photo by: Gage Vota

Becky Wehr, left, was nominated by her daughter Heather Jones, right, to be a finalist for the national 2025 Silver Sneakers member of the year.

Even at 76 years old, Barnesville resident Becky Wehr refuses to slow down.

Wehr was honored Thursday as a finalist of the national 2025 Silver Sneakers Member of the Year at Ferrum Fit, the gym where she works out.

Tivity Health account executive Kristina Macchiaroli presented Wehr with a plaque for being a finalist.

“We do this because Becky is an inspiration to our program as well as her community. She was nominated to be a finalist out of 800 nominations, so this is a really big deal,” Macchiaroli said.

Wehr was nominated by her daughter Heather Jones, vice president of clinical services at The Health Plan, which is Tivity Health’s local collaborator of the Silver Sneakers initiative. Jones said that she nominated her mother because she has recently battled health issues but has continued to exercise at Ferrum Fitness regularly.

“I mean, she’s 76 years old, and there’s people my age that are not in the shape that she’s in at her age,” Jones said. “She definitely enjoys the gym. Me, not so much, but she definitely does.”

In her nomination letter, Jones wrote that Wehr is full of energy and embraces exercise as a daily celebration of her persistence.

“With a regimen that fuels her active life of community involvement, she pours the same drive and enthusiasm into her service as the leader of her Kiwanis Club, a volunteer at The Belmont County Museum and a writer for the Town Newspaper,” Jones wrote in Wehr’s nomination.

Wehr said that, although she is grateful, she feels embarrassed by the amount of attention and praise she has received from becoming a finalist.

“It’s bringing all of this attention to me and I’m not handling it well,” Wehr said.

She added that, at her age, it’s crucial to keep moving.

“We move a lot here. The instructors make sure we push ourselves and it’s awesome,” Wehr said. “We exercise twice a week, and everybody should do it, the older you get, the more you should do it, actually.”

She added that she broke her foot and ankle a couple years ago, and was very weak.

“I couldn’t even walk my dog. I was so weak, and I knew I had to do something, or that was going to be it,” Wehr said. “I was able to get strong enough to come back here and start on a long road. But I did it, and you got to just keep doing it.”

Silver Sneakers is a national program that provides gym memberships as well as online fitness activities to members.

Macchiaroli said that she was honored to come to Barnesville and recognize Wehr.

“You are still inspiring people to be active in your community, just to be an inspiration for better health, better lifestyle, happier and that’s our goal,” she said. “We want to keep you happy, healthy, independent and in your home as long as possible, so you get to enjoy your friends here today, and we’re going to say a few things about you and maybe embarrass you a little more, but it’s all out of love, because we really want you to feel really special today.”