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Delaware couple finds peace of mind, active lifestyle at Maris Grove

Jacqueline Kimball
May 7, 2017

Mona and Stan Wilush found their perfect retirement place when they moved to Maris Grove from Bear, Del., south of Wilmington.

Though they learned about Erickson Living's retirement community in Delaware County, Pa., before construction had even begun, they liked what they heard and saw. 

A few years later, they visited the campus and had their feelings confirmed. They knew they'd eventually live at Maris Grove.

That time arrived four years ago when Stan, a lifelong do-it-yourselfer, realized he should stop climbing on the garage roof to tackle homeowner chores. 

Now, should the couple's air conditioner need attention, one call to General Services will bring the expert and efficient maintenance team to repair or replace—at no charge. 

Outdoor chores are covered too. Stan maintained their  in-ground swimming pool even after their kids were grown and it saw little use. The Maris Grove maintenance team tends to the community's on-site heated indoor pool. 

Stan also raked the leaves from their many trees and cleared the snow from their long driveway. Maris Grove's grounds crew does the gardening, raking, and shoveling.

"And now when we go to bed," says Mona, "if Stan hears a bad storm, he doesn't worry about it." The grounds crew removes any fallen tree limbs. 

A home for their lifestyle

Mona and Stan knew no one when they moved to Maris Grove. "But we're people persons," Mona says. They immediately got involved in community life. 

Together they play shuffleboard and serve on Maris Grove's entertainment committee and the Players group's backstage crew. As Maris Grove ambassadors, they chat with and answer questions from guests who attend the community's sales luncheons.

Stan is an avid billiards player, and Mona attends water aerobics classes. She also volunteers at Treasure Chest, the campus resale shop. 

Because they spend little time at home, their two-bedroom, one-bath Fairmont apartment style suits their active schedule. 

Its eat-in kitchen was on the couple's list of desirable amenities. It let them leave behind their large dining room table. As a result, their great room functions as a formal "company room," ideal to welcome neighbors in for predinner drinks. 

When friends or extended family visit from Canada, where the Wilushes grew up, the group can dine in their choice of Maris Grove's on-site restaurants or private dining rooms.

If Mona and Stan decide to chill out at home after an especially active day, they prepare a light meal or pick up dinner to go from Maris Grove's Cardinal Express and eat it at their kitchen table. 

Then they retreat to the La-Z-Boy recliners in the den they converted from their second bedroom. The room also accommodates their TV, computer desk, and bookcases. Its spacious closet holds out-of-season clothing.

Health care on site

When the Wilushes moved from Delaware, they switched their primary doctors to Maris Grove staff physicians. The doctors practice in Maris Grove's on-site, full-service medical center and see only Maris Grove community members. 

Although the couple's children each live just an hour away, all of their other relatives live in Canada. So having their doctors right down the hall made sense to Stan and Mona. 

She considers the medical center a wonderful perk of living at Maris Grove. It provides peace of mind for them and their children both.


A home for life

The Benevolent Care Fund underpins Erickson Living's promise of a home for life by providing support to residents who, despite careful planning, experience an unforeseen change in their financial situation. 

Should they exhaust their resources, they can draw upon their 90% refundable entrance deposit. Should they exhaust that as well, the Benevolent Care Fund will enable them to continue living at Maris Grove in their home, among their friends. Maris Grove provides several options to protect their future. (Full details are in the Residence and Care Agreement.)

Stan and Mona Wilush believe in the fund so strongly that they've joined Maris Grove's Legacy Society and have pledged a certain amount of their entrance deposit as a planned gift to benefit the resident care fund. 

They've done so because they know from personal experience the peace of mind the resident care fund can provide. 

Close to home

Mona is an only child whose mother lived for 29 years in a continuing care retirement community in Canada; it had a somewhat similar financial structure to Maris Grove. Although Mona's mother maintained her pensions, when she died at age 103, she'd used up nearly all of her entrance deposit.

Throughout those 29 years, the Wilushes had peace of mind knowing that Mona's mother had a home for life.

Joining the Legacy Society lets Mona and Stan say thank you in advance for the peace of mind their children will have.

"Should we need additional care," says Mona, "it's a nice feeling to know we'll never have to call the kids and ask if we can move in with them because we can no longer live at Maris Grove. The peace of mind of a home for life is the best thing about living here."

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