I just now found this thread, and wanted to tell you, Sunny, that you have given me some hope for my own situation.
I had posted a couple of months ago about finding a former JW friend through Classmates.com and that we were corresponding. Unfortunately, when I didn't respond to her urgings to attend the Memorial and/or begin a Bible Study with her, she stopped writing. I've written to her several times, but my emails have been ignored.
I also located the address for a cousin I hadn't seen in 30 years. I wrote him a letter, and heard back from him. He seemed to be quite glad to hear from me, but he also brought up the inevitable "Are you still a Witness?" question.
I hesitated to write back for awhile, but I finally sent the letter off yesterday, explaining that I am inactive, but that I don't want to lose any more time and would like to reconnect with family. So many are already gone, and it would be a shame to waste what time we have left.
I'm hoping that he will respond as your sister did.