LEESBURG — Hal Urban got some special attention earlier this month on Veterans Day. It was his first celebration of the holiday as a centenarian.
The resident at the Hawthorne at Leesburg, an honored World War II veteran, turned 100 on July 16.
More importantly, he’s one of many thriving individuals of a generation that has us rethinking longevity and what it means to grow old gracefully.
Before semi-retiring, Urban worked for the Northern Illinois Gas Company for 38 years and farmed on the side.
For the past 23 years, he’s worked as a contractor for the county, most recently taking care of the grounds at PEAR Park — he’s there twice a month in the winter and six times in the warmer months. The county even posted a “Hal’s Habitat” sign in tribute to Urban for his contributions to the area.
During a recent visit to the park, we caught up with Urban atop an RK37 Tractor, which he operates with finesse. He said that he’s gone through four tractors for his county job. The new one has air conditioning.
PEAR, by the way, stands for Palatlakaha Environmental and Agricultural Reserve, a 314-acre protected patch of land located at 5336 University Ave., Leesburg, on the west side of U.S. 27, approximately 2 miles south of the intersection of County Road 48.
At 93, Urban volunteered to help restore PEAR by planting trees and shrubs, wildflowers and bunchgrasses.
“When I was 11 years old I was raking hay with a team of horses … in Illinois,” Urban reminisced.
He and his wife, Peg, from Canada, have been married for 40 years. She’s 30 years younger than him and describes her husband as “hardworking and honest.” “Determination” and “grit” also came to mind.
“His sense of patriotism and duty has made him a good role model to his family,” Peg added. “And, he’s got a good sense of humor.”
The Urbans live in Hawthorne at Leesburg, a 55-plus active community of resident-owned homes that recently commemorated its 50th anniversary in Lake County.
Fun fact: Developers planned Hawthorne in collaboration with the AARP, which conceived it as a pilot community for “productive aging.”
Four years ago, writer Cindy Peterson caught up with Urban, a lifelong aviation hobbyist, when he was taken up for an honorary ride in a P-51 Mustang fighter plane, a plane he had seen flying overhead while on the U.S. Army front lines on overseas soil during the war.
When enlisted, Peterson reported that Urban volunteered to lead a squad overseas, stopping in Liverpool. He later crossed the English Channel, fought in General George Patton’s 3rd Ary during the Battle of the Bulge and headed into Germany and Austria.
And during one of his missions in Austria, Urban and his team freed hundreds of Jews from a concentration camp.
“It was an honor to be with Sgt Urban’s friends and family and honor his long life and the impact he has made on those that know and love him,” U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, District 11, posted on Facebook after Urban’s birthday. “His commitment and dedication are admirable! I was pleased to publicly commend his perseverance and the long years of selfless service to our country and community by presenting a letter from myself and President Trump.”
Around a decade ago, Hal and Peg visited the camp, which still has a plaque dedicated to Urban’s squad who liberated them nearly 60 years ago. They also met many of the people who had been freed that day.
A man who has lived in Florida reached out to Urban. He told the vet that he was an 8-year-old captive, whose family had been executed, in the concentration camp that Urban had liberated. He thanked Urban for saving his life.
—Patricia Bardin, a digital marketing and public relations spokesperson for Hawthorne at Leesburg, contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: At ‘Hal’s Habitat’: 100-year-old World War II vet still works at PEAR Park in Leesburg
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
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