Age is Beautiful

David Smith’s passion for fitness and staying active has remained unwavering despite a major setback in his life. Once an avid marathon runner, David was forced to stop running after being diagnosed with hip arthritis. But instead of letting that stop him, he embraced a new challenge: cycling.

From the bustling streets of Brooklyn to the tranquil forests of Germany, Davina Dubnick’s lifelong devotion to the arts has taken her on an extraordinary journey. A mixed-media artist skilled in ceramics, textiles, watercolors, and more, Davina’s most enchanting creations are her “Flower Fantasies”—architectural masterpieces crafted from tens of thousands of meticulously placed pressed flowers. Today, at Eskaton, Davina continues to share her passion and creativity as a community art curator, blending her rich artistic heritage with her innovative vision.

At 85-years-old, Homer Nottingham has been a vibrant beacon of wisdom and healing in the Grass Valley region for over a quarter-century. With his deep understanding of QiGong and Tai Chi, he’s touched countless lives. But how did a former Vice President of American Express fall in love with this ancient art?

The story unfolds in the bustling streets of 1980s Hong Kong. On a business trip, destiny steered Homer towards a local park where a mesmerizing Qigong class was in session. Swept up in the serene flow of movements, he found a haven from his intense 60-hour workweeks.

Kayoko (Kay) Sakaguchi, 82, has overcome many obstacles throughout her life starting with spending a portion of her childhood in a Japanese internment camp with her family. After facing many hardships there, her family later relocated to Japan, where she learned incredible life lessons from her parents that she still carries to this day, like the value of hard work, perseverance and determination. After high school, she moved to America where she was a dedicated and dependable employee for two companies for over 44 years.

Some people spread joy wherever they go, and John Roe is one of those people. As a teen, he began working at Disneyland, playing the roles of various beloved characters and ensuring anyone he came into contact with left with a smile. During his time in the Navy, John continued positively impacting those around him and using his gift of creating a positive atmosphere no matter where he went. He still spreads joy within his community today, bringing smiles to those around him.

Jacqueline Hairston is an accomplished pianist and composer and continues living out her dreams to this day. She has been passionate about music for as long as she can remember and as a young girl,  would drum her fingers along the kitchen table, pretending to play the piano. Her parents quickly noticed and she began piano lessons. Her passion never waned and her impressive talents earned her an invitation to perform at world-renowned Carnegie Hall.

Bonnie Cushing worked as a nurse throughout her career and is the mother of three children, two boys and one girl. Bonnie loves to dance. She began tap dancing at the age of five, and at the age of ten, she competed in her first tap dance competition at the World’s Fair on Treasure Island. Bonnie tap danced until she was 68 years old and then moved on to ballroom dancing.

At Eskaton, we pride ourselves in providing compassionate, professional care and valuable resources for older adults and their families across Northern California and throughout the state. An important aspect of being a thought-leader in our industry is our dedication to innovative thinking and being a catalyst for change.

A young girl of 15 clambers out of an oil truck and onto the wings of a plane, swiftly filling its tanks with gas and oil before it roars down the runway, a young Army recruit just learning to fly behind the controls. Her sister, just two years older, sits in the cab, hollering at her younger sibling to hurry so they can fuel the next waiting aircraft. Both young women have put their high school educations on hold to work at the airfield, because if they hadn’t, they (and the rest of their family) wouldn’t be eating that night.

If you’re lucky enough to catch Gloria Ruth out and about at The Reutlinger Community in Danville, CA, make sure you’ve got your best smile ready. Known as the community’s “resident paparazzi,” Gloria has been snapping pictures of the care team, fellow residents and the beautiful grounds since she arrived in 2012. Her shiny red camera—a gift from the TRC staff as a thank you for her contributions to the life and culture of the community—is almost as familiar as her irresistible laugh and good-natured sense of humor.

Sometimes the path of life takes us places we’d never thought we’d go, and yet, we find ourselves right where we were always meant to be. For Eskaton Village Grass Valley resident Inge Roberts, this is especially true. Born in Berlin in 1938, Inge spent the early years of her childhood scrambling for the safety of her father’s pre-stressed concrete basement while bombs from Allied planes rained from the sky. When the second Great War was finally over, Berlin was decimated, but Inge and her family were alive and safe—and ready for whatever life had in store.

For many, discovering their life’s purpose is a challenging, and often complicated, process. For Linda Whiteside, Eskaton employee, artist, and humanitarian, it is an ever-evolving journey that has enabled her to wear many different hats and fill many different roles. And she’s just getting started.

Keeping a promise isn’t always easy, but for Judge Rudolph “Barry” Loncke, keeping one made to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became the work of a lifetime. One of the youngest African-American students to ever attend Yale, he met the illustrious leader of the civil rights movement when Dr. King visited the university to speak about racial inequality in America. In a moment he’ll never forget, Judge Loncke gathered his courage and approached what he recalls as a gracious, soft-spoken man sitting alone by the fire in the early hours of the morning.

Skip is a veteran, farmer, logger, fisherman, adventurer, and feels most at peace in nature. Skip Slaymaker, born in California in 1945, attributes his longevity to living a life of purpose. “The secret to a happy life is love everything you do,” says Skip.

“Life is about ideas, opportunity and family.” Mark Silzer was born in Chicago and grew up in Blue Island, Illinois. Mark attended Concordia University in Chicago, where he met his future wife Barbara. They were immediately smitten. Both were passionate about music, education and their Lutheran faith. They graduated from Concordia in 1969, Mark with a degree in education and Barbara with a degree in music and education.

Yen Lu Wong grew up in Hong Kong, China. She attributes her longevity to her genes, lifestyle, mindset and connection to Buddha. Yen Lu is a movement artist, dancer and choreographer.

Yen Lu’s stage life began at a young age. She was a performer with the Chinese Peking Opera, a performance stage art that includes acrobatics, martial arts and music. In addition to traditional Chinese performance art, Yen Lu also practiced ballet as a young child in Hong Kong.

A Love Story Kindled by 90 and 91-year–old

In 2017, Betty Mills, 88, moved to Eskaton Lodge Granite Bay from Red Bluff to be closer to her daughter. The first Sunday after she moved, Betty gathered the courage to go to church with her neighbors. As she was waiting for the bus, Betty locked eyes with a man sitting on a bench outside the community.

“The secret to a happy life is people.” Michael Catino, born in New York, attributes his longevity to living a happy life and having a healthy social life. Mike is the grandson of Italian immigrants and is 99 years old. His passions in life are his family, staying socially connected and baseball.

Eighty-eight year old Dr. Albert Kahane, one of the first physicians at Kaiser Morse Avenue, and his wife Millie, a nurse educator, are opening a business in Rocklin. “I didn’t think I’d be changing careers after 69 years in healthcare,” said Mrs. Kahane. The couple live at Eskaton Village Carmichael, a continuing care retirement community, where all of their needs are met from dining to socializing, exercising to entertainment and transportation. Dr. Kahane is also a board member of Eskaton Foundation.

Carolyn, 104, loves technology. The iPad is her device of choice. “I had a computer in my apartment before moving to Eskaton.” Six years ago, Carolyn made her home at Eskaton Care Center Fair Oaks. She received an iPad as a gift when she turned 100. Carolyn said it wasn’t hard to learn at all, and if she needs help, she turns to her grandson. “My grandson is in the business, he knows all about these things. If I ever have a problem, he comes over and fixes it.”

Bob Juniper moved to Pleasanton in 1944 and has since dedicated his life to work, family and contributing to his community. On June 11, 2015 at The Parkview Assisted Living Community, where Juniper lives today, Pleasanton Mayor Jerry Thorne, Pleasanton Fire Battalion Chief Joe Testa and a room of family and friends honored Juniper with a Lifetime Achievement award.

Béziers is rich with history, being one of the oldest cities in southern France. Near the Mediterranean, Béziers was occupied by the Germans during WWII. In 1944, as the American troops marched in to liberate France, the citizens came out and danced in the streets. That’s when Ginette met Albert. They were 17 and 19 years old.

Simone has a giving heart. Every Christmas, the Red Cross delivers a poinsettia to Simone for her kind donations. She knits helmet liners for the Daughters of the Revolution to send to soldiers. At six years old, she learned to knit at school in France. “I’ve knitted all my life,” says 100-year-old Simone, “If I had all the sweaters I made in my life, I’d have quite a pile.”

Eskaton Kennedy Manor resident Betty can make a pillowcase dress in under 19 minutes. She’s made over 15,000 dresses that are now worn by children in Kenya, Nigeria, Nairobi, the Philippines and many other poverty-stricken areas around the world — 41 countries in total. As a Mess Hall Sergeant in the Marines, Betty served 3,200 meals twice a day at Camp Pendleton. It wasn’t until 2011 that she learned to sew. Since then she has been making the dresses as fast as she can get her hands on pillowcases.

Ruth Duff, 99, illustrates what healthy aging is all about. She walks briskly with a purpose. Ruth is an artist. During the last two years living at Eskaton FoutainWood Lodge, she painted more than 150 watercolors. Ruth has worked with a variety of media, including knitting, silk screening, etching on copper, bronze casting, and printmaking. She is a true lifelong learner.

Eskaton Village Carmichael resident Guy Throner has a wartime bio that reads like a screenplay — filled with patriotism and heroic acts. Nearly 70 years after World War II ended, the French government recently honored him with a medal.

Marian Thompson sits in her armchair, tugging on a spool of yarn. Her needles work in harmony, stitching a baby cap. At 96, her hands ache with arthritis, but she rarely stops to rest.

She knits more baby caps than any member of the Kiddie Kaps knitting group at Eskaton Village Carmichael. Her personal count is 4,226 caps since she joined the Eskaton knitters in 2006. The group has donated over 20,000 baby caps since 2004, bringing comfort to newborns at Sacramento area hospitals.

Among 11,000 competitors from across the United States and 26 foreign countries, Eskaton Village Carmichael resident Benjamin O’Brien won gold in the Huntsman World Senior Games’ 5-kilometer road race for men ages 95-99. His time was two minutes faster than the previous year, when he also won gold.

Ben is a decorated veteran, state and federal judge, lawyer, husband, father, and grandfather, and still contributing at the age of 96!

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”  –Thich Nhat Hanh

Lucy’s smile is contagious. For almost three years Lucy has shared the magic of her smile at the Eskaton community where she lives.

Lucy takes after her Grandma Atanacia from Chihuahua, Mexico. “Mama” had fair skin, blues eyes and, according to Lucy, was quite silly. She lived to be 104. “She was a happy, fun loving lady,” said Lucy.

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”  -Thich Nhat Hanh

Born in 1928, Vic DeStefani spent his life in California. He was raised on a farm in the Central Valley. “I was going to be a farmer,” said Vic. That was until he met LaReece. Vic was working in a grocery store in Stockton and LaReece worked in the back office. She was also raised on a farm. After dating three years, they married in 1949 and continued a long and loving life together as grocers.