A Guide to a FulďŹ lling Senior Life in Whatcom County
ENCORE Wednesday
Egbert Maas, 91, talks of his early life
July 29, 2015
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and years in the public eye as well.
The Everson Carnation condensery plant had a A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record
strong presence in town from 1910 to 1934.
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | Ferndale Record
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Looking back and catching up with Egbert Maas A visit with the former Lynden mayor, now 91 By Elisa Claassen for the Lynden Tribune
LYNDEN — Egbert Maas, former Lynden council member and mayor, now 91 and a six-year resident of Lynden Manor, has led an “exceptional life” by his own description. “My life started fairly odd,” he said. In prairie South Dakota, his father, John Maas, had been widowed with four children to raise under the age of 8. World War I had ended and as the soldiers returned home in 1917-18 they also brought back influenza, which was deadly for many. His mother, Laura Kuipers Maas, had lost her mother by age 16 and was disfigured by a fire that had left her with burns on her face and hands — and no wedding prospects. Eventually in her 30s she left the farm in the Netherlands she had shared with her bachelor brother to join family that had already immigrated to the United States. After taking the job of caring for John’s young family, the two married and had Egbert. Then tragedy struck again. Egbert’s own mother died when he was only 50 days old. This time, his father was widowed with five young children and neighbors stepped up to take in baby Egbert. The host family had seven children of their own and kept him until he was school age with the family’s teen daughters doting on him as if he were both a family member and a doll. “I was treated really good,” he said. His father tried to make a go of a
Egbert Maas, Lynden city councilman and then mayor for 12 years, now resides and remains active at the Lynden Manor facility in Lynden. He leads worship and Bible study at the manor and also regularly attends his own church, Third Christian Reformed. A license plate on the wall behind him is a condensed tribute to his late wife, Tootie. (Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune) 400-acre farm, but between the economic Depression and the severe dust storm of 1930, as they anticipated their first crop, John found he couldn’t hang on to the farm even after selling off animals and possessions. “He lost everything,” Egbert summarized. The family moved six miles from town and Egbert was able to complete the ninth grade after he won a contest and took the $10 prize to buy parts to construct a bicycle. It became the transportation to take him to and from school. “That was the most valuable thing I ever did,” he said. After school Egbert lived on with his dad for a time and then moved to a ranch 175 miles away. Egbert was impressed by a girl who had been visiting family and Continued on page C3
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | Ferndale Record
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Maas: Opened Lynden mechanics shop in 1955 Continued from C2 had sat conveniently directly in front of him at church one Sunday. He doubted he would ever see her again. But within the year, his job on the ranch near Eagle Butte brought him back into contact with her. He and Burdena, known as “Tootie,” married in 1946 and with two job offers on the table, he picked the one that led them to Lynden the following year. “There was something about her ... the decency,” he said of Tootie. Maas became shop foreman for Sussex Motors in what is now the Dutch Village Mall structure. He was there for eight years until it sold. Then he and his brother-in-law Gerrit Vander Pol opened their own shop on Feb. 1, 1955 on the site of what is now a bank near the Lynden Pioneer Museum. As they started, Lynden Tribune editor Bill Lewis referred to them as Vanderpol & Maas — they hadn’t named their business yet — and the name stuck. Gas was 20 cents a gallon. Lynden looked a bit different then, Egbert noted. Down the street, Syl WeidSee Maas on C4
Tootie Maas often had to dress up in her Dutch costume as Egbert filled the role of burgermeester (mayor) in the early Lynden Dutch Festival celebrations. (Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune)
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | Ferndale Record
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Maas: Dancing was a key issue for the mayor Continued from C3 kamp was giving out penny suckers to children at his gas station, where a Chinese restaurant is now located. The Star Market was one of several grocers in Lynden and it actually delivered food to its customers’ homes after orders were phoned in. Maas said if customers weren’t home, they kept the doors unlocked for the deliveryman to put the food directly into their fridges. Egbert’s journey into the life of a politician evolved into a devotion of more than 30 years. It began with a visit from then-chief of police Paul Westford who urged him to run for the Lynden City Council. That evening, he told Tootie about the visit and expected her to laugh it off. Instead, she encouraged him to pursue it. After time on the council, in 1981 when then-mayor Jim Van Andel decided he wanted to quit mid-term, it was Maas the council voted for to complete the term. He won successive elections and stayed mayor for 12 years, maintaining his job at the shop fixing cars, stopping by City Hall at noon to check on matters and having an office for mayor in his home. When he retired from the shop at age 65, he could be a full-time mayor, at a time when Lynden did not have its full-time administrator of today. As to what issues stood out during his tenure as mayor, Maas didn’t hesitate. “Dancing,” he said. In a
case of misinformation or misunderstanding, the town of Lynden made national news, including in The Wall Street Journal, for what many believed was a law banning dancing in the city similar to the plot in a movie at the time, “Footloose.” That wasn’t the case, Maas said. More and more Canadians were coming down to drink and dance in local bars, and calls to law enforcement were on the rise, he explained. The council had made an ordinance against dancing where liquor was served and the burgeoning problem was offset. “It was one of the best things we did,” he said. Also at that time, he said, Lynden was starting to really grow following the World Expo 86 in Vancouver, B.C., as many traveled through the area. “People had no idea there was a place like Lynden,” he said. “It was very unique — scenery. It was everything you could ask for.” The town was, and is, also very clean. “Where is there a slum area in Lynden?” he asked. “Everything is well kept.” At the start of his civic involvement, the population of Lynden was around 2,200, he said. It is now close to 13,000. From his north-facing corner of Lynden Manor he sees more houses being built, and jobs being created as
well. He speaks of the new cold-storage plant coming to town as an example of the continued growth. Inside the Manor he now uses a walker due to neuropathy, which doesn’t cause him pain but instead a numbness in his feet that makes walking more difficult. He leads worship in the facility every two weeks and has a 40-minute regular Bible study he prepares for and leads. Tootie’s photos and china still decorate Maas’s rooms and her presence is felt. Of their two children, son Loren lives in the Tri-Cities. Daughter Laurie Ann Maas Kok, a nurse, died at age 33. Her last three years required professional care in a facility. The doctors never could tell what the cause of her illness and death was, and since then one of his grandsons, Matthew Maas, has devoted his own medical studies to the health of the brain. Twelve years ago, Maas joined his family near Seattle to hear a grandson performing in a church. As they gathered afterwards, he had increasing gut pain and was taken to a hospital. The verdict was not a heart attack, but pancreatitis and he stayed in a series of medical facilities for three months for care. He has not had any reoccurrence of the problem since, not even a headache. “I’m so thankful for the life I’ve lived,” Egbert said.
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | Ferndale Record
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Reversing roles, as I become my father's caretaker Lynden woman writes on navigating life’s U-turns, lane changes By Nancy Tupper for the Lynden Tribune
“Mommy! Please! Wipe me!” One of our boys, a determined little guy, potty trained himself well before his second birthday. So thankful he could maneuver onto the little potty seat without an accident in his pants, I gladly obliged when I heard my son’s call for help. He always thanked me and I sometimes responded with an offhand tease: “Remember, when I’m old and have a hard time getting around, you may need to help me with things like this.” I never seriously considered the implications of my words — until recently. Parent and child roles do eventually tend toward reversal, and the experience is partially mine right now not so much with my son as with my 88-year-old father. After two surgeries and a serious stroke, all in just over a year, my dear father is switching gears, approaching a major U-turn. The shift was gradual at first. He began taking extra time for daily routines, needing more siestas, and depending on new medications — all manageable and not-so-terrible modifications. I mean, who wouldn’t want permission to pull off the road for a nice afternoon nap! More recently, to my father’s great consternation, that comfortable steering-wheel grip he had over his daily ride has slipped. He now needs help with a few things some of the rest of us take for granted. Driving privileges are
completely on hold, and walking has become a slow and delicate balancing act across a shaky floorboard. Less tenable pathways require a cane, an extra arm, or a railing. Some days, I think he feels a measure of pride and dignity being pulled right out from under him. As for me, I am also making lane changes. Now in the proverbial and literal driver’s seat, I am accompanying my father on nearly regular outings and becoming reacquainted with the man who, with heap loads of help from God and my mother, raised me. No, I do not boss him around. Not yet, though I may feel tempted. Yes, he still offers instruction, occasionally. Sometimes, I detect in his eyes a sadness about his functional limitations. We are both perhaps a bit awkward at our newly developing roles. But the opportunity affords moments of intermission from my usual schedule, and stretches of contemplation about helping a man whose road map has been torn to shreds. What’s a daughter to do? I’m exploring my role and figuring things out. I try to imagine my father comfortable and at peace with his situation, and then I try to think of ways to help him attain that peace. It’s a peace that passes my complete understanding so far. But I know part of the answer lies in the thought that there is perhaps more to life than being totally physically strong and able. My father is not experiencing dementia, so the mind and spiritual realm are open fields of exploration. The mind can accomplish so much, after all, even from the couch. And my father does have a terrific sense of humor.
Maybe he could develop a sit-down comedy routine to deliver to his myriad grandchildren on a video chat. Maybe he could pen short messages of inspiration to those who have deeper struggles. Or just maybe he could take up poetry. The possibilities are boundless. And surely something could galvanize my father’s interest, allowing him to see, hear and taste the mysterious beauty of even seemingly mundane moments. I’m working on it. Meanwhile, I still have much to do as a parent to my own offspring. I can’t help recalling the immediate response that once came after another reminder, to my son, of his future duty to help his ailing parents. “Mommy,” said my son, “I’ll do anything but wipe.” Good thing I’m not out of gas yet. Nancy Tupper lives in Lynden.
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | Ferndale Record
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News snippets recount history of Everson milk condensery It was Carnation property from 1910 to 1934 By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
EVERSON — The Everson condensery of the Carnation Milk Products Co. lasted from 1909 to 1934, according to Bob Kosters, keeper of the history of Carnation Farms of King County. Kosters provided photos of the Everson operation along with ones of Ferndale for a feature in the July 22 Pioneering Families section of the Ferndale Record. Everson’s plant was Condensery No. 7. Photos of 1911 show the adjoining railroad access and the landmark smokestack of the originally named Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Co. plant. By 1922 additional buildings reflect what remains still today of the large white concrete block structure on Main Street, now converted for interior tenants. An Aug. 31, 1931 clipping from the Sumas Advocate-News declares that the closing of the Everson Carnation plant, which had already happened, was blamed on the opening of milk plants in Southern states, according to plant manager Farnsworth. “A new plant built in Texas is believed to be one of the direct causes for the closing of the Washington plants,” the paper reported. Although he was optimistic on the Continued on page C7
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | Ferndale Record
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Opposite page: The Everson condensery as it looked from Main Street in 1922. Above: The Everson condensery in 1911 carried the name Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Co. Above right: The condensery work crew of about 40 posed for a picture in 1922. (Courtesy of Bob Kosters) possibility of a reopening of the Everson plant, the Carnation offices in Seattle were noncommittal on the subject, Mr. Farnsworth said. According to the manager, there was no difficulty in obtaining milk in the 1931 season “and the local help here is supplying a great deal to the Ferndale plant.”
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | Ferndale Record
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Top 10 ways scammers target the elderly NCOA list details tactics used by scammers to obtain money The National Council on Aging www.ncoa.org
Financial scams targeting seniors have become so prevalent that they’re now considered “the crime of the 21st century.” Why? Because seniors are thought to have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts. Financial scams also often go unreported or can be difficult to prosecute, so they’re considered a “low-risk” crime. However, they’re devastating to many older adults and can leave them in a very vulnerable position with little time to recoup their losses. It’s not just wealthy seniors who are targeted. Lowincome older adults are also at risk of financial abuse. And it’s not always strangers who perpetrate these crimes. Over 90 percent of all reported elder abuse is committed by an older person’s own family members, most often their adult children, followed by grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and others. Review the list below, so you can identify a potential scam. 1. Medicare/health insurance fraud Every U.S. citizen or permanent resident over age 65 qualifies for Medicare, so there is rarely any need for a scam artist to research what private health insurance company older people have in order to scam them out of some money. In these types of scams, perpetrators may pose as a Medicare representative to get older people to give them their personal information, or they will provide bogus services for elderly people at makeshift mobile clinics, then use the personal information they provide to bill Medicare and pocket the money. 2. Counterfeit prescription drugs Most commonly, counterfeit drug scams operate on the Internet, where seniors increasingly go to find better prices on specialized medications. This scam is growing in popularity — since 2000, the FDA has investigated an average of 20 such cases per year, up from five a year in the 1990s. The danger is that besides paying money for something that will not help a person’s medical condition, victims may purchase unsafe substances that can inflict even more harm. This scam can be as hard on the body as it is on the wallet. 3. Funeral and cemetery scams The FBI warns about two types of funeral and cemetery fraud perpetrated on seniors. In one approach, scammers read obituaries and call or attend the funeral service of a complete stranger to take advantage of the grieving widow or widower. Claiming the deceased had an outstanding debt with them, scammers will try to extort money from relatives to settle the fake debts. Another tactic of disreputable funeral homes is to capitalize on family members’ unfamiliarity with the considerable cost of funeral services to add unnecessary charges to the bill. In one common scam of this type, funeral directors will insist that a casket, usually one of the most expensive parts of funeral services, is necessary
even when performing a direct cremation, which can be accomplished with a cardboard casket rather than an expensive display or burial casket. 4. Fraudulent anti-aging products In a society bombarded with images of the young and beautiful, it’s not surprising that some older people feel the need to conceal their age in order to participate more fully in social circles and the workplace. After all, 60 is the new 40, right? It is in this spirit that many older Americans seek out new treatments and medications to maintain a youthful appearance, putting them at risk of scammers. Whether it’s fake Botox like the one in Arizona that netted its distributors (who were convicted and jailed in 2006) $1.5 million in barely a year, or completely bogus homeopathic remedies that do absolutely nothing, there is money in the anti-aging business. 5. Telemarketing Perhaps the most common scheme is scammers using fake telemarketing calls to prey on older people, who as a group make twice as many purchases over the phone than the national average. While the image of the lonely senior citizen with nobody to talk to may have something to do with this, it is far more likely that older people are more familiar with shopping over the phone, and therefore might not be fully aware of the risk. With no face-to-face interaction and no paper trail, these scams are incredibly hard to trace. Also, once a successful deal has been made, the buyer’s name is then shared with similar schemers looking for easy targets, sometimes defrauding the same person repeatedly. 7. Investment schemes Because many seniors find themselves planning for retirement and managing their savings once they finish working, a number of investment schemes have been targeted at seniors looking to safeguard their cash for their later years. From pyramid schemes like Bernie Madoff’s (which counted a number of senior citizens among its victims) to fables of a Nigerian prince looking for a partner to claim inheritance money to complex financial products that many economists don’t even understand, investment schemes have long been a successful way to take advantage of older people. 8. Homeowner/reverse mortgage scams Scammers like to take advantage of the fact that
many people above a certain age own their homes, a valuable asset that increases the potential dollar value of a certain scam. A particularly elaborate property tax scam in San Diego saw fraudsters sending personalized letters to different properties apparently on behalf of the County Assessor’s Office. The letter, made to look official but displaying only public information, would identify the property’s assessed value and offer the homeowner, for a fee of course, to arrange for a reassessment of the property’s value and therefore the tax burden associated with it. 9. Sweepstakes and lottery scams This simple scam is one that many are familiar with, and it capitalizes on the notion that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Here, scammers inform their mark that they have won a lottery or sweepstakes of some kind and need to make some sort of payment to unlock the supposed prize. Often, seniors will be sent a check that they can deposit in their bank account, knowing that while it shows up in their account immediately, it will take a few days before the (fake) check is rejected. During that time, the criminals will quickly collect money for supposed fees or taxes on the prize, which they pocket while the victim has the “prize money” removed from his or her account as soon as the check bounces. 10. The grandparent scam The grandparent scam is so simple and so devious because it uses one of older adults’ most reliable assets, their hearts. Scammers will place a call to an older person and when the mark picks up, they will say something along the lines of: “Hi Grandma, do you know who this is?” When the unsuspecting grandparent guesses the name of the grandchild the scammer most sounds like, the scammer has established a fake identity without having done a lick of background research. Once “in,” the fake grandchild will usually ask for money to solve some unexpected financial problem (overdue rent, payment for car repairs, etc.), to be paid via Western Union or MoneyGram, which don’t always require identification to collect. At the same time, the scam artist will beg the grandparent “please don’t tell my parents, they would kill me.” While the sums from such a scam are likely to be in the hundreds, the very fact that no research is needed makes this a scam that can be perpetrated over and over at very little cost to the scammer.