After flying over Emmett in an open-cockpit biplane, 87-year-old Army veteran Timothy Toomey appreciated both the clear skies and the view below.
“It was great — good clear air, see for miles. It was nice, really was,” Toomey said following his flight.
Toomey was among several veterans who took flight at the Emmett Municipal Airport on Sept. 22–23. The Cottages Assisted Living & Memory Care partnered with the nonprofit Dream Flights to offer rides in Boeing Stearman biplanes. The event was part of The Cottages’ “Never Too Old to Dream” program and coincided with its 25th anniversary.
From the plane, Toomey said he could see the area clearly. He was struck by how well people appeared to care for the land and homes below.
Born in Payette, Toomey joined the Army in 1961 and served for 22 years, attaining the rank of major in the Army Reserve, according to a biography displayed at the event. Much of his military service was based in Idaho. He later worked for Boise Cascade and served for more than 50 years as a volunteer fire chief in Indian Valley.
Another veteran who flew, 92-year-old Franklin Ellis, spent 20 years in the Air Force and retired as a senior master sergeant. He worked in avionics, repairing aircraft navigation systems, and served at bases in Guam, Germany, Japan and Okinawa, with temporary duty assignments in Vietnam and Korea.
Ellis’ daughter, Robin Ellis, said her father enjoyed the work and the places it took their family.
“He loved what he did, and he loved going to all the places we got to go — not just him, but as a family,” she said.
Franklin Ellis lived in Las Vegas for decades before moving to Idaho earlier this year to be closer to Robin. She recalled what he would tell his children before leaving to work on an aircraft: “Got to keep that bird in the sky.”
Rudy Subia was also among the veterans who flew. The Cottages said the event honored former members of the Air Force, Army and Navy whose service spanned the Korean War and Vietnam War eras.
Mark Maxfield, owner and CEO of The Cottages, said its first assisted living home opened in Emmett in 2001. Holding the event in Emmett during The Cottages' 25th anniversary year was particularly meaningful to him.
“This is kind of the capstone of what we do as a company, what we do as providers, is provide these type of experiences,” Maxfield said.
Maxfield said The Cottages began working with Dream Flights after he met a leader of the nonprofit through a national accessibility board. The organizations now arrange the event annually. He said the flights let families spend time together and see their relatives recognized outside the usual routines of assisted living.
“It's just different," he said. "When you come here, you're able to interact with Dad and us as a facility just differently than during the normal day-to-day course of what we do."
The Cottages’ “Never Too Old to Dream” program grew from an experience Maxfield had helping an older resident fulfill a wish, he said. The flights are one way the program continues to offer residents new experiences.