Childhood sweethearts who fell pregnant at teens reunite 50 years later online

dailystar.co.uk:

teenagers.The high school sweethearts, from Minnesota, US, discovered they were expecting in 1961, when Karen was just 15.She was sent home and made to place her daughter Denise up for adoption before eventually splitting with Denny.Now after more than five decades without speaking, Denny contacted Karen, now a widow, over LinkedIn and it all fell into place.When the pair finally met in person, it was love at first sight and they married just 36 hours later.Karen said: "It felt like nothing much had changed including his dimples when he smiled and the sparkle he has."The couple later reconnected with their daughter, who now uses the name Jean Voxland.Speaking to WCCO, Karen opened up about her past romance with Denny where he would take her to dances and sports matches.

After discovering she was pregnant, her disapproving parents sent her to a Lutheran Social Services home for unmarried mothers.

Denny continued to visit her and was able to hold his daughter for an hour before she was put up for adoption. Karen added: "We had a photo taken off her and that was the last of our memories of her."The young couple stayed together as Denny left to serve in the military in Germany, when he returned home he proposed to Karen.Although this happened in her early 20s, Karen's parents didn't approve of their relationship so she went to complete a degree at uni.Eventually, the couple lost contact after deciding to end their relationship and moved on with new partners.

But Denny never stopped thinking about his childhood sweetheart and said she has always had a "corner of his heart".In 2014, he decided to search for Karen and found her on LinkedIn after discovering she was living in Washington.