Eight women. Two tables. A few decks of pinochle cards. And 60 years of asking, “Is it my deal?”
Since 1956, this women-only pinochle club has been melding nearly every month at their homes on a rotating basis throughout Northwest Indiana. I can’t imagine another pinochle club in this area that’s been in operation for a longer time.
It all began at Charlotte Schweder’s home in the Tolleston section of Gary. These days, the women converge each month from Schererville, Griffith, Portage, Valparaiso, Merrillville, Hobart, Hebron and Plymouth.
“No matter how far we have to drive, we still make an effort to be together once a month,” said Lonny Zima, of Valparaiso, who joined the group in 1965. “We started as girlfriends in high school and we’re still friends now as grandmothers.”
Together, they’ve dealt more hands than a casino boat dealer while sharing winning recipes, idle gossip and their deepest troubles. They’ve shuffled cards through the joy of births, the heartache of divorces, the deaths of loved ones, and the raising of more than 100 grandkids in all.
“We had no idea this club would last for 60 years,” Schweder told me in between hands earlier this week.
“Sixty years and counting,” added Zima, who served as host at the club’s last meeting of the year.
This past year, instead of routinely asking, “What has Trump done again?” these ladies have routinely asked, “What’s trump again?” And they’ve “dumped” on each other – a slang term referring to poor pinochle hands – more times than they can remember.
“In the 1950s, we were all just starting our own families and didn’t get out of the house a lot,” said Toni Starkey, who worked at the Croatian Catholic Union of U.S.A. for 30 years. “So we really looked forward to going to club once a month.”
“It was a way for us to get out of our homes and away from our husbands,” Zima said.
At no time in 60 years did the ladies ever consider inviting their husbands or other men to their monthly get-togethers.
“Who do you think we talk about at these club gatherings?” joked Olivia Goldsmith, who joined the group in 1975 and drives from Plymouth to each gathering. “Plus, men can be sore losers.”
“But,” one of the women told me. “You can sub for me for a hand or two.”
No way, I replied. I wouldn’t dare break their string of thousands of games without men.
On the day I visited, the women dressed festively for the holidays and prepared Christmastime meals to share. A few of them sipped wine, others gulped soft drinks. Together, they laughed at their memories and at themselves.
“Some members have passed away, some have moved away, and one is in a nursing home, unable to play any longer,” Zima said as Christmas music played in the background. “But for the remaining eight of us, this club is like our extended family.”
“I’m the baby of this family, and it feels good to say that,” said Patty Gibson, of Hebron, Starkey’s kid sister, a former county government employee.
The women play eight hands at each table and then switch partners. This round-robin routine keeps the conversation fresh and helps to avoid partner powerhouses.
“Nona wins all the time,” Goldsmith said, pointing to Nona Reithel, of Hobart, who’s been married 49 years, with three children and four grandchildren. “She can tell you what cards you have left in your hand.”
Collectively, the women have 59 grandkids and 44 great-grandkids. They had no idea of such a staggering number until they did the math for me.
“We don’t remember as well as we used to,” one woman joked while dealing a new hand.
“We enjoy chatting as much as we do playing pinochle,” another woman said.
The women laughed.
To add a little enticement, each woman brings $10 and the top winners get a cut of the kitty.
“And we have a booby prize,” Goldsmith said.
Again, more laughs.
“You can’t beat friendship, food and fun for only $10,” Schweder said.
Chris Nelson, of Schererville, another sharp pinochle player, has been married 35 years with five children and 14 grandkids. Tina Kerr, of Schererville, worked at Purdue University Calumet for eight years and at Whiteco Outdoor Advertising for 18 years.
The women were all working women at one time before retiring or raising their family. Goldsmith, who’s been married 46 years with four children, is a retired nurse and the go-to person for any medical questions. Two of the women are now members of the Horizons Singles Club.
“These types of pinochle clubs are phasing out,” Zima said.
She will be a guest on my Casual Friday’s radio show, recalling the club’s history and guessing its future. Tune in at noon Friday (or 7 p.m.) at WLPR, 89.1-FM.
Two of the founding members, Schweder and Starkey, recalled the good old days when most families played card games for family entertainment.
“Back then, we played all the time, especially a lot of pinochle,” Nelson added.
“Not so much anymore,” Kerr sighed.
The women are not sure how long “club,” as they call it, will continue without younger new blood joining the ranks. They repeatedly recalled the good old days with funny stories and heartfelt remembrances.
As I watched them make their bids while laughing and sipping wine, I scrawled into my notepad: “They were all dealt a winning hand decades ago.”
In a very sweet way, I thought to myself, these are their good old days.
Twitter@jdavich
