| Author | Post |
|---|
Marlas Inkwell
Member
| Joined: | Tue Apr 4th, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 957 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 26th, 2009 07:05 pm |
|
Emagene “Jean” Pettit, an 84-year-old resident of Freedom Plaza, has been on cloud nine ever since winning the Experience of a Lifetime award, sponsored by the retirement community’s owners Brookdale Senior Living. At the Experience of a Lifetime Announcement Party on April 24, Pettit was awarded the opportunity of fulfilling her lifelong dream of skydiving. Her feet have barely touched the ground ever since the announcement, and she gladly leapt at the chance to skydive in a tandem jump on June 11.
“I was quite surprised and delighted,” Pettit recalled, when Freedom Plaza announced that her essay had won a Brookdale’s Experience of a Lifetime award. The first-time skydiver gives the program an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “I think it is absolutely fabulous.”
She credited former President George H.W. Bush’s 80th birthday skydive as an inspiration. In her award-winning essay, Pettit stated, “George Bush, Sr. did it at age 80. I’m just 83 and in pretty good health. Therefore, I’d love to fulfill this lifetime wish.”
Coincidentally, Jean Pettit’s tandem jump on June 11, took place the day before Bush revisited the friendly skies to dive into his 85th birthday.
Her husband of 20 years, Bob Pettit, had fueled her passion for adventure by giving her a 76th birthday gift of a hot air balloon ride over North Scottsdale. As for her desire to skydive at 84, she said, “He was very supportive.”
Pettit’s son Richard “Dick” Efnor said, “I definitely didn’t inherit her adventuresome spirit. I like my feet firmly planted on the ground.”
Pettit recalled that her son and two daughters were a bit apprehensive about the thought of her jumping out of an airplane. However, she said her 23-year-old grandson Ryan raved, “I’ve got the coolest grandma in the whole U.S.”
Excitement also soared through the crowd of 40 Freedom Plaza residents and associates as they gazed skyward in anticipation of Pettit’s tandem jump at SkyDive Arizona in Eloy. Conversations looped around the seniors’ own flight experiences as World War II veterans, and reminiscing about their own daring adventures.
“This is big excitement for Freedom Plaza,” resident Elsie Coates said. “We had no idea she won the contest until the end of April, and Jean didn’t know either. She’s been the talk of the community ever since.”
“Yes, I would jump,” resident Audrey Starks proclaimed with complete confidence in her adventuresome friend. A thrill-seeker herself, she said, “I’ve been in a hot air balloon and worked the balloon festival in Glendale. Soaring a glider in south Phoenix was a thrill.”
Freedom Plaza’s Lifestyles Assistant, Angela Ott said, “If I had the opportunity, I would take it in a heartbeat. I’m a risk taker. I’ve been white water rafting, hot air ballooning and now this is a goal.”
“You have to do something exciting to feel alive,” Housekeeping Director Jorge Magana said. With four skydives under his belt, Magana knew quite well the powerful wind that Pettit would face during her freefall.
Once Pettit was suited up, the plane took off at 11:30 a.m. climbing to an altitude of 13,400 feet. “It went very rapidly,” Pettit recalled of her tandem jump harnessed to SkyDive Arizona instructor Jason “Jay” Sanders. “The first 11 jumped and we were out.
“The first two seconds I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into?’ Because the wind took my breath away.” She said, “Then Jay started going in a circle twirling me around. Then we went the other way, and I thought, ‘He doesn’t realize how dizzy an older person can get.’”
The 53-second freefall sped by quickly. Then at 4,100 feet the parachute opened and Pettit glided gracefully across the sky.
Pettit was appreciative to be in the good hands of an experienced skydiver. “He talked to me the whole time about what we were doing,” she recalled. “He had me raise my left arm and said, ‘Now we are going to turn left.’ Then he said, ‘Now raise your right arm and we are going to turn right.’ He really talked me down the whole time. He was very skilled. If you were worried, which I wasn’t, he would have immediately put you at ease. He was a really terrific person.
“The photographer who had the camera on his head jumped at the same time we did,” Pettit exclaimed, with regards to videographer Travis Mills. “He was close to my face the whole time. If I wasn’t smiling every minute, he’d poke his cheeks, so I would be sure to smile.”
Her Freedom Plaza fans cheered from their front row seats along the drop zone as she touched down at 11:50 a.m. “That’s a long way down,” she told her many admirers.
“Before she jumped I said, ‘I think she’s insane,’” resident Alice Jungbluth admitted. “Now I think it’s great. Would not do it myself. She got a longer ride than the other jumpers. This is as close to it as I will ever be.”
“I think it’s wonderful,” Norma Schweim said following the jump. “Only Jean could do it.”
“It was wonderful and exciting,” Janine Heisel said, echoing her sister Norma’s sentiments, both have resided at Freedom Plaza for five years. “Jean’s a really swell person. She writes a monthly article on new residents.”
When Pettit is not skydiving, she uses her gift for writing to pen the monthly new resident profile at Freedom Plaza. “I play quite a bit of bridge,” Pettit said of her favorite pastimes. “I do oil painting here at Freedom Plaza. I love the mountains and painting landscapes. I think exercising is very important and do water aerobics in the pool, walk on the track in the exercise room, and use some of the machines. Plus, my nose is always in a book when I find a free moment.”
The Internet savvy, skydiving grandmother certainly has come a long way since being born on Christmas Day in Laurens, Iowa in 1924. She has always strived to reach her dreams. During her career, she gravitated towards teaching and attained a master’s degree to become a high school counselor. She continued college and obtained an education specialist degree with which she did counseling for churches.
She is sitting on top of the world, now that Brookdale’s Experience of a Lifetime award granted her lifelong wish to skydive. She added, “Scuba diving is next on my bucket list.”
To discover the joys of living at the Freedom Plaza Retirement Campus located at 13373 N. Plaza del Rio Blvd. in Peoria, contact the Marketing Department at 623-876-2416.
Freedom Plaza Retirement Community, located at 13373 N. Plaza del Rio Blvd. in Peoria, Arizona is a Brookdale Senior Living community. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. is the leading owner and operator of senior living communities throughout the United States. The company owns and operates independent living, assisted living, dementia care, skilled nursing and continuing care retirement centers. In all, Brookdale operates 550 communities in 35 states with a capacity to serve approximately 52,000 residents, as well as operating a dedicated rehabilitation and therapy group serving its communities and residents nationwide. Brookdale is committed to providing exceptional living experiences within properties that are purpose-built, designed and operated to help residents live well while achieving an Optimum Life®. Brookdale Senior Living communities provide a daily experience of programs, services and care that are unique as a result of the collective talents and inspiration of the residents, their families, and its associates – demonstrating Brookdale’s promise of “Our People Make The Difference.” Brookdale is a publicly-traded company (NYSE: BKD). For more information, visit http://www.brookdaleliving.com.
PHOTO: JEAN PETTIT
Photo by Marla Levine
Jean Pettit, an 84-year-old resident of Freedom Plaza Retirement Community, gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up to her tandem jump at SkyDive Arizona. She has been on cloud nine ever since receiving the Experience of a Lifetime award, sponsored by the retirement community’s owners Brookdale Senior Living. Pettit’s adventuresome spirit inspired her to write the winning essay about her lifelong dream to skydive.Attachment: Jean Pettit.JPG (Downloaded 1 time)
|
Current time is 12:40 pm | |
|
|
|