Local family's four adopted children let couple fulfill dreams

By Tony Pennington

Transcript Staff Writer

Gathered around the family dining room table Sunday afternoon were the four pieces to Lonna and James Yeary's hearts: William, 20, Lauren, 18, Collin, 15, and Parker, 6.

The parents smiled with their pride barely contained under the surface as the typical family dynamic played out. William and Lauren traded playful quips while Collin sat quietly amused by the banter. And then there was Parker. The first grade ball of energy bounced from the table to the kitchen and occasionally behind a large couch cushion.

There was the occasional fatherly admonishment that briefly restored order, but when these four get together the Yeary home is full of the youthful energy that James, 50, and Lonna, 48, thought they could never have.

James and Lonna met as University of Oklahoma students in 1975. James had been in Norman since 1967, and Lonna's family had long been established in the city. By 1978 the couple married and planned to start a family.

"We talked about it before we got married," Lonna explained. "We decided to have two birth children and then adopt."

Adoption had a special meaning for James. He was adopted and his grandparents rode the "orphan train" to Kansas where they were adopted. And when the Yearys learned they weren't capable of having their own children, adoption became the only way to complete the family the two so dearly wanted.

Lonna hit the phones and contacted different agencies. But was soon discouraged by the results.

"The waiting list was so long ... the first one was three to five years," she said.

James, who was working as a dentist, was informed by a patient about the Dillon International Adoption Service out of Tulsa. That proved to be the best piece of news for the family.

Through the agency, the Yearys were told children were available in South Korea. It could have been the Moon. They had a home that was empty without children.

"At the time they only placed children from Korea," Lonna recalled. "I didn't care. I just wanted to be a mom."

Lonna became a mother for the first time Dec. 17, 1986, when she and James flew to South Korea to pick up 10 1/2-month-old William.

"We got him on the Wednesday before Christmas," James said after taking a quick glance at William. "He was our Christmas baby."

Things didn't get settled until the newly formed trio returned to the states. James' nerves over being a father faded and Lonna's restlessness was eased.

"It was remarkable," Lonna said. "I remember walking into the bedroom and seeing him in his crib and thinking, 'Wow, we really got him.'"

William was soon followed by Lauren also from South Korea. Lonna said as soon as William's adoption was finalized she went from the courthouse to the post office to mail the paper work to get her. When they shared the news with William, he seemed to see his baby sister every where.

"William was really excited," Lonna said. "He thought ever airplane that went overhead had his sister on it."

At the time it was a nice idea, but over the years William has had some different thoughts.

"It was good," the OU junior said of Lauren's arrival. "I thought I would have had more fun with a brother."

That comment drew a look from Lauren who responded, "Whatever, you love me." But being the only girl in a family full of boys doesn't bother her.

"I like it a lot," said Lauren, an OU freshman. "Sometimes I wish I had an older sister to teach me things or a younger sister to dress up, but being the only girl ... It has its advantages."

Lauren missed the opportunity for a little sister with the additions of Collin, a Norman North High School freshman and Parker. And with that, everything was in place for the Yearys. Every thing was complete and whole.

"We wanted children," James simply said. "We couldn't imagine life without them."

With four children of Korean heritage, life could have been a lot harder for the family. But Lonna and James were open about their children's adoptions. Every summer the kids reconnect with their culture through a camp, and the Yearys have taken numerous trips back to Korea. On the walls of their home among the family portraits, there are the children in traditional clothes of their homeland. The communication and education has left the children secure in who they are and who their parents are.

"I don't ever remember asking them why I didn't look like them," Lauren said. "They have always been supportive and open about the adoptions. So there aren't lurking questions. I'm really proud of my family and my background."

William agreed with his sister and added, "They shared and explained everything. In Norman it wasn't a very big deal that we were Asian. Maybe someplace else it would have been different."

Norman, like Lonna and James, seems to have made room for the Yeary children. All of them have attended Cleveland Elementary with William, Lauren and Parker sharing the same first grade teacher, Mrs. Eley. William and Lauren also followed their parents footsteps by attending OU. Their faces may not match up, but there is no denying the presence of James and Lonna in each of them with every smile, laugh and reminder to behave.

And for Lonna its a reminder of how lucky she was to find her children on the other side of the globe.

"I think the decision a mother makes to give up her child for adoption is the most unselfish and loving thing they can do, and for that, we are grateful."

Tony Pennington 366-3541 schools@normantranscript.com