Retirement

Q. I recently retired. My wife and I went on a trip for a month visiting our kids who live around the country. Then I did some home improvement projects that I had been putting off for years. Then I read three books. What do I do now? This is a common experience of new retirees. For your entire life, you have gotten up, taken a shower, dressed in work clothes, grabbed your briefcase and headed off to work. Suddenly, every day becomes a weekend. But, there is hope for you. There are a myriad of activities and opportunities to fill your time.

It is with mixed emotions that YMCA of the Foothills CEO Larry Hall will move his family to the Seattle area in the next few weeks, he said in an interview shortly after announcing his retirement last Thursday. ?There are a lot of giving people in these communities. Working with so many great leaders in the community has been a great experience I won?t forget,? Hall said. Hall was honored at a retirement luncheon last week and gathered again Monday afternoon with a group of friends, co-workers and family members at the Crescenta-Cañada Y for a less formal retirement party.

Larry Naeve, the longtime boy?s water polo coach at La Cañada High, announced his retirement Monday after a 21-year career studded with conference championships, 30 all-Americans and five CIF coach of the year awards. ?Since September 1972, I have had the outstanding opportunity to work as a teacher and coach for the La Cañada Unified School District,? Naeve said in his official announcement. ?However, as with all things, there comes a time to move on. Thus, I have decided that I will retire at the end of the 2007-08 school year.

I don?t understand golf. Little ball, skinny stick, riding around in funny carts ? just don?t get it. I think I?m saving that one for old age. What are you saving for retirement? Playing cards or going fishing? We plan and save for the future so we can stop working and relax. It all sounds wonderful; in fact, many of us are in a big hurry to ?do nothing.? But if wellness means having a sense of purpose and contentment, maybe we need to rethink the concept of retirement. Retirement began in the ?

At his request, no services are planned for Eugene Lee "Gene" Stout, 76, of Lompoc, Calif. Stout was born Nov. 8, 1928, in Calexico, Calif., to Merton and Pauline Baker Stout. He served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War and later was employed as a driver with United Parcel Service for 27 years in the greater Glendale, area, before retiring in 1982. He and his wife enjoyed traveling during his retirement years, settling in Lompoc in 1999, moving here from Phoenix. Stout attended the Lompoc Foursquare Church and was a man of many talents.

Gray Berg died at home Feb. 4 after a long-fought battle with cancer. Born in Pontiac, Mich. on Sept. 20, 1926, his family moved to California in 1944. Gray enlisted in the Army Air Corps on D-Day and hoped to become a pilot. He was in cadet training at the end of World War II and finished his enlistment at an air base near Munich, Germany. He became an associate of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and attended many reunions with members of the 357th Fighter Group, many of whom became close friends.

Millard launches new practice Neal Millard , a 25-year resident of La Cañada and current candidate for LCUSD Governing Board, has retired from the international law firm of White & Case and launched a practice dedicated to education at Musick Peeler & Garrett . As the head of White & Case’s West Coast real estate practice, Millard traveled the world for his work. As he looks toward a meaningful career capstone, he has turned to the one area of law that he loves most: education.

Dr. Jerold Beeve and his wife Dorothy Beeve , of La Cañada Flintridge, were each awarded one of 100 Ellis Island Medals of Honor presented in May by the National Ethnic Coalition. The couple are founders of the Beeve Foundation for World Eye and Health Care Inc., which to date has made 19 trips to the Fiji islands to provided eye care to Fijians suffering from severe eye disorders. The Beeves discovered the need for the medical services when they were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary in Fiji.

This is the first in a series of columns offering insight and information on healthy aging as well as providing a forum for asking questions related to the challenges of aging. The face of older Americans has certainly changed in the last few decades. You may remember your own grandma as that plump lady in a housedress with her long gray hair tied up in a bun, spending her days in the kitchen cooking and baking. Nowadays, a woman that same age is more likely to be out having lunch with her club group, wearing a stylish outfit and having her short red hair spiked.

Since my husband and I retired there seems to be a lot of tension in our relationship. We have not yet worked out the details of how much time we spend together and how much time we spend apart, who does what chores, etc. I know these are just details of the bigger picture. Can you give us some guidelines as to what the bigger picture really is so we quit focusing on these little details for a while? Every relationship is different. And, luckily, there is no single way to have a healthy relationship - what fun would that be?

A few weeks ago I met with La Cañadans David Penniall and Robert Bender.  Both men have a combined 100 years in financial planning and investment strategies. I wanted to get their take on the current economic challenges we all face in these increasingly uncertain global times. Our discussions were purposely apolitical. Bender did make an interesting point, though, when he said the occupant of the White House is not as powerful as Congress in making tax laws. An election year could add more uncertainty to an already off-kilter market.  I asked this question: Let's say that I'm a 60-year old, locally-employed man with a good job in a medium-size company.

Q. I recently retired. My wife and I went on a trip for a month visiting our kids who live around the country. Then I did some home improvement projects that I had been putting off for years. Then I read three books. What do I do now? This is a common experience of new retirees. For your entire life, you have gotten up, taken a shower, dressed in work clothes, grabbed your briefcase and headed off to work. Suddenly, every day becomes a weekend. But, there is hope for you. There are a myriad of activities and opportunities to fill your time.

La Cañada Elementary School Principal Elissa DeAngelo will retire at the end of the school year, district officials said. DeAngelo has served as principal since 2008, according to a statement released Thursday. "Her years of dedicated service are greatly appreciated," district officials said in the statement. "She will be missed by La Cañada Elementary School's students, parents, teachers, staff members and all of her district colleagues. " The district will initiate a candidate search later this month to replace DeAngelo.

Q. I'm a baby boomer approaching retirement age and am conflicted about whether or not I should retire. Any suggestions? Some baby boomers are anxiously awaiting retirement and others are dreading it. It sounds like you go back and forth between the two emotions. Many baby boomers are not willing to give up the money, the power and the prestige their careers bring. Others are very willing to give up the stress that comes with their careers. While people who are retiring generally take stock of their financial resources, they don't always take stock of their psychological resources.

Visalia resident and U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Norberto “Norbie” Lara, addressed the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada at its Dec. 21 meeting. Lara was in the service for more than 11 years, retiring after a roadside bomb severed his arm in June 2004. He represented the Army at the State of the Union address in 2005 and sat with First Lady Laura Bush in the Congressional Gallery as a guest of President George W. Bush. He was awarded Veteran of the Year for both the 38th California Assembly District and by the Visalia Veteran's Committee.

In a ceremony marked by high spirits and fond memories, the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada Flintridge honored longtime community volunteer Clyde Hemphill as its La Cañadan of the Year. “It’s an honor and a privilege,” Hemphill, 80, said to more than 100 Kiwanis members and other well-wishers who gathered Wednesday afternoon at Van de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens. “This is probably the most prestigious award that La Cañada gives to anyone, and I’m really humbled to have it.” La Cañadan of the Year awards have been presented annually since 1951 to the community member whose lifelong efforts best exemplify a broad-based commitment to volunteerism, said Kiwanis President-elect Mary Gant.

Dear Nancy, I recently retired, went on a trip with my wife and am now settling into a routine of doing nothing all day. We can’t travel all the time. There must be more to retirement than this. What do you suggest? Research has shown that an active lifestyle has a lot to do with good health and good function. Emerging research also indicates the possibility that engaging in social and productive activities you enjoy, like taking an art class or volunteering in your community, may also help maintain your well-being.

Wendy Sinnette, assistant superintendent of human resources at the La Cañada Unified School District, will take over as superintendent of the district in July, replacing current Supt. Jim Stratton, who last week announced his retirement, effective at the end of the current school year. The district's governing board filled the impending vacancy created by Stratton's announcement in less than a week, choosing to forgo a national search for candidates and opting instead to promote from within.

After six years at the helm of La Cañada's public schools, Supt. James Stratton will retire at the end of this school year, it was announced Monday. Stratton was not immediately available for comment but said in a prepared statement issued by the La Cañada Unified School District office that he was "extremely proud" of the district's accomplishments, including "the consistent academic excellence, the solid management of our financial resources, the successful parcel tax election, the designation of all four schools as California Distinguished Schools, the focus on our Every Student Succeeds plans at each school and the expansion of our arts, electives and athletic programs are just a few of the achievements that staff, students, parents and the community at large have performed together.