Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
Some have been artists all their lives. Many dabbled while they raised families and pursued careers. One never held a paintbrush in his life. The residents of Susquehanna-region retirement communities are pursuing their passions, satisfying their artistic curiosity and, in the process, enriching the lives of those around them.
Rose Gibbel
Jewelry Maker, Brethren Village Retirement Community, Lancaster
On a trip through the South Pacific, Rose Gibbel bought a $15 Swarovski-beaded bracelet, but she decided she could make something similar for less. “My girlfriend said you ought to make earrings to match, and then necklaces, and then I just went from there,” says Gibbel. Today, Gibbel sells her beaded creations at the Brethren Village thrift shop, and she teaches a jewelry-making class. Gibbel has sold a ring off her finger and a bracelet off her wrist, and she also does jewelry repairs for the community. “They call me the jewelry lady here,” she says.
Bob Grobengieser
Painter, Mennonite Home Communities, Lancaster
A successful career in animal feed and additives kept Bob Grobengieser from unleashing his artistic instincts. “Once I retired, I grabbed the brushes and the paint and the canvas, and I’ve been cranking it out pretty heavily since,” he says. Today, Grobengieser exhibits at Mulberry Art Studios, Lancaster, and Landis Homes. The self-taught painter also teaches at Friendship Heart Gallery, the studio of Friendship Community, a Christian-centered services provider for people with developmental disabilities. Through art, his students “just brighten up,” says Grobengieser. “They love it. It’s just a wonderful thing to see them blossom.”
Nancy Long
Quilter, Willow Valley Communities, Lancaster
Nancy Long is honored when downsizing Willow Valley residents offer fabric pieces brought from Japan long ago. The fabrics are placed with care in Long’s quilts, “because most are hand-woven and hand-dyed, and they’re lovely pieces of art in their own right,” she says. Since moving to Willow Valley, the military wife and self-taught quilter has specialized in traditional Japanese techniques, using contemporary and vintage Japanese fabrics. Long has exhibited at Willow Valley and at Philadelphia-area gardens and an arboretum, and she lectures widely on Japanese textiles and stitchery. “I always say, give me an audience, and I’m a happy camper.”
Jack Hyde
Painter, Country Meadows Retirement Communities, York
Working 30 years in a steel cabinet factory, Jack Hyde wielded welding torches. At Country Meadows of York, he took his first-ever art class, “just to see what’s going on,” and he has wielded a paintbrush ever since. “I’d work on it until 10 o’clock at night,” he says. Visitors always take home their choice of paintings from about 100 in Hyde’s apartment. Country Meadows’ holiday cards featured a Hyde winter scene. The former welder has developed an artist’s eye. “I picture in my mind a different tree or house,” he says. “You develop your own style.”
Roland Yoder
Renaissance Man, Landis Homes Retirement Community, Lititz
Retired art teacher Roland Yoder leads sculpture-garden tours for Landis Homes residents. A master gardener, he helps tend the flowers. He contributes paintings that raise funds for Bridge of Hope, a support provider for single mothers and children. His painting of the Landis Homes logo, a bowl and towel symbolizing Christ’s ministry, graces the lobby and reminds him that he is “a part of this place.” Maybe retirement doesn’t allow as much time for art as he envisioned, but “the gifts that we are given, in terms of abilities, they are gifts, and they need to be shared with others.”
Marjorie Lovett
Painter, Luthercare, St. John's Herr Estate, Columbia
Image Courtesy Cindi Dixon
Marjorie Lovett’s lifelong interest in painting took a backseat to two careers, as a pianist and, after her children came along, a librarian. When a stroke limited the use of her left hand, she picked up a paintbrush. She calls the dining area of her apartment “my studio, quote-unquote,” and she takes Longwood Gardens painting excursions with daughter Lee Levato, manager of Lancaster’s Red Raven Art Company. Works donated for art auctions help support Lancaster Public Library. Painting provides the same feeling as playing music, says Lovett. “I lose track of time and everything else. I feel elevated inside.”
Ellie Meadowcroft
Tailor and Knitter, Bethany Village, Mechanicsburg
Ellie Meadowcroft sewed her daughter’s wedding gown. And dresses for the six bridesmaids and two flower girls. “And my dress and table runners for the reception.” The lifelong tailor is a Bethany Village sewing-group stalwart. Her designs for walker bags and casserole totes are sewn and sold to raise funds for resident activities. With the knitting group, Meadowcroft makes scarves and lap robes, for sale or donation. “It’s a way of making things that people find useful and also making money for a good cause,” Meadowcroft says. “Everybody has different skills, so we do different things. There’s always good fellowship.”
James Row
Woodworker, United Zion Retirement Community, Lititz
In the hands of James Row, discarded wood from mills and cabinetmakers gets new life. Tissue boxes for United Zion’s chapel. Clothes trees. Popcorn machine carts and cornhole games. He made a game wheel from “scrap lumber and an old wheelchair wheel.” In his career as a General Motors service operations manager, Row had little time for woodwork, but retirement gave him the time he needed. Everything he makes for United Zion is donated. “If anybody asks me to make anything, I’ll make it if I can. I have no problem and won’t charge anything to do it.”
Retirement Arts Roundup
Here's our roundup of art opportunities at someof the region’s popular retirement communities.
Bethany Village, Mechanicsburg: Campus activities include knitting, crocheting, sewing and decorative arts groups, plus an “express yourself” art class open to all, even those without an art background. A semi-annual sale of items created by resident groups raises money to support Bethany Village residents.
Brethren Village Retirement Community, Lancaster: The creative arts room is so popular that it underwent a recent renovation. Now the area has dedicated spaces for sewing, knitting, crocheting, jewelry making, scrapbooking and even ceramics, with a kiln. Residents founded and operate a woodworking shop, where they produce items for sale at bazaars, repair furniture and create items such as rocking chairs and piggy banks for residents’ grandchildren.
Country Meadows Retirement Communities, York, Lancaster, Hershey: Art is used for self-expression, through art classes and for therapies. At the York and Lancaster campuses, MnemeTherapy® uses everyday pleasures such as singing, movement, painting and story-telling in a unique combination to stimulate dramatic changes in the brain.
Landis Homes Retirement Community, Lititz: Landis Homes presents quarterly receptions with local artists. Works are displayed in the Harvest View apartment building, and a portion of the sales supports Landis Homes' benevolent care. Local artists also teach art to residents, and Landis Homes
juries Lancaster Mennonite High School’s annual spring art festival.
Luthercare, Columbia, Lititz, Lebanon: Luther Acres’ reDiscover courses, held three times yearly, usually include an art class, such as watercolor painting or Iris folding. Luthercare’s Haagen Gallery features resident artists and those from the greater community.
Mennonite Home Communities, Lancaster: Painting, knitting, crocheting and craft groups meet regularly. A fall craft show spotlights resident artwork.
United Zion Retirement Community, Lititz: A wide variety of art-based activities are available, such as crafts, art projects and art education. A resident art gallery showcases residents’ work, and a rotating art gallery exhibits the work of visiting community artists. Residents are working with local artist Sandra Roland to create a mural in the activity room.
Willow Valley Communities, Lancaster: Rotating exhibits at the Willow Valley cultural center showcase the work of outside and resident artists. Classes in art and crafts including painting, card making and felting are taught in the cultural center art room, which is also open for individual use.
