Dutchess County Celebration of Aging
Honors Seniors of the Year
In celebration of Older Americans Month, the Dutchess County Office for the Aging (OFA) awarded several County residents “Senior Citizen of the Year” honors at its 21st annual Celebration of Aging on Monday, May 20th, in Wappingers Falls. The sold-out event was attended by more than 290 local residents.
Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro said, “Dutchess County continues to embrace and support our seniors, and our annual Celebration of Aging is a way to thank the many seniors who contribute to their community and make a difference in all our lives. Our Office for the Aging works tirelessly throughout the year to serve our senior population – men and women who have given so much to our county, and from whom we can continue to learn.”
The OFA hosts the Celebration of Aging each year to recognize the outstanding contributions senior citizens make to Dutchess County. County Executive Molinaro presented the Senior Female of the Year award to Ruth Hogan of Poughquag, Senior Male of the Year to Michael Frazier of Rhinebeck, and Senior Couple of the Year to Ruth and Julius Jones of Staatsburg. Robert Haan of Red Hook received the Senior Achievement Award; you’ll find photos of these honorees to the right. Dutchess County also honored five local couples celebrating 70 or more years of marriage, and 11 residents between the ages of 100 and 105, including sisters Olga Devita (101 years old) and Adrianna Brina (105 years old).
In 2018, OFA staff served more than 13,000 individual seniors, non-seniors in need of long-term care, caregivers and family members through a wide variety of community-based services, including, among others, case management, case assistance, home care, senior centers, home-delivered meals, legal services, insurance counseling, energy assistance, transportation, caregiver services and health promotion.
Additionally, OFA staff held or participated in over 143 community outreach events last year, totaling direct contact with 2,900 persons, including presentations on topics such as Caregiving, Falls Prevention, Successful Aging, Scam Prevention, Health Insurance/Medicare, Food Safety, and Food and Drug Interactions. More information about the OFA and its many services and programs is available on Dutchess County Government’s website.
DUTCHESS COUNTY COUPLES MARRIED 70+ YEARS
Lossie & Sam Lee, Fishkill (79 years)
Anna & Andrew Fishburn, Wappingers Falls (76 years)
Dorothy & Tom Schiesel, Wappingers Falls (73 years)
Angelina & Fred Grippi, Millbrook (71 years)
Anita & Ed “Skip” Lester, Millbrook (71 years)
DUTCHESS COUNTY CENTENARIANS
Adrianna Brina, Millbrook (105)
Olga Devita, Millbrook (101)
Stuart Vidal, Poughkeepsie (102)
Eunice Anderson, Millbrook (102)
Margaret Rutledge, Millbrook (101)
Jaye Meyer, Millbrook (101)
Lucille Jordan, Poughkeepsie (100)
Anne Morreale, Millbrook (100)
Myra Gokey, Fishkill (100)
Theodore Zulkowski, Poughkeepsie (100 in June 2019)
Connie Nieves, Wappingers Falls (100 in December 2019)
