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Treasured Times with the Entire Family
Part of the vibrancy we see at Willow Valley Communities so often includes residents’ families. We love to see several generations together on campus enjoying our many amenities and activities — children, grandchildren… even great-grandchildren, from newborns up to adulthood, all sharing in a Life Lived Forward with our residents. The Cultural Center with its 500-seat performing arts theater, art gallery, day spa, and aquatics and fitness centers; The Clubhouse with outdoor pool, tennis courts, vintage arcade, bowling alley, and golf simulator; Camp Willow Day Camp; 12 culinary venues; plus many, many more activities — all are purposefully designed to be hubs of intergenerational engagement for our residents and their visiting families.
Meet some of the Willow Valley Communities residents who, along with their families, enjoy these special connections that make life so meaningful.
Ed and Priscilla Starkey have lived at Willow Valley Communities since 2016. Ed is originally from Lancaster and Priscilla is originally from Virginia. Prior to retirement, they moved around the country a lot for Ed’s career in the consumer finance business. After all the places they lived and looked at for retirement, Priscilla and Ed concluded that Willow Valley Communities and Lancaster “is a great location for our family.” And with the added benefit of Lifecare (which ensures that monthly service fees are not increased because of the need for an enhanced level of care in the future), Priscilla and Ed agreed that it’s also been a smart decision for the family. “We did this for our children,” they said.
The Starkeys have two daughters: Kristin, in Philadelphia, and Kimberly, in Jamison, Bucks County. Kristin has one daughter, Naomi, 3, and Kimberly has two daughters, Talya, 16, and Tatianna, 10.
Ever since Naomi was 2 months old, she has been visiting her grandparents at Willow Valley Communities — a lot! “Other residents know her better than they know us!” chuckled Priscilla. “I have always had everything Naomi needs right here
for when she visits. A crib, high chair, toys… Kristin just has to bring Naomi!”
“It’s so easy for Kristin,” she explained. “When her husband is out of town or has to work late, she just gets on the Amtrak train in Philadelphia. Amtrak is wonderful, so convenient.” The Starkeys added that they also often use Amtrak for trips to Philadelphia and beyond. They enjoy the convenience as well as a generous senior discount.
When the other Starkey daughter, Kimberly, comes to visit Willow Valley Communities with her two daughters, it’s all about the amenities. “Talya and Tatianna come here a lot, and they love everything at The Clubhouse, especially the pool. And, of course, they also have to go to the Overlook Artisanal Coeehouse to get their special coee drinks… They love it here.”
The Starkeys also enjoy taking their family into downtown Lancaster and to area attractions and amusement parks. They attend live performances at the Fulton Theatre and eat out at some of Lancaster’s wonderful restaurants. “Lancaster is a really nice foodie town; I don’t think many people know that,” remarked Priscilla.
“When we came to Lancaster when we first married, I could never have lived here. But now it’s all you want it to be — and it’s still small. It’s got a small-town feeling, but with a lot to do.”
Don and Vivian Doolittle are originally from Bergen County, New Jersey, and had retired to Charleston, South Carolina. And though they loved their home there, its location was a 13-hour drive from their family, who live in New Jersey, Maryland, and Lancaster.
Their son, who is a financial planner, suggested his parents look into Willow Valley Communities. He liked the financial security of Lifecare, and he also thought Lancaster’s central location would make it a lot easier for their family. The Doolittles, who moved to Willow Valley Communities in the fall of 2018, are discovering that their son was right. The extended Doolittle family is spending more time together and having a lot of fun.
There are three grown Doolittle children: two sons, Don Jr. and Douglas, and a daughter, Jennifer. Six grandchildren range in age from 5 to 22 years old. Even with that large span of ages, they all enjoy visits to their grandparents’ and always have plenty to do at Willow Valley Communities and in the Lancaster area.
The Doolittles are thrilled with this way of life. Vivian recalls a particularly special day when the family met for their first summer “Doolittle Gathering” at their new home at Willow Valley Communities. They swam and had lunch at the outdoor
Clubhouse pool and then had a competitive pickleball match. For dinner they barbecued at Chautauqua Hall, and then had dessert at the Doolittles’ residence. Afterwards, they went back to The Clubhouse for bowling for the evening. It was a wonderful, full family day, and no one was bored!
“At Willow Valley Communities there’s the whole mix for the entire family. I’m amazed at the wonder of it all,” Vivian remarked. “I can’t wait for the younger grandchildren to turn seven years old so that they are old enough to attend Camp Willow Day Camp.”
The Doolittle family also enjoys activities in the greater Lancaster community. The younger children have visited local attractions, and Vivian recently enjoyed wedding gown shopping with her newly engaged granddaughter, Megan. “There’s so much to do in downtown Lancaster,” Vivian said. “There’s so much spark and life.”
“That’s why we are overjoyed to live here,” she added. “Other communities that we looked at don’t oer what we have at Willow Valley Communities — including Lifecare. Our children won’t have to take care of us; we are so happy to be able to do this for them.”
John and Janet Rushmere moved to Willow Valley Communities in 2013 from Chester County. Their way of life is a mixture of activities, outings, and family time. Janet and John are enthusiastically involved in a number of Willow Valley Communities activities. John works out, walks, swims, and also enjoys playing bridge. Janet, a dedicated swimmer, trains in the aquatics and fitness centers. She balances her busy fitness schedule with her interest in art, literature, music, and healthy food. She and John frequently dine in downtown Lancaster and hold season tickets to the Fulton Theatre. “Choosing Willow Valley Communities is the wisest decision we ever made,” Janet said.
But one of the happiest activities is when Janet and John’s extended family visit. John’s son, Paul, and his wife, Ruth, often come with their adult daughter, Julie, and her husband, John, along with their two young boys, Isaac, 6, and Eli, 4 — John and Janet’s great-grandsons!
The boys love the Willow Valley Communities Clubhouse, which is a short walk from John and Janet’s villa at the Providence Park community. They go swimming and bowling and play in the vintage arcade, and afterwards there’s always an ice cream treat from The Clubhouse Café and Ice Cream Parlor. In the future Julie plans to bring the boys to use The Rushmeres also love celebrating holidays and birthdays with family dinners at Willow Valley Communities. It’s an easy drive for Paul, Ruth, John, Julie, and the boys from their homes in Northeast Maryland and Newark, Delaware. Julie’s brother, Mark, lives in Pittsburgh, and he comes often as well.
Janet says Willow Valley Communities makes it seamless for all the generations of Rushmeres to have a celebratory dinner together. “It couldn’t be easier. There’s no shopping, no cooking, no preparing, and no cleaning. I’m done with that!” she laughed. Janet added how convenient it is for her to reserve a private dining room for her family. It makes it more fun for Isaac and Eli. “The boys are free to run around or crawl under the table after dinner without us worrying about them bothering anybody.”
Janet also said that there doesn’t have to be a special occasion or event to have fun with her great-grandsons at Willow Valley Communities. “We’ve enjoyed walks together to the ponds near our villa. There are baby turtles, ducks, and fish — it’s perfect for little boys!”
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Janet Rushmere
