Do you want to live a long life? Here are three fair examples to follow | Opinion

By Bob Brody

Three special people played a big role in my childhood. This was in the 1950s and 1960s in my hometown of Fair Lawn. As luck would have it, they all recently returned to my life and brought a message worth remembering – especially today as we celebrate National Good Neighbor Day.

Jeanette Kearns was my kindergarten teacher at Radburn Elementary School. Under her guidance, I developed my talent for getting into trouble with authorities. My specialty was not paying attention to class and instead clowning around.

This jester behavior largely resulted in me making silly faces at my schoolmates during class. One day Mrs. Kearns had enough. She made me stand alone outside the building for an hour. Believe me, I had it done, and kudos to her for setting me straight.

Marvin Wisch was our family doctor. He routinely performed a medical service that today seems archaic, if not apocryphal, namely home visits for patients. Dr. Wisch visited me at home when I was in bed with a fever, measles or mumps. He strode into my room, black leather doctor’s bag in hand, to diagnose, prescribe treatment, and reassure my worried mother with gentle warmth that I was indeed alive.

Simon Glustrom was a rabbi at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center. I attended Hebrew school there, mostly against my will and except for the times when I played hooker. I found it difficult to prepare for my bar mitzvah, especially reciting my haftorah, the Torah passage designated for the occasion.

But Rabbi Glustrom helped me get through this ordeal, always with a smile that radiated divine grace. He presided over the momentous ceremony on a Saturday morning in 1965. In this way, he attempted to marry me to manhood at the age of 13, a milestone that, however, took me at least another 20 years to achieve.

Teacher, doctor and rabbi all had unique successes.

Ms. Kearns taught at my elementary school for 30 years. Former students described her to me as always friendly and compassionate. She and her husband had a son and two grandchildren. After her retirement, she volunteered for decades at Hackensack University Medical Center. She is also the author of a children’s book with the whimsical title My Grandmother Has a Chandelier.

Rabbi Glustrom took the pulpit in our school to lead his congregation for 41 years. By all accounts he was deeply loved. He learned the names of all members of his flock and made a point of going into the homes of Jewish families who had just moved to the city to offer them words of welcome. He and his wife had three daughters, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is the author of seven books on Judaism, including – the ironic title is a nod to his life as a rabbi – “I Would Do It Again – Maybe.”

Dr. Wisch practiced general medicine for 68 years, almost until his last breath. He took care of my family for more than 20 years. He and his wife had five children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. The State of New Jersey, the Knights of Pythias and other organizations honored him for his commitment to patients and the community.

“My father never missed a moment,” recalls his son Jeffrey Wisch, a recently retired oncologist. “He stayed at the top of his game until the end. He delivered babies, repaired broken bones, and performed tonsillectomies and even eye surgeries. He saved more than a few lives. It was his calling to become a doctor. His patients were his extended family. Caring for his patients kept him alive.”

But that’s what appeals to me most now. As I recently learned, Dr. Wisch lived to be 96 years old, Rabbi Glustrom lived to be 99 years old and Mrs. Kearns lived to an astounding 104 years.

Former Fair Lawn Mayor John Cosgrove, a former kindergarten student of hers, presented Ms. Kearns with a proclamation declaring Jeanette Kearns Day in the city on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

“If you want to live a long life,” said pioneer scientist Hans Selye, “focus on making contributions.”

Research shows that a sense of purpose dramatically increases the likelihood of living longer. According to a 2019 study, people with the most determination had a 15.2% lower risk of death than those with the least determination.

How fitting, then, that these three professionals, alternately an educator, a physician, and a member of the clergy—each of whom taught me, kept me healthy, and guided me spiritually—should serve in our city, generation after generation, changing the equation for our community .

The lessons to be learned from such longevity are clear. Every now and then, contrary to popular belief, good deeds actually go unpunished. Rather, if you do good, you will do well. The righteous will be truly and duly rewarded.

Bob Brody, a consultant and essayist, grew up in Fair Lawn and now lives in Italy. He is the author of the memoir Playing Catch with Strangers: A Family Guy (Reluctantly) Comes of Age.