Good for you, Ebbie: I see where your next stretching is going to go.. :-) The thing to remember is that just about everyone was terrified of singing in front of other people. I've loved singing all of my life, but was well into my 20's before I even felt confident enough to try singing (rather off-handedly) in front of my family. The first time I sang in public, I was in my late twenties, and I was terrified. Most people are overly judgmental about their own singing. Part of that may be because it is so difficult to sit across the room from ourselves and listen to us sing. The first time I taped myself singing I vowed I would never sing in front of anyone again. It didn't help that I recorded myself on a cheap little recorder with a built in microphone.
Singing in front of people is a lifetime stretching excercise, I think. It's something you can become more comfortable about, but it is almost impossible to become completely un-selfconscious about it. And probably just as well. Over the years, I've become more comfortable singing with more vibrato in my voice (which I always associated with over-stuffed Methodist women singing in a church choir.) It's an on-going project to truly sing as you feel it in your heart without undue concern about what others think. Just don't leave any lose tomatoes lying around... :-)
Sixty nine, eh? Man, that used to seem so old! I'll be 70 in June, so you're probably younger than I am. The older you get, the more chances you can take, because people will just think that you're being excentric and colorful.. :-)