Oliver “Demar” Wanstrom (photo by Debbie McGeehan)
Debbie McGeehan
It is no surprise that tennis is known to be a sport for a lifetime. Our 92-year-old member Oliver “Demar” Wanstrom is a perfect example of this!
Demar lived in Minnesota and was always involved in sports. He coached swimming, basketball, and tennis at various times in high school and college. In 1957 he served time in the Army CIA. Shortly after leaving the Army, he met his sweetheart, to whom he was married for 62 years. Demar said they had an interesting honeymoon. They camped for six weeks from Minnesota to New York City where they stayed a few nights in a hotel and saw some great Broadway plays, then camped to Nova Scotia and Canada and then home. He knew she was a keeper, because she loved to travel! Unfortunately, she passed away two years ago after having a stroke; their beloved dog passing away three weeks later.
Demar and his wife would come to SaddleBrooke as snowbirds in the ‘90s. They moved to SaddleBrooke permanently in 2004, and he has been a tennis member since. You can find Demar on the tennis courts playing drop-in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He may even be on the court other times with his ball hopper practicing his serves!
I asked Demar what his secret is to living such a good life and having such positivity at 92 years old. His response was, “Gotta keep moving, eat a good diet, exercise, proper sleep, and faith in the person above [pointing upward to the sky].” Demar always wears a wooden cross around his neck, which was made for him. If you ask, he would be glad to tell you the story. He did prison ministry in Minneapolis for 15 to 20 years, helping many inmates.
We have amazing members in our Tennis Club, and Demar is certainly one of them. He is an inspiration to live every day to the fullest and proves that tennis is possible into your 90s! SaddleBrooke Tennis Club now has traditional tennis, POP tennis, and Red Ball tennis available to play. Call the tennis coordinators at 520-825-0255 to find out how you can get involved in a lifelong sport!