Don and Judy Stoltzfus’ Move to Landis Homes


When Don and Judy Stoltzfus settled into their cottage at Landis Homes in October 2024, it marked a new chapter in a life already filled with rich stories of service, family, and faith.


F


or Don, Landis Homes was familiar territory. His parents moved to the


community in 1986, and today three of his brothers also call Landis Homes, home. At first, Don and Judy wondered if being surrounded by so many acquaintances might feel overwhelming. “We didn’t know if we wanted to come here, because we knew too many people,” Don admitted with a laugh. “But now that we’re here, we love it!”


Te Stoltzfus’ story stretches far beyond Lancaster County. In 1969, Don graduated from Eastern Mennonite College (now University), and soon after began serving in Tanzania through Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities. Living in a rural communal village, he worked on agriculture projects (growing beans, cassava, and raising livestock) all while adapting to life with scarce resources. During this time, he and Judy, whom he had met at college, maintained a long- distance courtship through handwritten letters and cassette tapes. “We had one phone call,” Don remembered, “But we knew this was where God was leading us.”


In 1971, Judy joined Don in Tanzania, and they were married there on July 16. Te couple spent the early years of their marriage in mission work before returning to Chester County, where Don joined his father’s appliance business in Parkesburg and Judy worked in office administration. Together, Don and Judy raised three children while also nurturing a


large garden and preserving food on a property shared with Don’s parents. In 1989, they moved to a log house on a 20-acre property, where they lived for 35 years.


In early 2024, the couple realized their log house and wooded acreage had become too much to maintain. Around the same time, Judy received a stage-four lung cancer diagnosis, adding urgency to their need for a simpler lifestyle. “Staying in our home became just too much,” Don explained. “We were ready to move.”


Graceful Transitions, a service of Landis at Home, stepped in to provide the guidance they needed. Te team helped them decide what furniture to bring, coordinated with movers, and even arranged for professional placement of their belongings in their new cottage. “Had we had to do all of that ourselves...oh my!” Don said. “Tey were tremendous.”


For Judy, who was undergoing chemo treatments during the move, the support of friends and family was invaluable. She notes that the Graceful Transitions team also helped them unpack and even plant flowers in the spring. “We’ve been blessed with so much help,” she shared.


Don notes that he senses a great deal of integrity in the culture at Landis Homes. It’s a value that has guided the Stoltzfuses throughout their lives: in their years of mission service in Tanzania, in the family business they ran side by side, and in the way they’ve cared for one another through every season.


For Don and Judy, home has never just been about walls and a roof. It’s about the people who walk alongside you. Now, surrounded by family, long-time friends, and with the support of the Landis Homes community, they are grateful for this next chapter.


8 • Landis.org | FLOURISH | Fall 2025


CULTIVATING MEANINGFUL LIVING


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