A Life Well-Lived: Mary Wyss’ Oasis Story
Oasis community member Mary Wyss is turning 80 this year, a milestone she reflects on as a stage of life filled with possibility. Her weeks are filled with St. Louis Oasis classes, volunteering with foster children, theater and symphony performances, church activities, reading, baking, and time spent with loved ones.
“I have a full life,” Mary shared. “I’ve got personal time, family time, friend time, and I have time to continue pursuing the things I like to do.”
Mary’s approach to this stage of life reflects the mission of Oasis: growing older can open the door to new opportunities to learn, connect, contribute, and pursue what brings us joy.
“One of the misconceptions about aging that I think people make is they believe when you age, you won’t be as strong, your mind won’t be as good, you’ll be more alone, and you won’t feel like doing a lot of things,” Mary said. “That’s not true.”
Mary is living proof that our interests, curiosity, and desire for meaningful experiences don’t disappear with age.
Mary joined the Oasis community after retiring from a career in social work and has been involved with the organization for more than a decade. Today, she takes St. Louis Oasis classes every week and has also supported the organization as a volunteer tutor and donor. At the heart of her involvement is something that has remained constant throughout her life: a desire to keep learning.
“I really love learning,” Mary said. “I want to soak up all the material I can learn with Oasis. When I found the organization, something just clicked, and I knew it was exactly what I needed to be doing.”
Over the years, Mary has explored everything from American history and art to music sing-alongs and Tai Chi. She estimates she now takes an average of three Oasis classes each week, both in person and virtually.
Learning doesn’t end when the class does, either. Mary often finds herself connecting something she hears in an Oasis class to a book, a conversation, or something she learned years ago. For her, there is always another subject to explore and another opportunity to expand what she knows.
“I think that the philosophy of keeping your mind active, your body active, and being socially active is really important,” she said.
Mary’s story is a reminder that growing older and stepping into retirement don’t mean stepping away from the things that make life meaningful. Instead, this stage of life can open new opportunities to choose how we spend our time, explore what we want to learn, contribute in ways that matter to us, and continue discovering what brings us joy.
For Mary, turning 80 isn’t about slowing down. It’s about continuing to build a full life around the people, passions, and experiences that matter most.
Discover classes and programs that call to you at stloasis.org/class.
A Life Well-Lived: Mary Wyss’ Oasis Story
Oasis community member Mary Wyss is turning 80 this year, a milestone she reflects on as a stage of life filled with possibility. Her weeks are filled with St. Louis Oasis classes, volunteering with foster children, theater and symphony performances, church activities, reading, baking, and time spent with loved ones.
“I have a full life,” Mary shared. “I’ve got personal time, family time, friend time, and I have time to continue pursuing the things I like to do.”
Mary’s approach to this stage of life reflects the mission of Oasis: growing older can open the door to new opportunities to learn, connect, contribute, and pursue what brings us joy.
“One of the misconceptions about aging that I think people make is they believe when you age, you won’t be as strong, your mind won’t be as good, you’ll be more alone, and you won’t feel like doing a lot of things,” Mary said. “That’s not true.”
Mary is living proof that our interests, curiosity, and desire for meaningful experiences don’t disappear with age.
Mary joined the Oasis community after retiring from a career in social work and has been involved with the organization for more than a decade. Today, she takes St. Louis Oasis classes every week and has also supported the organization as a volunteer tutor and donor. At the heart of her involvement is something that has remained constant throughout her life: a desire to keep learning.
“I really love learning,” Mary said. “I want to soak up all the material I can learn with Oasis. When I found the organization, something just clicked, and I knew it was exactly what I needed to be doing.”
Over the years, Mary has explored everything from American history and art to music sing-alongs and Tai Chi. She estimates she now takes an average of three Oasis classes each week, both in person and virtually.
Learning doesn’t end when the class does, either. Mary often finds herself connecting something she hears in an Oasis class to a book, a conversation, or something she learned years ago. For her, there is always another subject to explore and another opportunity to expand what she knows.
“I think that the philosophy of keeping your mind active, your body active, and being socially active is really important,” she said.
Mary’s story is a reminder that growing older and stepping into retirement don’t mean stepping away from the things that make life meaningful. Instead, this stage of life can open new opportunities to choose how we spend our time, explore what we want to learn, contribute in ways that matter to us, and continue discovering what brings us joy.
For Mary, turning 80 isn’t about slowing down. It’s about continuing to build a full life around the people, passions, and experiences that matter most.
Discover classes and programs that call to you at stloasis.org/class.
A Life Well-Lived: Mary Wyss’ Oasis Story
Oasis community member Mary Wyss is turning 80 this year, a milestone she reflects on as a stage of life filled with possibility. Her weeks are filled with St. Louis Oasis classes, volunteering with foster children, theater and symphony performances, church activities, reading, baking, and time spent with loved ones.
“I have a full life,” Mary shared. “I’ve got personal time, family time, friend time, and I have time to continue pursuing the things I like to do.”
Mary’s approach to this stage of life reflects the mission of Oasis: growing older can open the door to new opportunities to learn, connect, contribute, and pursue what brings us joy.
“One of the misconceptions about aging that I think people make is they believe when you age, you won’t be as strong, your mind won’t be as good, you’ll be more alone, and you won’t feel like doing a lot of things,” Mary said. “That’s not true.”
Mary is living proof that our interests, curiosity, and desire for meaningful experiences don’t disappear with age.
Mary joined the Oasis community after retiring from a career in social work and has been involved with the organization for more than a decade. Today, she takes St. Louis Oasis classes every week and has also supported the organization as a volunteer tutor and donor. At the heart of her involvement is something that has remained constant throughout her life: a desire to keep learning.
“I really love learning,” Mary said. “I want to soak up all the material I can learn with Oasis. When I found the organization, something just clicked, and I knew it was exactly what I needed to be doing.”
Over the years, Mary has explored everything from American history and art to music sing-alongs and Tai Chi. She estimates she now takes an average of three Oasis classes each week, both in person and virtually.
Learning doesn’t end when the class does, either. Mary often finds herself connecting something she hears in an Oasis class to a book, a conversation, or something she learned years ago. For her, there is always another subject to explore and another opportunity to expand what she knows.
“I think that the philosophy of keeping your mind active, your body active, and being socially active is really important,” she said.
Mary’s story is a reminder that growing older and stepping into retirement don’t mean stepping away from the things that make life meaningful. Instead, this stage of life can open new opportunities to choose how we spend our time, explore what we want to learn, contribute in ways that matter to us, and continue discovering what brings us joy.
For Mary, turning 80 isn’t about slowing down. It’s about continuing to build a full life around the people, passions, and experiences that matter most.
Discover classes and programs that call to you at stloasis.org/class.
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