Willow Valley Communities has a 40-year tradition of excellence as a 55+ community that attracts Residents from across the nation. We are known as a “destination community,” which means Residents often move here without any prior connection to us, or to Lancaster. They learn about us, visit us, and their decision is made. This is as true today as it was 40 years ago.
But what draws them here? What is the Willow Valley Communities difference? Of course, it’s the beautiful residences on our stunning campuses, our award-winning amenities, and our stellar lifestyle opportunities. And of course, it’s our unique Life Lived Forward culture that says the far side of 55 can be the most rewarding time of life of all. But often, the Willow Valley Communities difference is simply this:
The people.
The Residents and Team Members of Willow Valley Communities make it the very special place that it is. That’s the Willow Valley Communities difference.
Come meet a few of the people who have spent some time working and living at Willow Valley Communities over our 40-year history. You’ll find that they have helped make us what we are today.
Marlyn Kinnamon | “Thankful, Grateful, and Blessed”
Marlyn Kinnamon has lived at Willow Valley Communities for 29 years. She and her husband, Frank, moved here in 1995 from Dover, Delaware, after they both retired. They explored different communities, but after visiting friends at Willow Valley, the choice was easy.
At the time, Marlyn was 59, and Frank was 62. She remembers friends questioning their decision to move to an “old folks home,” thinking they would be bored. But she explained that Willow Valley Communities was different—in fact, there wasn’t enough time to do all the things she wanted to do. Marlyn’s days were “busy running around with the girls,” going out to lunch, and attending fitness classes, especially deep water aerobics. Frank was also busy, golfing regularly at a local course, and the couple hosted many, many parties for friends.
The weekend before their move-in day, Marlyn recalls, she and Frank visited their apartment in what was then the brand-new community of North. She met Marlin Thomas, founder of Willow Valley Communities, who was there checking over last-minute details. He personally assured the Kinnamons that all would be perfect for their move-in.
“A lot can be done in just a day,” he assured them.
And it was. Their new apartment was just as they’d imagined, and since then, Marlyn has enjoyed two complete renovations. Willow Valley Communities Residents receive an apartment renovation every 10 years.
Asked about the most striking changes she has seen over her 29 years of living here, Marlyn mentions the 11 new buildings that have been constructed in that time: Willow Gables, the Garden Apartments, the Cultural Center, Spring Run, Meadow Ridge, Providence Park, The Clubhouse, Vistas, Chautauqua Hall, the new Glen, and SouthPointe Village.
Sadly, Marlyn lost her beloved husband Frank in 2013. Now she spends her time getting together with friends for meals, and especially enjoys Local Table, the gourmet restaurant at The Clubhouse. She still works out regularly at the Cultural Center’s Fitness Center and has monthly appointments at The Day Spa for facials, massages, and manicures. Marlyn also walks two to three miles every day. She starts her morning by checking current events in the newspaper or on her iPhone, iPad, or computer. She also enjoys her Alexa.
“This is a nice life,” she says. “My time is my own.”
Marlyn has always felt safe and secure at Willow Valley Communities, and as she reflects on the past 29 years, she cannot give enough credit to Marlin Thomas, and John G. Swanson, CEO of Willow Valley Development Corp., for their innovation. “Every day I’m thankful, grateful, and I’m blessed,” Marlyn says. “I cherish all the memories I have. I’ve enjoyed every minute here.”
Carolyn Mellinger | “My Life Is a Potpourri”
Carolyn and Dale Mellinger have lived at Willow Valley Communities since June 2013, but Carolyn’s history with us goes back far longer than that. Before she became a Resident, she was a waitress at the Willow Valley Restaurant, and later she became Willow Valley Communities’ first Activities Director, today known as a Resident Life Coordinator, in 1984.
“Doris Thomas, Marlin’s wife, actually interviewed me and hired me as a waitress,” she recalls. “When I heard about the opening for Activities Director at the new Willow Valley Communities, I applied. I was told I got the job because of my ‘potpourri’ of life experiences.”
It turns out that in those early days, Carolyn needed every one of those experiences. Her “office” was a converted apartment in Manor that she shared with the security and maintenance departments and the campus administrator. Everyone worked on card tables.
Carolyn helped with everything. In addition to the wide variety of activities she coordinated for the new Residents, including group trips and cruises throughout the United States and Europe, she also managed their move-in schedules and orientations. She even drove our first shuttle bus and delivered welcome baskets—and the mail.
“There was no one else,” she explains. “In fact, there was no mail room!” She remembers using an old dish drainer to sort the mail when a Resident approached her and asked if she needed help. “And that’s when the first Resident volunteer was born!” she chuckles.
Carolyn marvels at the huge variety of opportunities offered to Residents now. Holding up the latest copy of Renaissance, Willow Valley Communities’ magazine of events, classes, performances, and club meetings, she says, “There are at least 20 things in here I would like to do, and I bet my neighbor can choose 20 different things they would like to do. When I was Activities Director, there used to be five pages of choices. Now there are 100 pages!”
Carolyn worked for Willow Valley Communities for 25 years before she and Dale became Residents in 2013. “We always knew we were going to move here,” she explains. “We knew everything about this community inside and out. And we always had faith in the Thomases.”
Carolyn adds, “In fact, I couldn’t afford not to move here! With Lifecare, I know what my expenses are going to be every month for the rest of my life—no matter what happens.” Carolyn is referring to Willow Valley Communities’ Type A Lifecare contract, which promises a Resident that if an enhanced level of care is ever needed in the future, their monthly service fee will not increase because of that need.
“It’s the best gift of peace of mind for the kids,” she adds. The Mellingers have seen family members’ assets dwindle because of end-of-life fees for service care.
As Carolyn reflects on her career at Willow Valley Communities, and her life now as a Resident, she is grateful. “It was a tremendous gift in my life to work here and now to live here. No question about it.”
Scott Summy | “I Just Never Quit”
Scott Summy is probably our most tenured Team Member. In fact, he started at Willow Valley Communities before it was even Willow Valley Communities!
In June 1977, Scott was 16 and employed by Willow Valley Associates at the original family restaurant. Though he enjoyed his job—including sometimes even working alongside Marlin Thomas at the grill—Scott’s intention was to stay for just a few months and then go to culinary school to become a chef. Fast-forward to 2024, and Scott is Willow Valley Communities’ Chief Human Resources Officer.
“I just never quit,” he says, shrugging. Over the next few years, Marlin offered Scott various positions, including managing Willow Valley Associates’ deli and bakery department at the IGA supermarket and also managing their Willow Tree restaurant next door in the early 1980s.
Scott remembers when the idea of starting a retirement community was first introduced. “Tourists were visiting the Willow Valley Inn for vacations,” he explains. “People would come to the hotel and then comment how Lancaster County would be a beautiful place to retire. That’s how Willow Valley Communities came to be based on a hospitality model, not a healthcare model.” Marlin offered Scott the opportunity to start and manage the culinary department at the future Willow Valley Communities. “I was fortunate that I got to work with Marlin and the architects and contractors designing the first kitchen,” he recalls. He also remembers being at the Willow Valley Communities groundbreaking ceremony in 1984, setting up the food for the event.
The hospitality model played an important role in developing Willow Valley Communities’ culinary program. Scott describes that at other communities, residents would have to choose their meals for the entire week ahead of time. “I remember Marlin saying, ‘I don’t even know what I want for dinner tomorrow,’” he laughs. It was then decided that Willow Valley Communities would have restaurant, or menu-style, dining. “We were one of the first to use a resort-style hospitality model in a senior living community.”
After Scott opened the culinary program at Manor, he opened one at the “new” community, Lakes Manor.
But 13 years later, he was again offered another opportunity. This time, former management company CEO John Swanson offered him a position in administration. Scott became Executive Director for all of Willow Valley Communities, then later, Director of New Business Development. During this time, he was instrumental in starting SmartLife, Connections at Home, and Willow Valley Communities’ audiology department (now IntegrityForward Hearing Solutions). Scott also credits John’s vision for those innovations.
Looking back on his career at Willow Valley Communities, Scott says that every time he was approached with a new opportunity, he felt it was beyond his comfort zone. “But it always worked out. I always trusted Marlin and John and admired them from the beginning and throughout my career at Willow Valley.”
Remembering those days, Scott continues, “That integrity and trust for which Willow Valley has been known for 40 years, how things are always handled ethically, I always saw that demonstrated by Marlin. I treasure the times I worked so closely with him.”
Now, as Chief Human Resources Officer, the most rewarding part of Scott’s job is seeing people grow professionally. “That’s the great thing about Willow Valley,” he says. “It provides a lot of opportunity for Team Members to grow into new positions. I’ve been fortunate to work with, and sometimes give, those opportunities. It’s fun to see that. That’s where Willow Valley is so very unique.”
Ethel Osborne | “It’s More Than a Job”
Ethel Osborne is Willow Valley Communities’ Housekeeping Coordinator for the Manor building, where she is responsible for supervising and coordinating a seven-housekeeper team for Residents who have hired extra housecleaning. Her team is also responsible for the cleaning of Manor’s public areas. Ethel began working at Willow Valley Communities in April 1993. She was busy raising her family, looking for a flexible job close to home, and started as a part-time housekeeper. After only a year, her supervisor retired and encouraged her to apply for the supervisory position.
“I was scared and nervous,” Ethel recalls. “I would not have thought about applying for it, but she really encouraged me. And it turned out to be a very good challenge.”
Ethel loves her job. She chuckles as she admits to being “just a little picky with housecleaning details,” but she becomes serious as she explains that she loves to serve. “To provide for our Residents is more than a job,” she says. “I have been blessed by Residents and fellow Team Members. Willow Valley has been like a big family to me. It’s a home away from home. I feel so appreciated by our Residents, and I enjoy the camaraderie our team has. We are a family. Willow Valley Communities shows me every day how it is more than just a job.”
Ethel also adheres strongly to Willow Valley Communities’ MORE values:
M
Making a Difference
O
Owning Excellence
R
Respecting Relationships
E
Enhancing Well-Being
“I believe the housekeepers enhance well-being,” she says. Through the years, Ethel has taken part in every educational opportunity available to Willow Valley Communities Team Members. Whether it’s been professional seminars, classes, or programs, Ethel has been there.
“I have had the opportunity to grow and have faith in myself,” she says. “I never had a supervisory position before. I want to say thank you to Willow Valley Communities. I accomplished more than I ever expected.”
Laura Walker | “I Got to See It All Built”
Laura Walker is Willow Valley Communities’ longest tenured Sales Counselor. She started in her position in 1992, when she was hired to sell the new North community, then under construction. Laura had just graduated college and was familiar with Willow Valley, as she had worked in Lakes dining for a year when she was 16.
Smiling, she recalls that as a self-described people person, she decided to try the Sales Counselor position “for about two years.” But, Laura stayed. “After I had been a Sales Counselor for a couple years, I really knew Willow Valley and was more comfortable. Plus, there was always something new to talk about,” she says.
At that time, sales leads came from direct mail, advertising, and Resident referrals. Prospective Residents were invited to Informational Luncheon events and shown a video featuring Resident testimonials. Laura says it all involved building relationships with prospective Residents—“just like we do it today.”
When Laura started as a Sales Counselor, Willow Valley Communities consisted of only the Manor and Lakes communities. “And fields,” she adds.
Though she had only those two communities to show prospective Residents, she always had our Lifecare contract to talk about. Willow Valley Communities was, and still is, the only exclusively Type A Lifecare community in Lancaster County. “The cool thing is I got to be a part of selling a lot of new construction projects. I got to see it all being built. Plus,” she continues, “I meet new people every day.”
The prospective Residents she meets with have changed over the years. “When I started, it was the World War II generation, and now it’s Baby Boomers,” she says. And, of course, Willow Valley Communities has changed too. “There used to be just a few choices for finishes in residences, but now we have a full design center with many choices.”
Laura also recalls that when she first started, she would have to explain to prospects that all dining was formal. “A coat and tie for the gentlemen and a dress or slacks for the ladies were the only options for dining,” she explains. Many were not too excited with this, and numerous men told her, “I stopped wearing a coat and tie when I retired!” She remembers how enthused Residents were in 1994 when Willow Valley Communities’ first casual dining option was introduced at North.
When asked if she has any favorite Residents she’s worked with over the years, Laura laughs—she does! Her parents moved here in 2020, and her mother-in-law arrived in 2022.
One of the most gratifying experiences Laura has at Willow Valley Communities is when a new Resident tells her how happy they are. “I have had seriously accomplished people—people who have done amazing things in their lives and careers—come and seek me out to tell me this is the best decision they have made.”
Looking back on her career, Laura pauses to reflect. “You know, the reason why I’ve been here so long is because people like to live here so much!” Then she adds with a smile, “I mean, is there a better way to age?”
