MONTE VISTA – Richard Gottlieb was all smiles, wearing a golden crown, as he posed for a picture on Sept. 7 next to his chocolate dipped birthday cake, adorned with candles that held the numbers 99.
Gottlieb celebrated his birthday amongst family and friends at the Colorado Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake, where he lives, under a pavilion behind the center. At least 30 people attended the celebration for Gottlieb, including other residents of the center. Live piano music was part of the celebration. According to the center, he is the oldest living Veteran at Homelake.
Gottlieb was happy at his party and stated, “I have had a good life. This is the best facility I have ever lived at.”
When asked how it feels to be 99, Gottlieb stated with a chuckle, “I am 99, and I feel 99. I never thought I would be this old, but I feel 99.”
Gottlieb, who is originally from New York, spoke about his life, and how he came to live in Colorado.
“I am originally from New York, and I went to a very fine school in New York for boys. At that time, it was for boys, but now it’s co-ed. It was a six-year school, and when I graduated, I enlisted like I was supposed to. I was in the Air Corps. At the time the Air Force hadn’t been established yet, it was the Air Corps. I went through basic training and all that stuff, and I became a Gunnery Instructor. When it was decided that I was ready for active duty well I requested overseas duty, and I was sent over to Italy,” he said.
Gottlieb said that he was stationed in Italy and stayed close to the base there.
“I enjoyed my time in Italy. I flew out of Italy, for my missions. When the war ended in 1946, I didn’t have enough points to come home, so I stayed for a while until I had all my points and was able to leave,” he said.
When asked what his favorite part of being a part of the Air Corps was, Gottlieb said, “I don’t know that I had a favorite part, it was more about the service that I could provide for my country. It was something that I wanted to do. We were living more patriotic in those days, not so much today anymore, a lot of patriotism has gone out the window, but in those days, we did live a lot more patriotic.”
Gottlieb served a total of 3 years in the Air Corps, and then returned to New York where he lived with his parents for a year, and then got an apartment, and followed in the footsteps of his father and became an insurance salesman.
“My dad had an insurance business, and I went into his business, and ran it after he passed away, so I was an Insurance Broker,” he said.
Gottlieb said that part of his decision to move to Colorado was because he was divorced at the time, and he had visited Colorado once or twice, and he enjoyed it.
“I enjoyed the weather here. I made a great choice in coming down to the Valley. Not too many people knew about the Valley then, but it was a great decision for me. I have met so many nice people down here. I am very happy that I made this choice,” he said.
Gottlieb thanked everyone who attended his party, especially Mary Hoffman.
“She is the one who has given me this party. She is the one who brought me over here,” he said. “She has taken me to New Orleans, to a museum over there. She also took me to New York, and that was the last time I saw my kids, too. She has a sister, who has some apartments down there, and we stayed there. I want to thank her, and everyone here.”
Gottlieb smiled and said that when he thinks about his life and his 99 years it has been good.
“I have had a good life. No complaints,” he said, as he took his place by his cake to pose for his picture.
For more information on the Colorado Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake, call 719-852-5118.
