June 6, 2024
In 2004, Olga Leonard, an 80-year-old Trinity Village resident in Papillion, Nebraska, entrusted packets of garden seeds to her retirement community for safekeeping and longevity.
The seeds were carefully wrapped, bagged, wrapped again in tin foil, and placed in a 2-foot-long PVC pipe. This time capsule, containing Olga's seeds and other donated items from Trinity Village's original residents and staff, was sealed and buried in the garden next to the community's back patio. A cement marker was placed to identify the spot, inscribed with:
Immanuel Trinity Village & Terrace
Time Capsule
Buried May 2004 to be opened May 2024
Twenty years later, Olga, now 100 years old, watched as Trinity Maintenance Staff Member Bob Incontro unearthed the time capsule. The event was a joyous occasion for residents, family members, and Immanuel staff, featuring a special dinner with dishes popular 20 years ago.
Tammy Sealer, Immanuel's Chief Development Officer and Trinity's original Executive Director, shared stories about the community's early days, its development on donated farmland, and its opening in 2000. She highlighted the partnership between Trinity Lutheran Church and Immanuel, establishing Trinity Village as Immanuel's prototype "spiritual model" of senior housing.
The time capsule's contents brought back many memories for residents and staff. Items included:
- Photos of former residents and staff
- Olga's garden seeds
- A mug from an Immanuel volunteer appreciation event
- A seashell from Florida
- A copy of Immanuel's senior living marketing book
- A 2003 Nebraska Husker Football schedule
- A 1930 quarter
- A handmade rosary
- A Nebraska driver's manual
- A small flag
- A pocket-sized Holy Bible
- A wall hanging
- A notebook filled with hand-written memories of Trinity Village
- A phone book
- Staff and resident directories
- A resident-created newsletter
"Trinity Village will always have a special place in my heart," Tammy told the crowd.
Both Tammy and Trinity's current Executive Director, Lyndsey Engel, emphasized the strong community spirit and the lasting memories created at Trinity Village.
"Immanuel is always changing, and Trinity is changing," Tammy said. "It's going to be fun to come back to this community in a year or two."
The time capsule event at Trinity Village celebrated the past and strengthened the bonds within the community, promising a vibrant future ahead.
