MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Monday morning means bowling at ABC West in Mechanicsburg for seniors age 50 and up. Dozens flock to the bowling alley every week to compete in one of the largest senior leagues in the country, but few bowlers are more inspiring than Tim Tangeman.
"He's a joy," said teammate Debbie Sica. "He's a trip. I call him Timmy. I have never heard anyone else call him Timmy, but I call him Timmy. He is just a sweetheart."
Timmy has been bowling a long time, as the Perry County resident is 101 years old. And every week, multiple times a week, he makes the trek to Mechanicsburg to bowl with friends.
"It's something to do to get you out of the house," Tangeman said. "I started with a bunch of friends, but I'm the only one still doing it."
It's a chance to be with other seniors from around the Midstate, and stay active.
"If they couldn't come here and bowl, I don't know what they would do," Sica said.
For Tim, it's just a chance to keep bowling.
"I wanted to keep my average up, at least in the middle," Tim said. "And that's about where it is."
He's a gentle-mannered man, who spent five years in the service during World War II. His career took him to the Pentagon, then the State Department. He and his wife settled in Gettysburg in 1982.
Looking for more space, the pair moved out to Perry County, before Tim's wife passed away in 1993. So bowling and good friends gives him something to do and to look forward to each week.
"Lot of people retire and they just don't do anything, which isn't good," Sica said. "Bowling keeps you going, and anybody can do it at any age at all."
And Tim doesn't just bowl, he's a pretty good bowler. Just a couple of months ago, the 101-year-old bowled a 267. Something ABC West believes may cement him in the national record books.
"He gets really mad when he doesn't do good and I told him 'Tim, you're 101,'" said teammate Dean Tripp. "He says that don't matter. But he's a nice person and it would help [me] if I copied him."
He doesn't have an answer as to the key to life, but he's a darn good example of how to live a good one.
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