Gene Wolfshuk has spent decades building— a family, a career, buildings, and a future.


He arrived in the United States in July 1955 at 20—an immigrant from France, who lost his father in World War II. Originally from Ukraine, Gene was educated in France for 8 years, following in his father’s footsteps as an engineer. His family fled communism and Gene came to the U.S., guided by his association with Franklin & Marshall College students. That connection brought him to Lancaster, PA.


H


e came looking for work despite not yet mastering the English language. While picking up carpentry jobs for his brother-in-law, Gene visited an employment office seeking engineering opportunities. He was hired at Burnham Boilers in Lancaster, which was


building a major addition on Dillerville Road. Because drafting was what Gene had studied in France, he joined the company as a draftsman for the project.


Te company was impressed with Gene’s drive and abilities. Te president insisted on hiring him after learning he spoke four languages—Ukrainian, French, German, and Russian. Burnham Boilers even paid for him to attend Franklin & Marshall to study English and architecture.


After Burnham, Gene joined the drafting department at H.M. Stauffer in Leola. He oversaw the prebuilding of houses and consulted with farmers and community members’ on construction projects. When H.M. Stauffer signed a contract with Landis Homes, Gene became involved in the original cottages.


Landis Homes needed the cottage drawings converted into sections that could be prebuilt and assembled. Gene broke the original plans into these compounds and helped implement them. “One of my biggest achievements,” he reflected, “was designing machinery to create pre-hung doors.” Some of those doors may have hung at Landis Homes for decades. He completed thousands of measurements for doors, roofs, walls, and windows.


When he wasn’t building cottages, he was building a family with his beloved wife, Patricia, and raising three children.


Now Gene lives at Landis Homes himself, and he is still building—this time a legacy for his children and grandchildren. Since 1955, he has written his memoirs to preserve his family history, compiling volumes of typed and handwritten memories with photographs.


Today, Gene enjoys the unique opportunity of living in a legacy that is both tangible and intangible. He lives on property he helped construct and has witnessed its growth and longevity. He has also watched the family he built flourish.


“I’m proud of my children,” he said. “My children are proud of me.” “I’m happy with what I’ve done,” he said.


Landis.org | FLOURISH | Summer 2026 • 5


Enriching


Lives, Together


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