Two Women Have Kept a Friendship Alive Across the Atlantic for 70 Years

When Shirley Hedtke and Kathleen Bonthron became pen pals as children in 1956, neither could have imagined that their friendship would still be going strong seven decades later.

Shirley, from Wisconsin in the United States, was 11 when she was paired with 10-year-old Kathleen from Glasgow, Scotland, through the Brownies. What began with handwritten letters eventually became one of the longest friendships of their lives.

A Friendship That Started With a Letter

Their first connection was remarkably simple. Shirley’s Brownie leader brought in a cigar box containing names and addresses of potential pen pals. Shirley chose Kathleen’s name and began writing.

At first, the girls exchanged letters only a few times a year. They wrote about school, their families and everyday life, gradually learning about each other’s countries and cultures.

As they grew older, their letters changed with them. They began sharing stories about relationships, marriage, children and the major moments of their lives.

From Air Mail to WhatsApp

The way they communicated has changed dramatically over the years.

In the 1950s, their messages crossed the Atlantic by air mail. Later, they moved to email and eventually to WhatsApp, allowing the two women to stay in regular contact despite living thousands of miles apart.

Although technology has changed, the friendship itself has remained remarkably consistent.

They Have Met Only Three Times

Despite communicating for 70 years, Shirley and Kathleen have only met in person three times.

Their first meeting took place in Scotland in 2007. They reunited there in 2019, before Kathleen recently travelled to the United States to spend time with Shirley at her home in Wisconsin.

Their latest visit gave them an opportunity to spend much more time together and strengthened a friendship that had existed mostly through letters and messages.

A Friendship That Became Family

The connection between the two women became so meaningful that Kathleen named her daughter Shirley after her American pen pal more than five decades ago.

Today, the two women describe each other as being more like sisters or family than ordinary friends.

They have shared stories about their marriages, pregnancies, children and grandchildren, remaining part of each other’s lives through generations of change.

The Next Generation

The friendship may continue beyond Shirley and Kathleen themselves.

Their daughters have already discussed keeping in touch with each other, potentially becoming the next generation of pen pals.

What began with two children’s names pulled from a cigar box in 1956 has grown into a friendship spanning two continents, seven decades and several generations.

Sources

• BBC News — “We’ve been transatlantic pen pals for 70 years and are now more like sisters”
• People — “2 Women Have Been Transatlantic Pen Pals for 70 Years”