Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

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Gail Straus is mostly retired, meaning that in addition to volunteer work, she remains open to the occasional client project. In 2021, Gail joined the Communications Team at AARP Illinois as a volunteer. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Guest House Chicago, donates time and expertise to the Moran Center for Social Justice in Evanston, is on the Ambassadors Advisory Committee to Steppenwolf Theater Company, and volunteers for the Taproot Foundation.

We asked, “How did you become involved with AARP-IL?” Gail was clear of her intent to use...

Ginny Maccoll, 73, has an unusual hobby. She competes in Ninja Warrior competitions. Last year, the Guinness World Book of Records named her the oldest female to compete. Though physically quite active from the time she was born, and a proficient dancer, it wasn’t until her daughter became a Ninja competitor that Ginny started believing that she might be able to do that, too. She also competes nationally at the Sr. Olympics swim team. Ginny started dancing in 3rd grade and moved from Tennessee to New York City to embark on a professional career in dance culminating in performing in...

Jane Fleishman, Phd, a Certified Sexuality Educator, works with people living in senior communities on taboo topics such as intimacy, desire, sexual health, abuse and consent. An accomplished educator, writer, program developer, and researcher, Jane received a PhD in Human Sexuality from the Widener University Center for Human Sexuality Studies at the age of 62. She specializes in all aspects of sexuality for older adults and older adults in same-sex relationships. She is the author of The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism, and Aging, a Nautilus Award winner and Kirkus Review starred selection. Jane’s TEDx Talk, “Is It O...

Mimi Donaldson, 77, is known for her rousing keynote speeches, compelling workshops, and in-house training programs.   She has shared the keynote platform with Colin Powell, Katie Couric and Maya Angelou.

She is now a speaker coach for TED Talkers, keynote speakers and business

Owners. Since 2018, she has coached 24 speakers to the TEDx stage.

I don’t want people to be boring!

Mimi holds a Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Dramatic Arts from the University of Iowa, and a Masters Degree in Education from Col...

Alice Rose, age 78, lived in Europe for 10 ½ years where she worked with childhood centers for military families. Alice’s love of travel and culture led her to Turkey twenty-five times, as well as other fascinating destinations. Upon returning to New Jersey, Alice pursued her love of museum art and photography. Now residing in the Chicago area, Alice has blended her passion for books and photography into a self-publishing business. She and her business partner, Bethany, guide authors in making their own decisions about the book’s content and how it will be presented. Their books include memoirs, photography, children’s stori...

The third oldest of 17 children, Mildred J. Mills, 73, was raised on a farm in Alabama. At a young age, she began to imagine that she would be going places, even though she had no idea how or where she might go. In high school one of her teachers recognized her talent in mathematics and suggested she think about a technical college for data processing. Her Daddy surprised her by helping make that a reality. Life was full of surprises from that moment forward. 

“Sometimes in life we know it’s time to le...

Judy Marjorie Collins, age 85, remains a legendary spokesperson for the American folk music scene and for older adults who still have a song to sing. 

We were delighted to be in conversation with Judy Collins.

Folk singer, song writer, pianist, activist, author, and role-model, Judy continues to tour throughout the United States and many other countries. Judy vows, “I will never stop singing.” 

Throughout the decades, Judy’s music has reflected changing political climates and captured glimpses of life at particular moments in time. Her music remains as timel...

Gina Orlando, age 72, created and was present at her own Celebration of Life in January 2025. Gina has been living with breast cancer for 11 years, the last three years in stage 4. She calls upon her expertise in holistic healing, voracious curiosity, and profound spiritual beliefs to navigate her journey toward end-of-life and ‘going to the light.’ Gina’s abundant intentions for her Celebration of Life: lifting things up for healing—for self, family, community, the world; giving people permission to think differently about their own death, to talk about it, and to plan for it; sharing gifts of love for self and...

Elizabeth White’s mission is advocating for older women to “lead a richly textured, interesting life on modest income.” She uses multiple platforms--author, entrepreneur, consultant, international board member, and keynote speaker—to expose gendered ageism and social patterns of inequality that are the result of “bad policy, not bad character.” Elizabeth’s most recent undertaking is founding NUUageColiving for older people who live alone with limited resources.

Connect with Elizabeth

Email elizabeth@nuuagecoliving.com

Website https://www.55andfakingnormal.com/nuuage-co-living

Book—55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your guide to a better life...

At 77 years old, Connie Inukai is proving that innovation has no age limit. A former technical writing instructor for engineers, Connie spent years teaching others how to create clear, effective reports. Little did she know that one day, she’d be writing her own—this time, for her own invention.

When she first conceived the idea for Tip ‘n Split, Connie applied the same skills she had taught for decades. She meticulously crafted reports, wrote an instruction manual, and designed brochures—working alongside her students as both teacher and entrepreneur.

Determined to bring her product to marke...

Thoughtful and compassionate, Becky Blue is a geriatric and faith community nurse. Her compassion grew at an early age as she spent afternoons with Grandma, coincidentally the name of one of her magical poems. In her book, Turning-The Magic and Mystery of More Days, you will find essays, poetry and questions, some of the poems written almost 50 years ago with so much meaning for today. 

"As we age, we connect the dots on our whole life experience."

Becky’s practice is interdisciplinary. Working in churches enabled her to bring in...

Jeanette Leardi is a social gerontologist and aging wellness leader who invites us to “cock your head to the side and ask, Am I think about aging in the right way?” Jeanette’s blog, Ageful Living, inspired her recent book, Aging Sideways: Changing Our Perspectives on Getting Older. She challenges the message of ‘gendered ageism’ that “women are never the right age in our society.” She reframes limiting metaphors such as ‘over the hill’ to viewing women as “master climbers and changers.” Jeanette praises the plasticity of the aging brain for being able to take shortcuts and see different perspectives. She prop...

At age 70, Karen Marienau’s life is distinguished by a circuitous professional path, world-wide adventure travels, strenuous physical challenges, taxing home improvement projects, and deeply loving relationships—with people, animals, and nature. How does Karen, who gets bored once she has mastered something, and is known to act on impulse, navigate her world? She leaves the Minnesota farm for Mexico, joins the Navy on a medical scholarship, becomes a doctor earning numerous specializations, lives in 7 states, and traverses 7 continents. Karen returns to her Minnesota roots and retires from the military after 20 years of service. She remodels a new home on t...

Barbara Thompson is passionate about working with seniors. She holds a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) certification. When her life turned out differently from what she expected, she learned to rely on friendships to fill a gap. That brought her to the understanding of how important it is to listen to each person involved in the moving process.  Moving is a challenging time for families, no matter their ages.  Barbara says, “Life works best and moves gracefully when plans are formed and decisions are made. Then when the time comes to implement the changes, everyone knows exactly what to expe...

Adriane Berg is a lifelong traveler whose mission is to help people “never stop traveling.” Women over the age of 70 are increasingly participating in solo travel, as are individuals embarking on their second or third honeymoon.  At the age of 76, Adriane created the podcast Ageless Traveler, a gift for her travel-focused self. She designs the trips she wants to take and, with a supportive team, invites others to join. Adriane advocates ‘voluntourism’—travel with a purpose that involves seeing and doing. She also encourages intergenerational travel—different ages traveling together to the same place, doing the same things. Adriane is a dedicate...

After 30 years in banking, Emilia DiMenco joined the Women’s Business Development Organization (WBDC) - first as a board member and then as CEO. WBDC serves all entrepreneurs and particularly women and underserved communities. Emilia understands and communicates the importance of managing cash and risks, how best to build capacity and, most importantly, to provide quality products and service while competing fairly on price.

WBDC works with entrepreneurs from start-up to succession, helping them to gain certification and pursue procurement opportunities, access capital and networks, and continue to learn. 

Emilia looks ahead to...

Carol Offen and Betsy Crais know all too well the exhilaration, separately, of being a living donor and a 2-time organ recipient.

Carol’s adult, college-age son was in need of a kidney. Carol became his donor. 

Betsy Crais’s evaluation for gastric problems in her thirties revealed polycystic kidney disease. When she was in her fifties she became the grateful recipient of a kidney donation from a living donor. Many years later, she required a 2nd kidney and, to everyone’s surprise, a liver. Again a living donor stepped...

Barbara Ellison always wanted to have a TV show. Since waking up from her widow’s fog after her husband died when she was in her early 60’s, she has not stood still. She says, “I had no idea who I was, or what I was meant to do. The labels attached to me - mother, daughter, wife, those I understood but who was Barbara?” The Ultimate Game of Life coaching program gave her a lifeline and she has not stopped since. From traveling via RV to co-hosting a radio show and streaming live on Linked In, Barbara is a motiva...

Jane Seskin, a licensed clinical social worker, is a prolific poet who, at age 80,

published a collection of 89 poems in the book OLDER WISER SHORTER: The

Truth and Humor of Life After 65. With humor and insight, Jane observes

how she is learning to acknowledge, accommodate, and accept the

vulnerabilities and new-found joys of aging. Early in her career as a therapist

for crime victims, Jane witnessed people’s resilience to survive. As a therapist

and writer, she advocates “talking to each other rather than being alone with

Jan Shaw King, 71, is a strong, resilient woman whose courage led her to create illustrative works that live on in all of our memories. Her first mentor was her grandmother who taught her to see colors and shadows and be brave enough to follow her path. You may remember Ranger Bob and How the Big Bad Wolf Saved Christmas. Children’s stories make up a major part of her portfolio. Jan’s company, Wyld Blue Entertainment, develops imaginative art for theme parks and major movie studios. 

"My impressionistic paintings of sea turtles are dedicated to th...

B. Rosemary Grant, PhD, Research Scholar Emerita at Princeton

University, is world-renowned for 40 years of pioneering fieldwork, with her

husband, Peter, on two uninhabited islands in the Galapagos archipelago.

Their studies of Darwin’s finches in their natural environment have made

enormous contributions to evolutionary biology and ecology. In her memoir-

-One Step Sideways, Three Steps Forward--Rosemary chronicles her

amazing journey: teaching in the Finnish fashion; marrying and forming a

research partnership; earning her PhD at age 49; raising two young

daughters in the Ga...

Holly Zeinfeld, 79, has moved 22 times and lived in 8 states during her marriage to Steve. They were partners in life and in work until he died a little over a year ago. Holly cared for him in home hospice for 7 years with periodic help from her son. 

Everywhere Holly goes, she finds meaningful work to do and makes lifelong friends. She calls herself the Director of Intangibles. No fitness center for pregnant women? She buys one and learns Lamaze to teach it and improve women’s lives. Employees disgruntled? Create a plan to build a coh...

Suzanne Rowen, age 72, has been climbing mountains in the Pacific Northwest for the past 30 years. Leading self and others are cross-over skills between mountaineering and working in high stakes crisis communications on Wall Street, Suzanne’s earlier life on the East Coast. She finds climbing mountains to be “equally intense and marvelously expansive.” As a dedicated mountaineer, Suzanne peaked all the volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest and led numerous climbing expeditions. Now she prefers climbing solo and finds that “being in nature keeps us sane; you never outgrow it.” Suzanne mentors young women in mountaineering and is turning to fiction wr...

Wendy Cole, age 76, was 67 when she decided to live out in the world as the female

she was born to be. As a young person, Wendy was informed by ‘authorities’ that she

was a male with a psychological condition that was untreatable and uncurable; she was “a freak.” Wendy tells her story of living 45 years of repression while hiding her secret from the outside world. On the brink of suicide in 2014, Wendy learned her diagnosis had changed back in 2012. It is now treatable by therapy, hormones, and surgeries. And people are born transgen...

Cynthia Bargar, 76 is the author of Sleeping in the Dead Girl’s Room (Lily Poetry

Review Books), selected as a Massachusetts Book Awards 2023 Honors Poetry Book. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming  in Sugar House Review, Ocean State Review, Lily Poetry Review, Verse Daily, On the Seawall, The Last Milkweed Anthology, and elsewhere. Cynthia is associate poetry editor at Pangyrus LitMag.  She lives in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Cynthia has had 3 careers. First, teaching video and photography to teens; then, she worked in fundraising for 30 years, with nonprofits focused on grassroots activism and social servi...

On the northshore of Chicago, there has existed a magical boutique gift store for 37 years. Its name: The Yellow Bird. Recently the shopping center where it had thrived all those years, was sold to make room for new residential buildings and some commercial. Yellow Bird’s lease was over but Carol was not. Yellow Bird’s owner, Carol Schaner, 87, was not yet ready, however, to lock the door and walk away. She, her daughter and indispensable manager, Laura, were determined to successfully relocate. And, indeed, they did. The Yellow Bird can now be found in downtown Wilmette.

Andrea Gilats—writer, educator, artist, yoga instructor—believes that

“when one writes a memoir, one has to be oneself.” Andrea’s captivating new

memoir, Radical Endurance: Growing Old in an Age of Longevity,

reveals her journey of ‘discovery through the pitfalls and possibilities of

aging.’ She reflects on dealing with prolonged grief following the early death

of her husband, navigating serious chronic illnesses while living alone, and

learning to recreate her identity and sense of belonging after retirement.

Now age 79, Andrea highlights the “singular pleasures of growing up ag...

For 15 years, Karen Allen (age 73), actor and director of stage and film,

and Sarah T. Schwab (age 39), writer, director and producer, have enjoyed

collaborating on theatre and film productions, notably addressing oft-avoided

discussions about dying and loss. Their award-winning film, A Stage of

Twilight—written and directed by Sarah and starring Karen—is a “grass-

roots awareness campaign for end-of-life care and decisions.” It raises the

difficult question: “Whose death is it—who has the right to decide when,

where, how, and with whom someone dies?” Karen...

Sharon A. Brangman, MD, Syracuse NY, is a geriatrician who has been a leader in the field of geriatrics for over two decades.  Her focus is directly on the phenomenon of normal cognitive aging, concentrating on prevention. 

Dr. Brangman serves as Chair of the Department of Geriatrics, Director of the Center for Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease and is a Distinguished Service Professor at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.  She has held leadership roles at the national level and was elected to the board of the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs in 2013 and s...

From a very young age, Pamela Rand, 81, described herself as a comic, a clown, a funny kid who liked to make people laugh. She continues today to sing, dance, speak in multiple accents and create skits on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTock. Laughing at herself is her prime mode of comedy. 

In her early 20’s, Pamela went to Clown School in Paris where she journeyed within to discover her inner clown. Having lost both her mother and brother, this “school of movement, mind and theater” helped her regain her innocence- her silly side-and she learned...

For 50 years, Marcia Naomi Berger, 79, has experienced a journey from madness to love and meaning. Her first manic episode was at 29, when she was already a well-respected licensed clinical social worker - an experienced psychotherapist well-trained in cognitive-behavioral, family systems, process, and psychodynamic approaches. She draws from many treatment approaches to fit the needs of her clients. 

Naomi’s life changed abruptly when she experienced the first of two difficult hospitalizations. 

While her early upbringing was difficult and influenced her decision to become a therapist and concentrate on relationships, noth...

Anne Burke, age 80, retired Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, began her career as a physical education teacher, earned her undergraduate degree as an adult student at the School for New Learning/DePaul University, completed a law degree while raising four children, and created the Special Olympics. Her law practice centered on helping vulnerable children and citizens. Anne served on the Illinois Supreme Court for 16 years, the last three years as chief justice, during the covid pandemic. Upon retirement, Anne returned to DePaul University as a non-degree seeking student taking courses in history, philosophy, ethics, and creative writing...

Ruth Schimel, 84, has original ways to make the most of life’s possibilities. An author of over 70 published articles and seven books, she was previously a diplomat/foreign service officer at the Department of State. She has also taught at four universities. With her mother, Ruth created the Schimel Lode to promote collaboration and innovation in the DC area.

In her 40’s, Ruth designed an inside-out approach to career and life management that transcended narrow labeling of her clients. Preferring to honor their complexity using adventure and good judgment, she continues to provide the tool...

Susan Baur, 84, has been a writer, historian and psychologist for 50 years. As a child, nothing grabbed her passion like listening to her father’s stories which seemed to describe other worlds that exist inside our own. Pursuing these other worlds ever since, the force of nature keeps pulling at her very being and led her first into an obsession with turtles and then to start removing garbage from ponds in Cape Cod, MA. 

This is hard work. The water is often cold, visibility poor but nevertheless she dives in and sees . . . garbage - garbage lik...

Karen Ross, 76, is a champion who keeps reinventing herself. Self-confident, curious and proactive, Karen never stops finding new ways to stay involved, support herself and others, and meet interesting people.

She thought she would be a musician and entered college intending to major in music. However, Broadway show music is what interested her and classical music was what the college preferred she study. It didn’t take long for Karen to move on and several years and careers later found herself hosting a radio show. When that show ended she moved to South Carolina. 

Elderwerks’ dynamic CEO and Founder, Jennifer Prell, understands older adults. She believes elders deserve respect and loving care. She gets worked up when talking about how difficult it often is for older people, no matter their income level, to find proper housing as they age. Adult children reach out because a parent is declining. That parent does not always recognize there is a problem and that makes it extremely difficult to help them make the transition to safer housing. Jennifer and her team are trained to ask the questions that will guide them in determining the correct paths to tak...

The hardest part of getting older is the realization that some dreams are never going to be realized. Some situations are not going to change. Jackie Greenbaum, however realistic she remains, has lived her life as though dreams are meant to be followed. Discouraged from a career in law at a young age, Jackie pursued teaching, only to find it unsatisfying for the world in which she wanted to live. Soon after leaving the field of education, Jackie immersed herself in becoming a legal secretary, then a paralegal and combined those two to work in business development and human...

If we are looking for what we enjoy doing, then, logically, we’re going to be good at it. Joyful thoughts spiral upward. We are on this planet to love and be loved, to be truly authentic.

Gail Sussman Miller, Inspired Choice.com, believes how we think, and communicate, is a key issue for leaders of organizations. She helps them manage difficult conversations, to listen not only to respond, but to understand. You can be kind and honest. She helps people see how they need to change to achieve their desired outcomes. An expert co...

Wendy Green, founder and host of Hey, Boomer,! knows about personal transformation first-hand and coaches women to “live the meaningful, purposeful life they want to live.” Wendy left the world of corporate training to focus on women’s experiences of growing older—as a coach, podcaster, show host, and blogger. Podcast guests, along with members of Boomer Banter, talk about a range of topics such as family dynamics, gray divorce, changing relationships, feeling old, and the vital value of female friendships. 

 I still feel inside the younger parts of me. - Wendy Green

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Sally Jean Fox’s 2023 book, Meeting the Muse After Midlife: A Journey to Meaning, Creativity, and Joy, tells her story of finding joy in being creative after 50, as she explored gardening, clowning, improv theatre, storytelling, and singing. Always keen on writing, Sally took up painting at age 69 and exhibited 30 paintings three years later. Although Sally now sees herself as an artist, she emphasizes that creativity is not just about producing art; rather, the “most creative thing we can do is design our lives, every day, to be engaging, expansive, and full of learning. As the head of Engaging Presence, Sall...