Winegar celebrates 30 years as StoneBridge resident

Julie Smith/News Tribune photo:
Anthony Winegar is shown at his chess table at Oak Trees Villa, where Winegar has been a resident for 30 years. Chess is his game and loves to play every chance he gets.
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Anthony Winegar is shown at his chess table at Oak Trees Villa, where Winegar has been a resident for 30 years. Chess is his game and loves to play every chance he gets.

When Anthony Winegar moved to an assisted living community, he was only 31.

"I was quite a bit younger than a lot of the residents here," he said.

Living with cerebral palsy his whole life, Winegar needs assistance with everyday tasks. After his dad died, he had to choose between moving to Texas to live with his mom or figure out a way to stay in Jefferson City while getting assistance.

He found out about an opening at StoneBridge Oak Tree, and it was an easy decision.

"With all my family being out of state, I needed to be around people," he said.

Now 61, Winegar has been there for 30 years.

For his 25th anniversary at the assisted living community, the staff gifted him a chess table with his name on it for the lobby. He had mentioned offhandedly to the activity director at the time that he wanted a chess table, but he never expected to get one.

"It was a very moving moment," Winegar said with a huge smile on his face.

For his 30th anniversary on Oct. 24, they gave him a plaque.

It's estimated that an assisted living resident's average length of stay is usually around 22 months, after which he or she will move to a nursing facility for a higher level of care.

"It's extremely rare that someone lives in assisted living for that length of time," said Keri White, marketing director of StoneBridge OakTree assisted living. "Normally, people don't stay in assisted living more than three years."

StoneBride Oak Tree's assisted living provides assistance and supportive health and social services while helping residents enjoy the highest degree of independence possible.

"Life is good," Winegar said. "It's been a long run, and they take care of me and make sure I stay healthy."

Winegar said his favorite part of living there is the staff and residents. As he flipped through a photo album, he reminisced on fond memories of friends and employees at Oak Tree who have come and go throughout the years and the fun, laughter and karaoke nights they've had.

He bonded with one resident in particular who shared the same love of music and laughter.

"You should always have somebody that you can let your hair down and just laugh," he said. "We had so many nights where we just laughed about nothing in particular, and we just had a good time."

Ever since he was a child, Winegar has been able to find joy and laughter in the little things.

"You've got to have laughter in your life, or it isn't much of a life," he said.

When he first moved to StoneBridge Oak Tree, he played a lot of bingo, a favorite among the residents. He's had various hobbies throughout the years, from collecting coins, reading about his family's geneology, writing poetry, and, of course, chess.

Winegar learned to play chess when he was about 8 years old and many of his classmates played basketball. Since his disability wouldn't allow him to join other students in sports, he decided to learn chess instead.

"I got away from it for a lot of years, and then in 2012, I decided I needed some more mental stimulation," Winegar said. "So I got back into it again."

Winegar went through a phase where he wrote poetry and even wrote a poetry book, "A Walk Through History," which includes poems about the history of his family and Jefferson City.

"I wanted to leave a little something behind," he said. "It's kind of nice to have some stories to tell."

These days, along with chess, he enjoys participating in a book club, listening to music, attending Catholic mass and playing the harmonica.

StoneBridge Oak Tree administrator Rick Doerhoff said it's a privilege to have known Winegar for the past eight years.

"At no time have I ever seen him upset or depressed about his personal situation," he said. "Instead, he is a determined individual who does as much for himself as he can. He is a genius at chess and very humble about that. A very proud and dignified individual who I feel has successfully played the hand that his life has dealt him."