On a bright spring morning, two lifelong friends stood side by side in the heart of Walters, Oklahoma. Behind them, the old storefronts lined the street like a quiet chorus of memories — one in particular, with faded green awnings, once held the local drug store “Collins Drug,” owned for decades by the woman standing proudly on the left.
Her name is June Collins (Daniel), and beside her stands her best friend, Anita Bennett (Norman).
This trip held a special place for the duo. Marking over 75 years of friendship, the two women came back to where it all began. When we met up with them, they stood by a stone on the sidewalk — a simple but powerful tribute etched in time:
Friends Forever
Anita Norman
Carol Hathaway
Delores Bridges
Joann Turner
June Daniel
They stood there for a moment, honoring the friendships that shaped their lives, the town that raised them, and the invisible threads that still held them together after nearly eight decades.
Though the store is vacant now and the street a little quieter than it once was, for Anita and June, Walters still holds the echoes of laughter, the weight of shared history, and the unbreakable bond of a friendship that has lasted a lifetime.
