By Danielle Rexrode
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Regina Noell-Service has never shied away from taking risks. So it’s no surprise that for her 90th birthday she didn’t bat an eye when, harnessed to a speeding power boat, she climbed more than 400 feet into the air and parasailed over the Atlantic Ocean.
“It was so much fun! It was beautiful flying through the air with the water under me. I felt like I belonged there,” says Noell-Service. The parasail ride was a birthday gift from three of her daughters—Barbara, Anne, and Therese—during a Memorial Day weekend vacation in Ocean City, Md.
Sail away
“It turned out to be the grand finale,” says Noell- Service. “My sons took me out for a surprise surf and turf dinner, and while we were there my daughters surprised me with the parasailing trip. I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to go.”
Noell-Service’s two daughters, Anne and Therese, went up first. Then it was Noell-Service and her daughter Barbara’s turn to parasail. “We were up there about 20 minutes,” says Noell-Service. “The wind was blowing pretty hard so we were really flying around. But they were very careful, and we landed right on the boat.”
Anne videotaped the whole experience. “My mom has always been an adventurous lady who loves living life to its fullest, so I wasn’t surprised at how excited she was to go parasailing,” says Anne. “Afterward we went back to the condo and opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate—it was a lot of fun.”
A walk on the wild side
A mother of 6, grandmother of 14, and greatgrandmother of 10, Noell-Service is no stranger to adventure. Years ago she took to the sky while learning how to fly.
“My husband had a two-engine Cessna that we flew, and I started taking lessons,” she says. “When you’re up in the sky, it can get kind of boring because there’s nothing up there, so … one time I thought I would try to take a little dip. The bells went off, and I stalled the plane. Luckily my husband was sitting right next to me and took over right away.”