Life Under The Willow Tree

Host: Don Helin Guest: Mary Donaldson-Evans Description: This podcast transcript features an interview with Mary Donaldson-Evans, a resident of Willow Valley and a former French professor. She shares her life story, beginning with her childhood in Minnesota and her formative year working as a nanny in Paris. The conversation highlights a significant discovery of hundreds of wartime letters exchang...

04/14/2026 LCSWMA: The Great Green Secret of Lancaster County Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Michelle Brown, LCSWMA, Energy and Commodity Manager. Have you ever wondered what happens to your trash here at Willow Valley? Why can’t we recycle everything? Why do we have to separate our recyclables, and what happens to them once they are picked up by our commercial hauler? In today’s Open podcast (mea...

E210: Two Lovely Ladies Host: Elaine Kurceba Guests: Jean Morgan and Sally Gross Description: This podcast episode features an interview with Jean Morgan and Sally Gross, two vibrant residents of the Willow Valley retirement community who are both in their nineties. The conversation highlights their philosophies on aging, emphasizing the importance of staying active, maintaining lifelong friendshi...

Hosts: Dale Johnson and Maggie Stauffer Guests: Taylor Blackwell and Heather Nelson This episode explores the critical link between socialization and longevity through various scientific lenses. The hosts discuss a Brigham Young University study highlighting social integration as the primary predictor of a long life, even surpassing exercise or diet. They also examine the Harvard Study of Adult De...

E208: Goddesses of Hearing Hosts: Ray Loewe and Mary Ann Steinhauer Guests: Heather Eck and Carrie Hermann Description: This podcast episode from Willow Valley features a conversation with two doctors of audiology, Heather Eck and Carrie Hermann, who discuss the complexities of hearing loss and modern solutions. The experts explain that hearing is a collaborative process between the ears and the b...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guests: Sandra Derr, Kim Pfeffer, James Merkel Description: WV’s Transportation Department is a gift to all those residents who no longer drive for whatever reason, temporarily or permanently, or when winter storms make it impossible to shovel their cars free, even if the roads are plowed and salted. The well-trained drivers are intrepid in such situations, but even on the...

Hosts: Dale Johnson and Candace O'Donnell Description: In this podcast episode titled "Kindness at Willow Valley," hosts Dale Johnson and Candace O'Donnell explore the pervasive culture of kindness at the Willow Valley retirement community. The discussion is structured around a series of personal anecdotes and observations involving both residents and staff, ranging from organized support networks...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: Sharon Habanec, WV Senior VP of Culinary Services Description: Sharon Habanec reflects on her 39-year career, starting as a part-time hostess. She describes the evolution of the organization’s dining philosophy toward "destination dining," which offers residents diverse choices across nearly 18 different venues. Habanec emphasizes a leadership culture rooted in inter...

Host: Candace O'Donnell Guest: Jim Casler Description: In this podcast episode from Life Under the Willow Tree, host Candace O'Donnell interviews Jim Casler, the experienced director of the community’s chorale. Casler discusses his lifelong musical journey, which began in a boys' choir and led to a long career as a music educator before he transitioned to leading his fellow residents. The conversa...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guests: WV Vice Presidents, Jim Tracy and Terry Cain What does it really take to keep a community like Willow Valley running smoothly every single day? In this behind-the-scenes conversation, Vice Presidents Jim Tracy and Terry Cain share how facilities, construction, real estate, and essential services come together to support residents, team members, and visitors. From th...

Host: Dale Johnson Guest: Lynn Neely Description: In this podcast episode from the Willow Valley community, host Dale Johnson and resident Lynn Neely explore the diverse cultural landscape of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They challenge the perception of the city as a small town by highlighting professional theaters like the historic Fulton Opera House and unique venues such as Sight and Sound, which f...

E201: Host: Ray Loewe Guests: Deborah Greggs and Nathaniel Rivera This podcast features host Ray Loewe interviewing Deborah Greggs and Nathaniel Rivera, two Willow Valley team members who recently received educational scholarships. Deborah is an LPN in resident nursing who is pursuing her RN degree to eventually become a nurse practitioner, motivated by her mother’s memory and her desire to provid...

Host: Don Helin Guest: Tammy Eberly Description: Tammy Eberly is a woman with many talents, who lived in many places. She started out as a resident of Ohio, then lived in different areas in Pennsylvania and Virginia. She first worked as a nurse, and then started several businesses as a fashion fabricator for designers in New York and San Francisco. Later, she worked with Servant Stage in Lancaster...

E198: SmartLife at Willow Valley Host: Dale Johnson Guests: Andrew Salotki, Grace and Ed Valentine This podcast episode introduces Smart Life via Willow Valley, an innovative continuing care at home program designed for seniors who wish to age in place. Hosted by Dale Johnson, the discussion features program manager Andrew Salotki, who explains how the initiative provides long-term care coordinati...

Host: Ray Loewe Guest: Carol MacAllister Carol MacAllister was a social worker in 1978 for the State of New Mexico Mental Health Bureau when a new law, "The Sexual Crimes Prosecution and Treatment Act," was passed. Carol was assigned to assemble a team that was charged with implementing the act. One part was to create a standardized rape kit that would provide hard evidence for the courtroom. That...

Episode 196: Semester at Sea Host: Elaine Kurceba Guests: Maggie and Barry Stauffer Description: In this episode Willow Valley residents Maggie and Barry Stauffer describe their transformative experience with the Semester at Sea program, a 100-day global voyage. Their ship functioned as a floating university, traveling to ten different countries including Brazil, South Africa, and India. The speak...

Life Under the Willow Tree E 195:Living with Dementia, Part 3 Host: Don Helin Guest: Mary Schreiber This podcast is a "Life Under the Willow Tree" podcast, hosted by Don Healin and featuring Mary Schreiber, a memory care staff person at Willow Valley. The discussion is the third part of a series focusing on dementia, particularly emphasizing the critical role and challenges of caregivers. Schreibe...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guests: Tim Ryan & David Clingan Description: Tim Ryan (Lakes) and David Clingan (Manor) are the Managers of Maintenance on our two Willow Valley campuses. They share with host Carol MacAllister the breadth and depth of the work their departments do. Residents can SEE that they fix what is broken and replace what can’t be fixed in their homes, but in fact, they do so much m...

E193: Living With Dementia, Part 2 Don Helin Mary Schreiber This episode is Part 2 in a three-part series on Life with Dementia, hosted by Don Healin and featuring Mary Schreiber , a memory care staff person at Willow Valley. The conversation centers on understanding and connecting with individuals who have dementia, with Schreiber offering practical advice on topics including why human connection...

Host: Dale Johnson Guest: Ted Borek Description: This episode features an interview with Willow Valley resident Ted Borek, a man with a long and distinguished legal background. Borek details his early career, which began with 24 years of military service, including roles as an Army prosecutor, where he gained initial experience trying a high volume of cases. After his military retirement, Borek tr...

E191 Host: John Murphy Guests: Rich and Peg Wurst: Living with Low Vision at Willow Valley Description: Willow Valley resident John Murphy interviews fellow residents Rich and Peg Wurst, to discuss how to navigate life with vision impairment within the Willow Valley retirement community. Rich details his usage of Meta AI glasses, describing how the technology functions as a vital aid for those wit...

Host: Carol MacAllister Guest: WV VP of Resident Life, Stacy Musser Description: Stacy Musser started at Willow Valley part-time in Culinary when she was 17 years old. Since that fateful first job, she has grown with the organization, progressively wearing many hats and now multiple hats simultaneously. The breadth of her responsibilities, which grew as the organization grew and grew, is staggerin...

Episode 188: Stu Wesbury: A Career in Health, and an Interest in Family Host: Ray Loewe Guest: Stu Wesbury Description: This podcast chronicles Stu Wesbury's diverse professional journey, starting as a hospital pharmacist and transitioning through roles including hospital administrator, CEO of a university hospital, PhD student in economics, professor, and even running for the U.S. House of Repres...

E187 Audrey Slater, Sally Collins - Mom and Golf Pro Host: Ray Loewe Guests: Audrey Slater, Sally Collins Description: Ray Loewe talks to our guests about Lancaster County and Willow Valley in the early days, when Willow Valley was young. Audrey discusses how she got into nursing school and her adventures with a mysterious Mr. Chips. Sally talks about golf lessons, and how she became a golf pro. A...