Salina Presbyterian Manor
Introducing Afton Buhrle
AUGUST 2022
Resident used municipal records, DNA test to find her birth family Mary Lee Arnold was adopted when she was an infant. After the death of her adoptive parents, she took steps to learn more about her birth family. Along the way, she acquired six “new” siblings! This is Mary Lee’s account of her investigation into her family history.
In May, Afton Buhrle became the new business office director at Salina Presbyterian Manor. But she was already familiar with the community, as her wife Lacey once served as the Afton Burhle life enrichment director for our community. “I like the fact that I’m in a position where I can help the residents here,” Afton said. “It gives meaning to the accounting that I do.”
For the past 35 years, I’ve wondered whether to start my story with my birth parents or my adoptive parents. I always knew I was adopted — it was just part of our family story. My brother Jeff was also adopted, though from different parents.
Mary Lee Arnold
I was born in Niagara Falls and adopted from an agency in Buffalo by a couple who were living in Charleston, West Virginia. My dad was a chemical engineer at the DuPont plant, and he and my mom had been married 10 years. Dad’s college roommate was the head of an adoption agency in Buffalo, and he knew my folks wanted children. He called them one day with the news that there was a baby girl available if they could be there within five days. They immediately took off for New York. Both of my parents were from small towns in western New York, and my grandfather was the dentist in the village of Franklinville. My parents picked me up in Buffalo, and my grandfather’s diary states that we all spent the night in that small town. Every summer after, until I was 17, we spent two weeks there enjoying visits with family and friends. I had a great childhood. I was given what I needed, but I certainly wasn’t spoiled. When I was 11 months old, I spilled a pot of hot coffee over my left
Adoption – continued on page 3
Afton’s previous job was in the accounts payable department for Central Care Cancer Center, where she worked for three years. Prior to that, she was the office manager for the Salina Planing Mill. Afton holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Bethany College in Lindsborg. She is originally from Elkhart, Kansas. In their free time, Afton and Lacey keep busy as foster parents who help care for children in need. They became certified as a foster family 18 months ago, and so far, they have cared for one child. Afton says she is grateful for her new position, and after a few weeks in the job, she’s settling in nicely. “Billing is the big kicker, but I’m getting the hang of it,” she said. “The residents have been super sweet and supportive, which has made this a really great transition for me.” u
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