Local Man In 80s Not Ready To Retire

WILLOWICK, Ohio -- Who says you should be retired when you're in your 80s?

In this week's Successful Aging report, NewsChannel5's Jonathan Costen reported that one World War II veteran said he stays young by surrounding himself with children.

Len Bieder (pictured, left) is a school crossing guard in Willowick. He'll only say he's "80-something."

"(Working) helps me mentally, too," he said. "You get up in the years; sometimes you slow up."

But, he admitted the income comes in handy.

"When you retire and if you're not in the top echelon, (your) income is not that great," he said. "This helps us."

He's a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather, so he takes his job seriously.

"It's a responsibility," he said. "I tell you, if something happened to one (of the kids) I'd feel awful."

He's on the corner of East 315th Street and Willowick Drive at around 7 a.m. He's been a crossing guard for nine years.

"I've seen kids go like this to going to high school driving cars," he said. "I grow up with some of them."

But the job often comes with risks.

"I used to go straight out in the middle," he said. "Now, I just stick it out on the street -- after all, I got a few years left in me."

After the morning hours, he returns home to his wife, Betty. They met many years ago on a double date.

"He was with another girl, and I was with another fellow," Betty Bieder said.

She said she doesn't mind her husband working.

"I feel if he's happy -- I worry something will happen to him but he seems to be happy and enjoys it, so that's the most important thing," she said.

Len Bieder said he doesn't take life for granted.

"I ask my minister a lot of times, 'How did that sniper pick that fellow out instead of me?'" he said.

At 2:15 p.m., Len heads back to work and continues to learn.

"If someone tells you in life you don't keep learning, they're kidding themselves," he said. "You learn until the day you die."

For more information on the "Successful Aging Initiative" or available resources, write NewsChannel5, 3001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114, or log onto our special section on aging.