By: Ya'el McLoud
April 20, 2022
Fort Collins, Colo. - “B-95… b, nine, five,” a woman leading bingo at the Winslow Independent Living Community calls out as the manager of the facility loudly introduces Willard Froseth, 95, who has forgotten his hearing aids in his room. He uses his walker to make his way across the community library and he situates himself in a plush chair at a table in the center of the library.
Picture by: Ya'el McLoud
Behind him, a gold placard hangs under a neatly folded U.S. flag. His name is engraved as one of the many veterans living at the Winslow.
What do you see when you imagine yourself growing old? A content single-level home filled with memories? Knitting your grandchildren sweaters? Speed-walking around the lake and feeding the ducks? The smell of home-cooked meals and flowers and ease?
What many people do not imagine is the sterile smell of a community living home, cafeteria-style meals, CNAs around every corner ready to help you if you fall and make sure you get to your doctor’s appointments and take your medication. Your children not necessarily visiting as often as you would like and community bingo with all of your elderly peers.
This may not seem ideal, but according to Statista, it is the reality for at least 1 million Americans who can be as young as 50. By 2030 this number is expected to double as the U.S. population becomes increasingly older.
Froseth is always looking toward the next part of his life. “I’m on the third floor”, Froseth said. I like to have a view and see the horizon,” said Froseth. Froseth has always been a man who knew what his next step was. Froseth enlisted in the Navy during WW2. As soon as he finished his contract and the war was over, he immediately enrolled in the civil engineering program at South Dakota State College. “I was discharged on July 14, 1946, and was in college by that September,” said Froseth.
He met his wife Shirley while he was at college. They married and had five children, two sons and three daughters. Froseth describes how they skied and traveled a lot as a young couple. Shirley passed away in 2012, three months before their 62nd wedding anniversary from multiple myeloma, a rare cancer. One of his daughters passed after that from pancreatic cancer. Regardless of these hardships and many others, Froseth still describes his life as one marked by many blessings and successes.
After a long and successful career as a mechanical engineer for the Army Corp of Engineers Froseth retired. This was the first time he would retire but not the last. After his first retirement, Froseth moved into private engineering.
Froseth was also an avid runner. He began running and competing in the Senior Olympics from his mid-50s up until he was 90, “We would always be short in my age bracket because people would stop competing as they got older,” said Froseth. Because there would be so few people in his age bracket, they would have him and the other men compete with the next youngest age bracket.
He recalled with a wry grin competing against relatively younger men, remembering them always glancing back at him as he ran against them in the 800-meter race. “You shouldn’t be concerned with the person behind you, you should be concerned with the person in front of you,” chuckled Froseth. “If you can’t beat em’ you gotta outlive them,” said Froseth.
The Senior Olympics were also fun because it was something he was able to still do with the independent living home. The Winslow would organize for different senior facilities to compete against each other and would travel to different states to do so. “I was able to participate in a lot of other states and meet many neat people,” said Froseth.
Froseth no longer competes in the Senior Olympics, but he recalls many good memories from his days as a runner both in and out of the Olympics, “I ran 5ks and 10ks, and I have participated in two marathons in Denver. I also got first place in my age brackets for half marathons,” said Froseth. According to Froseth these are some of his greatest accomplishments.
Now that he is no longer competing his time is filled with other less physically rigorous activities. Froseth says his favorite activity now is the bean bag toss. A reflection of his engineering precision, Froseth describes the best way to toss the bean bag. He says that you have to throw in a straight line with the bag cupped in your hand so you can control its movement as much as possible.
“Some people will grab it by its edge and then throw it. They lose their control and miss when they throw like that, but some people just do not understand it,” said Froseth. He also enjoys Wii bowling; he is currently tied for the highest score at 267 out of a perfect score of 300 points. Just like the bean bag toss, he has it down to a science.
His children visit him as much as COVID will allow, and he talks endlessly about his seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He smiles as he recalls the newest addition to the family, a baby girl just recently born to his grandson and his wife.
While his health is good still and he is content with life, Froseth says adamantly he is not planning on making it to 100 years old. “You’ll live to be 100 my kids say, but that’s not a goal for me, said Froseth. “If I am living a good life, then I won’t mind living to 100.”
His most recent birthday on Dec. 7, was a special one as he recalls. “Life has been great for me, and I’ve had many blessings. I didn’t have a goal to get to 95, but my son-in-law flew me on a private jet to Austin, Texas, for my 95th birthday party,” said Froseth. He added that that was one of the best days of his life.
Froseth said he enjoys living in independent living. He waves at every resident that walks past and greets them by name. The staff enjoy him and smile as he walks by. Froseth explains that there are elderly care facilities for any condition and that he appreciates them all. He says that he hopes to never have to move to another facility but is glad they are there if he needs them. As the sun begins to set, he sets off to check his mail and get ready for dinner. “Grilled salmon fillets, and risotto for dinner, can’t miss that!” said Froseth.
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