Home for All: Mari de Villa

Mari de Villa, the senior living campus in Town & Country, was founded on a shoestring by Joseph and Georgana Linneman. It opened its doors to a single guest during a snowstorm in 1960 and Joseph, who couldn’t afford to have the driveway plowed, carried that guest across the threshold himself. So this is no ordinary retirement center. This is home–a community that welcomes residents and their families as if they were its own. That atmosphere is set by the Wiesehan family: Fred Wiesehan and his wife Mary Kay have owned Mari de Villa for the past 33 years. Their children grew up there, and now work alongside their father.

Residents Corky Kinyon and Bob Latta, both of whom had parents here, say that moving in themselves was mostly an easy decision. “Leaving the home we built and loved was hard,” Kinyon says. “But because of my mother and father’s experience, we knew Mari de Villa was where we wanted to be. Everyone is so kind and warm.” Kinyon, who resides in the same villa his parents lived in, says it’s the little things that make Mari de Villa feel like home—from the hot bowls of soup that arrived at his door one snowy day to the green ties Wiesehan distributes to gentlemen residents for St. Patrick’s Day dinner. “They think of everything,” he says. Latta adds that for days after he and his wife moved in, lunch and dinner were delivered to the house. He speaks highly of Wednesday night suppers and Sunday brunches served in the Club House. “They are excellent events for all the family, from rugrats on up,” Latta says.

Joe Evans, meanwhile, says he is the self-appointed social planner at Mari de Villa. He says he encouraged Wiesehan to buy a 15-seater motorcoach, and now residents travel in style to interesting restaurants, landmarks and entertainment spots—concerts at Touhill Performing Arts Center, for example, a show at The Fabulous Fox or dancing at Casa Loma Ballroom.

Wiesehan says Mari de Villa provides for the needs of every resident, whether it be an independent living villa in one of the 54 condominium-style units (ranging in size from 1,000 to 3,000 square feet, some with elevators and two-car garages), 24/7 nursing care, or support for those with memory loss and dementia in the specially-designed, 10-room terrace units. Not including the condominiums, the community has 224 beds. “We offer all levels of care in beautiful surroundings,” Wiesehan says, sweeping his arm around the 20 lush acres, complete with pond and ducks.

So the ‘Children at Play’ sign out front says it all: Mari de Villa isn’t just about life in retirement, but life in all its stages. “It’s a safe, happy place,” Wiesehan says. “We accommodate everybody here.”

Mari de Villa, located at 13900 Clayton Road, is a senior living campus that offers all levels of care on its more than 22 acres. For more information,
call 636.227.5347 or visit maridevilla.com.

Pictured: Mari de Villa residents Corky Kinyon, Joe Evans, Baseball Hall-of-Famer Red Schoendienst, Bob Latta and Ted Drewes
Cover design by Julie Streiler | Photos courtesy of Mari de Villa