Ragna Esther Sigurdardottir Gavin: Pronounced RAIN-ya Esther Sig-GUR-dar-dot-ter Gavin. 18-year-old woman who married a U.S. serviceman in her native Iceland and moved to Portland in 1946. Last seen in Multnomah County juvenile court Jan. 31, 1952.
Emerson Lawrence Gavin: Called Larry, husband to Esther. After she divorced him in late 1951, he quickly remarried, and that 18-year union produced five children. Died in Jacksonville, Fla., in January 2009.
Florence Gavin: Mother of Larry and Bill Gavin.
Raymond Leslie Gavin: Son of Esther and Larry Gavin. Surrendered to the Waverly Baby Home in July 1951. Made a ward of the court in 1953. Adopted in 1953 and name changed to Robert Benson Allen.
Donita Gavin: Daughter of Esther and Larry Gavin. Surrendered with her brother to the Waverly Baby Home in July 1951; also made a ward of the court. Adopted with Robert in 1953 and name changed to Debra Jeanne Allen. Was the subject of an extended legal battle. Later placed in Fairview Training Center in Salem for “mental deficiency.” Died in 1999.
Bill Gavin: Brother of Larry Gavin. Lives in Portland, When people searching for Esther have contacted him, he has said repeatedly that he hadn’t seen his brother or Esther since 1950 or 1951.
Barbara Gavin: Bill’s wife. Family story says Donita called this Gavin household in the early 1990s seeking information, and Barbara Gavin told Donit that the family wasn’t interested in knowing her. This was before adoption records could be opened to adoptees.
Patsy Huson Gavin: Larry Gavin’s second wife. They had five children. The marriage was violent, and Patsy divorced Larry in 1970.
Melissa Gavin: Second child of Larry and Patsy Gavin.
Herdis Elisabet Kristindottir: Lives in Reykjavik, Iceland, she is Esther Gavin’s niece. She has taken up the family’s search of more than 60 years for the missing Esther.
Karen Gavin: Daughter of Bill and Barbara Gavin. Cousin to Melissa Gavin:
Lilly Oddsdottir: Lives in Reykjavik, Iceland. She contacted Esther’s family in April after Icelandic television aired a story about the missing woman. She has been working with the family and with Melissa to find Esther and her children.
Jeanne and Benson Allen: Benson Allen was a grandson of Portland city father Simon Benson. They adopted Esther’s children from the Waverly Baby Home in 1953 and waged the lengthy legal battle over Debra, which they lost in the Oregon Supreme Court.