Alumnae Friendship Spans Five Decades

The Surrey Now newspaper of Surrey, British Columbia, has published a charming story about the recent reunion of two onetime elementary schoolmates who went on to become best friends, both of whom are alumnae of Thomas Aquinas College: Bernadette (Yaretz ’84) Sorley and Donna (Watt ’84) Pickering. Writes author Tom Zytaruk:

“Thousands of Surrey students returned to classes this Tuesday, among them two 58-year-old best friends who marked a very special anniversary.

“Bernadette Sorley (used to be Yaretz) and Donna Pickering (was Watt) first met 50 years ago, in room 212 of Whalley’s Prince Charles Elementary School. It was on Sept. 6, 1966, sitting side-by-side in the front row of Miss Konkin’s Grade 3 class, that two eight-year-old girls began to forge a life-long bond. …

“After they both graduated from high school, they rented a basement suite together in Surrey for a year and then attended Thomas Aquinas College together in Santa Paula, California.”

The full story — which includes weddings, children, hard times, and a friendship that spans two generations, is available via the Surrey Now website.