Imagine finding out someone you thought was dead is actually still alive. Imagine if that person was a family member. Sounds like something from a movie, right?

An unexpected reunion took place for a Tennessee family who thought one of their relatives died almost thirty years ago. At one time, Ronnie Rudolph kept in touch here and there with his children and older sister. This was after separating from his daughter Janie’s mom a long time ago.

He moved around, living in Illinois, Tennessee, and at some point, Kentucky, and someone was usually able to keep tabs on him through his job. His sister, Juanita Elliot, caught up in the day to day of her own life, eventually fell out of touch with him. The last time she saw him was at their father’s funeral in the ‘90s.

Daughter Janie would check in by calling his job at a concrete plant in Tennessee, and knew he was living somewhere in Lebanon (TN) at the time. But one day she called to speak with him and was told that he had a heart attack and passed away.

Details are sketchy but no one in the family ever followed up. She spread the word among her other family members, but none looked into his death, funeral arrangements, or estate matters. Since 1992, they’ve all believed Ronnie Rudolph was dead.

Following the death of her mother a few months ago, Janie had a thought about the death certificate for her dad. She couldn’t find one, and that prompted her to look into the possibility that he might still be alive.

She started searching for information and details through relatives and his old job in Lebanon, and discovered he was indeed still here. Alive and still living in Lebanon, Tennessee.

Janie reached out to her now 72-year-old father and learned he suffered some major health problems, but he figured everyone had forgotten about him and that he had no one. Excited, Janie planned a family reunion that included some of her siblings, her aunt Juanita (age 84), and some of Ronnie’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In the clip, you will learn more about Ronnie’s past and Janie’s search. Watch the video to see the emotional moment that this family was brought together after nearly three decades. It’s nothing but tears, smiles, hugs, and a whole lotta happy.

No one is sure why the confusion ensued about Ronnie’s living status, nor are they clear on how that particular story got started. The one thing that is clear however, is that Ronnie now has a whole brood to love. Everyone is overjoyed about the reunion.

This unfortunate tale has a happy ending, but we wonder how many other families may have loved ones out there but don’t even realize it. We trust that this family will be spending some valuable time together moving forward, especially with the holidays approaching.

Are you familiar with this story? Your thoughts on this heartwarming reunion? Do you know of a similar situation with a death and misinformation?