Once made up of nine family members, the Cappetta siblings were separated by the state after their father died and their mother had been unable to care for them. Yet, a bittersweet reunion of two siblings partly overcame decades of familial separation, writes Jo Ciavaglia for the Bucks County Courier Times.

When social workers had removed them in the 1960s, one went to a Catholic home for boys and several went to orphanages. Meanwhile, Michael Cappetta and his sister Helen ended up at Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Chester County. Into adulthood, several of the Cappetta siblings reconnected haphazardly.

However, Michael and Helen parted ways in 1987 once Pennhurst ceased operations for violating patients’ rights. Michael’s passing this past February spurred Montgomery County Deputy Coroner Adam Shellenhamer to seek a next of kin. He connected with Helen and later her other brother, Harry Cappetta.

The two were able to attend the service and finally bid their lost family member farewell.

Although Harry’s memories of Michael have been blurred by the decades, Helen has clearer recollections due to her time with him at the Chester County facility.

“He drank a lot of coffee,” she said. She also remembers his enjoyment of Tarzan movies.

Read more about the Cappetta siblings in the Bucks County Courier Times.