FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — A 90-year-old U.S. Navy veteran celebrated his birthday last Saturday by taking to the skies for a parasailing adventure along the Florida coast, proving that age is truly just a number.
Defying Expectations: 90-Year-Old Veteran Soars Through the Air
Arnold “Sonny” Lokken’s story is a vibrant reminder that embracing life’s adventures knows no age limit.
- Arnold Lokken celebrated his 90th birthday with a parasailing trip.
- His granddaughter, Kaylee Pelkey, and his doctor, Dr. Amy Hilde-Philips, joined him.
- Parasailing has become a tradition, previously enjoyed in Hawaii and Clearwater, Florida.
- Lokken credits a positive attitude and self-care for his youthful spirit.
For Arnold “Sonny” Lokken, the secret to a long and fulfilling life isn’t rocking in a recliner—it’s getting up in the air. The veteran’s exhilarating parasailing trip on Fort Myers Beach wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was a tradition ten years in the making. “At my age, if they’re still alive, they’re sitting in a La-Z-Boy, rocking. What fun is that?” Lokken quipped. “They need to get out here and get up in the air.”
Lokken’s granddaughter, Kaylee Pelkey, and his doctor of 20 years, Dr. Amy Hilde-Philips, were along for the ride. This wasn’t their first time soaring together; they previously parasailed in Hawaii over a decade ago and again in Clearwater, Florida, for Lokken’s 80th birthday. “She [Pelkey] said, ‘We gotta go again when you’re 90.’ I said, ‘I have to talk to Amy and see if she can keep me running ‘til I’m 90,’” Lokken recalled with a chuckle.
Dr. Hilde-Philips readily agreed to join the adventure, a testament to her patient’s remarkable vitality. “We’ve been talking about it and thinking about it and planning it, and it was just fun that it actually got to happen. Just super cool to celebrate this milestone,” Pelkey said.
According to Dr. Hilde-Philips, Lokken’s youthful spirit stems from a simple formula: a positive outlook and consistent self-care. “He has a positive attitude, and he takes care of himself,” she explained. “That makes a huge difference.”
As the parasailing adventure came to a close, Lokken expressed only one regret: he wished they could have stayed airborne a little longer. “To go sailing with Kaylee and Amy, what could be better than that?” he asked rhetorically. “There is nothing any better than that.”
