Wichita Presbyterian Manor
MAY 2022
Assisted living resident’s Navy service was ‘tremendously fortunate’
Assisted living residents and ‘birthday twins’ met, became friends at Wichita Presbyterian Manor On March 2, Maralene Balthazar and Joanne Cross celebrated their first birthdays as residents of Wichita Presbyterian Manor. It was fitting, as the women have become the best of friends since Maralene moved in. Birthday twins Maralene Balthazar and Joanne Cross Joanne heard that one of her new neighbors shared her Catholic faith, and she introduced herself. “We ate lunch together, and that was it,” Joanne said. The women have been close ever since. They enjoy walking and talking together and going on outings around town. “Sometimes Julia will take people on a joy ride to see the sights of Wichita,” Joanne said. On the way back, they’ll stop for an ice cream or root beer. “We talk about our faith sometimes and about our family a lot,” said Joanne, who has two children to Maralene’s six. “We laugh a lot, let’s put it that way,” Maralene said. The friends met at a difficult time in Maralene’s life. She moved into Presbyterian Manor last August after suffering a small stroke, and she was unhappy and out of sorts during her first few days. She had lived in her old home for 40 years, and she felt lost. “Then I got to know Joanne, and she made my day,” Maralene said. “She came along at the right time. She didn’t know it, but she picked me up and carried me for a while.” Joanne moved to Presbyterian Manor just a few months prior, but had already gotten to know people by volunteering to help with activities and other
Twins – continued on page 2
Assisted living resident Stuart Hutchison was a pilot in the Navy and Navy Reserves for more than 20 years.
In 1948, Stuart Hutchison graduated from high school in WaKeeney, Kan., and enlisted in the Navy. He had an older brother who was a Navy pilot, and Stuart wanted to go through the same training program. “I had always been crazy about airplanes,” he said. He began his training in Pensacola, Fla. Stuart learned to fly single-engine aircraft, an instructor sitting behind him with a second set of controls. Before he received his wings, Stuart had to take off and land on an aircraft carrier, six times each. At the end of his training in Pensacola, he had to decide whether to continue on with fighter jets or move to multiengine planes dedicated to searches and transport.
Veteran – continued on page 4
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