Mary Roukema celebrates 90th birthday at The Warwick Valley Seniors Club

WARWICK — Another active member of the Warwick Valley Seniors Club just joined a rapidly growing exclusive group of people in that organization.
On Wednesday, Aug. 1, club members held a belated 90th birthday celebration for Mary Roukema who was born in the Netherlands on July 6, 1928.
Before Roukema's husband, Edgar, passed away in 1975, they had traveled the world. They also lived for a time in the United States where they became American citizens and years later returned to Holland, moving for a time to Spain, where Roukema worked for the Dutch Consulate.
Roukema and her husband then went back again to Holland, where she worked as an executive secretary for a Dutch dairy company.
Roukema had two sons, one born in New Zealand and another in Holland, both of whom immigrated to the United States. She can now boast about her six grandchildren.
Roukema returned to the United States in 2002 and moved to Warwick to be near one of her sons, a Goshen resident.
Although she offered no particular lifestyle to attribute to her long life, Roukema said that she always kept active playing golf and currently spends most of her afternoons playing bridge.
The celebration, serving cakes and refreshments and everyone singing, "Happy Birthday," took place at the spacious and modern facility that is the Warwick Senior Center, adjacent to the Town Hall on Kings Highway, which first opened in June 2005.
Marie Sisti, president of the Club, suggests joining and becoming an active member of her organization may have something to do with good health and longevity.
The only requirement for membership in The Warwick Valley Seniors Club is that you must be age 60 or over.
The advantage of membership in The Warwick Valley Seniors Club also includes taking trips together and enjoying entertainment and informative guest speakers.
Anyone interested in joining or wanting additional information should call Marie Sisti at 986-9113.
- Roger Gavan