Friends remain friends for life in Lynbrook

Green Avenue in Lynbrook is a short street with only 15 homes. But children raised in three of those homes, and who played together as youngsters, have remained good friends for more than 35 years — even though all of them have moved away. The children are from the families of Al and Anna Largo, Vic and Kim Staffieri, and Steve and Jane Grogan.

Back in 1982, those young children posed (top photo) on the front steps of the Staffieri home. The Largos lived on the corner and the Staffieris and Grogans lived across the street from each other two houses from the corner.

Today, all grown up, the friends, with their own families and children, live far away from each other. But, they still maintain the close friendship they had as youngsters. Paul Largo lives in New Jersey, Suzanne Largo-Perino lives in Birmingham, Ala., Nicole Staffieri-Coffey lives in Louisville, Ky., as now does Stephen Grogan, who recently moved with his family from Huntington.

Even though they live so far from each other, they stay in regular contact and have visited each other’s homes and attended weddings, communions and birthdays together. In March, all of them came back to Lynbrook for the marriage of the Grogan’s youngest son, Brian, who had not been born when the original photo was taken in 1982.

Those now grown-ups got together one more time to pose in the same position, with similar hand gestures, on those same house steps (bottom photo) as they did 35 years ago.

Friends are friends for life.