears and said I'm sorry your father died Jennifer, and I'm so sorry. It was devastating I was so angry. Now I was never ever going to be able to see him again. I was so mad at my mom for so long because she always kept him from me.

My sisters are all older then me and they remembered my dad. After the news they always told me Jennifer you know he had a twin brother and he's still alive look him up in the phone book. I was always afraid that I was going to get in trouble, so I didn't do it. But one day at my sister Debi's house, I was about 13 still we were talking about it again as usual. And she told me again look him up in the phone book. So I did I found the number in the phone book and called my uncle Billy. he was so shocked to hear from me. My sister Kelly took me to see my grandmother (who I also remembered) and my uncle Billy. What a reunion, They were outside waiting for me as I pulled into the driveway. They both started to cry when they saw me. And they couldn't get over the fact that I looked just like my dad. Well, I kept in touch with them for a couple years. Then we lost touch. Sad!

Again I was upset and felt like ok I put the effort in before to find them and they just let me go. I was young, and didn't understand. But as I grew up a little I felt like I should be the bigger person and find them again. About 4 years ago this feeling came over me that I just had to find them. I pulled out the book I had with all the numbers and address I had and started dialing numbers and they were all disconnected. Great!! I didn't know my aunts last names or anything. Neither Billy or my grandma Jean were listed anywhere. I tried for a while and came across my dads widow's number and called her, she hadn't heard anything from anyone either. The only thing that she told me was that she had seen my uncle's blood work come through the blood bank a few times and that was it. So I looked up some records of my uncle and in the end found out that he had just died in Alabama, which is where my Aunt Barbie lived. Well, I kind of lost hope I thought thought ok well I give up.

I never forgot about them and I did try to look them up time and again when I was on the Internet. Then it happened, after all these years I had this brilliant idea. Just last Friday Jan 25th I called my husband for him to help me out. The only thing I had was old addresses of my aunts. No last names. So I asked him to pull up a web site that he knows of and look up a property address and see if it had listed previous owners names and if the house had been sold. BINGO!!! There it was my aunt Sharon's name. I went on 411.com and typed in her name and Bam there was an address and phone number. Then I had my husband look up that address and make sure that person still owned the house. And sure enough yes she did. I called the number and she answered the phone I asked her if she was the sister of chuck Cadore that was deceased and she said yes, I started crying cause I was so happy. I found them!! She gave me my Aunt Barbie's name and I found her number and address online. I called the number and sure enough she answered and my grandma Jean was there too. This was awesome. All in one day I found my family after all these years. It has been amazing. I found out history I never would have known about. I have cousins is many states. And come to find out they have been trying to find me also, but they had my wrong last name. This has been such a blessing. I can't wait to see them all again. I'm planning a trip to Alabama for spring break to see my grandma jean and aunt Barbie. I have a cousin Jeanne in Utah that called me Fri. night and was ecstatic that she was talking to me on the phone she was amazed just like I was.

My circle is finally closed. I don't have a missing part of my life anymore. I'm a whole person now. This time I am NOT for any reason going to disconnect from my family, ever! It's strange to say but I love them so much even though I don't really know them. They're a part of ME. And most importantly now me and Hannah will know where our roots came from. I am so happy and grateful, for family.

2014
Harper family.
The Harper family with their new addition. 12/11/2008	The pumpkin patch 10/15/2008
Six pictures below taken 9/2008
Jennifer with daughter Hannah 9/1/2008
A new addition to the family tree in the making 4/2008
Patricia Campbell with Jennifer. 4/27/2008	Jennifer and Christopher with daughter Hannah 4/27/2007.
Jennifer with aunt Barbara. 2008	Jennifer with grandmother Jean. 2008
Jennifer with grandmother Jean (center) and aunt Barbara (right).	Four generations: L to R: Jean, Jennifer, Barbara and Hannah. 2008



Jennifer with daughter Hannah.	The Harper Family Christopher with wife Jennifer and Hannah.
Jennifer and Christopher.	Jennifer with Hannah.
A very young Hannah and Jennifer.