It was circa 1970 in Rochdale Village, Jamaica, Queens when Ceil Schneider ’81 and Jon Lachman ‘80 first met in sixth grade at Intermediate School 72. Jon was enamored and, after much pining (apparent to all and unrequited by her), he asked her to the movies. Her parents, however, said she was too young to date and eventually they each moved to different towns on Long Island.
In the fall of 1979, they were reacquainted at Stony Brook University and the seed planted years before took root. The two became inseparable for a time. After a few years of being together and not, the two parted ways in the summer of 1981.
They went on to forge careers; Jon as a semi-conductor engineer, Ceil as a lawyer. They had families. They lived 2,000 miles apart for nearly 29 years, until one day he reached out to her and she answered. Neither had forgotten the spark between them. Forty-eight years after their love story began in Queens, Stony Brook grads Jonathan Lachman ’80 and Ceil Schneider ‘81 were married on July 7, 2018.
Today, they’re continuing their adventure from their home in Jupiter, Florida. Despite the distance, however, they haven’t forgotten their connection to Stony Brook. Recently, they visited campus together for the first time in almost 40 years, visiting the brick on Legacy Way that Ceil had given Jon a few years earlier for Valentine’s Day.
Ceil and Jon:
I have never read anything on the internet as moving as your story. A true love story !Congratulations and I hope the future is very bright for both of you.
I graduated with an engineering degree from Stony Brook in 1971 and own a home in Pt. St. Lucie, Florida. Perhaps we can meet someday.
Best regards.
Alan Epstein