By Maddy Vitale
The recipe for staying young is a good marriage and being an active part of your community, said Sea Isle City’s AARP President Frank Roach.
That advice might not seem extraordinary, but the dedication and energy Roach puts into his marriage to wife, Barbara, of 56 years, and AARP Chapter 710, may be.
At least four hours a day, Roach, 77, of Upper Township, is on the computer sending out newsletters, event mailings and AARP information from the national organization. Then there are the phone calls to some of the 187 members of Sea Isle’s AARP chapter.
Roach and his wife, who have two children and six grandchildren, went on an AARP trip with friends from Sea Isle in 2014 and enjoyed it so much they joined the Sea Isle chapter.
Then Frank Roach did what he is sure has kept him feeling young, he joined the local AARP board and not too long after, became president.
“I enjoy it. I meet so many people,” Roach said. “The group has done so many things.”
He doesn’t like to take credit for how successful the local chapter is, or how it is the largest around.
“I may initiate things. But we work together as a team,” Roach said.
Sea Isle Public Information Officer Katherine Custer described Roach as “a very energetic, enthusiastic person.”
“It is obvious that he cares greatly for others. He is dedicated to improving the lives of the seniors in our community – as is evident through his work as President of AARP Chapter 710,” Custer said. “As a member of Sea Isle City’s Municipal Alliance Committee, he is committed to stopping the current opioid epidemic and raising awareness about substance abuse. It is a pleasure to work with him.”
His passion for helping the community is what gives him the drive to work so hard for his local AARP chapter, he said.
“Helping people in the community is so important. Communication is the key. You have to keep everyone informed,” Roach said.
And it isn’t only about telling seniors what is going on around them. It is about fun activities, donating to food banks and animal shelters and making sure life in your golden years is fulfilling, rewarding and exciting.
“So many seniors want to sit at home and that isn’t good. You have to get out and meet people and joining AARP is a great way to do that,” Roach explained. “We have two meetings a month and a buffet and bingo. So, at the very least, members get out to do something fun two times a month.”
Most of the AARP meetings and events are held at the Sea Isle City Community Lodge, 300 JFK Boulevard.
“We usually get 80 to 100 people. It is a great time,” Roach said. “It gets people out and after we get done with the meeting, we eat. We just have a lot of fun.”
Although Roach and his wife don’t live in Sea Isle, they have always loved it there, attended St. Joseph Catholic Church in the community and made many friends there over the years.
The Roaches, originally from Doylestown, Pa., moved to Ocean City in the mid-1990s and lived there for 15 years before moving to Upper Township, where they enjoy their “maintenance-free” lifestyle in Osprey Point, an active adult community, Roach said.
He is a graduate of Jules Mastbaum, a mechanical drawing school, and Penn State University, where he earned his degree in business/marketing management.
A mechanical engineer by trade, Roach, a Navy veteran, spent years working for battery companies. He wrote both the operating manuals and specifications for battery parts.
In 1974, Roach was offered a position in charge of batteries for submarines, which took him away from his family up to six weeks at a time. Throughout his career, Barbara Roach said the two always remained close, despite miles between them.
Over decades of working in battery design and maintenance, Roach saw the world. He traveled to 12 countries including Taiwan, Italy, Greece and Australia, and when the children were old enough, his wife would join him.
In 1990, Roach said after many years of work, it was time to retire and dedicate time to his family and helping in the community.
That is when he jumped right in and became a part of organizations and committees, and the rest is history, he joked.
In addition to being president of the local AARP, Roach is a volunteer with the Upper Township CERT Team (Community Emergency Response Team) and a member of Sea Isle City’s Municipal Alliance subcommittee. For the last 10 years he has been on the Cape May County Board of Elections.
Roach described CERT as just another extension of keeping the public informed. CERT members are local volunteers who assist emergency personnel when a disaster strikes.
Among the issues that are close to his heart is the opioid epidemic. It is the responsibility of the community to combat the opioid epidemic, he believes.
“It is an epidemic in the country and it is here in Cape May County,” he said. “This epidemic is one of the worst things happening now.”
Roach, along with other alliance members and officials, hold events to spread awareness about the troubles that are in the county
“We are discussing at our meetings what we will do in the fall,” he said. “We are looking into having a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) agent come down to speak.”
Roach said Custer has given him welcomed advice along his journey to providing information, organizing meetings and putting together releases for local AARP members.
“I met so many people in Sea Isle City and Kathy Custer is someone who has taught me so much,” Roach said.
Roach, who has what seems to be unlimited energy has thrived on a life of travel, family and excitement and in his senior years he wants to continue to bring that zest for life to others.
Barbara Roach said her husband’s love for community service is just one of the many reasons their bond has remained so strong.
But she admitted, it isn’t always easy to keep up with him.
“I really don’t keep up with him. But I try to keep him centered and focused on what he is doing,” Barbara Roach said. “I think when you live with an engineer, your life is like this. They keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny. Life is never boring.”
