Generations

Generations SPRING 2020 DETROIT LAKES

The Storyteller

AUTHOR AND ACTOR LYNN HUMMEL FINDS INSPIRATION IN COMMUNITY, CHARACTERS AND CONNECTION

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Generations A magazine for and about seniors

Melissa Swenson, Publisher Marie Johnson, Editor Vicki Matzke, Magazine Coordinator Viola Anderson, Circulation Manager Jamie Hoyem, Magazine Designer

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Vicki Gerdes / Generations The Detroit Lakes Tribune’s own editorial columnist, Lynn Hummel, gave a memorable portrayal of Elon Galusha “E.G.” Holmes during 2017’s inaugural “Stories & Stones” Cemetery Walk, hosted by the Becker County Museum at Oak Grove Cemetery.

The Storyteller

Longtime columnist, book author and attorney Lynn Hummel seeks out community, characters and connection wherever he goes

By Vicki Gerdes | vgerdes@dlnewspapers.com

F

or a little over 42 years now, Lynn Hummel has been entertaining Detroit Lakes Tribune readers with his weekly column, “The Pony Express.” He’s also published four books.

And yet, the retired attorney still describes his writing as “a hobby.”

“I enjoy getting ideas and expressing them,” he says. “Many of those ideas are intended to appeal to readers — things that people find interesting, or amusing, or maybe stimulating.”

So how did it all start?

“I woke up early on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 1977, and went downstairs,” Hummel recalled in a pre4 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

vious article about his most recent book, “The Last Word,” published in 2017. “The house was quiet.”

So his thoughts turned toward New Year’s resolutions, and he said to himself, “What am I not doing that I want very much to do?”

As it turned out, writing was at the very top of his bucket list, so Hummel sat down that morning and wrote a couple of sample columns to take to then-Tribune publisher John Meyer.

“I said I wanted to write a column once a month, but he (Meyer) said, ‘No, I want it weekly — I want continuity,’” Hummel says. “So he took charge of me right off the bat.”

That continuity has remained intact right up to the present day, as even though he retired from his law practice in 2010, Hummel’s weekly column continues to grace the Tribune’s pages every Wednesday.

BRINGING CHARACTERS TO LIFE, ON THE PAGE AND ON THE STAGE

Over the years, Hummel’s family life has often been a source of material for those columns. He and his wife of 60 years, Beverly, raised three children in Detroit Lakes.

Though they have always been supportive, he says, his kids asked him pretty early on not to write about

a part n e e b s a He h oit Lakes r t e D e h t of r many o f y t i n u comm en an e b s a h d years an n ticipant i r a p e v i t ac h. its growt EXECUTIVE AY

,

TER DW – UNITE R LUANN POR mmel u O H T g C n E DIR resenti

Submitted photo Lynn and Bev Hummel celebrate with Iranian-born Mortaza at the St. Paul RiverCentre on Feb. 3, when their young friend was naturalized as a U.S. citizen.

them, as they were getting teased about it at school.

“I thought, ‘There’s just too much good stuff to mine there,’” Hummel recalls — so his wife Bev became Raquel, in honor of 1970s movie bombshell Raquel Welch, while his kids became Buckwheat, Cinderella and Goldilocks.

“When Raquel Welch turned 70, I changed her (Bev’s) name to Eartha,” says Hummel — an homage to Eartha Kitt, a woman he admired because “she spoke her mind, was strong, determined and ageless” — which he felt was a more fitting tribute to the woman he has called wife for more than half his life.

e of while p in 2015, ard for his lifetim aw n y it a n h u it w mm to the co service

As for where he gets his inspiration, Hummel’s “quizzical speculations,” as he likes to refer to them, are often of the whimsical variety.

“Sometimes it’s serious, but quite often it’s not,” he says of the topics he chooses.

“If you’re lucky, you can make it as fun for the reader as it is for you

001703332r1

GENERATIONS SPRING 2020 | 5

(as a writer),” Hummel added in that 2017 article.

“I like to take something and try to add a dash of creativity, a little sense of fun to it. I like to tease.”

And his readers like to tease back.

Hummel said one of his friends told him that his 2017 book was the perfect size to prop up the uneven leg of his favorite coffee table; Hummel just laughed in response.

Both “The Last Word” and another anthology he published in the mid1980s, “The Day the World Ran Out of Denim,” were compilations of his Tribune columns. In the interim, he also published two nonfiction books.

The first, “One Town, One Team,” was about how the community of Perham rallied around ailing high school basketball player Zach Gabbard and his teammates, cheering the team on to its 2011 state basketball championship — where Gabbard made an inspiring appearance after recovering from a shocking mid-season heart attack.

“There was a lot of drama going on with the team, at that high school and in the community,” Hummel says, noting that on the same day the Perham team was preparing to make that historic state basketball title run, one of their fellow students was murdered by her boyfriend, who then turned the gun on himself.

Tribune File Photo United Way of Becker County celebrated its 2015 Everyday Heroes including Lynn Hummel, who was given the Bob and Michelle Harris Award by LuAnn Porter.

6 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

Even with all the drama surrounding the community at that time, however, Hummel says he relished the opportunity to tell their story. He made countless trips back and forth between Detroit Lakes and Perham to do the necessary interviews.

“It was a fun project, and I loved it,” he says. g style his writin n o , L “When I finished the E HUMM – LYNN book, I thought I’d like to try doing something like that again.”

For his second venture into real-life ing fathers, entrepreneur storytelling, Hummel E.G. Holmes, in that production — a focused on the community he had role he has reprised two times since called home for more than 50 years, then, in both 2012’s “HolmesSpun and the tale of a former Detroit 2,” which celebrated the Holmes Lakes High School Rotary Exchange Theatre’s 10th anniversary, and the student from Haiti named Miquette inaugural “Stories & Stones” history Denie McMahon. walk at Oak Grove Cemetery, which In his 2014 book, “One Step was hosted by the Becker County Forward: The Story of TeacHaiti’s School of Hope,” Hummel recounted Museum in 2017.

So good was he at bringing to life how McMahon parlayed the friends the community’s pioneer history, in and connections she had made fact, that he was invited back to parduring her years in Detroit Lakes ticipate in another “Stories & Stones” — first as an exchange student and event at Holy Rosary Catholic Cemlater as a nursing student at Conetery last September. Ironically, cordia College — into the establishhe was asked to portray the role of ment of the locally-based nonprofit Mike McCarthy, who was one of E.G. educational organization, TeacHaiti, Holmes’ most bitter rivals. He says along with not just one, but evenhe relished the opportunity to tell tually two Schools of Hope in her that story from “the other side,” so native country. to speak.

Hummel gathered material for “Hello, I’m the ghost of Mike that book during three visits to Haiti, McCarthy,” he said in greeting to including a 2010 mission trip to help Stories & Stones visitors, with a little build the original TeachHaiti School twinkle in his eye as he explained of Hope in Port-au-Prince. that while McCarthy was “a big Hummel was also the co-author Irishman” in life, his ghost was con(along with the late Mary Otto) of an original play, “HolmesSpun siderably smaller.

Theatre,” which was performed at When one audience member the grand opening of the Historic jokingly retorted that he also bore Holmes Theatre in Detroit Lakes, in an uncanny resemblance to the May 2002. ghost of E.G. Holmes, Hummel Interestingly, he also portrayed the took the opportunity to launch into role of one of Detroit Lakes’ foundthe story of the two men’s storied

somee k a t o t I like dd a a o t y r t thing and ativity, a re dash of c of fun to se little sen tease. o it. I like t

rivalry, which resulted in one of the community’s more infamous shooting incidents.

CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE, IN THE COURTROOM AND IN THE COMMUNITY

It’s not exactly a surprise that Hummel would turn out to have a talent for thinking on his feet: After all, the Garrison, N.D., native was a practicing attorney in Detroit Lakes from the day he hung up his shingle in 1961 until he surrendered his license on June 30, 2010.

Along the way, he argued an untold number of cases, both orally and in written form, and partnered with a dozen or so fellow attorneys who, along with Hummel himself, make up a virtual “who’s who” of the Becker County court system from the 1960s to the present.

His partners have included two former judges, Jack Pearson and Joe Evans, and one current district court judge, Mike Fritz, along with well-known legal eagles Jim Sinclair Sr., Dennis Sherman, Linda Hunt, Lance Heisler, Sam Rufer and Charlie Seuntjens. It was the latter two who took over the reins of the local Pemberton Law office when Hummel finally called it quits.

“One of the most satisfying things about what I’ve done is the connection with the people,” Hummel said in an August 2010 article about his retirement, noting that in some cases, he had worked with three generations of the same family.

“Our work is personal work — it’s the rapport you have with people that makes it satisfying.”

A mere month after his retirement, Hummel left on that aforementioned trip to Haiti with friend Jeff Norby and a group of about a half dozen other Detroit Lakes area residents. It was, in part, that mission trip, along with Hummel’s various other volunteer efforts over the previous half century, that earned him the United Way of Becker County’s Bob & Michelle Harris Memorial Award for a lifetime of service to his community. He was

presented with the award during the United Way’s 2015 Celebration of Heroes.

United Way Executive Director Luann Porter presented the award to Hummel with a warm hug, and also gave the introduction that preceded it.

“Born in North Dakota, he has been a part of the Detroit Lakes community for many years and has been an active participant in its growth,” she said. “He was part of the team that helped establish the Detroit Lakes Industrial Park, along with other economic development.”

Porter went on to list more of Hummel’s accomplishments, which include serving his church on committees and at choir performances and church council meetings, as well as serving on the boards of directors for the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Lakes Jaycees (with a stint as the 30th Admiral of the Northwest Water Carnival) and the local Kiwanis Club, where he continues his involvement to this day.

“Those nominating him for this award stated, ‘He has a great love for this community and always looks for ways to promote it in the most positive light,’” she said. “He loves to tell a story and make his readers stop to think and to observe their world around them. He has a passion for life, his family, his friends and his community.”

It is a passion that continues unabated, though Hummel did note he was unsure how long he would continue to write — in longhand, no less — the weekly column that continues to spark that passion.

“Just when I think about hanging it up, I’ll bump into someone who says, ‘Keep writing,’” Hummel says.

“That keeps you going. On some level, you’re connecting with people, and that’s what I want to do … by listening, by watching, by doing all the things that other people do. It’s a matter of connecting with people, and connecting with yourself once in a while.”

FROM HUMMEL’S HEAD A few wise words excerpted from Lynn Hummel’s “The Pony Express” columns. ▶ “Never brag about the big fish you almost caught. Everybody you talk to almost caught a much bigger one than that.” ▶ “We should pause and consider that there are smart people all around us.” ▶ “If it’s happiness you seek, don’t compare your life to someone else’s.” ▶ “Sometimes ideas coming from the bottom make more sense than those coming from the top.” ▶ “(We) don’t have to get pushed to the fringes by the fanatics who don’t listen to reason or moderation. We must push back.

We do this by how we vote, how we speak up and how we pick and tell our representatives to govern.

We can shape our own history.

We can’t be the silent majority, we must be the vocal majority.” ▶ “Don’t be a jerk... Jerks think they are always right and they’re the center of the universe.

They’re wrong.” ▶ “Audacity is a talent. Fortune favors the audacious so if you really want something you’ll have to be bold about pursuing it.” ▶ “There is always something to panic about for people who are inclined to panic.” ▶ “Develop your temperament by practicing patience… By thinking before you speak, looking before you leap, practicing sound habits and waiting for the results to come around to you — as they certainly will.”

GENERATIONS | 7

Detroit Lakes Tribune File Photo SmartAsset has named Detroit Lakes the third best city in Minnesota to retire in, based on quality of life for retirees.

Happily ever after in DL

Detroit Lakes named one of the best places in MN to retire

By Nathan Bowe | nbowe@dlnewspapers.com

S

martAsset, a New York financial technology company, has named Detroit Lakes the third best city in Minnesota to retire in, behind only Grand Rapids and Alexandria.

The rankings were based on quality of life for retirees, including tax-friendliness, medical care and social opportunities.

8 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

The high ranking for Detroit Lakes wouldn’t surprise Char and Rick Brekken, who moved to Detroit Lakes from Crookston in 2013. Char said they were aware they were moving to a progressive, exciting community.

“Detroit Lakes is just the right size for us,” she says. “My husband retired before me, but we knew as

soon as we were both retired we planned to move.”

Char’s daughter, Michelle Vesey, and her granddaughter, Lauren, 16, live in Detroit Lakes.

“We wanted to be closer to the family,” Rick says.

Char, 71, worked for over 40 years as an administrative assistant at the Polk County Highway Department,

There’s always something going on — a lot of good things happen here.

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– CHAR BREKKEN, who moved to DL with her husband after they retired

and Rick, 72, was a full-time city firefighter in his home town of Crookston. The couple married in 1985.

Getting to know the Detroit Lakes community and making new friends was challenging for the couple at first, Char says.

“Getting involved helped us gain friendships while having fun,” she adds. “I recently volunteered for Ruby’s Pantry, distributing food at the college.

“Also, my husband and I have been volunteering at the Holmes Theatre, and have enjoyed some pretty exciting shows.”

The city surprised the couple with more activity, recreation, lakes, clubs, and theater opportunities than they expected.

“We have enjoyed so much more than we could have imagined,” Char says. “There’s always something going on — a lot of good things happen here.”

Being retired led the Brekkens to the Detroit Lakes Community and Cultural Center.

“I have taken every class that my body can handle,” says Char, “especially the pool and senior classes.”

They found Polar Fest pretty amazing, too: “We would drive down to the lake almost every day to see the progress on the ice castle and sculptures,” says Char.

“We were able to give a shout out to our families,” from the camera that was posted at the icy news desk by the castle, and they got a big kick out of the Polar Plunge and the rest of the winter festivities that came with Polar Fest.

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HISTORIC HOLMES Nathan Bowe / Generations Retirees Char and Rick Brekken moved to Detroit Lakes from Crookston in 2013. The community is just the right size for them, they said, and they have family here, but they’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much there is for seniors to do in town.

THEATRE

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RESOURCES FOR SENIORS Whether it’s exercising, volunteering, or just having fun, there are plenty of resources for seniors in Detroit Lakes.

Following are a few examples. ▶ The Detroit Lakes Community and Cultural Center’s Engage program provides hikes, bike rides, games, crafts, dancing, field trips, fitness classes, learning opportunities, and lots more to people ages 50 and up. Engage activities are focused on overall wellness — mind, body and spirit. The program is intended to help seniors maintain a healthy lifestyle, healthy relationships, and a positive outlook on life. For more information about Engage, visit dlccc.org/engage.html. A new calendar of events is posted there every month. ▶ Looking to give back to the community? Volunteer with the Mahube-Otwa Community Action Partnership. Volunteers contribute more than 20,000 volunteer hours each year serving in Head Start classrooms, providing Medicare counseling, Tax Aide, literacy tutoring, food shelf assistance and much more. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program is America’s largest volunteer network for people ages 55 and over. Some volunteers enjoy putting the experiences and skills gained over a lifetime to work for the betterment of their communities, while others prefer to develop new skills and interests. For information, call 218-847-1385. ▶ Exercise and have fun at the same time at the new pickleball courts at Peoples Park in Detroit Lakes.

Six dedicated courts opened in June of 2019, and players of all skill levels are welcome. Balls and paddles are available. For details, check out DL pickleball on Facebook, or call Jerry Enget at 218-639-4713.

10 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

“This community works so well together,” she says. “There’s so much giving back to the community here, everybody gives back really well.”

There is no shortage of volunteers to make things happen, she adds: “The businesses are so generous with their time and equipment, from the ice castle designers to the security necessary to keep everyone safe.”

The couple also loves summer in Detroit Lakes.

“Taking walks along the lake, enjoying beautiful sunsets, the huge summer celebration week (Water Carnival), flea markets, craft sales downtown and good places to shop,” Char says.

Restaurants are not in short supply in DL, either she notes: “We have our favorites, but we aren’t telling.”

The first few years they were in Detroit Lakes, the couple had a small fishing boat, but then graduated up to a pontoon. They loved it, and now spend most of their summer afternoons out on the lake, enjoying the fresh air.

The couple is impressed with the medical facilities in Detroit Lakes, too.

“Getting older has its perks, and a few ups and downs, as well,” Char says. “We are very happy with the clinics and hospital services, and seem to visit them more often as we age.”

They have been involved in the DLCCC Engage program since it started about a year ago, Char says, and it’s made a big difference in their social lives.

“It was really a little difficult to break into friendships and community,” she explains. “It was a way for us to meet people and make friends.”

Plus, Engage offers all sorts of interesting and fun activities, she adds: “Pool classes, book club — it’s an awesome program. I wish more people were aware of it.”

The Brekkens took advantage of the coach trip to a Twins game, for example, and found the bus trip to be fun and convenient.

“The cost is reasonable for gas and tickets, and they drop you off right at the gate,” Char says.

“They picked us up a block and a half from our seats (at the stadium),” Rick adds. “That’s the way to do it.”

Char also enjoyed a coach trip to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater to see “Mamma Mia.” The Brekkens have two sons — Troy and his family live in New York City with son Finn, 2, and a baby on the way, while Joel lives in the Duluth area with his family, which includes daughter Katie, 19, and son Jackson, 14.

To come up with its list of best places to retire, SmartAsset first looked at state and local tax rates, considering two types of taxes: income and sales. Then it calculated effective rates based on a retiree earning $35,000 annually (from retirement savings, Social Security and part-time employment).

It subtracted income taxes paid from gross income to determine disposable income. Sales taxes paid were calculated based on the disposable income being spent on taxable goods.

Next, it determined the number of doctors’ offices, recreation centers and retirement centers per thousand residents in each location. Finally, it measured the number of seniors in each city as a percentage of the total population.

In the final analysis, it ranked each location on these three factors. Then calculated an average ranking for each area and weighted the three factors equally. The areas with the highest average ranking were determined to be the best places to retire.

Detroit Lakes was found to have 1.4 doctors’ offices per 1,000 people, more than twice the state average of 0.6, but only half of No. 1 ranking city Alexandria.

Detroit Lakes was also found to have 1.3 recreation centers (more than twice the state average) and .8 retirement centers (four times the state average) per 1,000 people.

Char was part of this group of Engagers, who traveled to the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre to see “Mamma Mia” in 2019.

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Desiree Bauer / Generations Willma Hanson (left) sews yarn onto the quilt as Kathy Nescet cuts the edges of the batting.

Piece by Peace

Quilting club stitches together friendships and philanthropy over afternoon coffee

By Desiree Bauer | dbauer@dlnewspapers.com

B

locks of fabric slowly come together, thread by thread, as eight women work together to create another quilt for the Piece

by Peace Quilters to donate. In the 15-plus years that the group has existed, they’ve donated over 1,530 handmade quilts.

“We’ve been giving them away for a long time,” says Pat Mastin, the unofficial leader of the group, during

12 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

a sewing session in February. She’s been quilting with Piece by Peace since 2006.

Making and donating quilts to those in need is the group’s mission.

They’ve donated to the Lakes Area Crisis and Resource Center, Mahube-Otwa Community Action Partnership, Hospice of the Red River Valley, Becker County Food Pantry, victims of fire and tragedy, veterans,

dialysis patients on the White Earth Reservation, and other causes.

“We just love to do stuff for people,” says Angie Svenby, a group member since 2008.

“I mean, what would we do with all these quilts if we didn’t have places (to donate to)?” Mastin adds. “We’re more than willing to give.”

Although most of the quilts are donated, the group does also sell

We’re more than willing to give.

– PAT MASTIN

them to people who are interested — the money made off those sales goes toward the purchase of batting needed for the quilts. One roll of batting costs about $100, and since Piece by Peace makes four or five quilts a week, the group usually goes through five rolls of batting per year.

This is the only item the group purchases, as it is self-supporting. If they ever don’t have the funds to buy more materials, they reach out to local businesses for help. Almost all of the fabric, thread and yarn they use is donated; they have a room stashed full of the materials, just waiting to be used.

FABRIC AND FRIENDSHIP

See their quilts A few Piece by Peace quilts are on display in a window inside Washington Square Mall, near the Claire’s shop.

The group sells their quilts for $35 (for a small) and $65 (for a large), with proceeds going toward materials to make more donated quilts.

001834969r1

The women file through the doors of their meeting room at Union Central Senior Living at 10 a.m. every Monday, excited to get to work on a quilt and visit.

“We come and we set up, and then we have coffee, and then we work a little, and then we have coffee, and then we work, and then we have lunch,” Mastin says with a laugh.

Desiree Bauer / Generations A pile of finished quilts sits in the closet at Union Central, waiting to find homes with people in need.

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Desiree Bauer / Generations Not all quilts the Piece by Peace Quilters make are made with blocks of fabric. Sometimes, they receive donated strips and scraps of fabric, which they can still use to make unique quilts.

Join their group The Piece by Peace Quilters meet Mondays at Union Central Senior Living, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. No quilting experience is required to join. For more information, call Pat Mastin at 218-850-2245 or Angie Svenby at 218-8446120, or visit the group’s Facebook page.

As they work, the women tease each other about quilting patterns and color choices, as they all have their own individual styles and preferences.

“We give each other grief once in a while,” Mastin says, smiling.

It’s that friendship and fellowship that makes the Piece by Peace Quilters look forward to their get-togethers.

“It gives you a purpose,” Svenby says, adding that she and the other women are retired. “You get up every Monday, and it’s quilting, and you know you’re going to be there.”

Not all of the members started out knowing how to quilt. Or, if they 14 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

did, they’ve learned more and grown along the way.

“I didn’t know everything when I started,” Svenby says. “We’ve gotten to be pretty good, if I do say so myself.”

They love making the quilts, and they love making a difference.

They’ve received numerous thankyou cards from people who have received one of the group’s quilts, with stories about how the quilt made them feel, and helped them out during a difficult time.

“These are the things that just keep us coming every Monday,” Mastin says, and Svenby adds, “It’s amazing what a gift can do.”

Desiree Bauer / Generations The group has a closet at Union Central full of stacks of donated material for them to use. The donations keep the group operational.

Desiree Bauer / Generations Piece by Peace Quilters members, left to right: Willma Hanson, Kathy Nescet, Pat Mastin, Jannie Strohschein and Angie Svenby. Not pictured are Ellen Hatlen, Peg Markey and Jeanie Danielson.

Desiree Bauer / Generations The Piece by Peace Quilters have some of their quilts on display in a window of Washington Square Mall.

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Submitted Photo Arnold Golkowski celebrated his 100th birthday at Sunnyside Care Center in Lake Park on Jan. 21. He is pictured here during a celebration in his honor, with a Certificate of Honor he was presented with by the American Legion.

100 years young

Frazee WWII veteran Arnold Golkowski hits the century mark

By Marie Johnson | mtjohnson@dlnewspapers.com

A

rnold Golkowski served in the U.S. Army for more than three years during World War II, where his unit sometimes slept in holes in the ground to avoid enemy fire, and was bombed and shelled multiple times.

So of course turning 100 seemed like small potatoes to this survivor.

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Golkowski’s birthday, on Jan. 21, was “like any other date,” the centenarian said with a little shrug during an interview in February. “I never expected to get that old. But I did.”

Though he didn’t make a big deal out of his milestone Big Day, he’s grateful for the years he’s had on this Earth, and says he’s happy “to stick around for as long as God lets me.”

“How much longer?” he asks. “I don’t know. But I feel alright.”

The second-youngest of five kids, Golkowski was born and raised on his family’s farm in Frazee. After the war, he returned home and continued working on the farm for most of his adult life. He never married or had children.

It was kind of rough at times.

But after it was over, I was glad that I went through it.

– ARNOLD GOLKOWSKI, on his time in the war

Detroit Lakes Tribune File Photo Golkowski, in 2015 at the age of 95, traveled to Washington, D.C., with more than 80 other veterans to visit war memorials and other sites there as part of a WDAY Honor Flight. He called it, “the trip of a lifetime.

Today, he lives at Sunnyside Care Center in Lake Park, which hosted a birthday party for him, with friends and family in attendance and complete with a large cake, a Certificate of Honor from the American Legion, and a celebratory mug of beer.

Golkowski, who hadn’t had a sip of the stuff in ages, said the beer was “stronger than he remembered,” recalled Heather Baer with a laugh.

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Bear is the Life Enrichment Assistant at Sunnyside and has known Golkowski for the past two or three years.

She describes him as, “just a wonderful person … Just easygoing, go-with-the-flow, doesn’t really get rattled by anything. I suppose when you’ve seen so much in 100 years, you just think, ‘Yeah, it is what it is.”

A big fan of M&Ms, trivia, church, hot chocolate and cookies, Golkowski

likes to spend as much time as possible outdoors — something he’s always been fond of. In his younger days, the outdoorsman used to skip school to go fishing, and was an avid hunter who traveled to Colorado nine times in his life to hunt elk.

On the farm, of course, he was usually outside from sunup ‘til sundown, milking cows by hand, he recalls, and tending to crops and whatever else needed doing.

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Submitted Photo Golkowski, in his U.S. Army photo from 1942. He was 22 years old.

“The farm was a little bit of everything,” he says.

Farm life wasn’t easy, but it’s all he ever knew. Except for those 37 months he spent in the war.

Drafted and then inducted into the Army on Sept. 7, 1942, at the age of 22, Golkowski admits he was too naive then to be scared of going to war. He went through training for chemical warfare and ammunitions, and then headed to Europe on the Queen Mary.

“They had poison gas over there, and they stored it in the forest over England,” he says. “That way, if Germany used it, well, we’d have a way to retaliate.

They never had to use it, though. I’m glad, too.”

He and his unit had their first mission in England, where they literally holed up in the Savernake Forest, digging holes in the ground to sleep inside of. They then made their way to France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, providing ammunition to fellow soldiers where the battles were being fought.

“I remember there was a little town in France not too far from the coast where they were having trouble getting the Germans out, so the (U.S.) Air Force was called in, and I remember one morning — all morning — there were formations of bombers coming in,” says Golkowski. “And by the time 18 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

they were done, there wasn’t a thing left of the town.”

Golkowski’s unit was bombed and shelled a couple of times, but he was still what he calls “too foolish to be scared.”

He ended up serving through the rest of the war.

“It was kind of rough at times,” he says, thinking back on the experience. “But after it was over, I was glad that I went through it. You got to know people. You got to know more about people.”

He had some buddies that he kept in touch with long after the war ended, “but they’re all gone now,” he said.

Golkowski is one of only 7,919 WWII veterans still living in Minnesota as of 2019, according to the latest data available from the National WWII Museum.

A longtime member of the Frazee VFW, he was selected to take part in an Honor Flight in 2015 to visit the nation’s capital and the war memorials there. He was 95 years old, and it was his first time riding in an airplane. He still gets teary-eyed talking about it.

“It was the trip of a lifetime,” he says. “The reception we got when we got off the plane... There must have been a couple of hundred people, and I did more hand shaking and picture taking and even hugs. I never expected to be treated like (that).”

Golkowski, blowing out his candle on the cake celebrating his 100th birthday.

Submitted photo

Retirement and the IRS What seniors need to know at tax-filing time

policy through what is called a ‘life to impact how much of your income is taxed,” Orestis says. settlement,’” Orestis says.

Yes, your Social Security benUnder the Health Insurance efit may be taxed. The rules for Portability and Accountability Act how much – if any – of your Social (HIPAA), the proceeds from a life Security benefit is taxed can be settlement are fully exempt from tricky, so you want to be extra carefederal taxes if the policy owner is ful with that, Orestis says. According terminally or chronically ill. Those to the Social Security Administrawho are not terminally or chronically tion, if you’re filing as an individual ill do pay capital-gain taxes on the and your Social Security benefit plus proceeds from the sale, minus the any other taxable income you have amount in premiums the policyholdis between $25,000 and $34,000, er paid over the life of the policy. you may be taxed up to 50 percent You may want to increase of your benefit. If your combined contributions to your retireincome is more than $34,000, then ment accounts. Of course, many up to 85 percent of the benefit may seniors aren’t adding anything to be taxable. For married couples filtheir IRAs or 401(k)s. Instead, they ing jointly, if the combined income are regularly withdrawing money is between $32,000 and $44,000, to pay for monthly living expenses. you may have to pay tax on up to But if you’re still working, you can 50 percent of your benefits. If your increase your contributions, which income is more than $44,000, then can both reduce your tax bill now up to 85 percent of your benefits and give you an even larger nest egg may be taxable. when you do retire, Orestis says.

You may be able to deduct The IRS limits how much you can long-term care insurance precontribute each year, but that limit miums. Owners of long-term care increases once you turn 50. For insurance policies can take tax example, for both traditional and deductions on premiums they pay Roth IRAs, people younger than 50 for qualified plans – as well as other can’t contribute more than $6,000 reimbursed medical expenses such annually, but those 50 and older can as Medicare premiums – as long as contribute up to $7,000. the premiums are greater than 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, INC Orestis says.

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etirement and the effects of aging come with a lot of changes, but at least one thing remains constant.

Every April 15th, Uncle Sam wants to make sure you’re paying any taxes you might owe him.

“Whether you’re retired or not, the IRS is still going to be interested in your income,” says Chris Orestis, the president of LifeCare Xchange, who is known as the “Retirement Genius.”

“That said, though, there are tax rules that are specific to older Americans, so it’s important to be aware of the different ways you might be able to reduce your tax bill that weren’t available to you when you were younger.”

“The important thing to remember is that you may have options at tax time that you hadn’t thought about,” Orestis says. “Knowing the tax rules and how they apply to your personal situation, and seeking professional advice, can make a huge difference.”

He says some factors to be mindful of as you plan or file your taxes include: You may qualify for a larger standard deduction. For many Americans, including many seniors, there’s no reason to itemize your deductions anymore because the standard deduction is so high – $12,200 for a single person and $24,400 for a married couple filing jointly. But you can get an even higher standard deduction if either you or your spouse is 65 or older, and a still higher deduction if either of you is blind.

“If you aren’t itemizing, then you want to make sure you’re getting the maximum standard deduction that you are allowed, because that’s going

GENERATIONS SPRING 2020 | 19

Ready to take a chance again?

A guide to planning a second wedding

T

aking a chance on love and marriage for the second (or third) time is certainly worthy of celebration. The Pew Research Center reports that at least four in 10 new marriages now include at least one partner who has been married before, a trend that is on the rise.

Planning a second wedding can be challenging, as there may be concerns about proper etiquette, superstitions or meeting the expectations of others. But there are no hard rules governing second weddings. Now that couples are older and a bit more experienced, wedding planning may be met with greater enthusiasm and patience. These tips can help the process along.

• Dress it up. Brides need not eschew white if they prefer to wear it for their second weddings. White, cream, ivory or other shades are perfectly acceptable. Also, brides can make their gowns as lavish or as simple as they desire. The length and style of the dress should reflect the formality and scope of the event.

• Make it unique. Couples who have been married before may want to set this new occasion apart from their previous weddings. Brides magazine experts suggest discussing previous celebrations and what can be done differently this time around. Couples can use this opportunity to get to know each other more intimately by personalizing their festivities.

• Don’t feel beholden to intimate affairs. Second weddings tend to be more intimate, as guest lists tend to

20 | GENERATIONS SPRING 2020

File Photo Planning a second wedding can be challenging, as individuals may be worried about proper etiquette, supersitions or meeting the expectations of others. But there are no hard rules governing second weddings.

•

•

be smaller and couples tying the knot again may prefer less hustle and bustle. But couples should not avoid inviting people simply because second weddings are typically small affairs. Invite as many friends and family as you want and as your budget allows.

Set up a registry. Established couples may have the household basics already in place, but registries can include fun or entertaining gifts that speak to couples’ interests. These may include home theater systems, fancy cookware, athletic equipment or even funds for travel.

Involve the children. Couples who have children can make them a special part of

•

their second wedding celebrations. Kids can play any role in the ceremony, depending on their age. If the second marriage comes after an amicable divorce, couples can invite their former spouses to provide support to their children so they can feel comfortable in the wedding.

Be prepared. The marriage application process is similar the second time around, but additional documents, such as a divorce decree or death certificate, may be necessary. These legal documents also will be needed for men and women who intend to change their last names after getting married.

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