Westwood Resident Celebrates 105th Birthday

There were smiles all around at Henry Tseng's 105th birthday celebration at the Westside Family YMCA on Friday, and Tseng wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I smile most of the day,” Tseng said.

He said it is the first thing he likes to do in the morning.

“Then afterwards, I exercise for one or two hours. Not fast. A slow, easy exercise,” he said. “Then, I smile again.”

His daughter, Linda Hsia, said “just smile” is her father’s motto — that, and exercising continually. Hsia said Tseng practiced yoga for many years.

“He’s capable of standing on his head,” Hsia said. “He did it until he was 90, but we put a stop to it.”

She admires how active her parents are. They still live at home with two caretakers. Hsia said her parents are not the type to let any grass grow under their feet.

“They’re never at home,” she said. “They’re always out.”

Whether at a local mall, sitting in a park or visiting a farmer’s market, the Tsengs seem to treasure the 78 years they have spent together as husband and wife. They’ll celebrate another milestone next month when Annie Tseng turns 100. In the meantime, Henry Tseng also plans to stay wedded to his motto.

“When you smile, the body feels happy,” he said. “When I feel angry, I try to forget it. I think it’s useless to remember anything that’s bad. I keep healthy by smiling.”

The Tsengs moved to Los Angeles from Hong Kong in 1975, after Hsia enrolled at the University of Redlands.

“They couldn’t wait to come here,” she said. “They loved it.”

Her parents easily adjusted to their new life in a new country.

“The amazing thing for them is, at their age, coming to America to be able to adjust to a new life is remarkable,” she said. “They’re very adaptable. They’re very good at making new friends and very socially active.”

Tseng, a retired entrepreneur who sold imports and exports in Hong Kong, quickly became an active member of the Westwood community. He joined the Westside Family YMCA and became a board member in 1984. Tseng, a past president of the Rotary Club of Hong Kong, also joined the Westwood Village Rotary Club. There, he befriended Wally Fischmann, a Parkinson’s Disease patient who inspired Tseng to co-found the YMCA and Rotary Club’s Parkinson’s Learning Lifelong Useful Skills Program (P.L.L.U.S.) more than 25 years ago.

“It’s scientifically proven that exercise helps manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s,” said Rachel McCoy-Bedford, a longstanding YMCA instructor who teaches the P.L.L.U.S. “We are proud we are a pilot program here on the Westside.”

Since the program’s inception, similar programs have popped up at other YMCA locations, including the San Fernando Valley. The program has been touted at Rotary International conventions, said McCoy-Bedford.

As guests snacked on hot dogs and Coca-Cola, some of Tseng's favorite foods, a photo of Fischmann and Tseng appeared in a slideshow. Though Fischmann died a few years ago, the P.L.L.U.S. program symbolizes the meaningful friendship the two men shared.

Looking forward to his 106th year of life, Tseng said he has many things to celebrate. The newest is the birth of his first great-grandson just four months ago.

“It’s really amazing,” Hsia said. “We all feel very blessed.”

Do you have a birthday greeting for Henry and Annie Tseng? Leave it in the comments below.

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