John Wolff, 96, swims at a slow and steady pace almost every day in the Falls Run community's indoor pool in Stafford County where he lives. If he doesn't swim, he walks or rides a bicycle. PHOTOS BY SUZANNE CARR ROSSI/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

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96-year-old still doing swimmingly

Stafford County man is 96 and still doing laps around those who are much younger

Date published: 5/7/2009

By CATHY DYSON

Ask John Wolff how long he's been swimming, and his bright blue eyes will twinkle even more.

"I suppose I started about 80-odd years ago," he said, knowing how unusual it sounds. Then he laughs and adds: "I'm just a boy, really, just a young fella."

Fact is, the man born in Australia--so close to the Indian Ocean he could walk to the water--is still doing laps at 96.

Five times a week, he hits the indoor pool in the Stafford County development where he lives. If he doesn't swim, he walks or bikes.

"I never met anyone quite like him," said his wife, Susan, who doesn't want to give her age but is considerably younger than her husband. "He's game for just about anything."

But he's no speedster.

John doesn't zip through the water like Ian Thorpe, the Australian swimmer nicknamed "the Thorpedo."

Likewise, he's not a fast-talker who makes snap decisions. His wife complains that when he tells a story, it takes so long she forgets the beginning.

John, with his tall, thin frame and wisps of white hair, merely shrugs his shoulders and acknowledges the truth.

Slow and steady is his pace, and moderation is his motto. His approach must work because he doesn't have high blood pressure or heart disease, high cholesterol or any other problems typical of people his age.

"I feel great," he said.

He takes a few vitamins but no prescribed medicines. His only health issue is glaucoma.

When he and his wife moved to Falls Run five years ago, he didn't want her to tell anyone in the senior community he was in his 90s.

"He didn't want to be catered to," she said.

He's more open these days, but his age still turns heads. When John writes his birth date on forms, people take his wife aside.

"They ask, 'Was he really born in 1913?'" she said. "It happens every single time."

John wonders why he gets such reactions.

"Why all the fuss?" he asked. "I'm 96 going on 97. So what?"

If there's anything John doesn't want, it's to be a bother. He wasn't keen on calling attention to himself in a story, but he agreed because others urged him to do so.

Here are some reasons John Wolff believes he's still healthy and happy at 96. ATTITUDE: People often ask him if he misses Australia. "It doesn't matter where you are, if you're happy." VEGETABLES: Loves 'em. For years, his lunch consisted of nothing more than lettuce and "to-mah-toes." Some current favorites are carrot soup--with chicken stock he makes--and roasted parsnips. NEVER SMOKED, but he does enjoy a cold beer on a hot day and a glass of sherry in the winter. STAYS BUSY: He worked as an electrical engineer but always had side interests. He loved to make furniture and even built a pipe organ. He performed magic and parlor tricks at local clubs. FAMILY: Has two daughters, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild in Australia. ONE CONSTANT in his life has been the love of water. When he and his young buddies fished, no one wanted to swim far from shore in the dark to spread the nets, except Wolff. He also was a volunteer member of a life-saving water team.

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Date published: 5/7/2009

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