An extra helping of love, with kisses on the side

MILFORD — The Village Diner has brought two star-crossed lovers together.

Their long story will end happily this Saturday when the couple, Frank Ostlinger and Yvonne La Forge, wed at the diner, located at 268 Route 6 and 209 in Milford.

“Yvonne and Frank have been coming to the diner, almost since my brother, Agie, and I took it over,” said Maria Pagelos-Wall, one of the owners. “I first noticed them when they came in and sat on the same side of the booth. I thought, wow, they must really be in love because that is something my husband and I have always done. We all became fast friends because, that is just me.”

Frank and Yvonne’s story begins a couple of decades back, at a bus station in Colorado. Frank, born in Sweden, came to the United States as an exchange student when he was a high school senior, and then returned to attend college. While at the bus station, on his way after graduation to visit his high school host family in Colorado, he met the love of his life. But he didn’t quite know it.

“I was being accosted by a man at the bus station, and Frank saved me,” said Yvonne. “We spent 10 hours together on the bus talking, laughing, and we even shared a kiss, but being that Frank was a few years older than me and I was just starting college, the timing was just not right. We remained friends and became pen-pals over the years, but our lives went in different directions. We both married other people and had a rough middle of our lives apart, but when we reconnected, we realized that you can meet your soul mate at a chance encounter when you’re a teenager.”

The two connected on Facebook in January 2010, after they had both been divorced. Their first date was in June that year, when Frank visited from Canada.

Yvonne discovered the Village Diner with her kids and fell in love with the 1950s décor, the food and the family atmosphere. She immediately knew Frank would love it too.

“The Village Diner is so great,” said Yvonne. “It’s like your kitchen away from home. The people are always happy and friendly, and I have never had a bad meal here, ever. Frank and I come here whenever he is in town and after only a few visits, we became good friends with Maria. When Frank suggested that we host our wedding there, I thought it was going to be an imposition, but the more I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine having it anywhere else.”

So the Village Diner will on Dec. 21 host its first-ever wedding, to feature a French fry bar, classic Greek foods, and Maria’s locally famous pies.

For more information visit villagedinermilfordpa.com or check out the diner's Facebook page.