When new residents move into The Heritage of Green Hills, they bring with them rich life stories and remarkable talents. Once they’ve settled in, they soon discover that the senior living community’s maintenance-free lifestyle gives them the time, tools, and inspiration to continue pursuing the passions that matter most to them.
Dr. Ron Martin, who lives in the Personal Care neighborhood in the community’s Care Center, uses his spare time to create delicately carved wooden birds — lifelike works of art that reflect both a lifetime of skill and a deep appreciation for the natural world.
Martin’s journey through life has been full of dynamic changes. After graduating from the College of William & Mary, he served as a Naval Aviator. Long deployments were made to Panama, and coastal North and South Vietnam. The experience offered both challenge and camaraderie, shaping the discipline and steady focus that would define his later career.
Following his military service, Martin earned his dental degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine before completing a residency in oral surgery. He spent more than three decades practicing in Reading and serving patients at Reading Hospital, performing complex reconstructive procedures and being on call for emergency trauma cases.
After retiring, Martin finally had the time to explore a creative pursuit that had long fascinated him. Family vacations to the Outer Banks had introduced him to the graceful movement of pelicans and shorebirds, sparking a desire to capture their forms in wood. Starting from scratch, he began carving birds from soft tupelo wood using modified dental handpieces — an ingenious way to transfer surgical precision into artistic expression.
Today, his intricate carvings include a red-tailed hawk, a peregrine falcon, and an osprey — each carefully shaped, painted with both brush and airbrush techniques, and then mounted on pieces of driftwood. A single large carving can take more than 100 hours to complete. Martin does not sell his work; instead, he creates for the joy of the process and plans to pass his pieces down to his children.
In his bright apartment, surrounded by works in progress and finished carvings, he continues to shape wings and feathers — perhaps inspired, he admits with a smile, by memories of his days flying Navy planes.
Life at The Heritage of Green Hills has made it possible for Martin to continue pursuing his art while enjoying peace of mind. After experiencing a few unforeseen medical issues, his daughter urged him to consider a retirement community. “She wanted to make sure that I always had someone around, looking out for me,” Martin explains.
At The Heritage’s Care Center, he has found attentive support, engaging surroundings, and a warm sense of connection.
“The staff here is absolutely wonderful,” he says. “Both the administrative staff and the staff on the floors who actually do the caring for people are excellent. They help with anything you need, and they’re always checking to make sure you’re doing well.”
Learn More
The Heritage is a full-service retirement community set on a beautiful 78-acre campus in Shillington, PA. Independent living residents and their families enjoy the security of knowing that they have access to additional levels of care, should they be needed, in the community’s state-of-the-art Care Center, which also accepts new residents directly.
To schedule a personal tour and see if The Heritage is right for you or a loved one, visit https://heritageofgreenhills.com or call 484-269-5100.