Sports Illustrated models they’re not.
But with a minimum of eight decades of experience under their belts, the men and women whose color portraits grace the Gurwin Jewish-Fay J. Lindner Residences 2013 wall calendar know there’s more to life than looking good in a bikini.
Like seeing “the details in things” and valuing your marriage. Called “L’dor v’Dor: From Generation to Generation,” the new calendar profiles 13 senior residents of the assisted living facility — ranging in age from 82 to 100 — each sharing some advice.
Herbert Friedman, executive vice president and CEO of the Commack, L.I., Jewish residence, said the seniors’ advice — “along with the residents who give it” — is “priceless.”
Their insights, he added, are made “all the more poignant because of the life experiences that flavor these words of wisdom.”
Like Fay Cohen, 90, who says she was “born with a paintbrush in her hand” and who reminds people that “beauty is everywhere, you just have to look at it.”
Another resident, Gene Schwartz, was one of nearly 10,000 Jewish children who participated in the Kindertransport, leaving behind their families in Germany, Poland, Austria and Czechoslovakia to travel to orphanages in England in the nine months prior to World War II.
“I lost my whole family,” said Schwartz, 89. “If not for the generosity of the people who cared for us, I too would have perished. Be kind, even to those you don’t know. Kindness and generosity are everyone’s responsibility.”
Not all residents are retired. Shirley Leos, 90, is a practicing psychologist who continues to counsel her longtime patients over the phone.
“One thing I think people need to learn to do is to listen,” she said. “Listen before you speak; really hear.”
The calendars, which cost $12.95, are being sold to raise money for Gurwin.
Jules Sachson, a former Bronx commander of the New York Police Department, said his key to success was finding a career he really enjoyed.
“If you love your work,” said Sachson, 95, “it isn’t really work at all.”
Milton Stauber, 83, a retired businessman, counsels that it is okay to make mistakes, “but don’t try to cover them up. The best way to earn the respect of others is to be honest.”
At the age of 99, Helen Stemple, a retired schoolteacher and longtime volunteer, recommends teaching one’s children to do volunteer work and to “do for others whenever you can.”
“What you do for others puts value in your own life,” she said.
Now if only the younger generation actually used wall calendars, instead of consulting those newfangled electronic ones on their iPhones.
To order the calendar call (631) 715-8268 or e-mail lindnerresidences@gurwin.org.
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