Living 50 Plus Decatur-Morgan

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 Schools and has been a

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 even more meaningful. “I enjoy

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 and as a network operator

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 in an office.  I love

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 the Lord what I should

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 the other runner was the