ORDINARY PEOPLE

ORDINARY PEOPLE LIVING EXTRAORDINARY ®LIVES

Martha Cole

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE One way to live life to the fullest is through travel. Nothing is healthier for the mind than searching for new experiences. They can be anything from small day trips nearby to visiting exotic places around the world.

Martha Cole, 80, loves to travel but the people she meets are often surprised that she travels alone. “They ask as if they think I’m too old,” she explains. “I tell them they need to think again!”

Cole’s experiences include a train ride across Russia, a visit to the Great Wall of China, an African Safari, and braving the elements in the Arctic and Antarctica. “Life is uncertain so if you want something out of life go for it,” she says. “Live it to the max, do all you can do and you’ll never be sorry.”

Cole does more than sightsee. At the age of 70 she entered and completed an Ironman Triathlon and was the oldest woman to take part that year. “I was very slow but did not quit,” she remembers. “And making it across the finish line was one of the major accomplishments of my life.”

Something else Cole enjoys is volunteering which she has done since 1992, now for Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter, FL. “I live in one of the largest retirement communities in the country, she says. “The Villages is the most active place I’ve ever been which makes me more determined to keep busy.”

It is not unusual to find her in the hot sun nailing shingles on the roof of a house under construction. “The way I see it, life is all about balance,” she explains. “And I wouldn’t feel very good just crossing things off my bucket list if I didn’t balance it with spending time helping others.”

She hopes to encourage others to be more adventurous. “Age is not an excuse,” explains Cole. “Oh, things can take longer to do sometimes but if we try we find out we’re just as capable as ever.”

Cole pushes herself to say yes to opportunities. “Even though there are many times I’ve felt like saying no, I’ve never regretted saying yes.”

At 80, Martha Cole is looking forward and anxious for her next adventure, “Oh, I’m having the time of my life. I never thought I would truly love my age!”

Gloria Struck

95-YEAR-OLD MOTORCYCLE MATRIARCH Gloria Struck first climbed on a motorcycle at age 16, and it quickly became her passion. She was not prepared for the reaction from others.

“It was considered something women just didn’t do,” she said. “In those years, I was refused gas, refused service and they called me all kinds of bad names.”

Yet, Struck persisted. She figures she’s logged over 650,000 miles on two wheels — every one of them with Struck at the handlebars.

“Sorry, but I will not ride on the back holding onto some guy,” she said. “The fun comes from being at the controls.”

When she shows up at motorcycle rallies, Struck is treated like a rock star, as bikers crowd around, eager to learn the 95-year-old’s secrets to successful aging.

“So many people tell me they want to do things but don’t because of their age,” Struck explained. “You’re never too old — that’s my philosophy. Keep on going and ride like there’s no tomorrow!”

Pat Boone

FORMER TEEN IDOL “I can still play basketball, and my kids and grandkids are astonished!” said Pat Boone.

Now 86, Boone is active, involved and occasionally in the news. The former teen idol stepped forward when it was suggested his success came from appropriating the music of Black artists, a charge that Little Richard and Fats Domino are on the record denying.

“Both stated in interviews that they made more money from my versions,” he explained to “Variety” magazine. “And my records opened the doors for them to become the stars they so richly deserved to become.”

These days, despite being grounded by the pandemic, Boone is still recording, staying in shape and thinking about updating his autobiography.

“I’ve already written it twice, at 50 and 75; and my plan is to continue to write new chapters for as long as I can.”