North Walsham man, 81, flies to Las Vegas to meet sister for first time

Shirley Jones, 79, and her brother John Ellis, 81, meet for the first time at Las Vegas airport after finding out about each other in March

An 81-year-old man has met his sister for the first time after travelling 18 hours to her home in Las Vegas.

John Ellis, from North Walsham in Norfolk, grew up in a children's home and only discovered he had four younger siblings in March.

He flew to meet his sister Shirley Jones, 79, after speaking to her every week since being contacted by a genealogy website.

When asked what it meant to meet, the pair replied: "Everything!"

Mr Ellis was met at the airport in Las Vegas by his sister who hugged him and said: "I've waited a lifetime for that."

She was accompanied by her daughter, who also embraced Mr Ellis, greeting him as "Uncle John".

Before the pair walked out of the airport arm-in-arm, Mr Ellis said: "When we found out... we were over the moon."

Mr Ellis said it was a "shock" to find out he had such a big family

Mrs Jones was one of four younger siblings who Mr Ellis only discovered existed earlier this year after the siblings contacted a website for adopted people to trace their family trees.

He received a letter from the site and said although he had been placed in a home with his oldest sister and was aware he had one younger sister, it was a "shock" to find he had such a big family.

'Fate was there'

He has visited Nuneaton in the Midlands to see his other siblings, but had to wait to arrange travel plans to finally meet Mrs Jones, who moved to America after marrying a US serviceman seconded to the former USAF Sculthorpe base in Norfolk.

"My sister used to come over to England and go to the telephone boxes to see if there were any Ellisses in the phone book and she never did [find me]. Me and the wife were always ex-directory," said Mr Ellis.

"Fate was there and gave me another chance - I'll take it with both hands."