By By Anne Sewell Sep 30, 2013 in Internet New York - Thanks to the power of the Internet, three sisters, who have been separated for 73 years, have now been reunited and it's all because of an online ad. ABC6, who have a Mary now lives in Columbus, Ohio, but she never stopped looking for her sisters. However this was hard because their last names had changed when they got married. "She's always talked about wanting to find them,” said Mary's daughter, Cathy Senalik. “I don't remember Grandma ever mentioning them, but Mom always did for as long as I can remember." Then a friend of Cathy found an online ad posted by Shirley Mortellaro, 78, and Joanie Billings, 80, looking for “Mary Kidwell.” The two older sisters had settled in western New York - Joan in Albion and Shirley in Pembroke. Mary then answered the ad and made sure of her sisters' identities, then boarded a Greyhound bus to go and visit them. Mary arrived in Batavia by bus on September 10 and the sisters had no trouble recognizing each other. "We've lost a lot of years and we can't get them back," Mary said, sitting with her sisters in Shirley's living room. "We've got a lot of catching up to do." She then learned the details of her extended family: "Joanie has seven kids, Shirley has three boys," Mary said. "Our side of the family is pretty small. It will be great to have more family." . According to Mary, her mother had never explained why she left their father and her sisters. However, Joan and Shirley apparently say their mother was a "partier", and had a boyfriend. Apparently it was a fight about him that caused their mother to leave, separating the siblings. Shirley explains: "She was 15 years younger than my father when they got married and my feeling is she wasn't ready to settle down." "She wanted to party all the time," she added. Joan, who was around seven-years-old at the time, recalls that their mother would often lock the girls in a room in their home at night and go out dancing. "We couldn't even go to the bathroom. We had to pee in little teacups," she said. Mary Kidwell, Joan Billings and Shirley Mortellaro, separated for 73 years, have now reunited. Video screengrab Joan also noticed that when her father was away other men came around. "She had a man in the bedroom, and I went to go in there and she told me to get out." She added, "When daddy came home I told him that mommy did bad things in the bedroom. And that's when they fought." Joan recalls the day her mother and Mary left, "My mother came outside and told us to sit on the steps, and says I'm gonna take Mary and get her some new shoes." "I asked her why she had a big bag with her, and she said she was going to a Chinese laundry, and would be back." Things got even worse for the sisters as their father, having to go back to duty placed the girls in foster care, telling them their mother was never coming back, and neither would Mary. But now, 73 years later, the Internet has brought the sisters back together again for a happy reunion. Three sisters are reunited after being apart for 73 years. Video screengrab After telling her daughter, then four-year-old Mary Kidwell, that she was taking her to buy new shoes in 1940, her mother left Toronto, leaving behind her father, who was in the Canadian Air Force, with her two older sisters, Joanie and Shirley.ABC6, who have a video interview with Mary, explained that they settled in the United States and her mother never went back to Toronto.Mary now lives in Columbus, Ohio, but she never stopped looking for her sisters. However this was hard because their last names had changed when they got married."She's always talked about wanting to find them,” said Mary's daughter, Cathy Senalik. “I don't remember Grandma ever mentioning them, but Mom always did for as long as I can remember."Then a friend of Cathy found an online ad posted by Shirley Mortellaro, 78, and Joanie Billings, 80, looking for “Mary Kidwell.”The two older sisters had settled in western New York - Joan in Albion and Shirley in Pembroke.Mary then answered the ad and made sure of her sisters' identities, then boarded a Greyhound bus to go and visit them.Mary arrived in Batavia by bus on September 10 and the sisters had no trouble recognizing each other."We've lost a lot of years and we can't get them back," Mary said, sitting with her sisters in Shirley's living room. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."She then learned the details of her extended family:"Joanie has seven kids, Shirley has three boys," Mary said. "Our side of the family is pretty small. It will be great to have more family." .According to Mary, her mother had never explained why she left their father and her sisters.However, Joan and Shirley apparently say their mother was a "partier", and had a boyfriend. Apparently it was a fight about him that caused their mother to leave, separating the siblings.Shirley explains: "She was 15 years younger than my father when they got married and my feeling is she wasn't ready to settle down.""She wanted to party all the time," she added.Joan, who was around seven-years-old at the time, recalls that their mother would often lock the girls in a room in their home at night and go out dancing. "We couldn't even go to the bathroom. We had to pee in little teacups," she said.Joan also noticed that when her father was away other men came around."She had a man in the bedroom, and I went to go in there and she told me to get out."She added, "When daddy came home I told him that mommy did bad things in the bedroom. And that's when they fought."Joan recalls the day her mother and Mary left, "My mother came outside and told us to sit on the steps, and says I'm gonna take Mary and get her some new shoes.""I asked her why she had a big bag with her, and she said she was going to a Chinese laundry, and would be back."Things got even worse for the sisters as their father, having to go back to duty placed the girls in foster care, telling them their mother was never coming back, and neither would Mary. WGRZ has the story of their sad life as foster children.But now, 73 years later, the Internet has brought the sisters back together again for a happy reunion. More about USA, New york, Sisters, mary kidwell, Reunited More news from USA New york Sisters mary kidwell Reunited Internet Shirley Mortellaro Joanie Billings