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Leo Ball fell off a ladder 15 years ago and hit his head and couldn’t remember how to play the bass guitar, so he learned how to play the electric guitar, instead.

Vocalists Bev Freiday and Phil Bergh are members of Sunnyside Orchestra. (Joan Cronk/The Dispatch)
Vocalists Bev Freiday and Phil Bergh are members of Sunnyside Orchestra. (Joan Cronk/The Dispatch)

Now Ball performs on a regular basis with the Sunnyside Orchestra, traveling to senior centers around the area. The group also has a yearly gig at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup.

The all-senior citizen orchestra never charges for their performances and plays for the fun and enjoyment of it, said Carol Wilsey, who plays the violin with the group.

“I enjoy doing it,” she said.

The orchestra consists of two vocalists, five violinists, one piano, a trombone player, drums, guitar and a washboard player. Together they make good old-fashioned music that had the residents of the Sunset Garden Apartments tapping their feet and clapping their hands at their May performance.

Violinist Barbara Peterson said, “None of us played as a younger person because we put our instruments away for job and family, and then pulled them out when we retired.”

Ed Benson plays the drums and described himself as “the rascal from California.”

His enjoyment shines through as he performs, smiling the entire time.

“I play with three other groups, too, and enjoy making people happy,” said Benson, who worked for 39 years at Bank of America.

The room set aside for the performance at Sunset Gardens filled quickly, and when the orchestra belted out “The Grand Old Flag,” the audience clapped their hands, tapped their feet and sang along.

The military medley had everyone involved with performances of “Anchors Aweigh” and “The Army Goes Rolling Along.”

The orchestra kept playing without taking a breather, violins in perfect unison.

Vocalists Bev Freiday and Phil Bergh entertained the crowd and sang nearly every song.

Freiday introduced each song. “They play the first chorus and then we sing,” she said.

Freiday has been with the group, which formed in 1976, since 2004.  “Everyone is friendly and it is versatile. I like to rise to the challenges, and music is always joyful,” she said. “I see the people when we play and sing and they know the songs. It is their music, and they mouth the words as we perform.”

Joan Cronk by — July 5, 2013 in Spotlight

Deborah Erickson and her husband Ray have been married about seven years. Both in their 60s, they were looking forward to what Deborah referred to as “the good part of our life.”

When Ray’s daughter was unable to continue raising her daughter, Tayler, Deborah and Ray stepped in, went to court and were awarded custody.

Soon thereafter they heard about HopeSparks Family Services and its Relatives Raising Children program that helps family members by connecting them to community resources.

Jesie Holden, kinship navigator for Relatives Raising Children, said the program has been around for about 20 years. In May 2010 they held a conference, and that event led to the formation of the Pierce County Kinship Advocates group.

“This is a group of caregivers meeting on a monthly basis, and the nature of the group has been partially to support, but they are interested in advocating in the community,” said Holden. This group works hard to create more advocacy for kinship care within the community, helping people understand just what kinship care said Holden.

One in 10 children in Pierce County live with a relative who is someone other than their birth parent. That equates to about 4,000 children who live with aunts, uncles, grandparents or siblings.

Another program starting up soon is the Pierce County Kinship Support Group. It will hold monthly meetings and host a guest speaker, but the majority of the time will be for sharing, said Holden.

“Sometimes there is a specific theme, but everyone will have a chance to share. The group will be very participant-driven,” she said.

Holden said while the Relatives Raising Children program has done an excellent job connecting families to resources, it is not the same as building the caregivers up to do the advocacy and attend the caregivers groups.

Members of the advocacy group have formed important connections with each other, offering to help with respite care and attending each other’s birthday parties.

“The kinship kids build relationships, and that is why I’m so passionate about this,” said Holden.

Deborah Erickson said Tayler is now 10 years old.

“She is amazing. She is doing well in school and had counseling through Hope Sparks, which is a Godsend,” Deborah said, acknowledging that it has been an adjustment for she and her husband.

Deborah and Ray Erickson are raising his granddaughter, Tayler. (Courtesy photo)
Deborah and Ray Erickson are raising his granddaughter, Tayler. (Courtesy photo)

“All of a sudden I’m around people in their 30s and my friends are traveling the world and I’m going to Girl Scout meetings and selling cookies,” she said, adding,

“We know that we will be in our 70s and going to her high school graduation.”

Joan Cronk by — June 19, 2013 in Spotlight

Edward Saylor survived a famous World War II offensive, a crash-landing in the Japan Sea and a harrowing game of cat and mouse with enemy soldiers. His is a tale that’s well-suited for a gathering of military retirees.
The 94-year-old Enumclaw resident will be the featured speaker at the 35th annual Military Retiree Heritage Dinner on June 22 at the McChord Co-located Club. It’s open to retired and active-duty members of all branches of the military, as well as their families and friends.
Organized by the McChord Retirees Activities Office, the semi-formal event will mix dining with camaraderie and nostalgia as memories dating to the WWII era are rekindled.
Saylor’s will be among those. He’s one of four remaining members of the Doolittle Raiders, the name given to 80 men who flew into history on April 18, 1942.
They volunteered for the Air Force mission that involved 16 B-25 bombers led by then-colonel Jimmy Doolittle. They were to take off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, fly over Japan, drop their bombs and fly on to a safe part of China. The raid was intended to help slow down Japan’s rapidly extending reach across the Pacific in the months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
The mission’s ultimate goal was to convince the Japanese high command that its homeland was vulnerable to American attacks and to shift vital resources to its defense. Two months later, that decision had a role in America’s victory in the Battle of Midway, which began turning the tide in the Pacific conflict.
Saylor was an engineer gunner on one of the Doolittle bombers. He and his crewmates dropped their bombs on an aircraft factory and dockyards southwest of Tokyo. Then their part of the mission took a turn for the worse. As recounted in the website doolittleraider.com, the pilot, Lt. Donald Smith, decided to ditch off the coast of China. After a smooth crash-landing on the water, all five crew members made it safely to an island in life rafts and evaded Japanese soldiers who hunted them for several days. They eventually reached the safety of American forces after island residents helped disguise them as Chinese fishermen and smuggled them through a Japanese blockade.
Saylor, a native of Montana, enlisted in 1939 and attended Air Corps Training School at Chanute Field in Illinois before serving throughout World War II. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal. After the war, he was an aircraft maintenance officer at bases in Iowa, Washington, Labrador and England. He retired from the Air Force in 1967, ending a 28-year career as a lieutenant colonel.
Organizers of the Military Retiree Heritage Dinner said it’s an honor to have Saylor as the guest speaker. Other special features of the event will include a traditional commemoration of past Retiree Activities Office (RAO) volunteers .
Military members are encouraged to wear their uniform if possible. In past years, uniforms dating to the WWII era and on have appeared, an RAO spokeswoman said.
A social hour will begin at 6:30 p.m., with seating for dinner starting at 7. Reservations are required by June 20 by calling the McChord Club at 253-584-1371. More information is available from the Retiree Activities Office at 253-982-3214

Enumclaw resident Edward Saylor, a member of the legendary Doolittle Raiders of World War II, will be the featured speaker at the Military Retiree Heritage Dinner. (Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr. photo)
Enumclaw resident Edward Saylor, a member of the legendary Doolittle Raiders of World War II, will be the featured speaker at the Military Retiree Heritage Dinner. (Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr. photo)
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Pat Jenkins by — May 31, 2013 in Spotlight

A senior who set a good example for children was among 58 people who paid to enter Northwest Trek on April 2 despite knowing they didn’t have to.
When computer and phone systems unexpectedly went down in the middle of a busy day made busier by spring break for students, credit and debit cards couldn’t be used for paying admission. So the staff of the wildlife park near Eatonville decided to let customers who didn’t have checks or cash into the park on the honor system and asked them to come back after their visit to pay.
Fifty-eight people entered that way before the payment systems could be restored, and all 58 paid at the end of their day.
One senior citizen who brought five children to the park discovered the ticket windows closed and cash registers silent as her group was leaving at closing time. Undaunted, “she came into the office and hunted up someone who could take her payment,” said Jeannie Clay, Trek’s membership coordinator.
“We told people we were doing the best we could with our computer challenges, and they responded in the best possible way,” Clay said. “It was a tough day, but the lesson at the end of the day as far as restoring faith in people’s honesty and good humor was just awesome.”

Bison and mountain goat graze in the free roaming area on April 2 at Northwest Trek, a day when honesty prevailed among customers who paid to enter the wildlife park even though they didn’t have to. (Northwest Trek photo)
Bison and mountain goat graze in the free roaming area on April 2 at Northwest Trek, a day when honesty prevailed among customers who paid to enter the wildlife park even though they didn’t have to. (Northwest Trek photo)

srmedia by — May 21, 2013 in Spotlight