Wichita Presbyterian Manor
Living out ‘response ability’ NOVEMBER 2021
New assisted living resident spent a lifetime building machines, restoring cars Wayne Orr’s father inspired his interest in restoring old cars. His father gave him a Ford Model A to get him started, and Wayne went on to work on the restoration of about seven more. The new resident of the assisted living neighborhood at Wichita Presbyterian Manor grew up on a farm in Fall River, Kan. When he was 14, his family moved to Wichita. Wayne finished his education at East High School and graduated with a machinist’s certificate.
Wayne worked on cars he didn’t own, too. Here he’s pictured standing by one of the oldest cars he’s ever helped restore, a 1919 Ford Model A.
He began a long career with Blanchat Machine Company at the age of 15, after the owner called the high school to ask if there were any experienced students who might be interested in machine work.
By Mary Bridges, chaplain NOTE: Our featured chaplain for November is Mary Bridges, chaplain at Salina Presbyterian Manor. Each month, we share a devotion from one of the chaplains around the PMMA® system in a nod to our faith-based roots in the Presbyterian Church.
My father, Henry, was an eighth-grade graduate and smarter than anyone I have known. He was a lifelong Lutheran. He did not verbalize his faith or quote scripture; he simply lived it, every day. He cared for my grandmother when she lived alone. She was eventually diagnosed with dementia and moved into a nursing home. My father continued to visit her, even though she didn’t recognize him and no longer spoke. My father loved the land. After he retired from active farming, he leased a small amount of land north of Russell on Salt Creek. There he had a huge garden, and he shared his garden produce with everyone. One year, he raised turkeys. That November, he and my mom cleaned and dressed more than 20 turkeys, which my father distributed to family, friends, and people he knew were struggling. He reserved one of those turkeys for a man who stopped to help my father change a tire earlier that year. That Thanksgiving season, and every day, my father exercised what the Rev. Richard J. Fairchild calls our “response ability” that is the result of His goodness.
Wayne says everyone enjoys riding in this 1930
Restorations – Model A roadster, which he sold to his daughter for continued on page 2 the grand total of $2.
Response ability – continued on page 4
Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at WichitaPresbyterianManor.org/covid-19.
1