Did You Know?
the world’s latest pandemic that struck down 6.2 million worldwide.
They lived through a world war, Prohibition, the beginning of Wimbledon and the dawn of technology as radio arrived at the White House in 1922.
Today, there are about 90,000 centenarians in the country, according to the Census Bureau, an increase from about 72,000 in 2014 and 50,000 in 2000, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That growth is expected to continue, potentially reaching 589,000 people in the U.S.
Here in LW, centenarians are also on the rise. Last week, 26 residents—at least two of whom are 105—were recognized as super-agers who have withstood the tests of time. They are men and women of varied backgrounds with several common threads. They are as active as possible, challenge themselves with mental activity, are family-oriented and are social butterflies. Many had unusally long and happy marriages.
George Koehm, who will be 100 in November, and his wife, Selma, loved to dance and travel. Selma died in 2011 at the age of 92 after a 62-year marriage filled with travel, boating and family.
Lewis Parker, who will be 100 in September, learned to be “a pretty good microwave chef ” after his beloved wife, Alma, died in 2019 after 69 years of marriage. He keeps up with current events, Zooms daily with several Leisure World groups and FaceTimes his son David and grandsons Daan and Sam in the Netherlands.
For Bob Lynch, 103, a deep love of family and a marriage that lasted nearly 80 years has sustained him. His dear Rosalie, “Ro,” died in 2020, but memories of her surround him still. Over the years, there were several feature stories in the LW Weekly recognizing their long and enduring union.
George Mayeda, who will be 100 in June, had a 72-year marriage to Fumi. “I think I was pretty lucky to marry her. She was a really smart woman,” he said. He is still very connected to his family through trips to the Santa Anita Race Track and Las Vegas, Christmas potlucks, and Fourth of July fireworks fun.
Mary Greytak, 100, loves cribbage and spent decades overseeing the Cribbage Club. It kept her sharp, and she met two husbands at the card tables—Roger Weiber, who died in 2002, and Gary Greytak, who recently died after almost 15 years of marriage.
Jerry Uva, 103, still enjoys a good action movie and visiting with his family.
Several centenarians are accomplished artists. Jo Pickerell, 105, and Chung-Yuen Tung, 102, showcase their beautiful paintings in their apartments. Phyllis Poper’s creative expression takes the form of poetry, which she has been sending to the LW Weekly for decades. Ruth Beaman, 101, is an accomplished painter and does ceramics and needlework, as well as arranging flowers for the First Christian Church of Leisure World. Musican Mark Glickman, 101, came to Leisure World in 1988 and is still a Mutual 2 director.
William Miller, who will be 100 in October, has not let impaired vision isolate him. In Leisure World, he is a lifetime member of the VFW, a member of the American Legion and a member of Rollin’ Thunder Golf Cart Club.
Bea Roth, who will be 100 on May 23, is known for her great sense of humor and an enduring love of eduction, especially OLLI senior university at California State University, Long Beach. She has been taking classes there for over 18 years. And she stays current with news—local, international and political.
Lyndell Philip, 100 in August, is an avid sports fan whose passion is baseball, especially the Dodgers. She has a long history of volunteering at the Health Care Center and the LW Library.
Seena Friedland, who will be 100 in August, lives alone with minimal care.
She does not wear glasses, has never been in a hospital except to visit others and keeps her mind sharp by reading the Long Beach Press-Telegram and working a crossword puzzle every day.
Pearl Anderson still enjoys traveling and is as active as a youngster. She enjoyed water skiing until she was 94 years old and rode a horse on her 98th birthday. She plays the piano for the Bible study at LW Baptist Church and sings in the choir on Sunday.
For her 100th birthday in August, she will travel to Minneapolis to celebrate with her relatives and have a local gettogether with her LW Baptist Church friends and family.
Kudos to all LW cententarians, those wonderful models of graceful aging, who are paving the way for the rest of us.
• For every 100 females age 100 or older, there are only 20.7 males the same age. Females also make up 61.9 percent of those in their 80s and 72.2 percent of people in their 90s.
• Out of the 7.8 billion people in the world, there are only about 316,600—or 0.004%—centenarians living today.
