Multigenerational Residents

Resident Highlights of the Month

Collington may be home to a diverse variety of people who vary in their interests, backgrounds, and beliefs, but there’s one thing they all can agree on—coming to Collington was the best decision they’ve made. Collington allows residents to pursue cultural, intellectual, philanthropic and social opportunities. They are able to immerse themselves in a community that is enriching and uplifting, and surround themselves with people who share their same passion for life. This kind of atmosphere, along with being a Continuing Care Retirement Community, makes Collington an ideal place for anyone to retire.

Residents have followed in their parents, siblings, and even in-laws’ footsteps and decided on Collington when it came time for them to retire. Some have come together, others have been years or even decades apart, but what never changed was the confidence they felt in choosing our community. Residents, Mary Ann Pellerin, RoAnne Dahlen-Hartfield, and Bill Gilmore and Barbara Morris are each part of their own multigenerational Collington story, and we want to share what made Collington so special to them and their families

MaryAnn Pellerin

MaryAnn Pellerin first experienced the beauty of Collington in 1988 after visiting friends who had just moved in. At the time, she wasn’t necessarily looking to move into a retirement community but something about Collington just felt right. She loved the close proximity to Washington, D.C., the fact that there were different levels of care all on one campus, and the plethora of activities Collington had to offer. MaryAnn initially thought this would be a perfect place for her mother, but quickly decided she would move in with her. After her retirement in 1992, MaryAnn and her mother made the move to their very own cottage.

MaryAnn got involved right from the start, she joined a few committees, ran the Halloween party, wrote articles for the Collingtonian, and made the most of her new home. As she and her mother spent more time in the community, MaryAnn realized just how special having different levels of care all on one campus was. She was able to be just a stone’s throw away from her mother as she began needing more intensive care, and felt secure knowing she was well taken care of. MaryAnn has resided at Collington for 26 years now and still enjoys every day.

RoAnne Dahlen-Hartfield

Resident RoAnne Dahlen-Hartfield had Collington on her radar long before she was at the age requirement to move in! RoAnne had personal ties to Collington through Gail Kohn, who was the first executive director for Collington before it was built. Gail had recruited RoAnne to write articles about the future community, what it would provide, and information for prospective residents. After her mother passed and her father, Ken, was ready to move into a senior living community, RoAnne urged him to consider Collington. Much like RoAnne, Ken was quickly sold on Collington and moved into his new home in August of 1989.

A few years later when RoAnne’s husband, Dick, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, the couple decided to join RoAnne’s father and moved to Collington in 1997. Collington was the perfect place at such a difficult time in their lives, Dick was able to be in a community where he could maintain his independence, and RoAnne was able to be there with him, but still commute to her full time job. The two enjoyed this lifestyle for a few years until the last year of Dick’s life, which he spent living in the Potomac, one of Collington’s incredible assisted living neighborhoods right on campus.

For RoAnne, the best thing about Collington is the residents and their variety of talents, interests and expertise. For these reasons, RoAnne never considered living anywhere else. She knew for both her father, herself and her husband, Collington was the perfect place. “Move in while you’re young!” RoAnne shares, “by moving in your 70s you can still be active, you can participate in the community and enjoy everything Collington has to offer.”

Bill Gilmore & Barbara Morris

Bill Gilmore and Barbara Morris are a brother/sister duo who are fairly new to the Collington community. Their stepfather was a resident back in the late 1990’s and was delighted with the excellent level of care he received every single day. Bill and Barbara spent a lot of time visiting him and during that time got a good feel for what was so spectacular about Collington. Even Barbara’s in-laws moved to Collington after visiting her stepfather there a few times. There is something special about the community that is quickly felt by everyone who stops in.

Barbara and her husband Richard spent a lot of time at Collington during the years when both of their parents were residents. Her husband attended the sings every Friday afternoon with his parents, and even continued to attend after they had passed. Though he wasn’t a resident, Richard was always greeted with a warm welcome in such a hospitable community. After Richard passed in 2017, Collington slowly faded from Barbara’s mind.

Bill began needing more of Barbara’s care and attention, but he did not live close enough to her for her to be there for him often. Bill was residing in York, PA while Barbara lived in Maryland. It was then that Barbara once again thought about Collington. They both loved the community; it was close to her and he would have the freedom to come as go as he pleased. Bill moved to Collington at the end of 2018 on a part time basis, and travels back to York to split up his time. “Collington is like a cruise ship or resort,” Bill said with a chuckle, “everyone is so friendly and courteous. They all call me by name, and the food is great!” That being said, Bill’s favorite part about Collington is the people without a doubt. He always feels pampered and well taken care of.

As for Barbara, her prior knowledge mixed with Bill’s incredible review, encouraged her to get a place of her own at Collington. Like Bill she is only living there part time so that she can be closer to her brother and slowly transition into living there full time when she feels like she is ready to settle down. She is thankful for the kind of community Collington creates, it allowed her to have a say in her future and to be able to have a long term plan so there will be no surprises for her or her family down the road.

Though they all have a different story about how they got here, MaryAnn, RoAnne, Bill and Barbara all have one thing in common—their love of this welcoming community. The loyalty that residents both past and present have shown to Collington is a testament to how wonderful of a place it is to live. We hope to continue to see generations of families grace our campus and enjoy the best years of their lives among a community that cares.