Serving Our Seniors Magazine Jan - Mar 2021

By Sue Daugherty An anomaly is something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected. This describes Grover Ritter to a T. At age 90, he is 6’ tall, weighs 215 lb. and is a rough and tumble kind of guy. One who has always lived life on his own terms. His health, his attitude and his capacity to function are remarkable. A graduate of Sandusky High School in 1948, Grover served in the military from 1951 to 1953 and is a Korean War Vet. Following his honorable discharge, he married Mary Pepitone. Together they had one daughter, Linda and a son, Roy. Linda lives nearby and regrettably, Roy died in a motorcycle accident at age 29. Grover has one great-great grandson. For 38 years he worked as a long haul truck driver, retiring at age 57. That, in itself, is extraordinary. The occupation of truck driver is not known for producing a long and healthy life. Yet, Grover is enjoying one. After retiring from the Teamsters, he accepted a full-time job at NASA Plumbrook as a Research Mechanic. He later went down to part-time and retired from NASA at age 62. Today, he remains strong, vibrant, socially engaged and eager to take on an intellectual challenge that requires him to use his mind and his hands. So what’s his secret, you ask? Here are his answers… Staying Active: “I stay active. My wife has passed away and I have been alone, now, for 20 years. I don’t sit around and brood. I tried sitting around for a while and I found out it was terrible. So I started getting out and being with people. I have lots of hobbies and I find things to keep me busy. I also have friendships with younger people,” he said. Grover is a car racing buff. A hobby that requires a lot of time. He started out as a “Pit Man” in 1949. In 1958 he started building his own race cars and in 1986 he started driving the race cars, himself. He would race in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan and Florida. GROVER RITTER: Grover with his great grandson and great, great grandson 6