Hugh Downing, wife Sharon; John Olesky, Paula Stone Tucker

 A place that’s too good to be true . . . but is!

Hugh & John on golf course

Living in The Villages, Florida is like Disneyland for senior citizens. 

Something to do morning, afternoon and evening. You have to limit yourself to three fun things a day.

Maybe that’s why, even though John Olesky, Class of 1950, and Paula have been here two weeks, we haven’t run into one grouchy person yet. They’re too busy enjoying life for that.

John and retired Akron Beacon Journal printer Hugh Downing and wife Sharon have been home owners there since 2001, when Hugh retired. They were co-workers till John retired from the newsroom in 1996.

Tuesday night, they had dinner in a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a night of dancing and music on Spanish Springs Square, one of three town squares in a village of 100,000 residents.

People in The Villages talk to strangers in the town squares as if they are old friends.

And they have found a place to enjoy whatever is left of their life span. A lot.

John has never seen a place like The Villages in my life, and he’s been to 52 countries and 43 states. His only regret is that it took him 82 years to find it.

And when John and Paula leave The Villages for a day trip, they see hundreds of manatees lolling around in the St. John's River, stacked like cordwood, or cook their pancakes and scrambled eggs on a griddle in the middle of their restaurant table.