Senior Village November Birthday Party

November 2025

Laura Anderson

The room was full of laughter and joy as thirty-one people came together to celebrate Senior Village’s members’ birthdays. This bi-monthly event hosted by Carol Mueller and Linda Stillwell is known for bringing out the giggles and this month was no exception.

The members were entertained by the Key of C accordion players Colleen Halverson and Cathy Cowley. These ladies had the group singing along to old favorites; Baby Face, Tennessee Waltz and Ain’t She Sweet. These nostalgic songs sparked a fond memory for Maryann Wotherspoon, “I used to sing these songs with my dad at lunchtime when I was 3 and 4 years old.”

Volunteers Sally Teusch and Diane Rutkowski spent time with each member and guest learning more about them. Attendees were asked to share some of their wisdom on aging and specifically what activities they enjoy doing to stay fit. This group was quite diverse in their interests here in SaddleBrooke. Activities ranged from golf, swimming and biking to line dancing. The overall theme is to do something each day. A favorite activity for many is hiking or walking with a few dog walkers.

Gordon Wotherspoon is one of the dog walkers. He walks his two golden retrievers every morning. Gordon was a first-time attendee at the birthday celebration. He is a retired Navy pilot who completed a five- and half-year tour and went on to fly for Northwest Airlines for 31 years.

DeMar Wanstrom is a very active member of Senior Village. At 92 he plays tennis three times a week and walks every morning and afternoon. DeMar coached swimming and tennis during his 34-year teaching career. He taught History, Economics and European Studies in Minnesota. His passion for history led him to take students to Europe yearly.  In addition to his exercise routine, DeMar enjoys meeting new friends and he did just that at the party!

The celebration would not be complete without cupcakes baked by Jennifer Woods and beautiful handcrafted prizes made by Sandy Seppala. Sandy along with Carol Sherby, Esther Olson, Nancy Discher, Deb Harmon, Lynn Schmaltz and Rebecca Donaldson. This team of ladies created holiday centerpieces from logs off Sandy’s property in Colorado.