LANSING, Mich. — What’s the secret to staying married for 70 years? For Bob and Mary Huelsman, the answer is simple: Find someone you love to spend time with, and learn to be compatible.
“We do everything together,” said Bob Huelsman. “I’d rather go fishing with Mary than with anyone else. We bowl together. We just like spending time together.” The Huelsmans bowl every week, and Mary still scores in the high 180s with an eight-pound ball.
Bob and Mary met on a blind date when Mary was a senior in high school, and the rest is history. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on July 15, 2019.
Their commitment to being with each other carries on when the Huelsmans volunteer at McLaren Greater Lansing. In total, the couple has racked up more than 11,300 volunteer hours at both hospital campuses over the past two decades. That’s more than four full years of work at a 40-hour-a-week job.
Volunteering is part of what the Huelsmans say keeps them active at ages 88 and 90. “We enjoy the people when we volunteer,” said Mary Huelsman. “It’s sure better than sitting at home.”
Bob and Mary have taken on many volunteering roles, including helping with newsletters, engraving name tags and signs, and putting together surgical packets.
“Bob and Mary are amazing,” said Debbie Quinn, director of Volunteer Services at McLaren Greater Lansing. “They have taken on so many jobs, and their contributions are just incredible.”
The Huelsmans have always lived near McLaren’s Greenlawn campus, and they know a thing or two about the quality of care provided at McLaren Greater Lansing after both having open heart surgeries there almost a decade ago.
For anyone considering volunteering at McLaren Greater Lansing, the Huelsmans say it’s a great way to stay active and give back to the community. “Go for it. There’s something for everybody,” said Bob Huelsman. “It makes you feel good to volunteer, to do some good and help somebody.”
Click here [mclaren.org] to learn more about volunteering at McLaren Greater Lansing, or call (517) 975-6900.
Check out other Health related articles in our Yes to Healthy Living section of our website.
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