By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus The travel bug bit Vicki Morese in college on her first trip abroad to Greece. “I still love Greece. It’s a special place for me,” the 65-year-old Morese said. “Growing up, I never really traveled much outside of Lawrence County. That may be why I love it so
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Sitting in one of the stools lining the pool hall, Mitchell Blackwood watched the balls carom off the sides of pockets as Buddy Roper and Bill Thrasher traded shots again and again. “We do make one every now and then,” Blackwood said with a laugh. “It may take
By Catherine Godbey | Living50Plus As people age, the variety of ways to stay physically active shrink. Gone, for many, are the days of full contact football, basketball, wrestling and baseball. But myriad opportunities remain for individuals to meet the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise. Think swimming, gardening, yoga and, one of
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Standing next to her castmates, 91-year-old Georgia Rogers led the audience and actors in a singing of “We Shall Overcome.” The song culminated a staging of “A Slave’s Dream,” the debut performance undertaken by Decatur’s senior citizens at Turner-Surles Community Resource Center. “We do a lot of stuff
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus As the crisp, cool air of New Year’s Day whipped around Stan Hyde, he steadied his camera, followed the bald eagle’s path and gently pressed the shutter button. Click. Click. Click. Click. Hyde captured the eagle in flight over Crabtree Slough. “I used to hunt, but now I
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Venessa Edmonds slowly walked the sidewalks surrounding the site where Gordon Bibb Elementary School, where she attended second and third grades, once stood. “It was challenging, but my family prepared me for it,” the now 62-year-old Edmonds said. “I went from a school where everyone looked like me
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus When Jo Ann Gentry spearheaded the creation of the East Acres outreach ministry in her mid-40s, she had no idea that the ministry would run for 21 years and impact hundreds of lives. “All I wanted was for it not to be a one-time thing. My heart was
Follow the footsteps that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. marched over Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, stand where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of a Montgomery bus and visit a church founded by slaves. For Black History Month, celebrated every February, spend time remembering the sacrifices activists and leaders
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus With thousands of lights, hundreds of round glass ornaments, wreaths, garland and trees, Dr. Randy and Lauren Riehl transformed Shadowlawn, one of Decatur’s prestigious historic homes, into a winter wonderland. Inspiration for the 150-year-old home’s holiday décor stemmed from the Riehls’ trip to Paris in the summer of
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Finding a sport that’s physically easy, fun, challenging and not too expensive is tough as you get older. Birdwatching can be the perfect answer: equipment needs for beginners are few and north Alabama is one of the top places in the state to see rare and colorful birds.
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus As Tommy Lance deadlifted a kettlebell, Gina Lance lay on the gym floor in front of a fan catching her breath. “After a workout, we usually lay here for 15 minutes and talk about our life choices,” Gina said with a laugh. Three days a week, many times
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus From creating a living will to naming a power of attorney to downsizing, many decisions face senior citizens and their families as they age. To help people navigate those decisions, Tori Vaughan created the Summit Group. “My goal is to protect our senior citizens and prepare them for
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Dr. Roger Moss remembers the days when the family doctor had to do pretty much anything local folks needed, from delivering babies to setting broken legs. “When I started residency, family medicine was still doing gallbladders and appendices and some surgeries,” he recalled. The routine of the family
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Decatur Morgan Hospital Foundation is honoring newspaper publisher Clint Shelton for his support of the hospital and overall work in the community. Shelton, 59, publisher of The Decatur Daily, is one of three recipients of the Caddell-Grisham Award presented each year at a black-tie gala. “Clint has supported
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Every year for the past 39 years, Decatur Morgan Hospital Foundation bestows the Caddell-Grisham Award to individuals dedicated to the community and the hospital. This year, the foundation selected three men to join the ranks of the previous 72 honorees. Past honorees included doctors, nurses, teachers, judges, hospital
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Armed with a popcorn machine, chicharrónes, hot sauce and drinks, Maria Gonzalez set up her booth at Decatur’s first Dia de los Muertos celebration last year and waited. Soon, thousands of people flooded the streets of downtown Decatur and Gonzalez sold out within 45 minutes. The sight of
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus In 1985 or 1986 — Wade Weaver can no longer remember which year it was for certain — he took a meeting with Trudy Grisham, who was then the president of the Decatur Morgan Hospital Foundation. In his small office in the Church Street warehouse he rented while
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Joyce Webster remembers the day 24 years ago in detail when a little girl with a baseball cap covering her bald head walked across the horse arena toward her. “She was so white and thin. She told me, ‘Before I die, I’d like to ride a pony,’” Webster
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Standing in his workshop, Linton Barron ran his hand across a plank of maple and admired the grain in the wood. “Look at this. Isn’t it just beautiful? This is all the good Lord’s work. He is the one who made this beautiful piece of wood,” Barron said.
By Zane Turner | Living 50 Plus Impersonation scams and other types of fraud targeting older residents have become a problem, Decatur police say, and one scheme cost a local senior $150,000. Michael Ferguson has been a detective in the Decatur Police Department’s financial crimes unit for six years and said he sees people lose money
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Earnest Lee of Morgan County enjoys participating in a few — well, really most — of the activities in the Masters Games of Alabama, a sports competition for seniors. “I play dominoes. I play checkers. I play three-on-three basketball when they have it. Sometimes I can’t find a
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Two months before Susan Thompson retired as the drama teacher at Austin High School in 2017, she began making plans for a project to fill her time. She called her good friend and fellow theater lover Deanna Knox. “I answered the phone and Susan said, ‘Hey, do you
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus In 1980, wooden bird sculptures at Calhoun Community College’s Wildfowl Festival captivated the imagination of a then 20-year-old Danny Rodgers. “They were amazing. I thought one done by Dirk Sibrans (of Decatur) was a stuffed bird. I came home and that’s all I could talk about,” Rodgers said.
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Stay active. Make new friends. Inspire young people. Stay sharp. For seniors and retirees, these are great reasons to volunteer. Another is that volunteering in the community just makes people feel good about themselves. Lacy Slaten, volunteer coordinator at the Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur, said
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Stories of a church founded by slaves, a bank that served as a hospital during the Civil War and a riverboat captain and his girlfriend, a brothel madam, await participants in Decatur’s self-guided walking tours. With flat streets and at a pace set by each participant, the self-guided
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Laura Stewart once landed her hot-air balloon in a field of cows that rambled over to investigate the stranger from the skies. They “thought we might have food,” Stewart recalled. That’s the thing about piloting a hot-air balloon — you never know exactly where you’ll end up. As
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Perched on the edge of the wooden seat, Mike Ward braced his feet on the floor of the boat, stretched his arms out over the water and shoved the paddle into Flint Creek. That was his introduction to dragon boating. “I didn’t have a clue what dragon boating
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Bill Cassidy exited his kitchen, walked briskly past the dining room table and went into the living room. He then turned left into the foyer, moved into the hall and picked up his pace as he walked past a grandfather clock. He arrived back at his starting point
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Jack Nagel of Decatur has a simple explanation for why he’s still swimming in his 90s. “For my health,” he said. “That’s why I’m 91.” Get ready to feel guilty, you workout slackers. This inspiring senior citizen swims 30-minute pool sessions at least five days a week. Nagel
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Tucked away in the corner of libraries and archives in north Alabama, Tuscaloosa and Atlanta, the Rev. Wylheme Ragland spends hundreds of hours each year researching the past. “History, specifically African-American history, is my passion,” the 76-year-old Ragland said. “If I am doing research, I may stay up
By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus When talking about work ethic and the immigrant’s journey to obtain the American dream, Hispanic residents near Central Parkway and 14th Street Southwest smile when they talk about the success of Decatur resident Alfredo Chavez, a man respectfully referred to as El Jefe (The Boss). Chavez, who turns
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Eleven years ago, a small group gathered inside the Carnegie Visual Arts Center to discuss ways to raise money for the nonprofit arts center. From that meeting came an idea for a Mardi Gras-style fundraiser. They called it Carnegie Carnival, which has become one of the most popular
By Emma Daniel | Living 50 Plus Having children or grandchildren getting married can be stressful for everyone involved, but local wedding coordinators say being supportive is the key to parents, grandparents and the new couple having a good time at the wedding. Carlee Koehler, owner of the Event Planner event coordination service in Huntsville,
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus When asked to give advice to those new to decorating for the holidays, Dena Stephenson — a self-described “non-recovering Christmasaholic” — said, without hesitation, “Don’t do it.” Then she laughed. “Seriously, do what you can manage and then try to stop, but you might not be able to
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Tucked away inside the closet of a guest bedroom, Martha Newman gets to work. Armed with a glue gun, cone-shaped shiny paper, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches and broaches, the 75-year-old Decatur woman creates glitzy and sparkly bejeweled trees. She calls the creations memory trees. Each bead, pendant and
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus The sound of carols filling stores and sight of wreaths on doors can mean one thing — the arrival of the winter holidays. ‘Tis the season for baking cookies, roasting meats and mulling apple ciders. As family and friends gather for festive celebrations, home cooks will turn to
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus On most Fridays this fall, Erick Pratt completed work at his law practice in Decatur by lunchtime, climbed into his 2018 Nissan Altima and traveled to college football games across the Southeast — in places like Chattanooga; Macon, Georgia; and Spartanburg, South Carolina. He didn’t go to watch
By Erica Smith | Living 50 Plus Dale Higdon choked up recently as he reminisced about what his grandfather told him when he got a job with GE Appliances’ new plant in Decatur and became one of 77 employees who started there Aug. 15, 1977. “Boy, you got the chance of a lifetime,” Higdon’s grandfather
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Sliding her fingers along the strings of the dulcimer’s neck, Lori Matthews picked out the recognizable tune of “Oh, Susannah.” “The dulcimer is very easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master,” the 64-year-old Matthews said. Every Wednesday morning, amateur musicians, some wheeling laundry baskets carrying dulcimer
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Leigh Ann Hurst never considered herself creative. That changed, though, when her mother, Glenda Sartain, dropped by with some gemstones. “It was the summer of 2009. She had gotten the gemstones to entertain my niece with. They made necklaces and my mother asked me to do it with
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Homeowners turning 65 can reduce their property tax by having the state portion of the tax bite exempt if they apply for it by Dec. 31. Morgan County Revenue Commissioner Amanda Scott said about 7,500 senior homeowners in the county are taking advantage of the age-related homestead exemption.
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Do you have special dishes or sweets you make for the winter holiday? Living 50 Plus wants to know about your favorite festive foods, including cookies, pies, casseroles and side dishes. We’ll share as many submitted recipes as possible in the December issue of the Living 50 Plus
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Bob Cameron has an expression he uses when discussing some of the classic cars he has owned. “You don’t see yourself coming in that one very often,” Cameron said recently. He was referring to the red, 1948 Cadillac convertible that he restored and has kept for more than
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus A chance encounter with Bruce Jones, then director of Decatur Youth Services, at Walmart 18 years ago opened the door for Kurtistyne White to pursue what would become her calling. “My background is in military. I only thought about working with kids after I had my sons and
By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus At the crack of dawn and then again into the sunset each evening, Bill Trail works on projects at his Southeast Decatur house, and he recently completed a miniature Stonehenge replica in his front yard. Trail, 61, has a strict work ethic that enables him to work and
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus PRICEVILLE — For 81-year-old Kenneth Stuart, going to work every day is the “medicine” that keeps him alive and active. Manager of The Jeweler and More business in Priceville for the past seven years, Stuart said it is important for him and other seniors to stay busy with
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus More than 300 military veterans in Morgan County find fellowship, comfort and a sense of belonging when they visit the American Legion Post 15 on U.S. 31 South in Decatur. But most of all, the membership, with an average age in the mid-60s, concentrates on community service, post
As told to Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Four years ago, after completing rounds of chemotherapy and radiation during his second battle with colon cancer, Haruki Yokochi searched for a way to stay healthy. “After I got cancer the first time, I went to the gym five days a week and lifted weights and
By Wes Tomlinson | Staff Writer In 40 years of teaching elementary school, Carol Shaw said she has learned just as much from her students as they have from her, and she encourages young teachers to develop and maintain a “children-first” mentality. “You have to know where your kids are coming from,” Shaw said. “I
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Four decades after graduating from college, Betty Koval returned to school in 2016. In the past six years, the 68-year-old Decatur woman took classes on drawing, beginning Italian, mahjong, pickleball, tai chi, pandemics through the arts, stress relief, tailgating foods and mixology. “I have had the most fun.
By Bayne Hughes | Living 50 Plus Kids in Decatur Youth Services programs call him “Mr. Rico,” and it’s a term of both respect and endearment for Enrico Pickett Sr. Although he’s 55, Pickett spends much of his life helping those much younger, whether he’s coordinating Youth Services sports leagues, teaching health and sex education or
By Tim Nail | Living 50 Plus Susan Hines, 62, of Hartselle, packed her suitcase for an excursion to Italy at the end of March. She wasn’t just getting ready for a vacation. For her, this trip also aimed to further her knowledge of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. “I’m going to take a pasta cooking
By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus Bobby Hollis smiled as he remembered the first times he heard the iconic voice of Elvis Presley. “My (siblings) were constantly bringing his albums into the house when we were growing up,” Hollis said. “Back then, you had the black-and-white TVs and AM radio if you were lucky
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Flying north from Hartselle toward Decatur in his hot-air balloon decorated with strips of bright colors, Brian Dial found himself in a jam. A relatively new balloon pilot at the time, he wanted to land before his flight got too long. But as he hovered over woods near
By Dewayne Eddy For many who are decades away from leaving the workforce, retirement may seem like an abstract concept. But once you’ve entered your late fifties — like the youngest Baby Boomers, turning 57 in 2021 — retirement may begin to seem very real. A recent survey of Boomers found that because of the
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Senior citizens in Morgan, Lawrence and Cullman counties don’t have to look far for free legal services, answers to Medicare questions, transportation assistance, prescription drug discounts and meals. The North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments, NARCOG for short, utilizes state and federal money to provide those programs.
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Ronnie Dukes vividly remembers crossing the finish line in his first road race. The year was 1979, and the race was the inaugural River City Run, a 10-kilometer race, now in its 43rd year. “The feeling I had when I crossed the finish line was something I had
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Dressed in tricorn hats, bandanas, frock coats, flowy lace-up shirts and skeleton accessories — the typical wardrobe for a Decatur pirate — members of Crewe O’ Ye Crooked Goat entertain and amuse crowds at the Mardi Gras-style Carnegie Carnival parade every year. Consisting mainly of individuals 50 and
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Rick Henry reached a crossroad in 2004. “My kids were gone. They went off to college and then went off and got married. I had some free time,” the Southwest Decatur resident said. In his early 50s at the time, he began thinking about what he’d do to
By Dewayne Eddy Many IRA and retirement plan limits are indexed for inflation each year. Although the amount you can contribute to IRAs remains the same in 2022, other key numbers will increase, including how much you can contribute to a work-based retirement plan and the phaseout thresholds for IRA deductibility and Roth contributions. HOW
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Standing on the dock of the Riverwalk Marina and Boat Harbor as cars streamed past on the bridge 37 years ago, Wayne Holliday jumped into the bone-chilling waters of the Tennessee River — beginning a Decatur New Year’s Day tradition that now attracts dozens of people every year.
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus When Linda Miller moved into her Sherman Street home in Decatur’s Albany neighborhood, she quickly learned of the historic district’s tradition of decorating for the holidays. “If you live in Albany or Old Decatur, decorating for the holidays is something you just do,” the 54-year-old Miller said. “My
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Pat Price remembers the smell of the old-fashioned Lane cake baking in her mother’s kitchen during the holidays. Now, Price is instilling those memories in her 10 grandchildren. “Their favorite thing is what we call crack green beans, which are covered with a pound of cooked bacon and
By Lori Few | Living 50 Plus The holiday season is steeped in tradition. Few traditions may elicit more collective belly laughs than watching holiday movies with your loved ones, especially grandkids, and friends. To celebrate the holiday season, the historic Princess Theatre will screen a series of Christmas movies at the downtown Decatur performing
By Dewayne Eddy Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system, which means today’s workers are paying taxes for the benefits received by today’s retirees. However, demographic trends such as lower birth rates, higher retirement rates, and longer life spans are causing long-run fiscal challenges. There are simply not enough U.S. workers to support the growing number
By Cameron Reeder | Living 50 Plus Cameron Reeder is a resident of Decatur who wrote this account of his trip through the Midwest for Living 50 Plus. I tuned 60 on June 22. What happened? Suddenly, I find that I am old. Wasn’t I just 18 last year? I think everyone has asked these
By Emily Griffith | Living 50 Plus Many struggle to find purpose in retirement after a lifetime of hard work. For Terry Connor, retirement is a blessing that has allowed him to accelerate his art. “I’m cranking out picture after picture because I’m at peace, I don’t have to worry about work (and) I’m in
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Charlie Gover isn’t about to slow down at age 70. The former high school coach who serves on the Falkville Town Council has just begun taking scuba diving lessons. He’s fitting the lessons in between weightlifting, pickleball, table tennis, archery, bicycle riding, spelunking and running. Gover goes out
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Edith Garner sat beside 4-year-old Adam Vargas and told him they would read a book together. “Talk to me,” said Garner, a volunteer at Maxine Ellison Decatur Youth Enrichment Learning Center. “What’s your name?” Adam looked at her silently. Garner, who spent a quarter century with Decatur City
By Emily Griffith | Living 50 Plus Habitat for Humanity volunteer Sam Beadle grew up in a low-income family, so he understands the importance of a home. As the ninth out of 10 kids in a three-room home, he knows what families in the Habitat program are going through. That makes his efforts with the program
By Tim Nail | Living 50 Plus When Terry Carver retired four years ago, he didn’t want to spend all of his time relaxing. “I just like to stay busy,” said Carver, now 69. “I don’t like to sit around and do nothing in the daytime.” So after a career in the U.S. Air Force
By Ron Stokes I am a backpacker (noun). That is, I regularly hike or travel carrying everything I may need in a backpack. I backpack (verb) because I love being outside and exploring areas best seen on foot. I am also a CPA (nerd) and I am forced to spend extended periods of time indoors
Most mornings, Conley Brannon laces up his latest Oakley sneakers — he goes through a pair every three to six months — and hits the hills of Burningtree Mountain. At 50 years old, the Decatur man credits running, which he returned to seven years ago, for keeping him healthy.
By Catherine Godbey | Staff Writer Sitting on the front porch, frustrated by the shutdown triggered by the pandemic, Laverne Gilbert began to talk to God. “I retired in 2019 and had these big plans of going on a cruise and traveling. But I was doing nothing because of COVID. I began meditating and asking
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus The only thing Tony Cocciolo of Decatur loves more than competing in running events throughout north Alabama at age 77 is winning his age division in them. So he paid close attention during a pre-race chat several years ago when an unfamiliar runner divulged his age. Cocciolo realized
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Allen Kinworthy sat in the Aquadome Recreation Center bleachers and breathed deeply in between games of pickleball. He served as tangible evidence that the once-obscure sport can provide a workout. “It gets the cardio back up,” acknowledged Kinworthy, a Decatur resident who says he’s older than 60. “Where
By Steve Irvine | Living 50 Plus DECATUR — At the age of 78, J. Hugh Looney still works 10-hour days styling hair and goes snow skiing on premier slopes in the western United States. He also finds time to garden and repair old sports cars and lawn mowers. The Morgan County native has been
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus You might say Lewis White’s love of cycling started out of necessity.“In college I worked at Walmart,” he said. “I didn’t have a car, so I rode a bike to work. Fromthat point forward, I’ve been riding a bike nearly every day.”Now 56 and principal at Priceville High
By Melissa Erickson | Living 50 Plus Avoiding medical care because of fears of contracting COVID-19 could mean the difference between life and death. For major medical issues such as heart attack and stroke, the benefits of quickly getting care are much, much higher, said Dr. B.J. Hicks, OhioHealth vascular neurologist and co-director of the
By Steve Irvine | Living 50 Plus Can you imagine a life without gardening? Philda Starks doesn’t need time to ponder the question. It takes her about as much time to respond as perhaps it did for her to begin falling in love with gardening as a young child. Starks, 62, grew up in Somerville,
By Lisa Elia | Living 50 Plus BIRMINGHAM – For a city whose theater district once rivaled that of New York’s, it’s only fitting today that it’s undergoing a second act and the reviews, so far, are glowing. From its foodie-loving restaurants that have filled once-shuttered storefronts to its green spaces that have breathed new
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Across north Alabama, inside gyms, church buildings and an arts center, people gather to practice breathing, stretching and balance. Some come to relieve stress and increase core strength. Others come out of curiosity. “Simple curiosity and an invitation from a friend were my introduction to yoga. I was
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus The travel bug bit Vicki Morese in college on her first trip abroad to Greece. “I still love Greece. It’s a special place for me,” the 65-year-old Morese said. “Growing up, I never really traveled much outside of Lawrence County. That may be why I love it so
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Sitting in one of the stools lining the pool hall, Mitchell Blackwood watched the balls carom off the sides of pockets as Buddy Roper and Bill Thrasher traded shots again and again. “We do make one every now and then,” Blackwood said with a laugh. “It may take
By Catherine Godbey | Living50Plus As people age, the variety of ways to stay physically active shrink. Gone, for many, are the days of full contact football, basketball, wrestling and baseball. But myriad opportunities remain for individuals to meet the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise. Think swimming, gardening, yoga and, one of
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Standing next to her castmates, 91-year-old Georgia Rogers led the audience and actors in a singing of “We Shall Overcome.” The song culminated a staging of “A Slave’s Dream,” the debut performance undertaken by Decatur’s senior citizens at Turner-Surles Community Resource Center. “We do a lot of stuff![Stan Hyde started photographing wildlife [JERONIMO NISA/LIVING 50 PLUS]](https://living50plusdm.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Stan-Hyde_Living50-BANNER-150x150.jpg)
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus As the crisp, cool air of New Year’s Day whipped around Stan Hyde, he steadied his camera, followed the bald eagle’s path and gently pressed the shutter button. Click. Click. Click. Click. Hyde captured the eagle in flight over Crabtree Slough. “I used to hunt, but now I
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Venessa Edmonds slowly walked the sidewalks surrounding the site where Gordon Bibb Elementary School, where she attended second and third grades, once stood. “It was challenging, but my family prepared me for it,” the now 62-year-old Edmonds said. “I went from a school where everyone looked like me
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus When Jo Ann Gentry spearheaded the creation of the East Acres outreach ministry in her mid-40s, she had no idea that the ministry would run for 21 years and impact hundreds of lives. “All I wanted was for it not to be a one-time thing. My heart was
Follow the footsteps that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. marched over Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, stand where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of a Montgomery bus and visit a church founded by slaves. For Black History Month, celebrated every February, spend time remembering the sacrifices activists and leaders
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus With thousands of lights, hundreds of round glass ornaments, wreaths, garland and trees, Dr. Randy and Lauren Riehl transformed Shadowlawn, one of Decatur’s prestigious historic homes, into a winter wonderland. Inspiration for the 150-year-old home’s holiday décor stemmed from the Riehls’ trip to Paris in the summer of
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Finding a sport that’s physically easy, fun, challenging and not too expensive is tough as you get older. Birdwatching can be the perfect answer: equipment needs for beginners are few and north Alabama is one of the top places in the state to see rare and colorful birds.
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus As Tommy Lance deadlifted a kettlebell, Gina Lance lay on the gym floor in front of a fan catching her breath. “After a workout, we usually lay here for 15 minutes and talk about our life choices,” Gina said with a laugh. Three days a week, many times
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus From creating a living will to naming a power of attorney to downsizing, many decisions face senior citizens and their families as they age. To help people navigate those decisions, Tori Vaughan created the Summit Group. “My goal is to protect our senior citizens and prepare them for
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Dr. Roger Moss remembers the days when the family doctor had to do pretty much anything local folks needed, from delivering babies to setting broken legs. “When I started residency, family medicine was still doing gallbladders and appendices and some surgeries,” he recalled. The routine of the family
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Decatur Morgan Hospital Foundation is honoring newspaper publisher Clint Shelton for his support of the hospital and overall work in the community. Shelton, 59, publisher of The Decatur Daily, is one of three recipients of the Caddell-Grisham Award presented each year at a black-tie gala. “Clint has supported
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Armed with a popcorn machine, chicharrónes, hot sauce and drinks, Maria Gonzalez set up her booth at Decatur’s first Dia de los Muertos celebration last year and waited. Soon, thousands of people flooded the streets of downtown Decatur and Gonzalez sold out within 45 minutes. The sight of
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus In 1985 or 1986 — Wade Weaver can no longer remember which year it was for certain — he took a meeting with Trudy Grisham, who was then the president of the Decatur Morgan Hospital Foundation. In his small office in the Church Street warehouse he rented while
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Joyce Webster remembers the day 24 years ago in detail when a little girl with a baseball cap covering her bald head walked across the horse arena toward her. “She was so white and thin. She told me, ‘Before I die, I’d like to ride a pony,’” Webster
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Standing in his workshop, Linton Barron ran his hand across a plank of maple and admired the grain in the wood. “Look at this. Isn’t it just beautiful? This is all the good Lord’s work. He is the one who made this beautiful piece of wood,” Barron said.
By Zane Turner | Living 50 Plus Impersonation scams and other types of fraud targeting older residents have become a problem, Decatur police say, and one scheme cost a local senior $150,000. Michael Ferguson has been a detective in the Decatur Police Department’s financial crimes unit for six years and said he sees people lose money
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Earnest Lee of Morgan County enjoys participating in a few — well, really most — of the activities in the Masters Games of Alabama, a sports competition for seniors. “I play dominoes. I play checkers. I play three-on-three basketball when they have it. Sometimes I can’t find a
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Two months before Susan Thompson retired as the drama teacher at Austin High School in 2017, she began making plans for a project to fill her time. She called her good friend and fellow theater lover Deanna Knox. “I answered the phone and Susan said, ‘Hey, do you
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus In 1980, wooden bird sculptures at Calhoun Community College’s Wildfowl Festival captivated the imagination of a then 20-year-old Danny Rodgers. “They were amazing. I thought one done by Dirk Sibrans (of Decatur) was a stuffed bird. I came home and that’s all I could talk about,” Rodgers said.
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Stay active. Make new friends. Inspire young people. Stay sharp. For seniors and retirees, these are great reasons to volunteer. Another is that volunteering in the community just makes people feel good about themselves. Lacy Slaten, volunteer coordinator at the Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur, said
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Stories of a church founded by slaves, a bank that served as a hospital during the Civil War and a riverboat captain and his girlfriend, a brothel madam, await participants in Decatur’s self-guided walking tours. With flat streets and at a pace set by each participant, the self-guided
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Laura Stewart once landed her hot-air balloon in a field of cows that rambled over to investigate the stranger from the skies. They “thought we might have food,” Stewart recalled. That’s the thing about piloting a hot-air balloon — you never know exactly where you’ll end up. As
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Perched on the edge of the wooden seat, Mike Ward braced his feet on the floor of the boat, stretched his arms out over the water and shoved the paddle into Flint Creek. That was his introduction to dragon boating. “I didn’t have a clue what dragon boating
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Bill Cassidy exited his kitchen, walked briskly past the dining room table and went into the living room. He then turned left into the foyer, moved into the hall and picked up his pace as he walked past a grandfather clock. He arrived back at his starting point
By Deborah Storey | Living 50 Plus Jack Nagel of Decatur has a simple explanation for why he’s still swimming in his 90s. “For my health,” he said. “That’s why I’m 91.” Get ready to feel guilty, you workout slackers. This inspiring senior citizen swims 30-minute pool sessions at least five days a week. Nagel
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Tucked away in the corner of libraries and archives in north Alabama, Tuscaloosa and Atlanta, the Rev. Wylheme Ragland spends hundreds of hours each year researching the past. “History, specifically African-American history, is my passion,” the 76-year-old Ragland said. “If I am doing research, I may stay up
By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus When talking about work ethic and the immigrant’s journey to obtain the American dream, Hispanic residents near Central Parkway and 14th Street Southwest smile when they talk about the success of Decatur resident Alfredo Chavez, a man respectfully referred to as El Jefe (The Boss). Chavez, who turns
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Eleven years ago, a small group gathered inside the Carnegie Visual Arts Center to discuss ways to raise money for the nonprofit arts center. From that meeting came an idea for a Mardi Gras-style fundraiser. They called it Carnegie Carnival, which has become one of the most popular
By Emma Daniel | Living 50 Plus Having children or grandchildren getting married can be stressful for everyone involved, but local wedding coordinators say being supportive is the key to parents, grandparents and the new couple having a good time at the wedding. Carlee Koehler, owner of the Event Planner event coordination service in Huntsville,
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus When asked to give advice to those new to decorating for the holidays, Dena Stephenson — a self-described “non-recovering Christmasaholic” — said, without hesitation, “Don’t do it.” Then she laughed. “Seriously, do what you can manage and then try to stop, but you might not be able to
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Tucked away inside the closet of a guest bedroom, Martha Newman gets to work. Armed with a glue gun, cone-shaped shiny paper, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches and broaches, the 75-year-old Decatur woman creates glitzy and sparkly bejeweled trees. She calls the creations memory trees. Each bead, pendant and
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus The sound of carols filling stores and sight of wreaths on doors can mean one thing — the arrival of the winter holidays. ‘Tis the season for baking cookies, roasting meats and mulling apple ciders. As family and friends gather for festive celebrations, home cooks will turn to
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus On most Fridays this fall, Erick Pratt completed work at his law practice in Decatur by lunchtime, climbed into his 2018 Nissan Altima and traveled to college football games across the Southeast — in places like Chattanooga; Macon, Georgia; and Spartanburg, South Carolina. He didn’t go to watch
By Erica Smith | Living 50 Plus Dale Higdon choked up recently as he reminisced about what his grandfather told him when he got a job with GE Appliances’ new plant in Decatur and became one of 77 employees who started there Aug. 15, 1977. “Boy, you got the chance of a lifetime,” Higdon’s grandfather
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Sliding her fingers along the strings of the dulcimer’s neck, Lori Matthews picked out the recognizable tune of “Oh, Susannah.” “The dulcimer is very easy to learn but takes a lifetime to master,” the 64-year-old Matthews said. Every Wednesday morning, amateur musicians, some wheeling laundry baskets carrying dulcimer
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Leigh Ann Hurst never considered herself creative. That changed, though, when her mother, Glenda Sartain, dropped by with some gemstones. “It was the summer of 2009. She had gotten the gemstones to entertain my niece with. They made necklaces and my mother asked me to do it with
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Homeowners turning 65 can reduce their property tax by having the state portion of the tax bite exempt if they apply for it by Dec. 31. Morgan County Revenue Commissioner Amanda Scott said about 7,500 senior homeowners in the county are taking advantage of the age-related homestead exemption.
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Do you have special dishes or sweets you make for the winter holiday? Living 50 Plus wants to know about your favorite festive foods, including cookies, pies, casseroles and side dishes. We’ll share as many submitted recipes as possible in the December issue of the Living 50 Plus
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Bob Cameron has an expression he uses when discussing some of the classic cars he has owned. “You don’t see yourself coming in that one very often,” Cameron said recently. He was referring to the red, 1948 Cadillac convertible that he restored and has kept for more than
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus A chance encounter with Bruce Jones, then director of Decatur Youth Services, at Walmart 18 years ago opened the door for Kurtistyne White to pursue what would become her calling. “My background is in military. I only thought about working with kids after I had my sons and
By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus At the crack of dawn and then again into the sunset each evening, Bill Trail works on projects at his Southeast Decatur house, and he recently completed a miniature Stonehenge replica in his front yard. Trail, 61, has a strict work ethic that enables him to work and
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus PRICEVILLE — For 81-year-old Kenneth Stuart, going to work every day is the “medicine” that keeps him alive and active. Manager of The Jeweler and More business in Priceville for the past seven years, Stuart said it is important for him and other seniors to stay busy with
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus More than 300 military veterans in Morgan County find fellowship, comfort and a sense of belonging when they visit the American Legion Post 15 on U.S. 31 South in Decatur. But most of all, the membership, with an average age in the mid-60s, concentrates on community service, post
As told to Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Four years ago, after completing rounds of chemotherapy and radiation during his second battle with colon cancer, Haruki Yokochi searched for a way to stay healthy. “After I got cancer the first time, I went to the gym five days a week and lifted weights and
By Wes Tomlinson | Staff Writer In 40 years of teaching elementary school, Carol Shaw said she has learned just as much from her students as they have from her, and she encourages young teachers to develop and maintain a “children-first” mentality. “You have to know where your kids are coming from,” Shaw said. “I
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Four decades after graduating from college, Betty Koval returned to school in 2016. In the past six years, the 68-year-old Decatur woman took classes on drawing, beginning Italian, mahjong, pickleball, tai chi, pandemics through the arts, stress relief, tailgating foods and mixology. “I have had the most fun.
By Bayne Hughes | Living 50 Plus Kids in Decatur Youth Services programs call him “Mr. Rico,” and it’s a term of both respect and endearment for Enrico Pickett Sr. Although he’s 55, Pickett spends much of his life helping those much younger, whether he’s coordinating Youth Services sports leagues, teaching health and sex education or
By Tim Nail | Living 50 Plus Susan Hines, 62, of Hartselle, packed her suitcase for an excursion to Italy at the end of March. She wasn’t just getting ready for a vacation. For her, this trip also aimed to further her knowledge of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. “I’m going to take a pasta cooking
By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus Bobby Hollis smiled as he remembered the first times he heard the iconic voice of Elvis Presley. “My (siblings) were constantly bringing his albums into the house when we were growing up,” Hollis said. “Back then, you had the black-and-white TVs and AM radio if you were lucky
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Flying north from Hartselle toward Decatur in his hot-air balloon decorated with strips of bright colors, Brian Dial found himself in a jam. A relatively new balloon pilot at the time, he wanted to land before his flight got too long. But as he hovered over woods near
By Dewayne Eddy For many who are decades away from leaving the workforce, retirement may seem like an abstract concept. But once you’ve entered your late fifties — like the youngest Baby Boomers, turning 57 in 2021 — retirement may begin to seem very real. A recent survey of Boomers found that because of the
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Senior citizens in Morgan, Lawrence and Cullman counties don’t have to look far for free legal services, answers to Medicare questions, transportation assistance, prescription drug discounts and meals. The North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments, NARCOG for short, utilizes state and federal money to provide those programs.
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Ronnie Dukes vividly remembers crossing the finish line in his first road race. The year was 1979, and the race was the inaugural River City Run, a 10-kilometer race, now in its 43rd year. “The feeling I had when I crossed the finish line was something I had
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Dressed in tricorn hats, bandanas, frock coats, flowy lace-up shirts and skeleton accessories — the typical wardrobe for a Decatur pirate — members of Crewe O’ Ye Crooked Goat entertain and amuse crowds at the Mardi Gras-style Carnegie Carnival parade every year. Consisting mainly of individuals 50 and
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Rick Henry reached a crossroad in 2004. “My kids were gone. They went off to college and then went off and got married. I had some free time,” the Southwest Decatur resident said. In his early 50s at the time, he began thinking about what he’d do to
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Standing on the dock of the Riverwalk Marina and Boat Harbor as cars streamed past on the bridge 37 years ago, Wayne Holliday jumped into the bone-chilling waters of the Tennessee River — beginning a Decatur New Year’s Day tradition that now attracts dozens of people every year.
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus When Linda Miller moved into her Sherman Street home in Decatur’s Albany neighborhood, she quickly learned of the historic district’s tradition of decorating for the holidays. “If you live in Albany or Old Decatur, decorating for the holidays is something you just do,” the 54-year-old Miller said. “My
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Pat Price remembers the smell of the old-fashioned Lane cake baking in her mother’s kitchen during the holidays. Now, Price is instilling those memories in her 10 grandchildren. “Their favorite thing is what we call crack green beans, which are covered with a pound of cooked bacon and
By Lori Few | Living 50 Plus The holiday season is steeped in tradition. Few traditions may elicit more collective belly laughs than watching holiday movies with your loved ones, especially grandkids, and friends. To celebrate the holiday season, the historic Princess Theatre will screen a series of Christmas movies at the downtown Decatur performing
By Dewayne Eddy Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system, which means today’s workers are paying taxes for the benefits received by today’s retirees. However, demographic trends such as lower birth rates, higher retirement rates, and longer life spans are causing long-run fiscal challenges. There are simply not enough U.S. workers to support the growing number
By Cameron Reeder | Living 50 Plus Cameron Reeder is a resident of Decatur who wrote this account of his trip through the Midwest for Living 50 Plus. I tuned 60 on June 22. What happened? Suddenly, I find that I am old. Wasn’t I just 18 last year? I think everyone has asked these
By Emily Griffith | Living 50 Plus Many struggle to find purpose in retirement after a lifetime of hard work. For Terry Connor, retirement is a blessing that has allowed him to accelerate his art. “I’m cranking out picture after picture because I’m at peace, I don’t have to worry about work (and) I’m in
By Michael Wetzel | Living 50 Plus Charlie Gover isn’t about to slow down at age 70. The former high school coach who serves on the Falkville Town Council has just begun taking scuba diving lessons. He’s fitting the lessons in between weightlifting, pickleball, table tennis, archery, bicycle riding, spelunking and running. Gover goes out
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Edith Garner sat beside 4-year-old Adam Vargas and told him they would read a book together. “Talk to me,” said Garner, a volunteer at Maxine Ellison Decatur Youth Enrichment Learning Center. “What’s your name?” Adam looked at her silently. Garner, who spent a quarter century with Decatur City
By Emily Griffith | Living 50 Plus Habitat for Humanity volunteer Sam Beadle grew up in a low-income family, so he understands the importance of a home. As the ninth out of 10 kids in a three-room home, he knows what families in the Habitat program are going through. That makes his efforts with the program
By Tim Nail | Living 50 Plus When Terry Carver retired four years ago, he didn’t want to spend all of his time relaxing. “I just like to stay busy,” said Carver, now 69. “I don’t like to sit around and do nothing in the daytime.” So after a career in the U.S. Air Force
By Ron Stokes I am a backpacker (noun). That is, I regularly hike or travel carrying everything I may need in a backpack. I backpack (verb) because I love being outside and exploring areas best seen on foot. I am also a CPA (nerd) and I am forced to spend extended periods of time indoors
Most mornings, Conley Brannon laces up his latest Oakley sneakers — he goes through a pair every three to six months — and hits the hills of Burningtree Mountain. At 50 years old, the Decatur man credits running, which he returned to seven years ago, for keeping him healthy.
By Catherine Godbey | Staff Writer Sitting on the front porch, frustrated by the shutdown triggered by the pandemic, Laverne Gilbert began to talk to God. “I retired in 2019 and had these big plans of going on a cruise and traveling. But I was doing nothing because of COVID. I began meditating and asking
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus The only thing Tony Cocciolo of Decatur loves more than competing in running events throughout north Alabama at age 77 is winning his age division in them. So he paid close attention during a pre-race chat several years ago when an unfamiliar runner divulged his age. Cocciolo realized
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Allen Kinworthy sat in the Aquadome Recreation Center bleachers and breathed deeply in between games of pickleball. He served as tangible evidence that the once-obscure sport can provide a workout. “It gets the cardio back up,” acknowledged Kinworthy, a Decatur resident who says he’s older than 60. “Where
By Steve Irvine | Living 50 Plus DECATUR — At the age of 78, J. Hugh Looney still works 10-hour days styling hair and goes snow skiing on premier slopes in the western United States. He also finds time to garden and repair old sports cars and lawn mowers. The Morgan County native has been
By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus You might say Lewis White’s love of cycling started out of necessity.“In college I worked at Walmart,” he said. “I didn’t have a car, so I rode a bike to work. Fromthat point forward, I’ve been riding a bike nearly every day.”Now 56 and principal at Priceville High
By Melissa Erickson | Living 50 Plus Avoiding medical care because of fears of contracting COVID-19 could mean the difference between life and death. For major medical issues such as heart attack and stroke, the benefits of quickly getting care are much, much higher, said Dr. B.J. Hicks, OhioHealth vascular neurologist and co-director of the
By Steve Irvine | Living 50 Plus Can you imagine a life without gardening? Philda Starks doesn’t need time to ponder the question. It takes her about as much time to respond as perhaps it did for her to begin falling in love with gardening as a young child. Starks, 62, grew up in Somerville,
By Lisa Elia | Living 50 Plus BIRMINGHAM – For a city whose theater district once rivaled that of New York’s, it’s only fitting today that it’s undergoing a second act and the reviews, so far, are glowing. From its foodie-loving restaurants that have filled once-shuttered storefronts to its green spaces that have breathed new
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Across north Alabama, inside gyms, church buildings and an arts center, people gather to practice breathing, stretching and balance. Some come to relieve stress and increase core strength. Others come out of curiosity. “Simple curiosity and an invitation from a friend were my introduction to yoga. I was