Couple Adopts 7 Kids After Both Their Parents Passed Away, “They Had No One Else to Go To”
In a world where headlines often highlight division, the story of Pam and Gary Willis is a radiant exception. This Menifee, California, couple didn’t just open their home to seven siblings orphaned by tragedy—they rewrote the meaning of family.
With five adult biological children already flown the nest, Pam, 49, and Gary, 52, embarked on what many would call a “crazy, beautiful leap of faith,” adopting four brothers and three sisters who lost their parents in a horrific 2018 car crash.
The children, now thriving under the Willis roof, range from spunky four-year-old Xander to thoughtful 15-year-old Adelino. As Pam puts it, “Family isn’t about DNA. It’s about showing up—even when it’s messy.”
A Nightmare on the Highway
The unthinkable happened on a stretch of California highway in May 2018.
A San Diego family’s car veered off the road, flipping onto its side in a crash that claimed the lives of both parents—a 42-year-old father and his 31-year-old wife.
Their seven children, aged four to 15 at the time, survived with non-life-threatening injuries but were left with emotional scars far deeper than broken bones.
With no extended family able to take them in, the siblings—Adelino, Ruby, Aleecia, Anthony, Aubriella, Leo, and Xander—were placed in foster care, facing an uncertain future.
The prospect of being split up loomed large. “Imagine losing your mom and dad in an instant, then being told you might lose your brothers and sisters too,” Pam says, her voice softening.
“These kids had already been through hell. We couldn’t let them go through more.”
From Empty Nesters to Instant Parents
Pam and Gary were no strangers to fostering. Over the years, they’d opened their home to dozens of children through the foster system, often caring for two or three kids at a time.
But adoption? That wasn’t on their radar—until a Facebook post stopped Pam mid-scroll in January 2019.
“There was this photo of seven kids huddled together on a couch,” Pam recalls.
“They looked so… lost. Like they were waiting for someone to say, ‘You’re safe now.’”
She immediately showed Gary, who didn’t miss a beat. “He said, ‘Call them. Now.’”
The couple’s biological children—Matthew, 32; Andrew, 29; Alexa, 26; Sophia, 22; and Sam, 19—were stunned but supportive.
“Mom texted us a screenshot of the article with, ‘So… thoughts?’” laughs Sophia.
“We all knew there was no talking her out of it. This is who they are—they see a need and fill it.”
Fighting for a “Forever Home”
Adopting seven children at once is no small feat. Pam, an attorney, and Gary, a retired Navy veteran, spent weeks navigating red tape, home inspections, and interviews with social workers.
“I basically became a professional nag,” Pam jokes.
“I called the agency every week, sent photos of our house, wrote letters about our family. I wanted them to know we weren’t just another couple—we were their couple.”
By March 2019, they were cleared to meet the siblings at a local park. The kids, then aged three to 14, had spent a year in a group home, their lives marked by instability.
“Adelino tried to act tough, but his hands were shaking,” Gary remembers.
“Little Xander hid behind his sister until I pulled a Matchbox car out of my pocket. After that, he wouldn’t leave my side.”
Pam tears up recounting the moment Ruby, the eldest sister, whispered, “Are you really going to keep us together?”
“I told her, ‘Honey, we’re not just keeping you together. We’re keeping you forever.’”
Welcome to the Chaos
Three months later, the Willis family home—a six-bedroom house that once felt “too quiet”—exploded with life.
Overnight, Pam and Gary became parents to 12 kids (including their biological children, who frequently visit).
The couple converted a den into a bunkroom, stocked the pantry with enough cereal to feed a small army, and embraced the beautiful chaos of sibling rivalry, bedtime negotiations, and impromptu dance parties.
“The first week, Leo dumped an entire box of Legos into the air conditioner,” Gary chuckles.
“But honestly? We didn’t care. The mess meant they felt at home.”
Healing Through Humor and Hugs
Blending a family this size came with challenges. The siblings grappled with nightmares, trust issues, and grief.
Adelino, thrust into the role of “man of the house” after his father’s death, initially resisted letting Gary take charge.
“I told him, ‘Buddy, you’re off duty. Go be a kid,’” Gary says.
Pam recalls one pivotal moment when Anthony, then six, had a meltdown over a broken toy.
“He screamed, ‘You’re not my real mom!’ I just hugged him and said, ‘You’re right.
I’m your forever mom.’ The next day, he drew me a picture that said ‘I love you’ in wobbly letters.”
The couple’s biological children became pillars of support.
Alexa, 26, often picks up the younger kids from school, while Sophia, 22, hosts “big sister sleepovers” for Ruby and Aleecia.
“They’ve got seven new grandkids calling them ‘Nana’ and ‘Papa,’” Pam says. “My parents are over the moon.”
Disneyland, Dinnertime, and the Daily Grind
Fifteen months in, the Willises have settled into a rhythm that’s equal parts chaos and joy. Mornings are a whirlwind of lunch-packing and lost shoes.
Evenings revolve around family dinners—think taco nights with 12 place settings and debates over Marvel vs. DC.
“Gary burns the chicken every time, but the kids cheer anyway,” Pam says.
Last summer, the family took their first vacation to Disneyland.
For Xander, who’d never left San Diego, meeting Mickey Mouse was “magic.”
For Adelino, it was simpler: “He said, ‘Thanks for not making me ride It’s a Small World alone,’” Gary grins.
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“They Saved Us Too”
Pam and Gary are quick to dismiss the “hero” label. “We’re just ordinary people who said ‘yes,’” Gary insists.
But their story has resonated far beyond Menifee.
Strangers send toys and handwritten notes, while local businesses have donated everything from school supplies to a used minivan.
“People ask, ‘How do you afford 12 kids?’” Pam says.
“We budget, we thrift-shop, and we’ve learned that love doesn’t cost a thing.”
As for the siblings, they’re thriving. Adelino dreams of becoming a mechanic.
Ruby wants to be a teacher. Four-year-old Xander, meanwhile, has declared himself “the boss of Legos.”
A New Chapter
The Willis home is now a tapestry of blended memories: photos of their biological kids’ graduations hang alongside the siblings’ finger-painted masterpieces.
Pam’s favorite snapshot? The seven siblings piled onto Gary’s lap, all laughing.
“Someone recently asked me, ‘Don’t you miss your quiet life?’” Pam says. “I told them, ‘Quiet is overrated. This? This is living.’”
