After Decades of Waiting, a Man Reunites with the Father He Long Searched For
August 17, 2026
Joshua Schneeloch spent 19 years in a German Catholic orphanage, always hoping for a family to call his own. His journey to find his father took more than five decades, culminating in a heartfelt reunion that was discovered through a DNA test.
Joshua Schneeloch and Arthur Colbert / KLTV 7
Despite growing up in an orphanage in Germany and never being adopted, Joshua constantly hoped he would be welcomed into a family. Reflecting on his childhood, he often questioned, “When you see other kids be picked up by parents, you start realizing: Hey, why is nobody picking me up?” he shared.
Every day, he would pray with his rosary with one heartfelt wish: “Please. One day, I want to meet my father.” His prayer began to be answered over the last year.
The search began when Joshua’s wife, Nicole Pavelka, gifted him an Ancestry DNA kit. Despite being aware of the potential emotional challenges, she believed he deserved to uncover his roots. “I knew that he has a family. Two kids and myself, right? He belongs,” Pavelka expressed.
With assistance from a genealogy expert, they traced his lineage, identifying several cousins and finally receiving a phone call Joshua had been longing for. “One day she called me and said, ‘I think I found your father,’” Joshua recounted.
His father, Arthur Colbert, was unaware of the child he had fathered during his military service in Europe in the late 1960s. Arthur explained, “I did not know that I had left a baby over there in Germany when I was transferred back to the United States. If I had known that I would’ve brought him back to the United States with me!”
Joshua reached out to the man who might be his father without revealing his identity initially. During their conversation, Arthur mentioned his time in Germany, including Kaiserslautern, in 1969 and 1970, which confirmed Joshua’s suspicions.
“And I stopped talking. Because I just spoke with my father,” Joshua said. The subsequent DNA test results were conclusive, determining Arthur was his father with 99.99% certainty. “And it was like…wow!” Joshua exclaimed.
The emotional reunion between Joshua and Arthur was profound. “Walking towards my dad was probably the longest walk I’ve ever done in my life,” shared Joshua. Arthur also recalled, “We met each other and both shed tears!”
In a touching gesture, Joshua gifted his father the rosary that had been a symbol of his prayers. “Putting my rosary around his neck, the rosary from every time I prayed…he has it now,” Joshua shared.
The reunion extended beyond just his father. In Jefferson, Texas, Joshua met with over 60 relatives, welcoming him for the first time. His longing for belonging was finally fulfilled as he stood among family members eager to embrace him. “I’m overwhelmed for how much they welcomed me,” he said.
The experience held deep significance for Joshua, who had been haunted by questions common among orphans. “The biggest fear you have as an orphan is to be pushed away,” he explained. “Why am I not loved? Why am I not home? Why am I not being picked up? What’s going on? What did I do wrong?”
After 55 years, the answers were clear. He was loved and he was finally home. “That’s the biggest gift you can get. To be loved.”
