Remember having that one special friend you do everything with…that one close companion?
Remember the feeling of being inseparable until one moves away…then the years pass? Thirty-One years to be exact.
Well Dana Fortinberry and Barb Ross know the feeling…this is exactly what happened to them.
The two friends first met in 1968 while living across the street from each other in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. According to the two, they were never apart. They both attended Monticello Junior High School, and would walk to and from school together. Afterwards, they would go home, change clothes and then go out for fun.
According to Ross, there was not much to do at that time in Ohio for their age group, so the girls would strap on their skates and go to the roller skating rink every Friday and Saturday evening.
‘We would go round and round and round until it closed,? remembers Fortinberry.
Then in 1971, Fortinberry moved from Ohio and away from her best friend.
‘We would try to keep in touch, but we became busy and we sort of drifted apart,? said Ross.
After years of being apart, the two ladies moved on with their many successes.
Fortinberry moved to Michigan in 1971. She married Chuck Fortinberry and the two have three children. Fortinberry also became the 52-2 District Court Judge.
Ross moved to Michigan in 1982. She married Dave Ross and the two also have three children. Ross lives in Oakland Township and was the manager at Paint Creek Cider Mill until she became the manager for the new Caribou Coffee in Clarkston.
The two had no idea where the other was, until a mutual friend helped them.
‘We were reunited by our friend Stephan Horlack,? said Fortinberry. ‘He heard that Barb was living in Michigan, and with some investigating I was able to find her.?
Fortinberry found out that Barb’s husband worked for General Motors. She made a couple phone calls until one person gave her an email address.
‘The email address was Dave’s,? said Fortinberry. ‘I asked if he was Barb’s husband, and later that night my phone rang.?
Fortinberry learned Barb does live in Michigan ? Oakland Township actually, about 20 minutes away from Clarkston. The two have lived about 20 minutes away for about 20 years. They finally found each other in 2002.
‘It was really cool,? said Fortinberry. ‘She called me on the phone and said ‘Hi.? I knew it was her voice even after 20 years.?
Since finding each other, Fortinberry and Ross have worked to bring their friendship back to life. The ladies agreed that, in many ways, they are picking up where they left off.
Now that Ross is managing the Caribou Coffee, Fortinberry finds time to stop in for a visit with her old friend.
‘We will never let time pass again,? said Ross. ‘We will always be close friends no matter what.?