One phone call several weeks ago was a little bit different than anticipated for Jim Babcock, who lives in Niagara Falls, New York with his wife, Louise.
“ID says ‘Robert Ayers’ is calling,” Louise recalled. “Do you know anyone with that name?”
“I was in the Navy with a gentleman named Robert Westley Ayers,” Jim replied and went on to answer the call.
He was very surprised to hear the voice on the other end. “I hadn’t seen or heard him in more than 60 years,” he said.
Ayers, who lives near Ocala with his wife, began a project of trying to reunite with old friends from the Navy.
However, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to reconnect with his old friend beyond the telephone. What he didn’t know was that Jim and Louise had planned a visit to their daughter and son-in-law Becky and Jesse Holka in The Villages.
Once the Babcocks settled, they instantly made plans to see each other. On March 12, they met at the military-themed Eisenhower Regional Recreation Complex. The two families had lunch and met again for dinner, as they walked down memory lane.
“A lot of veterans enjoy the theme, and it seemed like a good backdrop for their reunion. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to meet at Eisenhower,” Becky said.
“It was so exciting to finally get to see him again after so long,” Ayers said. “We met for lunch and dinner and caught up on everything that happened in our lives.”
In 1951, both Jim and Robert were assigned to VP-5, a U.S. Navy patrol squadron in Jacksonville. Afterward, they lost contact and had no way of seeing each other until Ayers started his project.
Now both in their 80s, they were immersed in conversation and spent the day exchanging memories, as if nothing changed after so many years.
Becky was overjoyed to help the friends reunite and help two men to restart their friendship so late in life, even if it was just by chance.
“They talked that day like they never missed a beat,” Louise said. “It was the highlight of our trip to be sure.”
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun