Homewood

A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Nov. 5 for the opening of Woodlands Apartments at Homewood at Williamsport Retirement Center. The building was the former nursing home, which was built in 1951. It has been renovated into 35 independent-living apartments. Active seniors can experience maintenance-free living in apartments and cottages now and priority access to assisted living, rehabilitation, nursing and dementia care on-site when needed.

marlob@herald-mail.com WILLIAMSPORT - Maizy had a great time at her recent Welcome Aboard party at Homewood at Williamsport. They served all her favorites - cake, chips, and dog biscuits. Maizy, a 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, now calls the retirement village home. Homewood adopted the dog from the Humane Society of Washington County. "The residents on the second floor of the nursing home decided they wanted a dog," said Ruth Freshman, a registered nurse and unit coordinator.

Homewood at Williamsport held trick or treat for the staff children in the health-care center.

Homewood at Williamsport MD Inc. has requested help from Washington County in financing the costs of a renovation project at its Williamsport, Md., nursing facility. Homewood has asked the Board of County Commissioners to agree to issue up to $9.9 million in bonds and loan the proceeds to Homewood, according to a report accompanying the commissioners' meeting agenda for Tuesday. A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., during the commissioners' meeting. Federal and state laws allow the county to issue tax-exempt bonds and loan the proceeds to a borrower, Lindsey A. Rader, the county's bond council, told the commissioners during an Oct. 25 briefing on the Homewood request.

Helen Clark recently celebrated her 100th birthday with family and friends at Homewood at Williamsport. She lives in an independent-living apartment at Homewood, where she enjoys hobbies such as knitting, embroidery and crossword puzzles.   Clark was born Jan. 4, 1912, in Jersey City, N.J., and was the third child of six in her family. She recalls many important events throughout her life and vividly remembers the headline “Lusitania Ship Sinks.”  She also remembers a trip she took with her grandmother when she was 5 years old.  Her uncle was a sailor going to Germany during World War I and they stood along the Hudson River to wave as his ship passed.

WILLIAMSPORT - Wanda and Bill Beckner attended a teddy bear exhibit at Homewood in late February with Wanda's three remaining bears. She donated most of her bear collection to needy children in the Winchester, Va., area before moving to Homewood with her husband on Jan. 1. Bill Beckner, a retired ophthalmologist, practiced medicine for many years before moving to Winchester. They are glad to be back, renewing acquaintance with old friends and making new ones.

By MARLO BARNHART Staff Writer A power outage coupled with a generator failure sent fire and rescue personnel to Homewood at Williamsport Friday morning with emergency oxygen supplies. "The generator did start but then it shut off and wouldn't restart," said Assistant Halfway Fire Chief Jeff Ringer. "There wasn't enough juice in the batteries to get it going again. " Homewood Executive Director Richard Lenehan said the generator failed. Williamsport ambulance and fire personnel responded along with Halfway shortly after the 6:38 a.m. call to Homewood at 16505 Virginia Ave. "We had 19 oxygen units and used them to serve 13 patients in the main building," said Williamsport Ambulance Chief Dave Hays.

marlob@herald-mail.com WILLIAMSPORT - Milt Fuchsman had been living at Homewood at Williamsport for five years before he knew he and fellow resident Joe Webb were in the same battle in North Africa during World War II. "We talk about that often now," said Fuchsman, 81. "It's a memory we share. " With approximately 75 U.S. military veterans living at Homewood, there is a sense of that common bond. But most of the veterans who gathered Tuesday to remember Veterans Day said they rarely talk about the horrors of war. "Instead, we often tell the funny stories about things that happened to us," said Maury Werth, 86. Werth spent 35 of his first 52 years in the military.

Veterans Day is set aside to recognize the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. The date is traditionally on the 11th day of the 11th month and corresponds with the signing of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. Tuesday, Nov. 15 Homewood at Williamsport will host a Veterans Day luncheon at noon, followed by a memorial service and program. Memorabilia on loan from Homewood veterans will be on display in the showcase window throughout the month of November.

WILLIAMSPORT - At Homewood at Williamsport, the joy of quilting is best exemplified in the living room of the health care center, where you'll find women of all ages surrounding an old-fashioned quilt frame, with each woman working on her section of the quilt. The quilters, made up of residents, volunteers and some staff members, are busy adding stitches and squares to the queen-sized quilt that will be on display in the new health care center currently under construction on the Homewood campus.

Nathalie A. Peterson Zuck, 94, of Hagerstown, died Sunday, May 26, 2013, at Homewood at Williamsport. The service will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rest Haven Funeral Chapel, Hagerstown. Burial will follow at Rest Haven Cemetery.

Eleanor Burr Miller, 93, of 16505 Virginia Ave., Williamsport, Md., and formerly of Venice, Fla., passed away Monday, March 11, 2013, at Homewood at Williamsport. Born Friday, Sept. 19, 1919, in Charles Town, W.Va., she was the daughter of the late Charles Milton Burr Sr. and the late Ethel (Rogers) Burr. She was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence E. "Woodie" Miller, in 1983. She was of the Methodist faith, and a former deputy county clerk of the county court of Jefferson County, W.Va.

Margaret (Beale) Taylor, 101, of Williamsport, Md., passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, at Homewood at Williamsport. Born Nov. 30, 1911, in Salisbury, Md., she was the daughter of the late Rev. Wilson T.M. Beale and Mary (Harlan) Beale. She was a member of Falling Waters Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her grandchildren, Richard R. Taylor, of Arcadia, Mich., John Taylor, of North Carolina, and Elizabeth Fox, of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, John Wilson Taylor.

Frances Virginia Campbell, 99, of Hagerstown, Md., passed away Monday, Dec. 24, 2012, at Homewood of Williamsport. Born July 2, 1913 in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of the late Willouby Daniel and Ella (Hoffman) Coffman. She retired as a secretary for the Washington County Board of Education, having worked at the Howard Street School, Antietam School, Surrey School, and North and South high schools. She was a member of First Christian Church, Hagerstown and Downsville. She is survived by a son, Thomas W. Campbell Jr., and wife, Pamela, of Huntsville, Ala.; a daughter, Ella M. Mose of Sharpsburg, Md.; six grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

John "Jack" Freeman Chisholm Jr., 77, formerly of Cumberland, Md., and residing in Gaithersburg, Md., passed away Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Rockville, Md. He had been a resident of Homewood at Williamsport, Williamsport, Md., for several years. Born Nov. 3, 1935, in Cumberland, Mr. Chisholm was the son of the late John Freeman Chisholm Sr. and Mary Helena (Adams) Chisholm. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. Jack retired from Allegany College of Maryland and was a member of Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, Cumberland.

Jewel Banks Hicks, age 92, of Williamsport, Md., and formerly of Maugansville, Md., passed away Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, at Homewood of Williamsport under the loving care of the staff of Homewood and Hospice of Washington County. Born Wednesday, July 14, 1920, in Stanly County, N.C., she was the daughter of the late J. Homer Mauldin and the late Daisy (Barbee) Mauldin. She was preceded in death by her husband, Glen D. Hicks, in 1994. She was formerly employed with Dorby Dress Manufacturing.

A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Nov. 5 for the opening of Woodlands Apartments at Homewood at Williamsport Retirement Center. The building was the former nursing home, which was built in 1951. It has been renovated into 35 independent-living apartments. Active seniors can experience maintenance-free living in apartments and cottages now and priority access to assisted living, rehabilitation, nursing and dementia care on-site when needed.

Homewood at Williamsport held trick or treat for the staff children in the health-care center.

June Palmer (Mahone) Kunkleman, 87, formerly of Hagerstown, Md., died Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, at Homewood at Williamsport, Williamsport, Md. Born Feb. 23, 1925 in Charlottesville, Va., she was the daughter of the late William Linwood and Inez Kathleen (Moore) Mahone. She was the wife of the late Benjamin Franklin Kunkleman, who died Feb. 21, 1999. Upon her high school graduation, June attended Madison College, Harrisonburg, Va., where she obtained a bachelor of arts degree in education.

Myrtle Mae Stanfield White, 101, of Falling Waters, W.Va., died Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012, at Homewood at Williamsport. Family will receive friends Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home, Martinsburg, W.Va. The service will be Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Harmony United Methodist Church. Burial will be in Harmony Cemetery. Arrangements are by Brown Funeral Home.