Brothers Help with Heavy Lifting
On Jan. 21, the temperatures outside were the coldest in two years. Inside the Brown Apartment building at the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, no one complained about the single digit wind chill, as a group of Masons from Spring-Ford Lodge No. 553, Royersford, helped one their members settle into his new home.
Warmness abounds inside the apartment since Brother Ken Nute moved to Masonic Village. The move took a lot of physical work, but it was the emotions that were the most challenging.
Ken and his wife, Marge, had been planning the move for over a year. When Holli Wise, Director of Sales and Marketing, showed them an available apartment, Marge jumped up and down, she was so excited.
“I constantly preach about the care provided at Masonic Village,” Brother Tim Pletcher, P.M. and P.D.D.G.M. – District 40, said. “I saw it first-hand with my mother-in-law. It always impresses me. The people who work here were put on this earth to do this work. They’re nice and kind and make sure everyone has what they need.”
As everything came together in October 2024, the marketing office at Masonic Village provided a move-date, and the couple began packing. Marge took care of a lot of the details, so everything would be ready to go on Jan. 21.
Marge would never see their new home. She passed away unexpectedly on Dec. 30. Ken was beside himself and didn’t know if he should or could still move.
Ken met Marge in between his two tours in Vietnam. Married after eight months of dating, they lived in California and Florida before retiring to Pennsylvania. They enjoyed traveling together to Europe.
An active member of Spring-Ford Lodge for about 10 years, Ken has been a Mason since 1980, following in the footsteps of his father. A 26-year Air Force veteran, he has been involved with Freemasonry around the country.
“I enjoy the friendship and the brotherly love,” Ken said. “I’ve met all kinds of people – lawyers, doctors, judges. In the lodge room, we’re all equals. If someone needs help, we help them. Everyone needs little help now and then.”
When his lodge brothers heard about Marge’s passing, they rallied. The Spring-Ford “posse,” well known for their volunteerism, stepped in to help: Brothers Bill Seal, P.M.; Tim; Gary Pletcher, P.M.; and Barry Millard, P.M., Secretary.
“When you get chosen to be a District Deputy Grand Master, it’s because you’re a leader,” Barry said. “There’s no blueprint. Tim formed a posse, and we travel together. If a brother in our lodge or district calls for help, it doesn’t take long to round up the posse.”
Not one of them hesitated to take off work and drive 75 miles to Elizabethtown to help their brother. They unloaded the moving van and set up his new apartment, including stocking his kitchen with groceries.
“I came to help Brother Ken, and I wanted to see Masonic Village for the first time,” Bill said.
“I took an oath and obligation to help a brother in need,” Gary said. “This is Freemasonry and what it’s supposed to be.”
“This is the place to come,” Ken said of Masonic Village. “I’ve had a lot of people help me. If I need anything, all I have to do is call.”
As he copes with all the changes in his life, Ken is appreciative of the friends, old and new, he’s made at Masonic Village, thanks to his Masonic ties and his lodge brothers.
“You can’t experience the camaraderie sitting in the corner,” Barry said. “We don’t just talk the talk; we walk the walk.”
