Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

Michael Erbes knows he has family in Forest Lake.

Possibly a mother and a father.

A whole passel of brothers and sisters.

Aunts. Uncles. Cousins. Nieces. Nephews.

But he doesnít know a single one of them.

Erbes was born at District Memorial Hospital at 4:48 a.m. January 26, 1967.

This year, the man who makes his home in Grand Island, NE, canít quite imagine a better present for his thirty eighth birthday than learning the origin of his roots.

Adopted at birth, Erbes has been searching for his birth mother since he was 16-years-old.

ìThey told me to call back when I was 18. I did and they still couldnít tell me anything,î Erbes said.

About four years ago he bought a computer in hopes it would help with his search in finding people who look like him. But he has had little luck in finding answers.

He found an agency to help him, but they said it would cost him $700ówith no guarantees.

Still, he pushes on. In the Dec. 23 issue of Forest Lake Times, Erbes ran an ad seeking his birth parents.

He is unsure if it did any good.

ìI got two or three calls that came up on our phone as unavailable and when I picked up the other end was open but they wouldnít say anything; it could be nothing,î Erbes said.

Erbes said, he yearns to meet the woman who gave him life.

ìI have no problems with what happened,î Erbes said. ìI just want to meet her before she passes away. I have this feeling time will get away from me and she will pass away before I can find her.î

Too, he would like to meet the others he shares DNA, if not memories.

ìIt would be nice to see that everybodyís all right,î Erbes said of his reported 10 siblings.

ìIíve only had one brother my whole life,î he said.

Clues

Over the years, Erbes has learned snippets about the family he came from.

From a non identifying social history released by Lutheran Social Services of Minnesotaówhich handled the adoptionóErbes has learned snippets of his life.

Strung together, these snippets comprise the clues of his family here.

He knows he weighed 5 lbs. and 9 oz. at birth, was 19‡ inches long and had a head circumference of 13º inches and a chest circumference of 11æ inches.

Upon leaving District Memorial Hospital, he went to a foster home where he lived until May 12, 1967 when he was adopted by the Erbes family.

When he was born, his mother was 37-years-old and listed her nationality as Norwegian, German and Irish.

She was a member of a Lutheran congregation where she was involved with a group of ladies in her church. She enjoyed spending time with her children, to cook and sew.

Her father died of a heart attack when he was 62; her mother died of a heart attack at 71.

She had 11 brothers and sisters. At the time of Erbesí birth, two of his motherís brothers were deceasedóone of pneumonia at 21 and the other of strangulation at 4 days old.

One of her brothers was a factory worker. One was a carpenter. One served in the U.S. Navy.

One sister was a nurseís aide. One was a cook. One was a baby sitter who worked in a bakery.

Many sisters were housewives. Her younger siblings were students. Two brothers were in pre-school in 1967.

His mother, who was divorced, had 10 children. Of them, two daughters were married. Her first son died from choking when he was an infant. As a single mother, she was making a home for six children at the time of Erbesí birth.

He is told his siblings were light complected and had blue or green eyes except for the youngest who had darker hair and brown eyes.

His father was in his 40s and the nationality is unknown. He spent 21 years serving in the armed services and was said to have a good sense of humor.

The report says he was 5-5, heavy-set in build with dark hair and gray eyes. Reportedly, Erbesí mother had known him for about seven years.

Life today

Erbes and his wife, Linda, have two children, Darren, 16 and Tara, 14.

His family, Erbes said, is as nervous about this search as he is.

His adoptive parents, who live west of Minneapolis, support Erbesí search for his biological family.

He is employed as a mechanical engineer in a cold storage warehouse.

Describing himself, Erbes said he is ìeasy goingî and ìgets along with just about everybody.î It is a description that fits the description he was given of his birth father.

Like his birth mother, he has long suffered from sinus headaches.

In his spare time, Erbes said he likes to ride motorcycles and go bow hunting with his son.

Contact info

It is Erbesí hope that this article will prompt a family member, or anyone with information relating to his family, to contact him.

ìI just hope someone will read it and start thinking about it and put two and two together,î he said.

Erbes can be reached by calling 308-384-1539 or 308-390-3962.

He also can be reached via email at lerbes@kdsi.net.

And if someone does contact him?

ìI think Iíd probably take a road trip,î Erbes said. ìIíd like to meet them.î

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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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