Friendships can bloom, even when you’re far apart.
For one set of women, separated by more than 4,000 miles, that friendship had been cultivated entirely through letters.
That is, until now.
Eighty-year-old pen pals Patsy Gregory from Lancashire, England, and Carol-Ann Krause from Conway, S.C., have been writing to one another since 1955, more than 70 years. In all that time, the pair had never met. But they knew all about each other’s lives.
Patsy said that the women had shared similar milestones throughout their lives. “We’re both the same age [and] got married around the same time,” she said.
“[We] both had three children and we’ve gone through life, all the trials and tribulations, and shared it. It’s absolutely lovely and we’re both still here.”
Carol-Ann Krause (left) and Patsy Gregory, both 80, have been writing letters to each other from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean since 1955. Photo by Steph Calam
Carol-Ann, who began writing to Patsy while she was a Girl Scout, said that even though the two had never met before now, “it feels like we’ve known each other forever.”
Patsy’s daughter, Steph Calam, organized the trip to see Carol-Ann as a present for Patsy’s 80th birthday.
Mum has always wanted to meet her American penfriend,” Steph said.
Patsy said that meeting Carol-Ann in person felt easy. “I recognized her immediately and it just felt natural,” she said.
The women acknowledged that while the friendship had started with old-fashioned letters being sent in the mail, it has evolved through the decades, thanks to technology.
“We started in pencil, moved on to ink, then typing and now we can email and stay in touch on social media,” Patsy said.
That ability kept the pair able to share with each other all the special moments in their lives.
“We’ve always remembered each other on our wedding anniversaries and at Christmas and stuff like that. And we’ve still continued corresponding even now,” Carol-Ann said.
The women estimate they have shared more than 800 letters over the years.
The two ladies have been corresponding with each other for 68 years. Photo by Steph Calam
When Steph got in touch with her mom’s pen pal, asking if she could bring her mom to visit for her birthday, there was no hesitation.
“I was more than happy to take her up on the offer. Our birthdays are only separated by a month,” Carol-Ann said.
Patsy said the visit meant so much to her.
“It was quite emotional — it was lovely,” she said of seeing Carol-Ann.
Carol-Ann said she had been a bit nervous before their first visit.
It was emotional,” she said. “I was a bundle of nerves.”
The two women spent their time together, talking and visiting local places in South Carolina.
“We did a lot of talking. We went out for quite a few different meals in places that Carol-Ann and her husband enjoyed going to,” Patsy said.
For the two life-long friends, the visit only cemented what they both had known – their friendship was just as close in person as it was through letters.
“It was just as though I’d seen her last week because we’d known of each other for so long,” Patsy said.
Watch below for a look at the two women’s first meeting in nearly 70 years!
