An orange Coast Guard helicopter was not the only thing in the air and circling the area outside of Waldon Middle School last Saturday, but also a little thing called love.
When Lake Orion graduate Duane Zitta awoke that morning, he knew it was going to be a special day. Zitta, who graduated in 1999 and now works with the Coast Guard, had it all planned out.
A birthday celebration for his girlfriend Michelle Eberle, a 2001 graduate from Waterford Kettering, was going to a take a surprise twist ? it was also going to turn into an engagement celebration. But first a little deception was needed to start the plan in action.
Zitta, who had planned a birthday party for Eberle at his mother’s house, pretended to get called into work.
‘I was pretty upset that he got called into work just hours before my birthday party but it’s not unusual,? Eberle said. ‘I knew he would get there as soon as possible, that’s his job so I deal with the good and the bad.?
The only ‘work? Zitta was really doing was getting ready to execute a well-planned out surprise engagement proposal for his girlfriend. Flying in on an orange Coast Guard helicopter that landed across the street from his mother’s house at Waldon Middle School, Zitta emerged, sought Eberle out of the group that had gathered at the school, walked towards her and got down on one knee.
‘I came up with the proposal idea while on a Search and Rescue mission at work while flying in a helicopter,? Zitta said. ‘It took about four months of planning and what felt like hundreds of phone calls and e-mails and a lot of secrets.?
After months of planning on Zitta’s part, Eberle was in for the surprise of her life.
‘I had no idea until everyone was in a panic to get me out of his mom’s house and across the street to the soccer field and my mom was in tears with her arm around me,? Eberle said. ‘I saw Sam, one of my best friends from high school, and that’s when I knew something was going on.?
‘Up until that point there were many occasions when I hoped he would propose and it didn’t happen so I figured this day would be no different, and I definitely had no idea to what extreme he would go to,? she added. ‘I knew what was going on when I saw the helicopter, or at least had a good idea of what I thought was about to happen. I felt like we were in a movie.?
The couple met in 2005 when Eberle, who currently works as a bartender at Christi’s Bar and Grill while she finishes her bachelor’s degree in business administration at Baker College, was working in a restaurant in Auburn Hills.
‘I was bartending at Applebee’s and Duane and his mother came in for dinner and decided to take a seat at the bar instead of waiting in a long line for a table,? Eberle said. ‘That was a Saturday and he came back in the following Monday to see me again.?
The couple went on their first date to Yates Cider Mill on October 8, 2005 and have been together ever since, she said.
‘Michelle is everything I could ever ask for, she is my best friend and I love her with all my heart,? Zitta said in regards to his fianc?.
‘We watched the video after (the proposal) and that’s when I finally realized what had actually happened,? Eberle added. ‘It was everything a girl could ever dream of ? Duane is the guy I have waited my whole life to meet.?
The couple plans on setting a date for this time next year for a beach wedding.