Marty Fleisher has been a regular participant at the Senior Resource Center in Chester for the past five years.
Marty was born and raised in the Weequahic section of Newark, NJ and was a member of the first four-year graduating class at Weequahic High School. Drafted during World War II, Marty attended flight mechanic school and was stationed in France, where he flew 65 missions over Europe and took part in the D-Day invasion.
Upon his discharge from the military Marty returned to his home and his wife, Felicia – the "girl that I fell in love with at first sight." He and Felicia would eventually build a home in Long Valley and raise three children, a daughter and two sons, while Marty worked in the radio industry with WWRL Radio and the RKO Network.
In 2002 Felicia had routine surgery but suffered from short-term memory loss from the anesthesia and Marty became her primary caregiver. Mary knew that he had to “keep on going” in order to care for Felicia, and did his best to not only stay in good physical health but also to get stronger. After seeing a story in the local paper on the exercise programs at the Senior Resource Center, he decided that he needed more exercise than he was getting on his treadmill at home. Soon he was attending the Senior Resource Center’s stretch band and Tai Chi classes every week.
When Marty started these classes he had limited range of movement in his left foot and had issues with his balance. Through his participation in the exercise programs Marty has gained movement in his foot and his balance has improved.
Unfortunately, Felicia passed away in 2013 but Mary was supported during this difficult time by many of his fellow “classmates” at the Senior Resource Center. Marty has also become a “peer instructor” for the Monday morning stretch band class.
Marty gives a lot of the credit for his health and well-being to being an active part of the Senior Resource Center – not only in the exercise programs but also his attendance at the monthly “Lunch & Learn” programs, which feature speakers presenting on topics of healthy living for seniors and their caregivers. Marty says that he has “a lot of admiration for all those who are dedicated to coming here to exercise and stay healthy” – many of whom are 10 to 30 years his junior. We look forward to celebrating Marty’s 95th birthday with him this May 10.
