More people working into their 60s, 70s and beyond

Mary Rose 'Rosie' Boyd tried retirement, but she admits she grew tired of it and returned to the workforce.

'I thought that I wanted to stay at home because that seemed so wonderful, but it turned out to be not so wonderful,' said Boyd, 77. 'I didn't have enough to do and I didn't have all the people to talk to.

'I've always worked in restaurants and I've been fortunate to work with some of the most wonderful managers. And, of course, the extra cash comes in handy.'

Boyd, who has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 17, is one of a growing number of Iowans and Americans who work beyond age 65 — until recent years considered the traditional retirement age.

More older Americans are working than at any time since the turn of the century, and they are spending more time on the job than did their peers in previous years, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In May 2016, 18.8 percent of Americans 65 and older — or roughly nine million people — reported working full- or part-time jobs, continuing a steady increase that dates to at least 2000.

An annual survey of 4,550 full-time and part-time workers by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that 51 percent plan to keep working, at least part-time, in retirement.

The primary motivations to continue working, cited by 61 percent of respondents, were income and health insurance benefits.

Boyd, who works at Chick-fil-A, 2610 Edgewood Road SW in Cedar Rapids, found an employer willing to work with her in terms of the hours she believed she could handle.

'It's really great and works with my lifestyle,' she said. 'I work with a lot of young people and those kids are really wonderful.'

Amgad Zaghloul, owner and operator of the Chick-fil-A where Boyd works part time, said her personality and the way she interacts with fellow employees and customers is appreciated.

'It's what made her attractive to us,' Zaghloul said. 'People really like Rosie. She has a wonderful, friendly attitude.'

Collaboration

Bruce Hamous was ready for a break after working as an architect on many local and regional construction projects for 22 years as a principal with Brown, Healey, Stone and Sauer in Cedar Rapids and 15 years as a senior project manager with OPN Architects in Cedar Rapids.

'My last day of work was the last day of 2014 and I started my own business, Sunshine Sustainable Design, and began building our house in 2015,' said Hamous, 62. 'When I left OPN, the notion was that I would start my own consulting business based on sustainable design.

'I also was building a high-performance, green sustainable house for me and my wife. I had designed the house and was working with the contractor.

'Having my days free allowed me to spend a significant amount of time at the construction site. While I was working with some unbelievably cooperative contractors, most had never built a house the way I wanted it built.'

Hamous joined Shive-Hattery in April last year as senior architect and sustainability champion.

'I missed collaborating with colleagues working for a common goal and celebrating the shared success,' he said. 'That caught me completely off guard because I apparently took that for granted when I was working on teams and working on projects where I had worked with an amazing group of individuals, such as the new Cedar Rapids Public Library.

'I also had an opportunity to work with number of people I had trusted, admired and respected for a number of years. I was able to get back into architecture in a different way where I would be more of a mentor to young talented individuals, providing some senior leadership.'

Hamous said Sunshine Sustainable Design is on hiatus for now, but he intends to revive it after he completes the latest chapter in his career.

'Some day I will retire again and I will restart the business,' he said. 'I look forward to that and it's definitely something I plan to do.'

Hamous could have stayed busy in retirement without starting a business. He has been active for 50 years with the Boy Scouts of America, serving as a member of the executive board of the Hawkeye Area Council of BSA.

Hamous, who also is on the Prairiewoods Eco Spirituality Center board of directors, said Shive-Hattery's leadership has been supportive of his work in the community.

'It's going to be different now'

Community involvement also has played a major role in Larry Pinkston's life since he retired from Rockwell Collins in January 2007.

'In 2008, we had a major flood,' Pinkston said. 'Before I became an engineer at Rockwell Collins, I had been an industrial electrician.

'I worked with a number of other Rockwell Collins retirees through the ESCO Group in Marion on what was called the Linn Area Long-term Recovery Coalition to rewire houses damaged by the floodwaters. Volunteers were able to do all the carpentry, roofing and insulation, but you had to have certified professionals do electrical, plumbing and heating repairs.

'We rewired quite a few homes and were able to get a lot of families back in their homes.'

At roughly the same time, Pinkston was asked to serve on the committee planning a new building in Robins for New Covenant Bible Church, which had outgrown its Cedar Rapids home on 46th Street NE.

'I had been a member of the deacon board and I was asked to stay as a member of the planning committee,' Pinkston said. 'I did a lot of the technical work for the new building.'

Pinkston retired shortly after he turned 60 in 2006 after Rockwell Collins had frozen the pension benefit.

'You could keep on working, but there wouldn't be any appreciable increase in your retirement benefit,' he said. 'I had accumulated 85 points — a combination of age and years of service — that made me eligible for full retirement.

'We also had lost our daughter, Michelle, in an auto accident in April 2006 two days before she was to graduate from Iowa State University. That changed our outlook in terms of transferring from one group of activities to another.'

Pinkston and his wife, Renee, remain active at New Covenant. Renee has coordinated volunteers to provide lunches for victims' families during criminal trials in Linn County through Horizon's Survivors Program.

While Pinkston has worked on several Rockwell Collins projects as a contractor since his retirement, Greg Dengler has kept busy with other activities since retiring in July 2016, when he was 65.

Dengler was an electrical engineer with ESCO Automation in Marion, working full time at the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids. He had joined ESCO after Goss Graphic Systems closed its Cedar Rapids plant in 2001.

'I had been out of work for the first time in my life,' Dengler said. 'There were no ads for electrical engineers. The plants around here do not have enough work for full-time electrical engineers.

'I quickly found that there are firms like ESCO supplying that need on a contractual basis.'

Dengler, who is open to working on a project basis for ESCO if requested, stays active with cycling. singing in the choir at New Covenant and as a member of the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale.

'I rode my first RAGBRAI in 2007,' he said. 'I have 2,300 miles so far this year. Cycling is something I really enjoy.'

Pinkston suggests that anyone considering retirement should set realistic goals for their retirement years.

'You will be entering a new phase of your life,' he said. 'If you have worked in management, you are used to being in control.

'When something comes up that's going to require some change, you may try to step into that same role that you had before, but it's going to be different now.

'You will not be in charge. You will need to be more influential, rather than demanding.'