When you sit with Mary Kay Vanhooser, you get the sense she has lived several lifetimes in one. The conversation drifts easily, from Waynesboro to Virginia Beach, from Celtic pilgrimages to the quiet joy of watching squirrels in the yard. Every story is told with warmth and wit, each memory stitched to the next with gentle self-awareness.
“I moved to Summit Square about a year ago,” she begins, “because I wanted to make the choice before someone else had to make it for me.” After her husband passed away five years ago, she spent four more years in their home down the hill on Crompton Road. “The time felt right,” she says. “I had seen what happens when families wait too long. I wanted to spare my children that experience and also do what made sense for me.”
She pauses, then laughs. “Of course, I would have preferred to stay in the house, taking care of the yard, the chipmunks, the rabbits, the squirrels, all those rascals. But I knew better. I could tell I was getting older. I no longer wanted to clean and scrub every corner.”
Now, in her cozy apartment at Summit Square, she has created a home that reflects her life—colorful, creative, and full of meaning. She still tidies up, though one of the housekeepers helps with the vacuuming. “I take care of everything else,” she smiles. “The arrangement works beautifully.”
Born in Waynesboro and raised partly in Staunton, Mary Kay proudly shares that she was “the first in my family to go to college.” She attended Longwood, back when the campus welcomed only women, and earned her degree in English with a bit of art mixed in. That blend of words and creativity shaped much of her life.
Her first teaching job was in Virginia Beach. “I had a choice between Alaska and Virginia Beach,” she recalls. “I had been to the beach before but had never seen Alaska. The ocean called to me, so I chose the waves.” There, surrounded by the rhythm of tides and military life, she met her husband, who served in the Navy.
Teaching opened the door to another chapter that merged art and entrepreneurship. “By chance, I met a woman who ran a frame shop. I learned everything—how to make frames, how to order from around the world, how to run a business.” What began as part-time work became a calling that lasted thirty years.
Her shops in Mint Spring and later in Staunton became gathering places, not just for customers but for community. “People loved coming in to watch us work,” she says. “We were a team of women who worked part-time, doing what we loved. We laughed, we talked. Those were joyful years.”
When she finally closed the shop at age seventy-three, the choice came from reflection, not regret. “I loved every bit of that chapter,” she says softly. “But I had watched others wait too long to make changes. I wanted to make my own decisions while I still could.”
In between, travel filled her life with wonder. With a small group from Harrisonburg, she explored France, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales on what she describes as ancient Celtic pilgrimages. “We were not tourists,” she explains. “We traveled with purpose. The journeys were spiritual and earthy. They reminded me that human beings belong to the earth, the sky, and the animals. Everything connects.”
That belief, more spiritual than religious, is something she carries close to her heart. Once Catholic, she now calls herself “a Celtic,” smiling as she explains the distinction. “Faith for me is not about rules or rituals,” she says. “Faith is about remembering who we are and where we stand. The Romans wanted power. The Celtics wanted connection. I would rather live connected.”
At Summit Square, Mary Kay fills her days with energy and joy. Three mornings each week, she participates in exercise classes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she practices tai chi at Augusta Fitness. “Balance is essential as we age,” she says. “One misstep can change everything, so I do my best to stay steady.” Saturdays bring a knitting circle led by a neighbor down the hall, a time she treasures for “conversation and creativity.” On Sundays, she joins a small group for poetry. “The poetry group keeps evolving,” she says. “The freedom and imagination in new poetry inspire me.”
Ask her how she feels about this season of life, and her answer comes with honesty and grace. “I am living the way I should live. I am still myself. My memory sometimes slips, but curiosity remains. I am still here, still learning.”
For Mary Kay Vanhooser, life has always revolved around connection, curiosity, and care. “No one needs to be just like me,” she laughs. “I could not stand that! But everyone needs to love something. That is what matters most. Love something and take care of whatever you love.”
