Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio

Despite the overcast day, the sunshine finally came and over 200 people came to Maple Crest on June 6 for its annual fishing derby.

It was a great time of fun, food and fellowship for Maple Crest residents and their families as well as Maple Crest staff and their families. Aaron Siders, husband of Maple Crest's Joy Siders, caught the biggest fish this year - a catfish that was 23 inches long.

The prize for the smallest fish this year went to two people, Lizzie Helser and Stas Maksimov, who tied with each catching a 4 inch fish. 

A beautiful tenor voice floated out through the Maple Crest halls last Friday afternoon as Luis Torres led a hymn sing for residents. 

His wife, Pearl, accompanied the singers on the grand piano. Luis and Pearl, from Puerto Rico, are personally connected with Bluffton and with the Maple Crest community. 

In the 1940s, several Mennonite couples from Bluffton served under the Civilian Public Service program in a hospital in Puerto Rico and made an initial contact with Luis’ church. 

In honor of the May Older Americans’ Month theme of “Unleash the Power of Age,” Bessie Bassitt, a retiree of Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio, Bluffton, volunteered at Maple Crest last week and demonstrated the art of arranging live floral bouquets. 

Bassitt’s mother loved flowers and instilled in her daughter the knack for growing them.  Perhaps, too, Bassitt’s 35 years as a beautician, (before her 11 years at Mennonite Memorial Home in the activities department), gave her the eye for symmetry and style necessary for flower arranging. 

Maple Crest ladies and their guests were treated to a Far East Garden Tea on May 16, surrounded by the beauty of living flowers and plants from the Stratton Greenhouses and Asian décor from the Bluffton Et Cetera Shop and the Findlay China Rose Restaurant. 

Elaborately arranged focal points and photo spots were designed by volunteers Janette Reineke, Sandy Schroll and Marilyn Shelly. 

The afternoon began with refreshments that included vegetarian spring rolls with duck sauce from the China Wok Restaurant in Bluffton and authentic Japanese Green Tea from Alice Ramseyer.