A native of Lancaster County, Deb Musser grew up in Neffsville, attended Manheim Township High School, and later moved to Lititz. She’s proud of her many years working at Wilbur Chocolate Factory, but her greatest accomplishment is raising her two children and having four wonderful grandchildren.
When Deb shares about her life, gratitude is a common theme. Although she is very open about her challenging and difficult journey with Multiple Sclerosis, she does her best to focus on the positive things in her life. Deb married Philip “Flip” Musser, a coworker of hers at Wilbur, in 1992. As much as she loved working at Wilbur, she quit her job in 2010 due to health challenges. Deb and Flip spent the next seven years relaxing, traveling and enjoying hobbies together as much as they could, which was a huge blessing for Deb. The couple celebrated 25 years of marriage before she moved to the Health Center at Moravian Manor Communities in November 2017.
Deb loves reminiscing about her adventures with Flip … traveling to Algonquin, Canada and camping out under the stars; taking motorcycle trips; spending time each winter in Sarasota, FL with her parents; and traveling to various ski resorts with her husband’s family where the men enjoyed the slopes while she enjoyed sightseeing and shopping with Flip’s mother and sister. She and Flip also held season tickets for the Philadelphia Eagles, and they loved their Sunday travels to attend the games.
The couple also traveled to Kenya together after Flip did several years of missions/service work in the village of Musese. An unexpected connection brought it all to pass when their pastor at Lititz United Methodist church met Eric Wanga, a native of Kenya, through a church event. The pastor told Eric he always wanted to visit Kenya, so he and Eric arranged a trip and invited Flip to join them. Because it’s truly a small world, Deb and Flip soon realized that they had a previous connection with Eric, who had also worked at Wilbur, but in Mt. Joy. Flip absolutely loved that first trip and continued to return for several years. In 2016, Deb was able to join Flip and the couple saw Kenya together. After the service portion of the trip, they remained an extra week to enjoy a wonderful safari.
When Deb moved to MMC, she was happily surprised to learn that Jill Wanga, an activities’ staff member, is Eric Wanga’s sister-in-law! This connection, coupled with their shared experience of having traveled to the same tiny village across the ocean, has created a special bond between them.
At MMC, Deb enjoys spending time in the sun room putting together puzzles, occasionally working on her loom to make hats and scarves, sitting outside on the balcony while reading a good book, and attending favorite activities such as Bingo, Red Hat Society, and Prayer and Share group. She holds her memories close and does her best to remain grateful and laugh often. “Do things while you can,” Deb says. “Turn a difficult circumstance into something positive.”
