'Teen' magazine ad spawns pen pal friendship that spans an ocean, more than 50 years

MASSILLON – Once upon a time, 12-year-old April Showers spotted an ad in "Teen" magazine seeking people interested in a pen pal.

Showers, a fan of the Beatles, responded asking for a pen pal from Liverpool, England, home of the British heartthrobs.

On the other side of the pond, Liverpool resident Jenni Hughes answered the same magazine ad. She requested a 12-year-old American girl.

That advertisement for pen pals sparked a friendship that has spanned an ocean and time.

The pair, now 70, got to catch up during a recent visit to the Massillon Museum. Over the years, they have visited each other's homes, sharing in their pal's life and becoming friends with their families.

"We're just two close families," the American said.

'We truly are kindred spirits'

Showers, now April Shupe, grew up in Sugarcreek in Tuscarawas County. Her friend, now Jenni Armstrong, still lives in Liverpool.

The friendship began when the magazine forwarded Armstrong's letter to Shupe in 1967.

She eagerly wrote to Armstrong, telling her about herself, her parents and her two brothers.

"I was so excited," Shupe said. "They (the letters) were hilarious. Our little 12-year-old selves are hilarious."

The pair corresponded for years talking about their favorite subjects in school, the fashions they loved and makeup.

"As we got older, we talked about makeup more," Armstrong recalled with a laugh.

In one letter, Shupe told her friend she hoped Armstrong didn't get the mumps after a bout of them. They were just terrible, she added.

They discussed their love of the Beatles and the Monkees, sharing stories of their chance meetings with the superstars and concerts they attended.

The pair never talked on the phone — only by written word.

"Back then, it was so expensive. My mom would have killed me if I called Jenni," Shupe said.

Armstrong added her family didn't have a phone at the beginning of their friendship.

Their correspondence continued until they went off to college.

Life happened. They graduated, got jobs, got married and had kids. They lost touch.

Pen pals reunite after losing touch

Fast forward nearly three decades and Armstrong was planning her first trip to the United States in 1997.

An overwhelming feeling consumed her — she needed to find her friend.

"I got all the letters out," she explained. "And I rang the international directory. And then rang the number they gave me. Her dad answered and I told him this sounds very silly, I'm from England. And he said 'Jenni?' He knew right away."

Shupe's father said his daughter lived around the corner from her childhood home and he gave Armstrong her number. He planned to give Shupe the head's up that her old friend would be calling.

"After 15 minutes, I called and she answered. It was the first time we heard each other's voices," Armstrong recalled.

Armstrong explained her family was coming to Florida. Turns out the day they arrived, Shupe's family was set to leave Florida after visiting family. They extended their trip to meet up with Armstrong.

"I couldn't believe how short she was," Shupe said of their first meeting. "Even though in one letter she told me she was."

The meeting — which included a trip to Denny's, a first for Armstrong and now a special place for them both — was everything the pair had expected.

They discovered that both had gone into teaching special needs children. Shupe is a retired special education teacher at Garaway Schools and Armstrong is a retired teacher of the blind.

"We truly are kindred spirits," Shupe said.

They saved their letters after all those years

They also learned that they had both saved their letters.

"That's something you wouldn't normally find," Shupe said. "We swapped them so now we have our own letters. It's funny to see how we were. Today, the younger generation doesn't have a paper trail."

With the invention of cellphones, Facebook, and FaceTime, it has been easier for the friends to stay in touch while thousands of miles away.

The pair have visited each other several times and more trips are planned.

They celebrated their 50th birthdays together.

Their families have also become friends. Shupe's daughter, Nikki Bahler, and Armstrong's daughter, Jessica, have become friends. During this visit, they were getting matching tattoos. Bahler is planning a trip to England next year.

"We met when we were teenagers and we really bonded," Bahler said.

Their husbands get along perfectly, they added.

"I feel so fortunate I can truly say Jenni is one of my oldest friends," Shupe said. Armstrong agreed.

To them, it feels like they just met yesterday, and they haven't missed a beat.

"We went from sharing about makeup and clothes to boyfriends and now we talk about our families and more serious things like health problems," Shupe added.

Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.

This article originally appeared on The Independent: 'Teen' magazine ad spawns pen pal friendship that spans an ocean, more than 50 years