Encore December 2012

ncore E Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Ferndale Record

A GUIDE TO A FULFILLING SENIOR LIFE IN WHATCOM COUNTY

Heinie and Eleanor Shagren visit the house on Badger Road where Heinie was born in 1915.

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | Ferndale Record

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Heinie and Eleanor Shagren share memories of 90-plus years Couple is still selfsufficient after lifetimes in Lynden area

By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com

LYNDEN — Heinie Shagren jokes that while his family used to own all the land north to Badger Road, now he owns none of it — only what’s inside the walls of the condo he lives in.

“Things have changed,” he says, mightily summarizing his span of 97 years.

Indeed. Heinie once chased cows where the Homestead golf course ponds and Meadow Greens retirement facility define the landscape along Depot Road today. He and Eleanor live off Sunrise Drive at the south end of their former property.

He thinks of the Badger by its old name, the Blaine-Sumas pavement, back

when it was not a state highway, there were no state patrolmen, and even a sheriff’s deputy’s appearance was rare in north Whatcom County.

Across the road from the Shagrens, who had laid claim to 160 acres, were the Klocke and Bonsen families, also early Lynden settlers. And Heinie’s identity is tied in with them more than as just neighbors.

“My name should be Klocke,” he said matter-of-factly.

The families were tightly bonded with European immigrant roots. However, the Klockes had children and Shagrens did not. So when the Klockes’ mother died after a childbirth, 8-year-old Henry, the oldest of the children, was adopted by the Shagrens ­­— with everyone’s well-considered consent. “(The Shagrens) treated him good, and he treated them good. They were a perfect match,” Heinie reflects.

Henry Shagren, his father, married neighbor girl Elizabeth Bonsen and went

on to become a Whatcom County commissioner (two different times) and a Lynden School Board member.

Heinie was the last of four children of Henry and Elizabeth Shagren — born on Sept. 15, 1915 in the house at 589 E. Badger Rd. now owned and restored by Larry and Candie Vanderpol — and he is the only one still living of his original family.

It’s a different bit of history for Eleanor leading up to their marriage on Feb. 7, 1941, in the old Lynden Methodist Church on Grover Street. Her father, of Swedish stock, was a fisherman in Seldovia, Alaska, when she was born there. An odd detail is that the Johnson family ordered a Sears & Roebuck house kit to be sent to Alaska in 1919, and many years later Heinie and Eleanor were able to see her father’s name scratched into a beam under the house as proof that he had built it.

After age 7 Eleanor grew up on a farm right at the Canada border on the Guide Meridian.

They were five years apart going

through Lynden High School, where Heinie did basketball, baseball and track. Elbert Isom was his coach, and William Fisher was the school’s esteemed principal.

Heinie worked at what was then called the National Bank of Commerce of Lynden (it had many successor names to today’s Bank of America) and then he began farming on his 50-acre share of the family spread.

They lived at the Badger corner with Depot Road, where around 1950 they added buildings (still standing) to be a store and gas station stop.

Heinie made a decision not to upgrade his dairy to increasingly high standards, instead selling out his land to brother William Shagren. Heinie ended his working years at the Mt. Baker Plywood plant.

Across all the years, the nonagenarian Lynden couple remains largely selfsufficient.

“They’re out and about,” said daughter Carol Dykstra. She and son Ken

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | Ferndale Record

ENCORE Shagren of Lynden may look in on them frequently and provide some transportation, but that’s about it.

“We have been very blessed,” says Eleanor, noting as an exception the death of their daughter Judy at age 57.

Eldest son Glen, who recently turned 70, lives in Bonney Lake.

The couple recently drove over to the old Shagren house, built in 1908, and reminisced with the Vanderpols about what has changed and what has not. Failing chimneys and oil-fueled chandeliers are gone, but a built-in food serving cabinet, for one, remains.

“I remember when we got our first radio. It was standing right over there,” Heinie says, pointing to a corner. “And we kids couldn’t wait until ‘Amos and Andy’ came on.”

Little heat made its way into the upstairs. “We jumped into bed awfully fast,” Heinie said.

Heinie appreciates the fact that Larry’s maternal grandfather, Albert Booman, was in another early family on nearby Benson Road. Both Heinie and Eleanor had Mr. Booman as a Lynden High School teacher.

The place is largely the same, they said, and they are happy to be able to drive over — not on busy Badger Road, but through all the Homestead housing that used to be farm — and refresh their memories of the past.

Heinie and Eleanor Shagren will host an open house for their family at their condominium on Christmas day.

(Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | Ferndale Record

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New cancer center open at St. Joseph New center brings PeaceHealth cancer treatment services to one central location

The new PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center emphasizes healing, tranquility and hope with its serene landscaping and building design. (PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center/Courtesy photo)

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BELLINGHAM — Fighting cancer isn’t easy, but local patients have another tool in their battles against the deadly disease.

The PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center will hold its site dedication ceremony from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2013, at the center, located at 3301 Squalicum Parkway in Bellingham.

The center’s groundbreaking happened on Jan. 22, 2012, and the first patient was served on Dec. 10.

Previously, Whatcom County’s cancer care was provided by PeaceHealth at a variety of different locations, not an ideal situation for patients. The new $23 million, 35,000-square-foot building has two vaults for a linear accelerator and one vault for an HDR (high dose rate) machine. The new center takes to heart the theme “Healing, Tranquility and

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | Ferndale Record

ENCORE Hope.

The new cancer center marks the first time all of the PeaceHealth outpatient cancer services are under one roof. The center features an oncology clinic for consultation with radiation and medical oncology physicians, radiation therapy with two Varian linear accelerators, infusion therapy complete with 18 infusion bays and on-site ancillary services, including pharmacy, laboratory, dietitian, chaplain and social workers.

Patients can also expect comprehensive interdisciplinary care, from diagnosis to recovery.

Oncology-certified nurses administer chemotherapy, and state-of-the-art technology for radiation therapy is onhand. The center features a survivorship resource center for education and support during and after treatment, and a Nurse Navigator guides patients undergoing complex cancer treatments.

The building itself features a natureoriented setting and a tranquil, healing environment inside the walls.

Much of the funding for the building came from local philanthropy.

Nearly $10 million has been raised to help provide the comprehensive cancer care that serves as the focus of the new cancer center.

For more information on the new Cancer Center, visit http://www.

I found what was right for me in retirement Former Tribune editor’s wife gives her perspective

By Margaret Lewis For the Lynden Tribune

At one time I felt I would be a failure at retirement because I didn’t do any of the right things — play golf (I’m lousy at it) or play bridge (I think it’s boring).

My husband, on the other hand, I knew would be successful at retirement.

He played golf well and had many other hobbies, like boating, woodworking, fishing, painting, skiing.

Several years before retirement, we stayed at a condominium in Hawaii where old friends of ours were retirees living there part of the year. They played golf well and often, also bridge, and her hobby was collecting shells and seed pods from the area and stringing them into strings of bead. I couldn’t image myself doing any of those things. I worried even more about retirement!

However, when my husband retired, I found that my personal life

didn’t change that much. I still cooked, cleaned, shopped and so forth. I still pursued my favorite hobbies of writing, reading, belonging to interesting organizations, and meeting and entertaining fun people. I also had the privilege of living in a beautiful resort community (Sudden Valley) part of the year where I could swim and bike and see even more people.

Most of the things you hear or read about retirement are cliches. One is “You will have twice as much husband for half as much money.” True. But there are ways to combat this.

When Bill retired from being a newspaper publisher and editor, one of the provisions of the selling agreement was that he retain an office at the newspaper. This way, most of the year he had a place to go to escape from me (and I from him). And he could continue with some of the professional connections he enjoyed.

A new role I found myself in, with “twice as much husband,” was that of private secretary. Whereas his former secretary could field all his calls from stock brokers, real estate salesmen, in-

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | Ferndale Record

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Getaways beckon through Senior Tour Program Tours from Seattle to Arizona are upcoming WHATCOM — ­ In the mood to get up and away from western Washington’s winter dreariness? Well, at least you can plan for a getaway.

Tantalize your travel senses with these options from the Whatcom Senior Tour Program organized through the Whatcom County Council on Aging at the Bellingham Senior Activity Center, 315 Halleck St. These trips are open to anyone living in Whatcom County age 55 and older. The program stands ready to accommodate people with special needs.

Upon choosing a trip, call to reserve your spot at 733-4030 — hit the # button and then enter 47015. Major credit cards are accepted for reservations. Don’t delay, as the tours are popular and often sell out quickly!

Here’s the current slate: • The Bill Gates Foundation Tour and Frye Art Museum, Wednesday, Jan. 23 This is a special inside peek at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, famous for humanitarian and global philanthropic projects. Learn about innovative health education programs and see the exhibits in an award-winning green facility including showcases of innovations and progress.

At Seattle’s Frye Art Museum celebrate 60 years of fine art guided by a museum expert.

The group leaves the Bellingham center at 8:15 a.m. and will return at 5:15 p.m.

Cost is $59, additional $10 for non-members, with final payment due Jan. 9, 2013.

• Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 Visit the third largest garden show in America! See over 26 gorgeous garden displays and over 350 marketplace booths.

There will be live music, demonstrations and delicious treats, all surrounded by the wonderful scents of thousands of flowers!

This is held in the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.

Group departs from the Bellingham Senior Center at 9 a.m. and returns at about 5 p.m. Cost is $65, additional $10 for nonmembers.

• Vancouver Island Stormwatch, March 5-8, 2013 Marvel at the waves on Vancouver Island’s stormy West Coast. Enjoy the town of Tofino during its stormy season, but hear the waves along Mackenzie Beach at the heart of Clayoquot Sound from the comfort of your rooms! Explore the beach and see old-growth forest.

Deposit of $200 is due at sign-up. Cost is $635 double occupancy and $885 single.

• Arizona Escape/Baseball Spring Training, March 13-17, 2013 Escape to Arizona, visiting Phoenix, Scottsdale and Sedona. Sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” as you cheer on the Seattle Mariners and others at training camp.

Marvel at Sedona’s Red Rock Bluffs and see Scottsdale’s historic Rusty Spur Tavern. Other sites include legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s home, the Arizona State Capital Museum and Phoenix itself, “the valley of the sun.”

Prepaid cost is $1,700 double occupancy and $2,095 single, and $15 more for non-members of the Bellingham center.

Final payment must be made by Jan. 21, 2013. Non-refundable. Traveler insurance advised.

• Fall Foliage Mississippi River Steamboat Cruise, Oct. 4-12, 2013 Enjoy the quintessential American journey down the Mississippi River aboard the America Queen steamboat. See gorgeous fall colors at these spots on the cruise: Red Wing, Minn., La Crosse, Wis., Dubuque, Iowa, and Hannibal and St. Louis, Mo. Deposit is $500 due at sign-up, with various cabin pricing at $3,199, $3,400 and $3,999. Call for details.

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• Best of Eastern Canada by Rail and Coach, a free show, Wednesday, Jan. 30 2013 This is a special presentation at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, in Room 16 of the center. Expert Melinda Burns will speak about and show pictures of See photos of

spectacular Toronto, Montreal and Quebec, Niagara Falls, Canadian Rail, Quebec City, the St. Lawrence River and Chateau Frontenac. From picturesque countrysides to glistening skyscrapers, see the sights of eastern Canada you would see if on a rail coach tour.

Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | Ferndale Record

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Seniors can take steps toward better balance, fall prevention Regular exercise is key to preventing fall-related injuries Each year, one in three adults over age 65 will experience a fall. The risk of falling increases to 50 percent for adults over the age of 85. Fall injuries can include bruising, fractures and head injuries, and they increase the risk of premature disability. Most fractures among older adults are the result of a fall. The most common fractures affect the spine, hip, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm and hand.

The consequences of reduced balance and having a fall are significant. A fall-related injury can limit mobility in walking, decrease participation in recreational activities, and reduce overall independence. It is estimated that 40 percent of nursing home admissions are due to falls.

See PREVENTION on C8

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, December 19, 2012 | Ferndale Record

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Margaret: Forget ‘old’ label Prevention: Remove tripping hazards

Continued from C5

surance peddlers and financial planners, I now spent a lot of time writing down lengthy messages from them for Bill when he was out.

Another cliche is “I married you for life, but not for lunch.” When he worked, I had grown accustomed to the lunch bit.

However, in retirement we were often on a different time schedule. He got hungry for lunch earlier than I did (probably because he was up earlier) and so if I wasn’t hungry and was engaged in a project, I would say, “Make your own lunch.” And he learned how to do it (like spreading the mayonnaise to the very edge of the bread!). He even made my lunch sometimes, which was great.

He always had been a good egg cooker and barbecue chef, but he also learned to make some of the things he particularly liked, such as potato salad, chopped liver and egg salad.

I also found that he liked to do a lot of things I didn’t like to do in the kitchen, like grating cheese and husking corn (both hard on the manicures!).

The last cliche is “Retirement is so great it’s a shame to waste it on old

people.” Forget the “old” part and concentrate on the “great” part. It’s great to have time to pursue a new way of life. We loved not having to get home at any specific time when on a trip. This was especially nice for our boating trips. No longer did we have to return from a cruise in the teeth of a gale just because it was Sunday and the next day was Monday, a work day. We could stay where we were until the wind and the waves subsided.

Another advantage of retirement is that you do not have to limit your good times to weekends only. You can go any day of the week you want to. I remember how pleased and excited I was the first time after his retirement to accept a lunch date for both of us on a Tuesday, formerly the press day at the newspaper and reserved only for work and stress and a bad temper.

So — other than the problem of his trying to talk me into something he thought I should do, but it was really something he wanted to do — I recommend retirement highly.

Margaret Lewis resides in Palm Desert, Calif., after years in Lynden and Sudden Valley. William R. Lewis retired from the Lynden Tribune in 1984; he passed away in June 2011.

Continued from C7 Fortunately, steps can be taken to reduce the likelihood of a fall. Regular exercise is important in maintaining strength and activity tolerance. The exercise should focus on increasing leg strength, flexibility and balance. A physical therapist can do an evaluation to assess your balance and fall risk factors. From that, specific exercises can be prescribed and safety recommendations given to help restore balance, reduce risk of falling, and make your home and environment a safer place.

Medical conditions, blood pressure and medications can affect balance and increase one’s risk of falling. It is important to review your medications with your doctor and discuss any health changes. Have your blood pressure checked regularly; if your blood pressure is low, it can make you unsteady and increase your risk of falling and sustaining an injury. Be sure to stay hydrated as dehydration can decrease blood pressure. You should have your eyes checked once a year, as your vision can affect balance and fall risk

factors.

Certain safety measures can decrease the chances of a fall in your home and in the community. Tripping hazards include scatter rugs, cords, wires and pets that can get underfoot. Turn on lights when getting out of bed at night; many falls occur on the way to the bathroom in the night. Night lights provide lighting for walkways and rooms.

Walkways, stairways and entry ways should be well lit.

Assistive devices can help to increase stability and safety with mobility. These devices include the use of a cane, walker, tub bench, grab bars in the tub and near the toilet. Equipment is available to raise the height of the toilet seat, chairs or bed. Physical therapists are able to customize equipment and teach you the proper use of assistive devices.

The physical therapists at Capstone Physical Therapy are experts in balance reduction and fall prevention. Capstone PT offers free balance consultation to determine your fall risk factors. Capstone PT is located at 8862 Bender Rd., Suite 101, Lynden. Phone 354-1115 or go online to www.capstonept. com.

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