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closeName: Frank Spisak.
Age: 87.
Residence: Bellingham, since 1969. Spisak lives with his wife of 62 years, Ruth, whom he met on her 16th birthday in 1940. They have one daughter, Susan Wiggs, in Portland, Ore., and one grandson, Jonathan Wiggs, a computer programmer in Seattle.
Former occupation: “I joined the Navy one week after Pearl Harbor,” Spisak says. “It was something I felt I should do. It was my duty.” He was assigned to the now-closed Navy communication station in Marietta in 1969.
“I was the last officer in charge of technology as it became something of an obsolete station,” he says. “I spent over 30 years in the Navy and retired in ’73.”
Daily routines: “I go to the gym every other day roughly in the morning for a couple hours. I’m very religious about this. I used to do five days a week, but I have a bad back and it kind of dictated that I better slow down and rest between exercise periods.”
Staying active: “I used to play a lot of golf, but racquetball was my favorite. But I injured my back in 1954 in the Navy, and that didn’t come to light until ’87 when I had surgery for a double herniated disc. They went in there later on in ’93 and again in ’96.
“The surgeries were excellent because afterward, I went back to playing racquetball. But it’s gotten to the point where my lower back is worn out.”
Lifestyle changes: “I had heart surgery in 1983 and after that, we really changed the way we live and especially the way we ate.
“We became very strict about saturated fats, sodium and sugar, and it made a difference. Prior to surgery, my cholesterol was 220, which in those days was acceptable. But now with what I eat and the medication I take, it’s just under 100.”
Coping with fear: Spisak says the worst part of undergoing heart surgery was being away from home and not getting to play racquetball.
“In those days they didn’t do heart surgery here in Bellingham, so I had to go to Providence Hospital in Seattle,” he says. “I was in the hospital for two weeks. Those days they kept you a little longer than they do today.”
Diet changes: “We’re somewhat vegetarian now. We very seldom eat beef. We concentrate on chicken and fish, and the beans that have good protein and so forth.
“It was hard because one of the luxuries of life is good food, and it impacts everything about life.”
Teaching an old dog new tricks: Spisak says the support of family and friends helped him transition to a healthier lifestyle. “My wife was great and she went right along with the diet. She said if it’s good enough for me, it was good enough for her.”
First things first: “Friends are also very important in life. We have met some long-term friends from exercising at the gym, and we like to travel so we have friends all over. But family is the base.”
The secret to staying active: “My exercise routine takes a lot of time, and there’s always something to do around the house. Time flies. Sometimes I wonder how I ever had time to work.”
Hobbies: “In addition to traveling quite a bit, we read a lot and I have quite a display of model trains.
“Another one of my hobbies is astronomy. I have a couple telescopes and with the Internet, I can keep current on what’s going on. I’m very interested in the cosmos; what’s out there.”
If you could change anything: “Looking back, there’s not much I would want to change in my life if I had to go back and relive it.
“Except for the diet. I should have changed what I ate prior to the surgery.”
Advice for other seniors: “Take life one day at a time, stay active and have a positive attitude.”
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