It took a trip to New Jersey last month to find that life works in mysterious ways, and that interesting stories are where you find them.

At a fly-tying show in Somerset, N.J., I spoke with Don Bastian, a 55-year-old professional fly tier, author, lecturer and fly-tying and fly-fishing instructor from Cogan Station, Pa., just north of Williamsport. Bastian was featured on this page two years ago when he presented a two-day fly-tying seminar on tying traditional wet flies at The Evening Rise Trout Fishing Outfitters in Lancaster. He presented another seminar last weekend at the same venue.

After that story about Bastian appeared, James Breon, of Strasburg, contacted his daughter, Jann Deibert, of Mountville, and told her about the newspaper story on Bastian's visit to Lancaster. He asked her whether Bastian could be the same person that she knew decades ago as a young girl.

Deibert contacted me requesting information about Don Bastian, and I complied by supplying her with Bastian's business e-mail address. I heard nothing else from or about them — until last month in New Jersey, when Bastian provided me with the rest of the story.

Bastian was the person that Jann Deibert knew from long ago; as youngsters they lived a block apart in Williamsport. They went to school together, and spent time together outside of school. They spent enough time together that their playmates teased them about being boyfriend and girlfriend.

Deibert moved with her family away from Williamsport during January of her sixth grade; that ended all contact until the early 1970s when Bastian received a letter from Deibert. Busy with life and recently married, Bastian did not reply.

Jann Deibert had divorced and was single for the 18 years prior to contacting Bastian by e-mail after reading the newspaper story. She has three sons: Christopher, who lives in Willow Street; Benjamin, from Manhattan; and Michael, an author/journalist currently in the Congo.

Bastian was happily married during the previous 32 years. Busy preparing with his wife for his daughter's July 2006 wedding, the brief series of catch-up e-mails between Deibert and Bastian ended.

 Tragedy struck Bastian just prior to his daughter's wedding when his wife was inflicted with an aggressive form of cancer that was extremely painful, as well as being fatal in a short time.

In time, Bastian and Deibert resumed e-mailing, then spoke on the phone and eventually met. During the Christmas holidays of 2007, Bastian and Deibert became engaged. They will be married in Williamsport in June 2008, and live in Cogan Station.

Forty-two years had elapsed since Deibert and Bastian had spoken to each other.

Both are happy that fate, in the form of a newspaper article, helped them reconnect.

Don Bastian and Jann Deibert hope and plan to remain together always.

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John McGonigle is the Outdoors editor for the Sunday News. His e-mail address is jmcgonigle@lnpnews.com.
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