Armand Robinson Fulfills His Bucket List
Armand Robinson came to Grand Rapids in the 1960's after being transferred to the city while working for Lear Siegler Jet Division. Six years later, he decided to do some consulting work, which gave him a chance to travel and then later retire from Hayworth Furniture Company.
Robinson was engaged for decades in the community with various initiatives such as the Model Cities project in the 1970's and 1980's and with the Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission (CRC) downtown Rosa Parks sculpture project. He also chaired the CRC for six years.
Armand and his late wife Adrian Jones were married for 45 years and he has a 68 - year - old son in Baltimore, Maryland.
Armand recently turned ninety - years - old and has decided to make a bucket list and mark off his achievements from the list one by one. In this interview with the Grand Rapids Times, Mr. Robinson discusses the first item on his bucket list, turning 90, missing friends who have passed away and more.
GRT: What is the first item on your bucket list?
Robinson: I am going an African Safari with a caravan of ten other people. I do have a traveling partner, Arnie Alexander. The flight to Africa will be sixteen hours. This is my bucket list so I am going in comfort.
GRT: Do you have something else on your bucket list that you plan to do this year?
Robinson: I do have another travel plan in the future, but this year I just want to go where it is warm, because I don't want to stay in Michigan this winter. When my wife was living, we had a timeshare and we would escape the winter for a few weeks. I used to go skiing and my late wife and I even lived in Colorado for a few years. We had a great time with the snow, but now I am older and don't enjoy the snow and winter anymore.
GRT: You are 90. Are a lot of your friends still around?
Robinson: Sometimes I think to myself, 'Where are all of my friends?' because a lot of them are no longer living, but I have been blessed to be celebrating my 90th birthday and I feel that I am very blessed to still be on this earth. I have seen and been to so many funerals and it saddens me because I have seen a lot of young people who are no longer with us. It is sad that this generation is dying at such young ages.
GRT: What is the message that you would like deliver to other seniors?
Robinson: The message that I would like to give other seniors is that just because you are a senior, does not mean that your life is over. There is nothing wrong with still having goals that you would like to accomplish even at 90 - years - old. I would like to encourage them to celebrate life by creating a bucket list and making it their business to accomplish the goals that they have for themselves. I plan to continue living and enjoying my life as long as God decides to keep me among the living.
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