Friday, July 30 will be Henry Ford’s 139th birthday, and Henry Ford Village residents Richard and Ruth Gatza will mark it at the Henry Ford Heritage Association’s annual birthday celebration and dinner, held this year at the Henry Ford Estate. The Gatzas sit on the association’s board and are docents at the estate.

Andrew Tonkovich, on left, and Ruth and Richard Gatza all have special connections to Henry Ford. The men are Ford retirees, Tonkovich shares Ford’s July 30 birthday, and the Gatzas volunteer with Ford-related organizations including The Henry Ford.

Mr. Gatza is one of many Ford retirees at the Village, but no Village residents are as involved in Ford-related activities as he and his wife, who moved there last August. The joy they get from their community involvements made them decide to stay in Dearborn instead of heading south. One example: The Henry Ford.

“We volunteer wherever they ask us,” says Mrs. Gatza. That can range from interpreting at Greenfield Village to handing out brochures at mall events to providing crowd control for special gatherings at the museum.

During her ten years at The Henry Ford, Mrs. Gatza has amassed more than 4,500 volunteer hours. She laughs and says her husband signed on because he wanted in on the fun she was having. Now in his eighth year, “there’s joy in talking to people and trying to make them smile every day,” he says. “I get satisfaction from that.”

He even gets paid for one of his efforts with The Henry Ford—leading tours at the Ford Rouge Factory. Mr. Gatza knows the factory inside and out because he worked there for 32 years.

Activities at Henry Ford Village

The Gatzas aren’t only about volunteering. Their calendar also lists activities such as golf, Thunderbird Ski Club events, and trips to Florida to visit her dad. They spend little time in their Stafford apartment home, but it suits them perfectly.

The couple chose their end-unit apartment for its seven large windows. “We like a lot of light coming in,” Mr. Gatza says. “Ruth and I live an active lifestyle. By moving to Henry Ford Village, we hope to continue that lifestyle for many, many years.”

“If we can’t do some of our (outside activities) when we get older,” adds his wife, “there are at least 139 clubs at the Village. Surely we’ll find something we like! And with the medical center here, it’s like having an extra insurance policy.”

The Gatzas are getting to know their many Village neighbors. “We always eat dinner at a big table in the dining room,” Mrs. Gatza says, “and people are so friendly, it’s unbelievable.”

She’s read that it’s human nature to gravitate to people like yourself. “So,” she says, “I figured we were safe moving to the Village. People here have such a wonderful attitude about life.”

The Ford Legacy Plan

Available exclusively at Henry Ford Village, the Ford Legacy Plan offers people affiliated with Ford Motor Company a 10% discount—up to $10,000—off the entrance deposit on any apartment home at the Village. Since the plan’s introduction in 2004, 166 Henry Ford Village residents have benefited from it.

Ford retirees as well as current employees are eligible. So are spouses, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents, parents of spouses, and grandparents of Ford retirees or employees.

The savings are in recognition of the role Ford Motor Company has played in the development of metro Detroit’s most dynamic, energetic retirement community. For more information, call 1-800-610-5079.

Henry Ford Village is an Erickson retirement community in Dearborn, Michigan. Erickson manages a network of 19 communities nationwide that combine a maintenance-free, active lifestyle with social activities, amenities, and medical offerings proven to improve both physical and mental health.