Giving back, giving laughs

Lindsay Sandham

Hal and Jean Schwennesen of Newport Beach have been married happily

since 1978. The second marriage for both, they finally found soul

mates in one another and complement each other nicely.

Hal Schwennesen, who is 78, has worn many hats throughout his

career -- including earning a degree in chemistry, selling

pharmaceuticals, working as a loan officer, and making coffee at

Starbucks.

Jean Schwennesen, 65, grew up on a farm and still has the green

thumb to prove it. She was also a loan officer for many years.

Both have children and grandchildren who live nearby, and the

couple has two cats, Sam and Penelope.

While working at Starbucks, Hal Schwennesen found that all of the

chain’s stores have a policy of donating any pastries that aren’t

sold within 24 hours to a charitable organization. For four years,

they drove to 10 Starbucks stores every weekend, collecting the

unsold pastries and delivering them to various charities around town.

Now, they bring pastries to the Senior Center every weekday

morning and to church on Sunday.

Of his wife, Hal Schwennesen said, “Jean’s a wonderful wife, she’s

been so good to me.”

Jean Schwennesen said, “My husband is the sweetest man you’ll ever

meet, but if you ask him to turn the light on, he might explain

electricity to you.”

Hal Schwennesen does love to talk. In fact, Jean Schwennesen

frequently has to interrupt him when she thinks it’s her turn to say

something.

The Daily Pilot’s Lindsay Sandham recently met up with the

Schwennesens to hear some of their stories.

Hal, I understand you have Alzheimer’s disease. Your memory seems

very sharp, is it in the early stages?

Hal Schwennesen: In May of 2003, I saw a bulletin at the Oasis

Senior Center that said “Memory Loss? Call UCI Medical Center and get

into the research program.” I used to be real good at remembering

names and faces ... and I began having trouble remembering names and

faces. So I got into that research program and they did a lot of

expensive tests on me.... That’s when they diagnosed me with early

Alzheimer’s disease and started me on Aricept and a research program

there.... I’ve been taking two medicines for a long time, and it’s

helping. It reduces the progression of Alzheimer’s, and that’s

something important that all older folks should be aware of -- that

there is help.

You two seem to get along famously; is there a secret?

Jean Schwennesen: For him, it’s keeping his mouth shut.... Hal and

I like to do a lot of the same things. Hal’s a city boy -- he was

born and raised in Chicago. I was born and raised on a 360-acre farm

in Ohio. I’m a farm girl and Hal’s a city slicker. First time he

tasted one of my homegrown tomatoes, he said, “Oh my God, this is so

good.”

Hal Schwennesen: Jean is a wonderful gardener, not only

vegetables, but flowers as well. You should see all the roses she’s

got growing in our backyard.

Hal, I understand you have some journalism experience, also.

Hal Schwennesen: Yeah, I wrote for the Pebble Creek Newsletter in

Arizona.

Jean Schwennesen: He wrote an article, “Meet Your Neighbor.”

Hal Schwennesen: People that would move into Pebble Creek ... I

would find out from the manager who was new and I would contact them

and set up an appointment to do an interview and take pictures of

them and get it published in the next month’s Pebble Creek News.

Jean Schwennesen: He was drawing caricatures until one of the guys

got kind of upset with him over the caricature he drew.

Have you done much traveling?

Jean Schwennesen: We used to do a lot of traveling. We’ve gone to

Hawaii.

Hal Schwennesen: Three vacations in Hawaii. That’s when I was

managing the money.... When I resigned from Home Savings in 1993, I

turned the money management over to Jean, and I wish I would have

turned it over to her 25 years ago. She’s much better at money

management and we’re almost out of debt now. My big goal is to be

debt free by 103 and then have 17 years of retirement and die at age

120 from a skateboard accident.

When did you get involved at the Costa Mesa Senior Center?

Hal Schwennesen: In May.

Jean Schwennesen: We had been going up to the Oasis Senior Center

and doing gardening up there.

Hal Schwennesen: Jean got me acquainted with the Costa Mesa Senior

Center, and I am just so amazed at all of the fun things and the

friendly people around here.

Jean Schwennesen: The people here, they just treat you like

family, they’re just so friendly and nice.

Jean, you like to play cards for entertainment. What do you do in

your spare time, Hal?

Hal Schwennesen: I like writing jokes, and at my old age of 78,

IBM no longer stands for International Business Machines.

Jean Schwennesen: Hal, no -- I don’t like those jokes.

So while she’s playing cards, you write jokes?

Jean Schwennesen: No, Hal talks. Hal loves to talk.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at

(714) 966-4625 or [email protected].