Page 76 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2015

GOLDEN YEARS no excuses
Staying ACTIVE
T wo retired Diamondhead couples are enjoying their golden years to the fullest. Sylvia and
Al Corban and Pat and Bill VanDervort agree that golf and the local social scene help keep them active and healthy.
The VanDervorts, former New Orleans residents, lost their house on the south side of
Diamondhead in Hurricane Katrina. Wanting to remain in this Hancock County enclave, they bought a house on the golf course for the view but weren’t content to sit and watch. “That’s why we’re playing golf,” Bill VanDervort said. “Hoppy (Hoppy Smith, Diamondhead Country Club golf pro) is our esteemed teacher and guru.”
A retired driver for UPS, VanDervort, 71, posted his
100th round of golf this year, just in Diamondhead, on October 6.
Pat VanDervort, 69, worked as a legal assistant for the U.S. Department of Labor. Now she plays golf three times a week as part of her activities. “Playing golf and intermingling socially with all these people are just wonderful,” she said.
The Corbans lived in Long Beach 32 years before moving to Diamondhead. Al, 70, has played golf a long time but Sylvia, 68, began recently because she wants to play with the couple’s grandsons who live nearby. “She’s one of Hoppy’s star students,” Al said. “This is a great place for active seniors to live.”
Originally from Bogue Chitto, Al has a pharmacy degree
76 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • November 2015
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