Senior Strength: Edwin Gregurek Finds Purpose and Community at DeTar Health and Fitness Center

9/15/2025

Over 25 years ago, a young 76-year-old Edwin Gregurek joined the DeTar Health and Fitness Center. Ever since then, he’s been lacing up his sneakers and heading to his senior exercise class three times a week—doing chair yoga in his denim jeans, pearl snap button-up shirt, and suspenders.

“After I retired from full-time pharmacy work in 1996 and my wife passed away in 1999, I needed to do something to keep active and stay in shape,” Gregurek said.

Now, at 97 years old, Gregurek hasn’t slowed down a bit. In addition to his exercise classes, he stays active by volunteering with various organizations around town—from the Master Gardeners Association and the Civilian Police Academy to Warriors Weekend.

“Being idle isn’t my thing,” Gregurek said. “I’ve been active my whole life, for as long as I can remember.”

Gregurek grew up in the rice fields of Ganado, playing football and running track, all while caring for the land and toiling under the unrelenting sun. As a teenager, he had to step up when the older men in the community were enlisted during World War II. But as the war wound down and Gregurek came of age, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17.

After basic training, Gregurek went to Army Medical School, where he learned anatomy and physiology—developing an interest in medicine. He was eventually deployed to a U.S. hospital in Okinawa, Japan, where he worked in the emergency room for about a year before being selected to serve in one of the first U.S. Army Graves Registration Units in the Pacific.

Gregurek and his unit traveled across the Philippines, recovering, identifying, and restoring honor to American patriots who died while serving overseas. It was a grueling task, but a rewarding one—not for Gregurek himself, but for the families he helped find closure.

He brought home the remains of American soldiers for two years, ensuring their sacrifices were remembered.

“Before I served in Graves Registration, I worked at a hospital where I would help admit allied military personnel for minor issues,” Gregurek said. “Right next to that emergency room was a pharmacy. That’s what first got me interested in medicine.”

After his time in the military, Gregurek attended pharmacy school at the University of Texas and went on to work as a local pharmacist in the Crossroads area for decades. Even after scaling back from full-time pharmacy work, he continued part-time, serving at the Gulf Bend Center.

“As a pharmacist, you learn how to read people and expect the unexpected,” Gregurek said. “In life, you’ve got to accept the challenges and the rewards—but whatever you do, just go with the flow.”

Gregurek has learned a lot in his 97 years on Earth, but he says all his life lessons can be boiled down to one simple rule: be kind, friendly, and respectful to everyone.

“Life is predetermined when we are born, and our circumstances direct where we go. Once you get established—whether in a family or in a job—do the best you can, whether you’re doing it for your own benefit or for the benefit of others.”

Part of why Gregurek has had such a long, full life is because of his mindset. He says having a positive outlook, a good sense of humor, and a can-do attitude goes a long way.

“Everything is a chore now, but my mind keeps my body moving. It’s a different way of life at this older age, but I take the time I need and know to accept help when I need it,” Gregurek said.

At Seniorcize, the senior exercise class Gregurek attends three times a week, he lifts light weights, does chair workouts, and gets his steps in. Cane in hand and sneakers on, Gregurek comes ready to break a sweat.

On days when it would be easier to sleep in or give up, Gregurek still gets in his truck and shows up to class. It’s not just the cereal for breakfast, the fruit for dinner, and the routine exercise that’s kept him healthy in his elder years—it’s also been the support of his workout buddies.

“The people are what’s kept me coming all these years,” Gregurek said. “A lot of people my age are no longer in the picture. That’s because they haven’t stayed active.”

On his walks around town, good Samaritans often stop to offer Gregurek help or a ride home. But he remains fiercely independent.

“When they offer me help, I tell them, ‘Sure, you can help me—by giving me a million dollars,’” Gregurek said with a chuckle.

Gregurek says he doesn’t know how long he’ll live, but as long as he’s able, you’ll find him at his Seniorcize classes at DeTar Health and Fitness Center at 7 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

“We don’t control how long we live. God lets me hang on,” Gregurek said. “We’ll see how long I last.”

To learn more about DeTar Health and Fitness Center, call 361-576-5884.

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