For as long as Linda Groshart can remember, she always wanted to go parasailing.
Wish granted.
At the age of 73, and motivated by a “bucket list†activity at the senior living community she calls home, Groshart soared through the sky above Tacoma’s waterfront with Pacific Parasail on July 6.
Her adventure followed a monthly ladies luncheon at the Ram restaurant on Ruston Way, where the parasailing began from a nearby dock. Her husband Earl, friends and fellow residents of Point Defiance Village watched as she spent about 20 minutes airborne 1,000 feet above Commencement Bay.
Linda is no stranger to doing the unusual. She has visited Asia, Australia, Africa and China. And she plans to cross more adventures off her bucket list, including skydiving and climbing Mount Rainier. She also hopes to watch the Seattle Mariners win the World Series some day.
Holiday Retirement, owner of Point Defiance Village and more than 300 other senior communities nationally, encourages residents like Groshart to live life to the fullest by following their dreams through creativity and adventure. Their experiences – such as running marathons, riding zip lines and camels, teaching art and publishing stories – are chronicled online at holidaytouch.com/life-at-holiday/live-life.
At Point Defiance Village, “we have monthly meetings to encourage residents to conquer their bucket lists,” said Vanessa Gutierrez, the community’s enrichment coordinator. “Once they’ve decided what they want to do, we’ll do everything in our power to make it happen. Linda was the first resident to cross an item off her list, but I bet she won’t be the last.”