One of Gertrude (Trudy) Virginia Chedister’s earliest memories is of caring for her siblings. Nearly a century has passed since that time. Now 100 years old, Trudy proved to be a natural caregiver, and she still puts the needs of others first.

Born in Salem, West Virginia, Trudy was the second of nine children in her family. As she grew up, she became a caretaker for her younger siblings. “I helped take care of the children under me, and I loved that job,” Trudy remembered. While her older sister preferred to spend her time reading, Trudy always welcomed the opportunity to care for her siblings. “I ended up taking care of the children the most because my older sister didn’t like it, and I really did,” she explained.

“Everybody here is my friend. And I’m a friend to everybody, and I
help people when I can.”

Trudy’s partiality for child care served her well later in life. “I happened to make a good wife when I got married,” she smiled as she recalled. “And I had three children, and I’m proud of them all.”

When Trudy was widowed at just 46 years old, she became the sole caregiver for her two younger children. “Mom moved back to where her parents lived and bought a house after she was widowed,” recalled Trudy’s eldest daughter, Jo Ellen Covell. “I was 18 at the time, but my sister was 11 and my brother was 5. She raised them by herself.”

While parenting on her own was undeniably challenging at times, Trudy always remained positive. “My husband was very good, but the Lord helped me get through losing him, and I’m still going,” she said.

Judging by the deep devotion she has inspired in her children, Trudy did a lot more than just survive; she thrived. “She gave us a wonderful life,” said Jo Ellen. “She was the best mother anyone could have ever had. She cared for us. She taught us things. We owe her so much.”

As her kids grew up and Trudy grew older, she was determined to never be a burden on her family. She also wanted to plan her own retirement, so she took the initiative and moved to an assisted living community near her long-time home in West Virginia when she was 85.

Trudy enjoyed the fact that she no longer had to worry about lawn or home maintenance, and she was happy in her new home. However, after a few years, Jo Ellen convinced her to move to be closer to family. “We wanted to see her more often and be close enough to help out more,” Jo Ellen said.

Jo Ellen started searching for an assisted living community in Winchester, Va., near both her home and her sister’s. “I looked at every place in the whole area, and I brought Mom to see the ones I hadn’t eliminated,” she recalled. “We knew we wanted The Willows at Meadow Branch, but they had a waiting list.” Just weeks after placing their name on the waiting list, the family was surprised to get a call from The Willows informing them of an opening.

That was nearly 13 years ago, and Trudy has made the most of her life at The Willows. From sitting on the large front porch in the summer to participating in a range of activities throughout the year, she takes advantage of everything that community life has to offer.

“I really love everything about The Willows,” Trudy said. “They are so good to me, and they meet my needs, whatever they might be.”

Of course, for a person who has always loved others, getting to know so many new people is one of the perks of her new home. “Everybody here is my friend,” Trudy smiled as she said. “And I’m a friend to everybody, and I help people when I can.”

For Trudy’s family, having her close by has been wonderful. “It’s so amazing that I can stop in and see her anytime, even if it is just for 15 minutes,” Jo Ellen said.

Their close family ties have served Trudy and her children well. “I think it’s essential to maintain a strong connection to your parent,” Jo Ellen explained. “People who don’t see their parents are missing a blessing because they have a lot of wisdom to share and a lot of encouragement and love to give.”

Beyond the close proximity, Trudy’s family also benefits from the security of knowing that their mother — who dedicated so much of her life to caring for others — is well cared for at The Willows. “The staff here is just amazing,” said Jo Ellen. “They keep in touch with me and give me updates. They offer advice about how to handle things and will even suggest I should call her doctor.”

Gertrude Chedister is a natural caregiver who always put the needs of others first. Today, her family benefits from the security of
knowing that she is well cared for at The Willows at Meadow Branch.

Still a natural caregiver, Trudy modestly underestimates how much she has given to her family and friends. “I just tried to treat everybody like I’d like to be treated,” she said of her life of service. “I also asked forgiveness if I needed to, and I helped anybody anyway I saw that I could.”

Trudy’s simple ideals and positive nature are perhaps best exemplified by her poetry. A lifelong lover of plays and poetry, she commemorated her move to The Willows with a short but poignant poem:

“I moved to The Willows to enjoy life.

No more packing, moving or strife.

The next time I move, I won’t have to pack.

I’ll just follow Jesus and never look back.”

Trudy is certainly enjoying everything life at The Willows has to offer. And, true to form, she continues to give all that she can to her new friends and neighbors. After all, Trudy’s second century of caring just began.

Mr. Saunders grew up in a coal mining camp in West Virginia. His father was a miner and later a mine foreman, who encouraged Herbert to leave home and get an education. “He didn’t want the same lifestyle he had for his children. It was such a hard life, and he knew that. I didn’t want any part of it either, and that was really motivating for me,” recalls Mr. Saunders. The dismal opportunities offered in the coal camps back home helped Herbert to remain focused in school. Quite the athlete, he went to college on an athletic scholarship and earned eight letters in various sports. Later, he was selected for the Lynchburg College Sports Hall of Fame. During college, he met his future wife, Augusta, and they were married at the end of his freshman year.

After graduating, Mr. Saunders and his wife moved to the D.C. Metro area. He got a job teaching in Prince William County, which was the beginning of 40 years of service to the county school system. Before becoming the principal of Garfield High School, Mr. Saunders taught math, science, history, and economics. In order to supplement his income, he also coached football, basketball, and baseball. In fact, he established and coached the first football team in the county.

While working as the Director of Personnel for Prince William County, the school board named Saunders Middle School in his honor. Once he left his position as Director of Personnel, Mr. Saunders never left the school system. He later served as the Director of Superintendent of Schools. After retiring in 1975, he was appointed by the Board of Supervisors to the Prince William School Board for a full term of four years.

Like most life-long educators, Mr. Saunders most enjoyed “seeing how the children grow up and what kind of people they turn out to be.” He attests, “That’s what it’s all about for school teachers!” This explains why Mr. Saunders spent a significant amount of time keeping up with his former students by attending reunions or just stopping to chat whenever he ran into them, which was quite often.

Just a few months ago, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders began to consider their long-term care options, since they both were starting to experience some health problems. Mr. Saunders explains, “My wife had dementia very badly, so we knew it was time to move on to the next stage of our lives, which would involve some level of care. We wanted to move ahead of time instead of waiting, so that we would have a choice of the place. I also have early stage dementia and Parkinson’s disease, so we needed a place where we could move from one level of care to another.”

The couple was careful to make the decision process a family affair: “We had a pow-wow with our two daughters, our daughter’s husband, two of our six great-grandchildren, and my wife and me. We discussed the options, and we decided unanimously to move to Potomac Place.” Potomac Place, a retirement community offering independent and assisted living in Woodbridge, VA, was the couple’s first choice primarily because of its desirable location. “We did not want to leave Prince William County. We’d been here for 63 years, and we wanted to stay. Financially speaking, Potomac Place was very attractive as well. Also, once we came to visit, the administrative was so wonderful; they were all so personable, nice, and courteous. They really made us feel welcome and were so helpful while we were moving,” Mr. Saunders points out.

Since moving, Mr. Saunders has continued to be impressed by the level of service offered by the staff at Potomac Place. He has also really enjoyed meeting other residents and making new friends. While he has remained very independent, he is impressed by all the various social activities offered at the community, including his favorite-ice cream socials.

Mr. Saunders, who until recently has faithfully served several generations of students, has now found the perfect place to relax. For him, what matters most is that some of his former students learn from his example: “I went back and talked with the kids at Saunders Middle School about setting goals and how important that is. Take my own for instance: I wanted to get out of the coal camps, and that led me to do so much. You have to keep setting goals. I just hope that I have inspired some of the kids.” Undoubtedly, Mr. Saunder’s life has helped many of the students at Saunders Middle School to see what is possible with hard work and dedication. There is no doubt that his legacy will live on, not only in the sign in front of his middle school but also in the hearts and minds of the thousands of students who spent time in his classrooms. Mr. Saunders is one senior who will certainly always be in school.