Family Reunion: Resident and Great-Granddaughter Call The Willows Home

Living Branches residents are referred to our communities many ways: friends and family, advertisements, a Google search. But only one resident has ever decided to join us after learning their great-granddaughter is a resident.

After applying to move into The Willows of Living Branches, JoAnn McDermott was talking to her great-granddaughter, Molly, who was just about to start her senior year as an equine science major at Delaware Valley University. Molly had just been accepted as the student in residence at The Willows – a fact JoAnn didn’t know when she toured The Willows.

“It was completely by coincidence,” Molly says. “I mentioned the position to my great-grandparents who had come over for the Fourth of July. I didn’t know when I applied that my great-grandmother was looking to move out of her house!”

“My family likes to joke that now they can visit us both at the same place,” Molly adds. “It’s been nice for [JoAnn] to have a family member here.”

As the student in residence at The Willows, Molly’s role is to bring intergenerational fun and fellowship to campus. Every day she dines with residents for at least one meal, and she spends time doing activities and programs with them each week.

But for Molly, the unplanned moments of joy and connection are the best part.

“It’s really nice getting back from school and saying hello to everyone,” she explains. “I love the little catch-ups and how easy everyone is to talk to. It’s that community feeling of knowing that everyone cares.”

Molly’s presence has been a blessing, too, for The Willows residents — and not just the one she’s related to. As a student of equine science, Molly loves to connect with residents who owned horses and other farm animals.

“Because my program is so hands-on, I always have interesting things to share with them,” she says. “Yesterday I spent the whole day doing blood draws with horses, and the residents loved hearing about that. They love telling me about their animals, too. I’m coming at it as a future professional, so their stories give me a more rounded perspective.”

As Molly waits to hear back from the veterinary schools to which she has applied, she looks forward to what her future career will hold. Even after she leaves in May 2025, The Willows will always be a second home that will welcome her back anytime she wants to visit.

“This is such a great program,” Molly says. “I have everyone here to support me, which is amazing, and I get to give back to them as well. It’s like a family here. Honestly, if I could stay forever, I would.”