Dode Little
Leading up to Dick Van Dyke’s 100th birthday in December 2025, a New York Times article revealed that the legendary entertainer still goes to the gym three days a week. Dode Little can relate.
While much younger than the actor – Dode is a youthful 90 – she also has a dedicated gym routine she rarely misses. Her motivation? She shares Van Dyke’s philosophy when it comes healthy aging: “Keep moving.”
A recent MRI on her shoulder couldn’t even keep her from a Pilates class at the West YMCA, one of the Greater Wichita YMCA’s 12 branches in its five-county South-Central Kansas service area. She faithfully drives herself there five to six times a week for workouts and group exercise classes and to meet up with her ride-or-die team of friends.
“I’m 90 years old and have knee and shoulder twinges, but I can live with that. I walk, roller skate, go up steps, do yard work – I won’t let it interfere,” she said. “I know for a fact, though, that if there’s ever a time when I can’t drive, all I have to do is call my Y friends, and you better believe they’d be there for me, and I would do the same. There’s at least 10 people I could call if I needed to.”
Being there for each other sometimes means having coffee on Wednesdays after class and celebrating birthdays (the West Y lobby was all decked out for Dode’s 90th on December 4, 2025 ); other times it’s providing support during more difficult times. When her husband died, Dode’s Y friends came to the funeral and never failed to call and ask how she was doing. It’s a connection that has made the West Y a second home for the former elementary school teacher.
Back in 1999 when she retired, Dode refused to be stuck in her house feeling sorry for herself. Fast forward to 2026, and she’s not only quoting Dick Van Dyke, she’s earned her own celebrity status. It’s not unusual for Dode to be walking on a treadmill or, say, in a Muscle Pump class and be approached by former students who recognize her.
“Nothing but good comes from the days I go to the West YMCA,” she said. “That’s ‘my’ Y.”