British pen pal visits Ohio for first time

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by Amanda Harnocz

Reporter

Tallmadge -- Tallmadge resident Sheri Drabish-Heller started writing to her British pen pal when she was 8 years old, and after 40 years of correspondence, her pen pal came to Tallmadge April 12.

Sheri and her pen pal, Debbie Britton, were connected initially by a column in a newspaper which placed pen pals all over the world.

"We started out writing letters and now phone each other every month or so," Sheri said.

Sheri and her pen pal, from Bristol, England, have met before while vacationing in Florida, but this was Debbie's first visit to Ohio, she said.

Debbie and her family planned a three-day trip to New York for spring break and decided to come to Tallmadge for a few days as well, Sheri said.

Sheri surprised her visitors with a limo ride from Cleveland Hopkins Airport back to Tallmadge.

"They loved Tallmadge," she said and joked, but "they think we drive on the wrong side of the road."

Debbie and her family call Tallmadge Circle a roundabout.

"That's one of the things we all always enjoy -- finding different words and sayings unique to us and them," she said.

During the visit, they went to some of their favorite American places like Cold Stone Creamery and Macy's, Sheri said.

The visit consisted of visiting with many family members and places around Tallmadge and Cuyahoga Falls, she said.

A party was thrown April 13 for the visitors to meet about 30 relatives and friends and the next day it was time for the visitors to unfortunately go back home, Sheri said.

They said in an e-mail from home that they were sad the visit was over and how much they enjoyed Tallmadge and meeting everyone here, Sheri said.

The friends plan to reconnect again in Florida during Christmas.

E-mail: aharnocz@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3911