Farragos met on LIRR, keep love on track

Before Match.com and eHarmony, the Long Island Rail Road made its own love connections.

Matt Farrago's decision to take an earlier train home from work one day in 1994 changed the course of his life when he ended up sitting across the aisle from his future wife, Nancy Wong, who, as it happens, didn't usually take that train.

The car was crowded, so since talking wasn't possible he scribbled a note on his business card and handed it to her as she got up to leave. It read, "My name is Matt. I couldn't help but notice you," then asked if she'd go to a movie and dinner with him, "your choice, my pleasure."

Two and a half weeks later Nancy called. She needed a date for a wedding but wanted to meet with Matt before making a commitment. That was their first date. Eight months later, Matt proposed at the top of the Empire State Building and, on May 8, 1996, the couple wed on a beach in Maui, Hawaii. Their Love Story was published in Newsday on Oct. 6, 1996.

Now a family of five

Today Matt, 50, and Nancy, 46, live in Greenlawn with their three children -- Tyler, 13, Dylan, 11, and Kalea, 7. Nancy, a former court stenographer, is now a homemaker who works part-time as an interior designer and feng shui consultant. She grew up in Vancouver, Canada, and had been planning to return when she met Matt. Each year they take the children to visit family there. Matt sells medical instruments for orthopedic and neurological procedures.

As many couples readily admit, "happily ever after" is difficult to apply to reality. For starters, maintaining the "happy" is a challenge. The Farragos adapt when life throws obstacles their way. Says Nancy: "It's him. He completely gets me and understands me and loves me so much. I'm smart enough now to know that's a good thing. He's an amazing person. I get him too. We're best friends." Rising to challenges

One challenge came early in the marriage. "Maybe a year later [after the wedding] we found out we were going to have a baby," Matt recalled, and they put money down on a new house. Then Matt was laid off from his job. He was working with the Jacob Javits Center selling space at trade shows. "When things were at their worst . . . I still had confidence that something good was coming," he recalled.

He had taken pre-med courses at SUNY Cortland and received bachelor's degrees in biology and physical education, so when someone suggested he look into medical sales, he did. "It was a good choice," he acknowledges.

The couple's focus is on raising their children, but they said they understand the importance of having time to themselves. "When we get tense with each other . . . we make a date night," Matt said. Nancy said they take advantage of family ski / snowboarding trips, too.

"Matt and I don't ski, so when they [the kids] are in [ski/snowboard] class, we enjoy that time by ourselves."

As for the future, Nancy says, "we plan to grow old together, sitting in our rocking chairs on our front porch."