A strong work ethic, consistency and good health keep 82-year-old Adrienne Rockwell in the game.

Rockwell can be found at the Auburn Valley YMCA each morning during the work week, instructing deepwater aerobics.

Her listeners, most of them younger swimmers, often struggle to keep up her with their no-nonsense teacher.

“I love it. It’s the people, the exercise, it just gets me out,” Rockwell said after teaching back-to-back one-hour classes at the Y. “I’m actually pretty well fit for my age.”

Rockwell has been a consistent personality at the Y ever since she began to teach as a certified aquatic instructor more than nine years ago.

Along with maintaining her own busy schedule, Rockwell often substitutes for other teachers.

And she rarely misses a day.

“She has the amazing ability to work hard, harder than anyone out there,” said Rebekah Culver, the Y’s aquatic director. “She’s really tough. She has a story of her own that motivates her to being out there.”

Born and raised in Kent, Rockwell is a third-generation Washingtonian and a lifelong believer in working long and hard to support her family and help others.

Rockwell, a 1950 Kent-Meridian High School graduate, worked for 16 years at the National Bank of Washington, one of only two banks in Kent at the time. Most of her duties were “hand-batch” operations before the first computers arrived in the bank system, Rockwell said.

She left as a head loan teller to work as an accountant for the Kent School District, where she worked for 30 years.

She seldom missed a day of work. In fact, when she retired from the school district in 1994, she had acquired enough unused sick leave to buy herself a new Cadillac.

“I always wanted a new one,” she said with a smile. “We had little used ones.”

Rockwell has also served her community. She was involved with the Rainier Audubon Society, the Lake Meridian Garden Club and the Greater Kent Historical Society. She has served 31 years in a variety of capacities with the Soroptimist International of Kent – a nonprofit organization that helps improve the lives of women and girls. She remains active with the club, which works closely with agencies and partners to provide programs that bring social and economic empowerment to women and families in need.

“They work on everything I believe in … getting rid of domestic violence, trafficking, all of that,” Rockwell said.

Rockwell and her husband, Lynn, were married for 47 years before his passing a few years ago. They raised a daughter, Shelley, and a son, Craig, who both live in the area.

“What can I say about my mother? She is kind and giving of herself. Her energy level has always been high, Type A all the way,” Shelley said. “She has slowed down over the past few years, but she maintains a tight schedule and has many friends and connections from her work over the past years.

“She has always volunteered and is always cheerful and ready to lend a hand.”

Rockwell had lived on a five-acre farm in Kent until two years ago when she sold her house and moved to a town house in Lakeland Hills.

Looking back on her life, Rockwell is thankful for her family and many friends – and to good health.

The secret to longevity is taking care of yourself and staying active, she said. Rockwell enjoys bowling, gardening and horseback riding.

“I’ve just always been on the go,” she said.