BLBC Member Alexandra Terninko’s father passed away on June 29th at 86 years. Most members will remember John getting his wheelchair rolled up to the green when the weather was sunny and warm, where he happily watched the Thursday morning groundskeeping crew and lawn bowling games.  He also was greatly interested in club work parties, watering of the lawn, and operation of machinery – all things that he would have enjoyed earlier in his life when he lived on the family farm in New Hampshire.  It must have been a tremendous break from the inevitable day-to-day sameness that comes with living in a memory care center for seniors.

For the last three years of his life, John resided at Silverado, the nearby memory care center on Sacramento and Bancroft that is only two blocks from the BLBC.  Alexandra first noticed lawn bowling while taking John out for a wheelchair roll and they stopped to watch all the activity on the green.  Clearly, John was interested and fortunately (for all of us) one thing led to another and soon both Alexandra and Ben S. became BLBC members.

While John never lawn bowled, he could be seen sitting in his wheelchair following the path of a thrown bowl – first leaning one way with the arc of the bowl and then leaning the other as the bowl rolled back to the center of the rink.

Alexandra and Ben S. wanted to thank all BLBC members for always welcoming John so warmly whenever he visited the green and greeting him so enthusiastically.  Members brightened many of John’s days.  Even at a time when smiles and words became fewer and fewer with the progression of his dementia, it was clear that both the people and the beautiful club grounds brought him a lot joy and smiles during this final years and months. 

When he was younger, John was a nationally ranked fencer and even completed in the World Cup held in Croatia placing third in one event for 70+ year olds.  At a different national event, he won gold in the veteran (70+) age group.