Bellview — Few things pass the test of time, but for one local resident that’s exactly what happened.
Jane Goebel and Georgene Ambrosino met when they were just 3 and 4 years old, respectively. In 1956, Goebel moved into the same neighborhood. The two became friends, and before long they were best friends.
They did all the things little girls do together. For several years, they played games like jacks, hopscotch and, of course, giggled and had long conversations. Ambrosino’s mom would give the girls extra clothing so they could play “dress up;” and her father, being a farmer, had no shortage of pumpkins to give the girls so they could sell them in the neighborhood.
They attended the same elementary school. It was a charmed friendship until Goebel, then 8, moved away.
“It was sad to be leaving my best friend,” she said.
There would be no more catching lightning bugs together or dressing up and performing for candy on Halloween night. In fact, everything they did together would quickly become just a memory.
Although brokenhearted, the two girls kept in touch over the distance of many miles through letters. As time went on, and the girls lived their separate lives, the letters became less frequent.
When Goebel was about 20, she received a call from Ambrosino wanting her to be in her wedding. Goebel simply couldn’t get the time off from work.
After that, the two began conversing via telephone calls. Though each of their lives were busy, they never failed to call one another on their birthdays.
The “birthday calls” continued every year until Goebel and Ambrosino got back together in a friendly reunion after 62 years. They reconnected in May at Bahama Breeze Restaurant on the causeway in Tampa, Fla.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Ambrosino said. “We kept calling and talking about getting together. I couldn’t get over it. I bought her a bracelet as a memento.”
“It was surreal,” Goebel said. “I remember her as a little girl. It was exciting and great to see her again.”
Their friendship not only lasted through the years, but got stronger with the passing of time.
In the years they were apart, Ambrosino worked in billing for hospitals and doctor’s offices. She lives in Sun City Center, Fla., where she enjoys gardening, painting and crafting. She was born in 1953 and was married until her husband passed; she has two children.
Goebel has lived in Bellview with her husband, Mick, since 1997. She was born in 1952 in Williamsport, Penn., and enjoys traveling. She and her husband are “The Goebel Team” Realtors with Carolina Mountain Homes.
When asked about the future of their friendship, Goebel said with a smile, “We will, Lord willing, see each other again.”