Honoring Lanita & Seasonal Highlights

Tuesday would have been the 75th birthday of Dr. Lanita Witt—beloved cofounder of Willow-Witt Ranch, who died in December 2022. As we mark 40 years of life and work at this special place, we pause to honor Lanita’s laughter, her life, and her legacy of care.

Lanita was a gifted physician and healer. As a pelvic reconstructive surgeon, she established the first center dedicated to urogynecology in Southern Oregon at Providence Medford Medical Center. Her work gave dignity and independence back to women who had been living in silence and pain—some unable to leave their homes for years until her care helped them regain continence, mobility, and confidence. She delivered babies, performed life-changing surgeries, and championed the truth that women’s health deserves respect and attention at every stage of life. For countless families in the Rogue Valley, Lanita’s skill and compassion left a lasting mark.

Lanita was also a farmer, a listener, and a steward. When she and Suzanne purchased this piece of land in 1985, they had no formal farming experience—only curiosity, courage, and deep commitment. Together, they learned the language of ecosystems: how forests breathe, how wetlands heal, how meadows bloom when tended with care. Side by side, Lanita and Suzanne restored 76 acres of wetlands and meadows, planted over 15,000 willows and 4,000 trees, and nurtured habitats where western pond turtles, pollinators, and migratory birds could return and thrive.

Their shared vision extended beyond the ranch itself. Lanita helped to found The Crest, our nonprofit educational organization, whose mission is to cultivate the integral connection between people and nature—reminding us that humans are inseparable from the air, soil, food, forest, and water on which life depends.

Lanita’s legacy is woven into this land: in the turtles basking on the pond platforms, in the birdsong that greets each dawn, in every child who learns outdoors, and in every woman whose life was restored by her care. She herself now rests here, in The Forest Conservation Burial Ground she helped envision. Her life’s work—caring for people and for the earth—continues as the land holds her in return.

We remember her with love, with gratitude, and with laughter—because Lanita always knew that laughter was medicine, too. Her 75th birthday reminds us that though her time was too short, her impact is enduring. The land, the people, and the future she cared for continue to carry her spirit forward.

With reverence and joy, we honor Dr. Lanita Witt