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Centenarian puzzle lover is thrilled to pieces
By Sean Barron
COLUMBIANA
Donna Rounds loves to assemble jigsaw puzzles, but understanding the zest with which she performs the task — and lives her life — is far from puzzling.
“We all make mistakes, and we go up and down. I try to learn from them,” the 100-year-old Campbell native explained. “I think if you have a happy attitude … that’s a big thing.”
Such an approach to life is one of the first things that comes across to those who meet Rounds, an 11-year resident of Whispering Pines Village, an assisted-living center at 937 E. Park Ave. Much laughter punctuated her conversation as she spoke recently about her life, which included a festive 100th birthday celebration.
She also discussed the many activities she enjoys, including challenging herself to put together 300- to 500-piece puzzles. In addition, she spoke about several friends she has made at Whispering Pines.
Rounds, who attended Campbell Memorial High School, recalled having to quit school to take care of her mother, who underwent about two months of bed rest for a heart condition. She is the second-oldest of seven siblings and spent time caring for a younger brother who had mental challenges.
After her mother’s health improved, Rounds earned $15 a week as a maid for a wealthy family. A little later, she worked briefly waiting tables at a restaurant before getting a better-paying job.
“I finally wound up working at GE [General Electric in Youngstown] at the Lamp Works, where I worked for six years before I got married,” she remembered.
Rounds’ first husband, Harold, had to work hard to convince her to go out with him on a date, she continued. Rounds enjoyed shopping in downtown Youngstown, including at Strouss’ Department Store, and one day she caught his eye as she boarded a bus to go home.
“He followed the bus home,” she said, laughing. “I didn’t care for him, and I wouldn’t give him a date. So he gave me his phone number and said, ‘If you change your mind, let me know.’”
Needless to say, she did change her mind. Rather than spending the following New Year’s Eve alone, she relented and allowed him to take her out, Rounds fondly remembered.
In 1940, the couple married when she was 26. Harold moved up the ranks at U.S. Steel Corp. and they bought their first home for $5,000, she recalled.
He died several years later and she remarried. After her second husband died, Rounds lived with a friend’s daughter before coming to Whispering Pines, where she has been anything but inactive.
Despite being hard of hearing, Rounds is very self-sufficient and enjoys helping and encouraging other residents, playing bingo and taking part in the facility’s exercise programs. Within the last year, she has occasionally led an aerobics class, noted Debbie Leggett, the activities director.
In addition, she took part in an activity earlier this month called Fun Without the Sun, which included inflatable palm trees, beer on ice, fruit-filled mimosas and leis. The festive gathering served as an antidote to winter, Leggett recalled.
She also has become adept at assembling numerous puzzles, including one of a violin player in honor of an employee who plays that instrument. Staff members have set up a table in the all-purpose room to offer extra space for her to pursue her interest.
When Rounds turned 100, the center certainly was not short on ways to celebrate. A highlight of the festivities was seeing a friend jump out of a trash can that had been wrapped like a gift.
“I never had such a big party or a nicer one,” she said.
Beyond her interests and proactive lifestyle, Rounds’ positive attitude and sunny demeanor make her shine in the eyes of fellow residents and staff alike, Leggett explained.
“Donna is very caring and she wants to help people. She is a person who will open the door for you and be extra considerate to everyone here,” she observed.
Rounds also is an inspiration to others and a good example of how assisted- living facilities can help many older people feel more productive and provide added opportunities for socialization, noted Chelsea Legault, Whispering Pines’ marketing and admissions director.