Two lifelong friends who have been pen pals for more than four decades met for the first time in person in Wayne, writes Matteo Iadonisi for 6ABC.

Krystel Alston and Haley Briggs were paired up as pen pals in 1980, during elementary school. Alston was from California and Briggs was from Pennsylvania.

“I’m sure they were probably hoping that we would stay connected or you know, or continue on with it,” said Alston.

And they did. The ten-year-olds remained friends for 43 years and counting.

“We wrote by-hand letters for a long time,” said Briggs. “I think we thought about each other, you know, whether we were in contact or not.”

They planned to meet to celebrate their 50th birthday together, but the 2020 lockdowns postponed the opportunity.

However, they were finally able to fulfill their wish to see each other in person earlier in October. They spent time talking and enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant.

“We’ll just continue to stay in contact and stay in each other’s lives,” said Alston.

Read more about pen pals Krystel Alston and Haley Briggs finally meeting for the first time at 6ABC.