ROLAND AND ESTHER SHORTER will be celebrating fifty years of marriage in February 2023, yet to hear the excitement in their voices as they speak of their upcoming move to Landis Place on King, one might think they are newlyweds just beginning their life together!
“LIVE SIMPLY, BUT BLOOM WILDLY! That’s what Landis Place on King means for us,” says Roland.
T
he Shorters heard about the opportunity online. Tey were then invited to one of
Landis Place on King’s first informational sessions at Mulberry Art Studio and loved what they learned!
“We want the ability to live independently but also have that sense of security and community that we have with others at the same stage in life that we are,” says Esther, “Tat’s why Landis Place on King really fits what we are looking for at this point in our lives.”
Roland loves that he and Esther will have so many opportunities to socialize through onsite activities downtown and with neighbors: “We will have a sense of community. It’s a great concept of bringing folks—strangers—together!”
Esther adds that two other benefits “sealed the deal” for them: Landis Place on King has parking indoors under the building, and a balcony, providing the outdoor space she loves. “I like to sit out and have my coffee on my front porch right now, and I can do that with the balcony. I can sit out and enjoy the fresh air in the summer!”
Te downtown location is also ideal for the Shorters because Lancaster City holds a very special place in their hearts.
Roland grew up in Washington, DC, and moved to Lancaster in 1970. Esther grew up in Ephrata, but interestingly, they did not meet in Lancaster County. Tey met while serving in Lakeland, FL, at a Mennonite Voluntary Service Program!
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Landis.org | FLOURISH | Summer 2022
Tey returned to Lancaster and began their life together. Although Roland’s job with UGI Utilities Corporation required the Shorters to move their growing family to Berks County, Esther explains, “Lancaster always felt like home!”
Presently residing in Lancaster Township, the Shorters can’t wait to return to city life. Tey miss the “buzz of the city” and are already dreaming about the days when they will be “meandering through the shops,” as Esther says, or trying out new restaurants, visiting the art galleries, or seeing shows at Fulton Teatre. Tey look forward to having everything within walking distance.
Roland shares how grateful he is to be moving into an environment and season of life where they can “cultivate new friendships and renew old ones.” He recalls the lines of a familiar poem: “Make new friends but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold.”
Te Shorters are both looking forward to full retirement soon. Roland is quick to point out that he is seventy and Esther is seventy-two—to which she laughs and jokes that he just wants everyone to know she is older!
Landis Place on King represents the beginning of a promising new chapter of life that the Shorters cannot wait to begin. As Esther says, they are eager to start “focusing on things that really matter to us right now.”
CULTIVATING COMMUNITY
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