This is a story that was 80 years in the making. A story of determination, perseverance, and ultimately, of love. It’s the story of a local woman’s arduous journey to find her family. There were disappointments and surprises.
On May 8, 1945, Victoria Elaine Vogel was born in Fargo. That was the day when World War II ended in Europe, known as V-E Day. Victoria, later known as Vicki, was named after V-E Day, as her first name starts with a V and her middle name starts with an E.
Vicki grew up with her parents and older brother, but it was not a warm environment.
“My parents were very strict. I didn’t feel loved,” Vicki told me.
When she was in the sixth grade, her mother told her she needed to talk to her.
“My mother told me I was adopted,” Vicki said. Vicki learned that she was born in the Florence Crittenton Home for Unwed Mothers in Fargo.
Vicki Schmidt and her adoptive family in Fargo during Christmas in 1951
“She told me they adopted me because they could not have another baby. She said they picked me because I was special. I felt special because I was chosen.”
Vicki then told her friends she was adopted, although her parents told her not to.
When Vicki was 22, she married Peter Schmidt, and she became Vicki Schmidt. They have been married for 58 years. Peter became a Lutheran minister, as did their son, Christoph. They have three children, and eight grandchildren. She has lived most of her life in Fargo or West Fargo, and now lives in Duluth.
As an adult, Vicki has devoted her life to helping the vulnerable and the underdogs. She worked in refugee settlement, raised unaccompanied minors, and has taken several trips to the southern border to show love and compassion to those who are treated so inhumanely.
Vicki is motivated by her strong Christian faith and the teachings of Jesus.
“We are all made in God’s image, and we are here on this earth to be here for each other,” Vicki said.
Vicki always wondered who her birth parents were, and as an adult, she wanted to find them. Fortunately, when Vicki was 34, the laws had loosened up a little so that she could try searching. Lutheran Social Services had located her mother, and Vicki was allowed to write to her, but was not given her name.
Vicki Schmidt with her birth mother, Gladys Kayser, on the day that Vicki met her
Vicki was delighted that her mother wrote back. Her name was Gladys Kayser, and she was from Grand Forks. Vicki met her two or three months later.
“I was thrilled,” Vicki said. “She was very loving and very warm.”
Gladys told Vicki the reason she was put her up for adoption is because she already had two other children, and as a single woman, couldn’t take care of a third one. Vicki met her two new sisters, and became close to them, as well as with her mother. They spent Mother’s Days and birthdays together, until Gladys died in 1987.
Still, the big mystery in Vicki’s life was who was her birth father? The trouble was, Gladys said she didn’t remember his name. That was quite possible, as Vicki and her two sisters all had different fathers. It was highly likely that Gladys barely knew Vicki’s father.
That answer didn’t satisfy Vicki. She went before a judge and asked him to open her adoption records. Vicki was told that paternity was never established.
However, the judge called Lutheran Social Services, and one name kept showing up in her adoption records: Donald Campbell. So, in 1996, at age 51, Vicki had finally found out the identity of her birth father.
The bad news was that Campbell had died 33 years earlier. The good news was that Campbell had two other daughters, and Vicki established a warm relationship with her newly discovered surviving sister, Grace Leigh.
So, that was the end of the story…Until it wasn’t.
Two years ago, Grace’s granddaughter did some genetic testing through 23andMe. The granddaughter found that Donald Campbell was not Grace’s father. It turned out that while Grace’s mother was married to Campbell, her mother had a relationship with a man outside of marriage. That man was Grace’s father.
So, Grace and Vicki were not sisters after all. That also raised the question if Campbell was really Vicki’s father. That led to Vicki getting tested through 23andMe to try to figure this out.
The results were shocking. After believing Donald Campbell was her father for 28 years, she learned in 2024 that he wasn’t.
So, who was her father?
“It was an obsession,” Vicki said. “I was determined to find out who my father is.”
Well, from that same genetic test, Vicki was quite surprised to learn that she is 50% Ashkenazi Jewish (the Jewish people who came from central and eastern Europe). She also learned she had a cousin with the last name of Levy.
Vicki Schmidt’s birth father, Aaron Levy
Vicki made many attempts to contact her newly found cousin, but he never responded. Still, Vicki refused to give up. She checked out the cousin’s Facebook page and found a Walter Levy. So, Vicki reached out to Walter, asking him to take the 23andMe test, saying, “I think you might be my brother.”
Walter responded by saying, “If I do it, it will be because it’s meaningful to you. I’m starting to hope you’re my sister.”
Walter took the test. Earlier this year, Vicki received a text from him.
“Well, you’re my sister,” Walter wrote.
At age 80 (now 81), after seven decades of searching, Vicki finally learned the identity of her father. Walter unlocked the mystery, and told Vicki her father is Aaron Levy.
Vicki Schmidt (center) with her newly found brother, Walter, and newly found sister, Deborah.
“Hearing a name for the first time was really special,” Vicki said. “I thought, is it really true? I asked what he was like. I needed to know more.”
She found out that Aaron was in the military, likely passed through Grand Forks, was a wonderful and caring man, religious, and a member of Mensa, the society for people in the top 2% of IQ tests.
Vicki Schmidt with her newly found brother, Stanley
Aaron died in 1996, but his wife, Sondra (Vicki’s new stepmother), is alive at age 95. Vicki also learned that not only is Walter her brother (also a member of Mensa), but that she has another brother, Stanley, and a sister, Deborah.
Just a few weeks ago, was one of the highlights of Vicki’s life. Along with her husband (Peter), son (Christoph), and grandson (Peter), she traveled to Baltimore to meet her newly found family. They were greeted by more than 20 relatives, including Aaron’s children, grandchildren, cousins, in-laws, and even Vicki’s stepmother.
Vicki Schmidt with her newly found stepmother, Sondra
“We hugged and said, ‘Here we are,’” Vicki said. “They were totally welcoming and loving, and so happy to meet me. It felt like a homecoming. I sobbed the next day. It was so overwhelming.”
Tears were also shed when Vicki visited the grave of her father for the first time.
Vicki Schmidt visiting the grave of her father for the first time
“I sobbed the whole time,” Vicki said. “It felt like my father’s spirit came out of the earth and embraced me. It was so emotional for me.”
Vicki loves the fact that she has a Jewish side to her family, and is now actively learning more about Judaism.
“Judaism is the root of my own Christian faith,” Vicki said. “I honor that ancestry and am hungry to know more about beliefs and traditions.”
It might be a late start, but this is just the beginning of a strong connection to her new family members. Many of them have promised to come to Minnesota, and visit her.
“They’ve been in my heart,” Vicki said. “My heart is growing. I feel love for them. Instant connection. And they feel love for me.”
Vicki Schmidt, her husband, her son, and her grandson visiting the grave of Vicki’s father for the first time
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