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Some people are lucky to have lifelong friendships, but few have a friendship quite like Pat DeReamer and Mary Wheaton. The women, who are both 95 years old, have been pals for several decades, and have a very unique document that chronicles their friendship. The pair have exchanged the same birthday card, back and forth, for 81 years.
The women became friends in 1942, when DeReamer and her family moved to Indianapolis during World War II. “I didn’t know very many people. So, Mary kind of picked me up out of the gutter and kind of, you know, was nice to me. We became really good friends,” she told WLKY. When DeReamer turned 14 on April 1, 1944, Wheaton got her a cute birthday card.
The card, starring a cartoon dog on the cover, reads “Here’s Wishing You a Birthday That Really is Colossal.” Inside, the dog character marvels at a massive dinosaur skeleton with the message, “ ‘Cause It’ll Be a Long, Long Time Before You’re an Old Fossil!” Rather than simply ticking it away as a memento, a tradition was born. DeReamer signed it and gave it back to Wheaton on her birthday a month later.
“We never said, ‘We’re going to do this.’ At least, I don’t remember ever saying that. It just happened. After about five years, it just… every year we’d talk about it, and it would give us some reason to call each other and talk,” DeReamer said.
Their dedication to marking each other’s birthday and keeping the card safe has earned them a place in the Guinness World Records for the Longest birthday card exchange since 2004, when the card was in its 60th year. “Despite moving away for college, getting married, having children, to eventually having grandchildren, the birthday card exchange still occurred annually and continues on to this very day,” reads the Guinness World Records website.
While they may not get together as often as they used to because they live in different states—DeReamer now lives in Kentucky—their story is a testament to their relationship and a reminder that it doesn’t take a lot to nurture a friendship, even if you live far away from one another. Come April, the card will be ready for its 2026 signatures and a trip across state lines.
Pat DeReamer and Mary Wheaton, who are both 95 years old, have been exchanging the same birthday card, back and forth, for 81 years.
Sources: These lifelong Louisville friends have been exchanging same birthday card for 80 years
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