Jun. 4—Michael Trenga was retired two days before he jumped back into the workforce.

The decision was financially motivated.

"I retired on a Friday and went back to work on a Monday," said Trenga, 71, of Leechburg. "Without my job, I would have to cut back on a lot — not have cable and have to have a really cheap (cell) phone — and maybe not be able to afford the house I'm in.

"Sometimes I feel cheated because I have friends that are retired and not working."

Trenga traded his job of 16 years as a hospice spiritual care coordinator for one driving buses in Penn Hills School District.

He is among the millions of senior citizens who have joined the "unretirement" movement.

Since 2021, more than 1.5 million seniors have reentered the workforce. There were about 10.6 million people ages 65 to 74 employed in 2020, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Labor Department.

That number is expected to increase.

The civilian labor force among people 75 and older is expected to increase dramatically by 2030. About 5.3% of the population 75 and older was working in 2000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By 2030, it's projected that 11.7% of seniors in the same group will hold down jobs.

A recent study from online payroll platform Paychex found that one in six retired Americans say they're considering clocking in at a post-retirement job.

The reasons vary, be it financial, social or for personal fulfillment.

'It subsidizes my Social Security'

Trenga holds a doctorate in ministry from Andersonville Theological Seminary in Georgia, but returning to his role in hospice would be too emotionally draining, he said.

"I couldn't do hospice anymore," he said. "I was with my daughter when she passed (in hospice), and I knew I needed to leave hospice."

A billboard advertising for bus drivers caught Trenga's attention. He thought transportation might be a good next adventure.

"I thought to myself, 'This is as far removed from death and suffering as I can get,'" Trenga said.

He has worked as a bus driver and driver trainer for three years.

"It's decent pay, and I get paid more in my trainer job," Trenga said. "I will stick with this because it subsidizes my Social Security very well."

Other bus drivers who work alongside Trenga are from the same demographic.

"The majority of our drivers are retired senior citizens doing this to supplement their income," he said.

Seeking socialization

Lanna Planitzer worked the 4 a.m. shift making doughnuts at the Giant Eagle bakery in New Kensington for 13 years.

"It kept me quite a bit in shape," said Planitzer, 84, of East Vandergrift.

She said she retired in 2007 because of physical limitations that arose after multiple surgeries.

But only six months later, she was eager to work again.

"I had to get back to work — and get out of the house," Planitzer said.

Finances initially played a role in her decision to return to the workforce. She took a job working part time as a nutrition aide at the East Vandergrift Center for Active Adults.

A former librarian, Planitzer said she tried to reenter the library world but found the digital advances in the library systems unsatisfactory.

"It was all digital, and I like to look things up manually," she said.

She found her current part-time job while taking a tai chi class.

"They needed help in the kitchen," Planitzer said. "They trained me — and now I'm in good financial shape. I don't feel like I need a job, but it's extra, fun money, and I can enjoy myself."

Planitzer prepares lunches five days a week for several hours. The social aspect is a perk.

"I'm interacting with people all of the time, and I think that's important because covid really did an awful job on folks," Planitzer said. "I think even if you don't have to work, it's a good idea. I need a reason to get up every day."

Ed Claypool, 64, an employee at the East Vandergrift Center for Active Adults, has worked alongside senior citizens for six years.

Claypool said finances are the driving force behind most seniors seeking employment again.

"They're back to work because they need the income," he said. "I tell them about the senior employment program, and that's something that can meet their needs."

The Senior Community Service Employment Program is the nation's oldest program for seniors older than 55. It provides training and employment opportunities to low-income Americans. The program is available to residents of Allegheny, Westmoreland and Washington counties.

Claypool praised Planitzer's work ethic and dedication.

"She's very much a staple here," he said. "People come in and ask for her. She's a mainstay."

Unretirement benefits

Leechburg-based licensed professional counselor Amy Halter has worked with senior citizens for about a decade.

"There have been studies that found working to an older age has a positive impact on mental health," Halter said. "Those impacts include social participation, a sense of purpose."

People have high expectations of what retirement will look like, Halter said, based on her decades of counseling clients, many of them senior citizens.

"You can only clean so much, organize so much, and then it's, 'Now what?'" she said. "When it's not enough money to allow them to move to Florida or take that trip, that becomes a whole topic of, 'What was my life's work if I worked this whole time to save for retirement, and now I don't have the money to live comfortably?'"

Working also helps stave off loneliness and boredom, which can lead to depression, Halter said.

"It's giving them financial independence and helps with their physical and mental health," she said. "The cognitive health keeps them engaged, and they're not just watching television. People in the workforce say they need the stimulus.

"Working is a positive thing on many, many levels. They're not sedentary and not sitting. They have a purpose."

Lynda Fularz lives in Lower Burrell but grew up in New Kensington. She traded the corporate world for a church environment after she retired.

Fularz, 73, decided to go back to work 13 years ago after taking an early retirement from Medrad.

"I just missed being out among people," Fularz said. "I'm a people person. Plus, I wanted to keep up my professional skills."

Unretirement leads to lifelong goal

A lover of all things French, Judy Washburn, 75, of Delmont is fulfilling her lifelong dream of teaching French.

"I had the most amazing French teacher. She was European with a European outlook and teaching style, and it just jelled with me," Washburn said.

Washburn retired from the Greensburg Salem School District in 2014 after teaching English literature for more than 33 years.

"I took an early retirement and just couldn't pass that up," she said. "I was retired for a few months and did all the household chores you neglect."

Washburn settled into retirement for a few months, taking several international cruises, but she set her sights on a French teacher position at Saint Vincent College in Unity.

"I polished up my resume, said a prayer and went in for the interview," Washburn recalled.

She now teaches elementary, intermediate and advanced French courses three days a week on campus.

"I just love where I'm working and being around incredible linguist colleagues, and it's intellectually stimulating," Washburn said. "The students are polite young adults, and they're committed. They just want to soak it all up."

Taking her favorite French verb ("apprendre" — to learn) to heart, Washburn has accompanied students on more than 18 weeks of full-immersion trips (in three-week travel spurts) to provide a fully French-living experience in France and Quebec.

Washburn holds several English- and French-related degrees, including a French certification from Seton Hill.

"I discovered I wanted to be a French teacher when I was 16 years old," she said. "This is a continuation of my teaching that I just love."

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .