Life in the Later Lane
A face of medical care in the Mission, Kattia Balestier has been on the front lines for nearly 40 years
Contact her at naomimarcus@sfseniorbeat.com The patient stormed out of the doctor’s office and headed straight for the...
Early computer nerd – now a regular at future-focused public space with bar – slowly realized he “was in the middle of something big”
Contact her at myrakrieger@sfseniorbeat.com When Theo Armour was a young boy, he played a lot, but not with...
Out of the classroom and onto the airplane. Peter Mundy takes his middle-school students around the world.
Peter Mundy wants nothing more than to educate, motivate, and mentor his young students -- and to...
A life of resilience: Escaping Soviet antisemitism, Tatyana Yasnovsky built a life in San Francisco as she practiced psychiatry
For Tatyana Yasnovsky, a retired psychiatrist and émigré from the former Soviet Union, her arrival in America...
Things of heaven and earth – but mostly earth – have captivated neuropsychologist who once pondered the priesthood
When he retired in 2009, Charles Vella began volunteering at the California Academy of Sciences. He became...
With more than 28,000 movies and TV shows on hand, Colin Hutton’s Video Wave store has survived the onslaught of Netflix and Amazon Prime
It was a rainy winter afternoon, and it wasn’t until Video Wave, the last standalone movie rental...
Sixty years later, a writer returns to her childhood home in Mexico and savors the sights, smells and flavors of a changed San Miguel de Allende
Have you ever wondered about retiring to Mexico? Not me, no expat life for me. But I...
‘Wild writing’ softens clinical healthcare leader’s shift to solo career and enriches retirement
Kathryn Santana Goldman showed an affinity for science as early as grammar school when she captured and...
Host of group that supports women forge new life after retirement fitting out her Dodge van to recapture the joys of childhood camping
It’s 11 o’clock on a Saturday morning and Janice Wallace is on Zoom hosting the Bay Area...
Retirement sends Vonn Scott Bair full speed into long days as actor, playwright and game developer
"Do what you want, and you will never work a day in your life." That old adage,...
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Retired tech executive carries the thread, joining friends to create a “mask-making” village at a time of crucial need
Before the pandemic, Joan Lasselle, 74, was enjoying the life of the recently retired. “People would just reach out to me and ask if I would be interested in volunteering. The thing about retirement is when things come along, I can say ‘yes’ instead of ‘no.’” Forty years after founding and being CEO of Lasselle-Ramsay, ...
Dance professional uses light touch, eye contact and dialogue to guide seniors and those with disabilities through yoga movements
When Dina Lisha visited her mother in her board and care home, she was horrified to see how withdrawn and depressed the residents were. So, she went in the day room, turned on some music and encouraged the residents in simple movements. “It was astonishing to see their dim eyes come to life – responding, ...
KCSM jazz man has been a nightclub owner, Oakland Raiders player , reporter and marriage counselor – but music is what makes his soul sing
It’s a typical Saturday morning for Sonny Buxton. He’s up early, fixes himself a bowl of oatmeal and gathers up a stack of CDs he’s going to play during his morning broadcast at KCSM. By 8.45, his son is at the door of his South San Francisco home, and they drive to the College of ...
Parklets are the latest focus of veteran San Francisco transit activist, who highlights barriers to seniors and those with disabilities
A friend said that to understand activist Bob Planthold one might be best advised to start by watching “Crip Camp,” the film backed by the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions that documents the rise of the disability rights movement. With its theme of “Nothing about us without us” – a protest against policy that affects the ...
WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU? I resurrected a relationship with an old friend: the piano.
For me, the pandemic emphasized life is short, and time is precious. It’s not like I didn’t already know that; it’s just that the pandemic brought my feelings into sharp focus. I began thinking what I could do within my control at this late stage of my life that could bring me pleasure and satisfaction? ...
Many ‘angels’ guided gay activist through life’s turmoils, and eventually, to executive roles in counseling and social responsibilty
When he was 15, Duff Axsom said, he met “one of the most important people in my life.” It was Genevieve Fiore, women’s rights and peace activist, and the founder of the Colorado Division of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). A member of one of the UNESCO Youth Clubs, he met ...
