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They Are Our
Alice, a “bubbly” 93-year-old
woman, has lived in the same
Sandusky home since 1947. In
terms of her longevity, she takes
after her grandmother, who lived
to be 93 years old.
Alice still drives, golfs and
mows her own yard. She will
tell you it is “debatable” as to
how well she does with the task of weeding. She laughs
as she explains, “I go outside to weed for 20 minutes, then
I go inside and rest for three hours.” She grows her own
tomatoes and peppers and freezes them. For fun, she
plays golf three times a week at Mills Creek Golf Course.
She also plays cards three times a week.
She has a great sense of humor. She says she reads
instead of cleaning. Her card club has adopted a set of
“best practices” for housecleaning when hosting card
club. Those best practices are: “Open the windows to let
the wind blow off the dust, flush the toilet and put a clean
towel out – and that’s it!” That is quite a shift from the
“best housekeeping practices” she lived by as young and
middle-aged women. “Back then cleaning was everything.
You even kept your medicine cabinet spic-n-span.”
I asked her how she felt about being 93. “It has never
bothered me to tell people my age.” She believes “keeping
busy and not feeling sorry for yourself” is responsible for
her ability to age so well. It also helps that her kids treat
her as if she were still 20 years old. When people ask
her – “You mean you still do that?” Her reply is, “Well, why
not? I’m still able to do it.”
Pat, who is 92 and also lives
in Sandusky, describes herself
as easy-going and one who
takes life in stride. She posed
as a “Calendar Girl” in Serving
Our Seniors 2014 fund-raising
calendar. She doesn’t make a
big fuss over anything and says attitude is everything. She
is the mother of 12 children. “I had six boys and six girls.
I always say it was planned-parenthood”, as she laughs.
As a young adult she took in her great aunt – who was
bedridden. After her great aunt died, her mother in-law
moved in and she cared for her. “I wasn’t happy about
it, but it just seemed like it
was what you should do”.
She went on to say, “I don’t
know… I have always had
such a good attitude all of
the time. I’ve had two back
surgeries and each turned
out great. I really think it
is attitude”.
She gave up driving 20
years ago. The bus system plays an important role in
keeping her life active. She goes to the YMCA fve days
per week and swims 10 laps each day. After that, she goes
to the Erie County Senior Center where she socializes and
stays for lunch. The bus takes her home in the afternoon.
At home she keeps up with her 32 grandchildren and 32
great-grandchildren on Facebook. She is an avid sewer.
She has four sewing machines, two surgers and an
embroidery machine. She also has a male companion,
who is also 92 years old.
She said, “I was widowed for 16 years and hadn’t been
out with another man until 6 years ago.” Today, they go
out to eat together, concerts at the gazebo and they have
each other to talk to. Pat believes having a strong faith and
social relationships are important for successful aging.
Did you know...
50% of men age 90+ and 40% of women age 90+
still live alone or in households with relatives and/
or unrelated individuals. (Source: www.forbes.com
11/17/2011, “90 Plus Is The New Age, Are
You Ready?”