Calling an Adult

My, my, I'm about to sound like a fuddy-duddy, more than usual, I guess.

An AP obit about Patricia Neal included this teenager-like paragraph:

Whenever she was in town, a bunch of her friends would always get together and have dinner, Albers said. She had wanted to be there next week for a golf tournament that benefits the center, he said.

Now, I suppose it was a paraphased quote, but the advantage of paraphrasing it is that you get to write it the way an adult would write. I have no problem with pseudo-conversational style as long as it still sounds as if a grownup were in charge.