USA couple send a plea across the world to find long-lost friends

A couple from the US state of Montana are desperate to find some old pals from our part of the world.

Don and Lynn Gerstein want to track down Melvin and Carol Tomlinson after losing touch over the years.

But they are hoping that an appeal via the Advertiser might be the answer.

Don said: “We previously lived near Phoenix, Arizona, which is where Melvin and Carol visited and stayed.

“They may remember the night we were in England and they took us out for proper pizza, and couldn’t understand why that was funny once we reached the restaurant.

“Back in the year 2000, my wife Lynn and I travelled to England for a guided two weeks of touring.

“As we were waiting to leave the tour bus after a full day of seeing the sights, Lynn said, ‘I think I’m going to invite the coach driver to have dinner with us. He probably never gets asked’.

“She was correct, he usually did not get asked, and he agreed to join us.

“It was a treat when he took us to a pub we never would have found.

“We were staying in a hotel for two nights, which was close to Melvin’s home.

“He brought his wife Carole to meet us and we all had a great time at dinner.

“Thus began a friendship that lasted for decades.

“We visited their home multiple times and they came to see us many times also.

“A few years ago, Melvin and Carol sent a card to us. We had moved, and they had done so also.

“Unfortunately, while Carol’s card reached us at our new home, there was no return address so we couldn’t reply.

“Without receiving a card or letter from us, we worried they might think we were deliberately ignoring them. It was a sad time.

“Recently, it occurred to me that perhaps an AI could find them for us. While the AI would not give up a specific address, we narrowed it down to a possibility of Melvin and Carol living in one area.”

Hence the plea to the Advertiser.

Don and Lynn, who live in Deer Lodge, Montana, used to live near Phoenix, Arizona, in a small town called Surprise when they were in touch with Melvin and Carol.

If anyone knows Melvin and Carol, please get in touch with the Advertiser via [email protected] and we will pass on your messages to Don and Lynn.