Shirley Chase

Dear Members,

Our club began in 1985. We are the fifth owners of the club, since 2014. It’s amazing to think about members who have been here since the beginning almost 40 years ago. We are grateful to have members who have made us their second home. It is unfortunate that the relationship cannot last forever.

On August 12th, Shirley Chase, a member since 1985 passed away. Shirley celebrated her 98th birthday a week ago. During our time owning the Club, we have seen everything. It’s unlikely we will ever see another Shirley Chase.

Shirley embodied the lifestyle and attitude that influenced our purpose to enable our members to live better longer. In Shirley’s case, we just had to keep the pool open, and she would take care of the rest. Some of my favorite quotes:

When asked to describe herself during the Yoga Journal interview, “I am a gardener, an artist and an athlete.”

We asked 95-year-old Shirley what's her secret to living better, longer. She replied, "Moving every day and kindness from others."

Once you got to know Shirley, her energy was contagious. She competed in the Senior Olympics every year that we knew her. She was driven to get into the pool to compete and in her words, the swimming is what kept her going. The water was always perfect for her, summertime or wintertime. She enjoyed her yoga and until recently, would be ready to defend her self-declared women’s pull-up championship. My conversation with her was always worth a loud laugh, Shirley’s laugh.

She didn’t drive, but she went to the gym almost every day. I was not sure how she would get to the gym, and for many years, she would just hang out after swimming, and hustle up a ride home to Davis Shores afterward. We are grateful for Dale Fazio, who helped Shirley over the last couple of years. People like Shirley are what inspire us. Some people say they want to be like Mike, I want to be like Shirley. She lived better longer.

Kevin and Marcy