Nancy Van Wormer, President

I was raised in a small town in central Ohio where my Dad was a history professor at Denison University. We had a small gentleman farm where we raised chickens, goats, turkeys and a few cows which I milked every day. I raised my family of two sons in a similar environment in Michigan.

Living on Whidbey Island takes me back to the peaceful, rural nature of my youth and I feel very much at home here and impressed with the caring, supportive community. My religious background is Quaker. I attended Westtown Quaker boarding school where community service had a strong emphasis. This desire to be of service has been with me all of my life and I look forward to serving on the board of an organization that serves the needs of others.

My professional life was varied. I have a Bachelors in Education and a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, MI. I was an elementary school teacher, middle school teacher and middle school counselor for thirty years. I taught parenting courses, conducted small groups, designed and constructed high ropes courses for the school district and was named teacher of the year for my efforts. My students supported me in carrying the torch for world peace which went around the world during Earth Week. I also practiced therapeutic massage therapy with my own office for fifteen years and was an active pilot and flight instructor.

Since retirement and moving to Washington, I have served my new communities in several ways. I have been co-chair for the major bi-annual Spring find raiser at the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett. I have been financial chair for the forty-five year old Northwest Holiday Art Show in Edmonds. I have volunteered at Good Cheer Food Bank, have served as president of my P.E.O Chapter (An international, philanthropic, educational organization whose sole purpose is to provide scholarships and low interest student loans for women to pursue education.) and have recently begun to volunteer for Whidbey Blanket Makers in Langley.

South Whidbey@Home feels like a wonderful opportunity to become involved in another manner as I help others and receive help as well.

I have lived on the Island since 1984 and met my wife here a year later. She had two boys ages 2 and 4 and we have a daughter together. I am semi-retired doing home repairs and maintenance for customers, as my previous job was working in Oak Harbor for 27 years doing the same type work.

I have been on several Boards for the community starting with the Home Owners Association where we use to live, the South Whidbey Children's Center in Langley, and the Hearts & Hammers Board. I am a long-time volunteer for South Whidbey at Home, starting in 2016 when it first started and I have been doing mostly light repair work. I enjoy helping others by doing home repairs and maintenance so people can feel comfortable and safe in their homes.    

My wife, Mary Beth, and I moved to Whidbey Island from the western suburbs of Chicago in April of 2015.  We had been coming to the Pacific Northwest for several years prior to visit our two sons who had both relocated in the PNW, and we decided that in retirement we wanted to be in the same area.  In searching for where we wanted to put down roots, we found Whidbey Island and feel very fortunate and blessed to live in such a beautiful place with such a welcoming and caring community.  

Since moving to the island we have both been very active in a variety of ways at St. Hubert Catholic Church in Langley, and it has been the source of many friendships we have on the island.

The home we purchased has an extensive landscape garden that keeps me busy.  To ensure that I would be a good steward of the garden, I joined the Island County Master Gardener’s group, and worked with them for several years helping to organize their annual Whidbey Gardening Workshop event.

Having come from the very flat Midwest, I particularly enjoy getting out into the beautiful forests and mountain areas of the Pacific Northwest.  So every Wednesday is set aside to join a group of men who hike on the Island and venture into the Cascades and Olympic mountains as time allows.

When South Whidbey at Home was launched in 2016, I was very appreciative of the idea of helping older people to age in place, as that is what we hope to do.  So, we joined SW@Home as both a member and as a volunteer.  I have helped with light maintenance at members homes, light gardening tasks, and helping those who have trouble with their Apple computers.  I have enjoyed these opportunities to meet and serve others in our community, and I look forward to working with the SW@Home board to help the organization fulfill its vision of helping members age in place.

Susan Edwards has lived here on Whidbey for 2 years. She moved here from the Portland, Oregon area to be close to her son and his family, after retiring from teaching computer classes at 2 different community colleges in Oregon for a total of 20 years. She moved to Oregon in 1991 from Arbor, Michigan where she went to school and was the Director of three different preschools over the space of 12 years. She was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, attended University of Colorado, and graduated with a BS Educ degree from University of Michigan.

She has served on a number of Boards over the years – in both education and social action realms.

Susan currently teaches computer classes online, takes care of her 5-year-old grand-daughter, writes technical manuals, and edits and indexes non-fiction books. She loves to sing with the Circle Singers choir in Langley that is co-led by her son, David Edwards. She enjoys solo performing, doing Improv with friends, walking the forest hills near her home and reading historical fiction.

Margaret Andersen, Board Member

Andy Monetti, Board Member