At 88 years old, Joanne Bittner shows no signs of slowing down.
The Masonic Village at Dallas resident still plays golf at the Irem Golf Course, is a member of the Back Mountain Bloomers Garden Club, leads the book club and maintains a small library on campus.
“We have a little library here that I help take care of,” Joanne said. “I love books and always have. If I don’t have a book in my hand, I get anxious.”
Joanne, who lives in an apartment with her husband, Clarke, has been golfing since the age of 12 and joined the Irem Golf Association in 1969. Her father was passionate about the sport, and she took golf lessons growing up. Now, she lives steps away from a golf course.
Moving to Masonic Village two years ago was an easy transition for the couple, Joanne said, since they literally lived in a house less than a mile away.
“It’s so lovely that we moved to these apartments,” Joanne said. “We are here in our hometown, and I still get to be involved with all my activities. Maintaining a home just got to be too much, and we’re happy to be here. Everyone you talk to has a similar story. It’s a nice place.”
One of the biggest perks about life at Masonic Village is that the couple’s three sons live only five minutes away and visit frequently. “We’ve got kids around us all the time, including seven grandchildren, and we just had our first great-granddaughter. We are very family oriented,” Joanne said.
Joanne and Clarke (who was profiled in the summer 2025 issue of the Village Voice), first met as students at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. The couple married at age 22, and Joanne became a nurse, while Clarke was a marketing director for a bank. Soon after, the couple started having children. After short stints in both Harrisburg and Bowie, Maryland, they relocated to Dallas in 1969. They bought and managed the local Kay Regan Dress Shop for 12 years, before selling the building to Wilkes University.
After their kids were all grown, Joanne and Clarke moved to New York City for 14 years. Clarke pursued a successful acting career in commercials and films, and Joanne took a job as an operating room nurse. While they were away, the couple kept their home in Dallas.
“We were home on weekends and in the city during the week,” she said. “We look at our lives in segments because we had children so early. They were out of the house when we were in our late 40s, so we headed to the city and started a whole new life. We had a wonderful time and got to know each other all over.”
Joanne served as president of Back Mountain Bloomers in 2009. The group’s mission is to “advance garden interests and knowledge among its members and to participate in community beautification projects and other activities that promote the preservation of nature and natural resources.”
Now firmly ensconced at Masonic Village at Dallas, Joanne still plays golf with a group of other women. She admits her “shots are getting shorter,” but she can still putt and chip.
“I love being outside on the golf course,” she said.
“I love being active and playing sports. I used to play tennis and pickleball. I just started a kickboxing class. I also like to ski with a group over at Jack Frost Ski Resort in White Haven. If it’s a perfect day and the snow is right, I will ski on the easy slopes. I love it.
“I think I’ve had a very lovely, full life. I feel very lucky.”
