Mall walking group fills need for activity, camaraderie for Alle-Kiski Valley seniors

Joy Gezo has been walking at the Pittsburgh Mills mall since it opened 20 years ago.

Over the years, she and her husband, Larry, have developed friendships and relationships with other mall walkers who otherwise might be complete strangers. The group has grown to about 25 retirees in their 60s, 70s and 80s who get together on a regular basis for activity and camaraderie.

Experts say these types of organically formed groups and impromptu activities are tremendously important to the physical and mental well-being of retired people.

A University of Michigan study published in December found that one in three older adults between the ages of 50 and 80 experiences loneliness and isolation, which can descend into physical health problems and a loss of cognitive abilities.

“What they are doing is really important,” said Hannah Hardy, assistant director of Allegheny County’s Office of Aging Services. “The importance of older and retired people staying active and forming connections can not be overstated.”

Gezo, 70, of Lower Burrell, feels the same way.

“It’s nice. We all met people we didn’t know,” she said. “We all check in on each other. We’re all retired.

“We get to know each others kids. We’ve been there during times of loss and deaths together.”

And the group also knows how to party. On Thursday, a group of about 25 gathered in the Mills mall, outside Panera Bread, for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in addition to their daily walks through the mall.

“Anytime you can do something where you interact with others, it helps,” said Paul Tyree, 76, of Springdale Township. “You need the camaraderie and to keep yourself out there, for sure.”

And they have no plans of stopping.

Gezo said the camaraderie provides needed and welcomed interaction, especially as they have gotten older.

“I don’t want to be a couch potato,” said Larry, 71, who retired from ATI in 2009, after working there 32 years. “I like to be out and active. I’m up at 6:30 every morning ready to roll.

“It keeps you active.”

The activity has direct benefits on a person’s lifespan, Hardy said. People over the age of 65 that partake in moderate activity more than 150 minutes each week often see reduced cardiovascular, breast and prostate issues, she said. They also are less likely to break bones or fall.

“I bet their lives are going to be longer and healthier for it,” Hardy said of the Mills mall walkers.

Most members of the group walk daily. Neil Bohaychick, 69, of Lower Burrell, coordinates four parties throughout the year: St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas.

Bohaychick said he used to organize parties when he worked at Smithfield Foods. He retired from there in 2021, after 27 years.

“It gives everyone a chance to relax and have a good time,” he said.

During get-togethers, the group’s conversations range from sports to politics to local happenings, Larry Gezo said.

“It’s anything and everything,” Tyree said. “There’s no one conversation.”

Bohaychick joked of the stories told, “Half are true, and half are made up.”

He said he has learned a great deal from those stories, though, because all of the group’s participants come from different career backgrounds.

The social interactions on a daily basis helps with cognitive health and can decrease depression and anxiety, while increasing a sense of general happiness and fulfillment, Hardy said.

“We want every older adult to find what works for them,” she said.

Bernie DeLuca, 80, of Plum, said that, years ago, she would drop off her husband, John, 89, to walk at the mall while she would grab a bagel and drink at Panera.

“All of a sudden, we started talking, and we became one big happy family,” she said.

When one of the group didn’t show up for a walk one morning, John DeLuca decided to create a contact list of everyone in the group so they all could reach each other and check in periodically, his wife said.

For 11 years, Bernie DeLuca worked for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a suite manager. Before that, she spent two decades working for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

“You make friends,” she said. “Some of us meet for dinner. It’s a nice group.

“For two, three hours; it’s companionship. Everyone needs that.”

Rich Greco, a retired chemistry and physics teacher at Riverview High School, couldn’t agree more. He enjoys getting to know people in the group, he said.

“We’ve started doing this, and it’s amazing,” said Greco, 84, of New Kensington.

Tyree celebrated the St. Patrick’s Day party donned in an Irish kilt made by his daughter, Helen.

Tyree worked as a UPS driver for 32 years and retired in 2004. He enjoys the relationships formed from walking at the mall over the years.

“If the mall hasn’t done anything else,” he said, “it’s helped to bring us together.”