Church Point family connects with previously unknown English brother

Peter Fletcher, of Stone, a town in England, along with his recently discovered Louisianan siblings, sister Linda Richard and brothers Elton “Tony” and Chuck Estilette, accompanied by their spouses, visited the Le Vieux Presbytère Museum.
Fletcher received an “Honorary Church Point Citizen” plaque from Mayor “Spanky” Meche who also gave the international family a complete and exclusive preview tour of the museum which is set for an official grand re-opening early next year.
This special event was made possible when, in 2020, Linda received a surprising letter in the mail. In it, Fletcher cautiously explained his story of investigations and DNA tests, hoping that the news would not result in a negative reaction. He knew nothing of their mutual father’s wish, imparted to his Louisiana children before his death, that they find his English child.
Instead, the English child had found the Louisianan children, who themselves had been aching for answers.
Linda said she was crying happy tears when she read the letter because everything her father had told her was completely confirmed. She called her daughter first to share the news. Then she called her brother Elton and his daughter Kelly so they could all go to Elton’s house.
They all read the letter and did not waste a moment in calling Peter, who was eagerly awaiting the call in England.
“Dad had told me in 2010, when his health was failing,” said Linda. “I had prayed that the day would come when we could one day find him, but we didn’t have the resources. He found us though.
“My dream had come true. At that point I had no clue how to find him or whether or not he was even alive.”
Fletcher said he didn’t know what to expect.
“Basically it started out with ‘My DNA matches that of your grandparents.’ I didn’t want to start by saying, ‘Hello, I’m your brother,’” he said. “I was careful. I was fascinated, excited and nervous. I didn’t want to feel that I was spamming them because they didn’t know anything about me. There was doubt, and I expected I might have to do another DNA test to prove it. But I didn’t have to do any of that.”
The historical saga which led to these extraordinary circumstances truly began in a world torn asunder by the most terrible war man had ever known.
World War II had barely begun when Aldon Estilette joined the Army in 1942 and was assigned to the 816th Aviation Engineering Battalion. The unit was set up to build, repair and defend forward air bases in the war zone.
In early 1943, the 816th was sent to England to build airfields for the American bombers that were beginning to pummel Germany from the air. The young soldier suffered an attack of appendicitis and was sent to the Southend-on-Sea General Hospital in Essex County, England. He left the hospital for a while but had to return after contracting a case of pneumonia.
While at the hospital, Aldon met a nurse from Ireland named Judith Anne Mulligan. Love soon blossomed between the nurse and the patient, and they moved in together after he left the hospital.
Soon after, Judith found out that she was pregnant, but Aldon was transferred back to his unit.
She couldn’t return to her Irish Catholic home to have an illegitimate baby, so a friend took her to Hemsworth in northern England. There, her doctor arranged for an adoption of the baby boy by Stanley and Ivy Fletche. They named him Peter.
Aldon sent part of his meager Army earnings to Judith Anne. He was sent to France shortly after D-Day to build airbases across that country and later across Germany for the advancing American forces. He tried to find her after the war ended but couldn’t in the mass confusion of war-torn England.
He was told she likely didn’t want him to find her.
The war ended and Aldon returned to Church Point. He had previously been engaged to Nedia Colligan back home and told her about Judith Anne and the baby boy in England.
Even after learning this information, Nedia married Aldon, but they didn’t tell the story to their children who came later, Chuck, Linda and Tony and Aldon Jr., the latter of whom passed before he could meet Peter.
The young veteran first drove trucks for a living. He delivered Jax beer for the distributorship held by Elton Richard. Then he hauled sweet potatoes for packer Irvin Wimberly, followed by a stint driving a dump truck for Lowray Chachere and another working for Evangeline Brokerage.
Aldon would then switch careers around 1958, becoming an upholsterer and antique finisher for the rest of his working life. He also raised quail and sold pickled quail eggs.
A skilled horse trainer, Aldon and his paint horse, Dutch, performed tricks (such as sitting at a table) for area rodeos.
Two years before his death, Aldon told his children for the first time about their half-brother in England. He asked them to try to find him.
Peter always knew he was adopted, but knew almost nothing of his birth parents. He worked as an art and music teacher, and when he retired, he decided to learn what he could of his birth parents with very little to go on except the name of his biological mother, which his adopted mother had told him when he was a teenager.
He found his mother’s friend, Veronica Kinsley, the one who had taken Judith Anne to Hemsworth, who then introduced him to some of his Irish cousins and aunts. Judith Anne was deceased and had no other children besides him. She had continued to work as a nurse in England before retiring to Ireland.
Then came the modern wonder of DNA tracing. Peter applied to a DNA testing site in 2019 and found that he had close matches in southern Louisiana and in Ireland. After contacting several of the Louisiana matches, asking of soldiers stationed in England and other investigation, the search narrowed toward Aldon Estilette.
Instead of a negative reaction, as Peter had convinced himself was possible, Fletcher received a heart-warming welcome from his just-found half-siblings. He and his wife, Marlee, planned to come to Church Point that year but, of course, the world-wide coronavirus pandemic and the resultant travel restrictions canceled that idea.
However, Peter and Marlee Fletcher made new plans, and arrived at the Lafayette airport on Nov. 13 to an enthusiastic welcome by the Estilette clan. During his visit, the Fletchers had their fill of Louisiana cooking with all parts of his sibling’s family and even got to take part in a jam session in Eunice.
The Fletchers left Sunday, Dec 1,2 to return to England with his siblings and extended family seeing him off. But this story will continue as each sibling has vowed to continue to communicate as much as possible in the future.
A trip to England is 100 percent set to occur in the future as well.\