Ingrid Schulberg, an 82-year-old resident at Morning Pointe of Lexington-East Assisted Living and Memory Care in Kentucky, loves where she has landed. Her life has been one of seeking knowledge and experiences, and even now in her 80s she is continuing to enjoy her journey.
Germany and Young Adulthood
Ingrid was born in Würzburg on Nov. 16, 1942. Her father had an iron ore business, and her mother was a housewife. After World War II ended, the family moved back to their homeland in the Rhineland, in Düsseldorf, Germany.
“I thought my childhood was really good,” Ingrid said. “They really encouraged my sister and I to follow our dreams… as long as they weren’t outrageous. I don’t think I could have any better parents.”
She learned several languages in school, including Latin, English, and French. When she reached young adulthood, she decided to learn even more languages, and she studied Spanish and Italian. She enjoyed attending Sorbonne University in Paris and made a lot of friends there.
But Ingrid’s ultimate goal was to go live in the United States for a while. “I wanted to go to America so badly,” she said. So she worked hard to earn money for her trip.
Coming to America and Marriage
In the mid-1960s, she made the voyage to the United States, living on Long Island with friends of hers. She got to participate in the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, and, as a German native, she got a job as the Heinz Pickle Girl. “I would put little plastic gherkins on people’s collars,” she said about her duties. “We had a turquoise uniform with a white blouse with little gas flames because we also represented the Festival of Gas.”
It was at that time she met her husband-to-be. Her roommate’s boyfriend brought Richard Fox from Washington DC to New York for the weekend, and they all hung out together. Richard was in the U.S. Army and was learning multiple languages from the ambassadors’ wives at the time he and Ingrid met.
“He was quite witty and very knowledgeable,” Ingrid said of her first impressions.
They stayed in touch by phone and eventually married in Germany, where Ingrid stayed with her family when Richard was deployed to Vietnam. They went on to have two children together, the first of whom was born during their stay in Germany. Ingrid now has three grandchildren as well.
Teaching Career
After Vietnam, Richard was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, as an artillery major, and Ingrid became a teacher. “That was my best opportunity to use languages,” she explained. “It was very gratifying.”
When Ingrid and Richard moved to Richmond so Richard could work for Eastern Kentucky University’s ROTC, Ingrid taught grades from eight to 12 in Lincoln County, Kentucky, for about a decade. In teaching German, French, and Spanish, she often brought in items from home to teach not only the language but also the culture.
Sometimes, Ingrid partnered with the home economics program for a German cooking session. “Usually that involved potatoes and noodles,” she said. Her favorite German food? Her mother’s potato pancakes with applesauce!
Ingrid and Richard parted ways, but during Ingrid’s years in Richmond, she enjoyed having access to country clubs. As an avid golfer, she especially valued that aspect of Kentucky living.
Coming to Morning Pointe
As Ingrid got older and started needing more medical care, she tried home care but never felt like she connected with the different nurses that came in. Her daughter started looking around for a senior living community that would offer more connections for Ingrid. She toured Morning Pointe of Lexington-East and liked it. Ingrid moved in to her apartment in 2021.
“It was an excellent decision for me,” Ingrid said. “It keeps me on my toes. They keep me busy here, and I even met a best friend. I am a people person – I wouldn’t have made it sitting there alone. [Senior living] keeps you, I think, younger, more open-minded. Before somebody stays at home and feels miserable and angry that the kids don’t let them live with them, they should choose this alternative. The kids can come and visit here. I think that’s good for the family peace.”
Ingrid participates in a variety of activities, from bingo to pet visits, crafts to excursions. “I’ve seen a lot of Kentucky that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise,” she said.
When we asked Ingrid about her life as a whole, she had this to say: “I’ve had a good life, and I’m having a good life.”
