by Amanda Milewski, photography by Nikola Tzenov
He’s 87, and he needs a website. He doesn’t know much about computers and certainly nothing about creating a website, but he acknowledges the internet is where his potential customers are.
He’s motivated to meet them there. Union Bridge resident Jim Osborn is a former dairy farmer and commercial airline pilot. He currently owns a farm and operates a business that involves collecting horse manure from customers and using it to fertilize his fields. “The business is something that grew out of the farm,” Osborn explains. When he retired, he still needed something to do. Osborn has reached the age when most of his contemporaries are slowing down.
He spent more than 25 years as a commercial pilot with Mohawk, which later became US Airways, all while operating a dairy farm with 150 cows. He stopped dairy farming only five years ago, at the age of 82. No one would think twice if he decided to relax and take it easy.
But Osborn has no intention of slowing down. He reported that he had eased back on his business a bit so he could travel and visit friends and family, but now he is ramping back up — hence the need for the website and reaching new customers. “Ten years ago, we had 35 to 40 clients,” Osborn says. “Then, five years ago, we slowed down a bit but then discovered we had slowed down too much.”
Retirement For Whom?
Osborn is one of many Americans who continue to work well past the median retirement age of 65. The workforce in that age bracket has nearly doubled from 11% in 1987 to 19% in 2023, according to the Pew Research Center. Additionally, workers ages 75 and older are the fastest-growing age group in the workforce, according to Pew Research.
The reasons behind these trends are numerous and range from economic volatility and inadequate retirement savings to longer life spans, changing attitudes toward work and retirement, and the desire to remain active and cognitively engaged in the latter part of life.
According to the New York Times, some data suggest retiring contributes to changes in brain health, including increased risks for cognitive decline and depression. Experts have noted that the physical routine, social interactions and mental challenges associated with work keep the mind and body stimulated.
When those daily habits and tasks cease, the brain can start to deteriorate due to inactivity. The Times also highlighted the link between retirement and depression, noting that transitioning from a busy work life — one that includes regular social interaction, colleagues who value your work, a positive work environment and work that challenges you and that you enjoy — to the sudden loss of these attributes can lead to feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and low mood.
In fact, according to the most recent 2024 Health Needs Assessment conducted by the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County, the top health-related issues in the county were (ranked in order) mental health, diabetes, heart health, cancer and substance abuse. Richard Ottone, the community services supervisor for the Carroll County Bureau of Aging and Disabilities who provided these statistics, noted that 66% of the assessment respondents were ages 60 and older.
“Regular exercise reduces the risk of chronic diseases and aids in things like improving the immune system and digestive health. Activities that are mentally stimulating help to keep the mind sharp and can help improve a person’s overall mood. It’s important to realize that in 2025, older adults are still active, seek new experiences and hold down jobs longer than ever before.” – Ottone
Osborn has avoided these decreases in mental health by keeping his mind and body active in the three decades since his official retirement. The manure business is physically challenging. It requires scheduling and coordinating pickups, sometimes on demand; loading and unloading; and planning to advertise to expand the company again.
The prospect of creating a website alone can be daunting enough, even for those who are decades younger. Even without the business, Osborn says he likely would have found other ventures to keep him busy, engaged and involved Sharon, have three daughters, one of whom lives the farthest from them in Frederick, and five grandchildren — four granddaughters and one grandson who rents some of the
Osborn farm for his hay business. U.S. News & World Report detailed some of the benefits of having family nearby during one’s retirement years. It’s easier to be involved in the lives of your grandchildren.
You can lend a hand in helping your kids care for their children. Children can offer social and physical support to help their aging parents. If your children stay close to home, as in the Osborns’ case, you won’t need to move to be near them.
Osborn isn’t one to sit around. Although he has a television, he reported that he doesn’t often watch it and that he “suspects he reads more than the average person.”
Although there have been some of life’s challenges to endure — he is a five-year cancer survivor — he is “blessed with decent health and has always been physically active.” During his undergraduate days at Alfred University in Alfred, New York, he competed in cross-country and wrestling. “I have an exercise bike that I love to ride several times a week,” he says. He and his wife, who is 85, have a dog, several cats and a horse.
Carroll County’s Aging Population
Osborn isn’t alone in his desire to continue working and maintaining his current level of activity. Carroll County residents older than 60 — the fast-growing segment of the county’s population, according to the Maryland Department of Planning — are using the county’s five senior and community centers in record numbers, Ottone says.
He notes that there has been a 40% increase in daily visitors since July 2021, and the number of participants in exercise classes has risen by 12%. The department estimates that the number of residents ages 60 and older in the county will increase by approximately 38% between now and 2045.
“People are living longer and have a desire to engage in activities focused on healthy aging and social engagement,” Ottone says. For county residents who want to stay physically and mentally engaged but don’t want to run a business like Osborn, the county’s senior and community centers offer a range of programs.
Ottone explains that the centers serve people who are 60 years of age and older or individuals who are 50 or older who have a disability. Each center — with locations in Hampstead, Mount Airy, Sykesville, Taneytown, and Westminster — offers meals, exercise rooms, computer labs and activities such as pickleball, which is very popular.
“I never will ‘retire’ as long as I’m able.” – Jim Osborn
Exercise classes led by certified instructors include yoga, tai chi, meditation, strength and fitness, as well as arthritis care and prevention. “The activities provide an opportunity for social engagement while improving physical and mental health,” Ottone says.
Osborn admits that he never thought about what he would do in retirement until he was retired — retired from being a pilot and a dairy farmer, that is. After all, there’s still that matter of the website to sort out.
