Romance blooms amid life’s coincidences

Lawrence High graduate Jaime Oberstein has quite a tale to tell

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Young romances blossom during summer camp, but not many people have the tale to tell that Cedarhurst resident Jaime Oberstein does when she recounts meeting her boyfriend, Jonathan Delin.

Delin’s parents, Paul Delin and Karen Beame Delin, met when they were teens at Camp Poyntelle/Lewis Village summer camp in Pennsylvania. Karen, a former camper, was a counselor assistant at 17, the summer Paul, 19, traveled from his native Essex, England, to be an art specialist at the camp in 1983. Their romance transformed into marriage and a family, including children, Jonathan and Emma. Tragically, Paul died seven years ago after he suffered a heart attack, while playing tennis.

Oberstein, a former Camp Poyntelle camper, was a counselor assistant at the camp last summer, when Jonathan, 20, wanting to walk in his father’s footsteps, journeyed from Essex to be the art specialist at the camp. Jaime turns 18 in July. She will attend Syracuse University and major in business communication.

“This was part of my family history, I heard the stories and wanted to experience for myself camp in America,” Jonathan said as he, Jaime and her parents, Andrea and Alan Oberstein sat at a table in the Inwood Country Club during the pre-prom party for the Lawrence High School class of 2016 on June 22. Jonathan said it is somewhat of a custom for Britains to work at American summer camps.

They met during counselor orientation. “He came over and we started talking,” Jaime said. “He is very sweet, very funny.”

Separated by about 3,000 miles, the couple continued communicating through Face Time daily, and Jonathan, ever so the English gentleman, visited for 11 days in December. On this trip, he is here until the end of July. Jonathan is not only taken by Jaime, but with all the pomp and circumstance and celebratory events surrounding an American high school graduation.

“We have small parties, but nothing like this,” said the university of Manchester architecture student, noting the pre-prom, prom and the huge commencement ceremony for Lawrence High he attended on Monday at LIU’s Tilles Center. “I love it.”

When Jaime first told her parents about her boyfriend she mentioned that Jonathan’s mother was American, came from Brooklyn and was related to someone named Beame.

“I said Mayor Abe Beame and Jaime said, ‘who’s that?’” said Andrea, who then found out that she and Karen grew up two miles from each other. Karen was a niece of the former New York City mayor, who was born in London. He was mayor from 1974 to 1977. He died in 2001.

“Jaime was voted most likely to marry a millionaire by her class as all her friends are taken by Jonathan’s accent,” Andrea said. “They think he is royalty.”

Royalty or not, it’s quite a tale.