Commun ty Matters Wichita Presbyterian Manor
December 2016
Trapped on Thanksgiving Holidays don’t always go as planned. Resident Gloria Bonwell shared this humorous memory of the year she took over Thanksgiving cooking duties. Carrying on Thanksgiving rituals and traditions was passed on to me when my mother-in-law no longer could be the worker in charge. I had some of her recipes but not her talent. I thawed the turkey, sprinkled seasonings on it and cooked it in the oven-ready plastic bag (my recipe). No sweet potato casserole covered with marshmallows or mashed-buttered-creamed Idaho white potato dish. I baked those taters in foil and served sides of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Grandma’s dressing recipe was carefully prepared.The jar of gravy warmed. My daughters made a tossed salad and set the table. Grocery store pies adorned the kitchen table. My sons kept everyone supplied with wine. Done. Dinner was almost ready. But I wasn’t. I ran upstairs to the bathroom to freshen TRAPPED continued on page 2
Meet Melody, our new marketing director Welcome to Melody Dodge,Wichita Presbyterian Manor’s new director of marketing and sales! Melody takes over the role from Jill Coleman, who will now serve in a regional role for Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America. Melody has had a long and varied career in marketing around the Wichita area. She most recently worked at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, and she said right away she could see similarities between the work she did there and her new role. “I always said that a lot of what I do is education,” she said. “Here, we’re MELODY, continued on page 6
TRAPPED continued from page 1
up, run a brush through my hair and put on lipstick. A last look in the mirror, and I was ready to serve my family. I grasped the bathroom door knob. It came off in my hand, the door still firmly shut. My sons and their dad, answering my call for help, scavenged screwdrivers from the junk drawer. “Don’t worry, Mom.We can do this.” Daughter Lisa climbed up over the back porch roof to the bathroom window carefully carrying a glass of wine for her nearly hysterical mother. I sipped while the men worked to free me. Before I finished my wine, the door swung open. I hurried to serve our dinner. Thanksgiving tradition: Family working together to help me!
Join us for our
ANNUAL HOLIDAY BAZAAR Saturday December 3 Commons Area 2 to 4 p.m. Be our guest for an afternoon of festive celebration! Come share the most wonderful time of year with your friends and family at Wichita Presbyterian Manor, where you can shop handcrafted gifts from local artisans and retailers, just in time for the season of giving. Complementary treats, cider and hot chocolate served. Vendors: Prairie Pilot’s Club Crafts Lisa’s Wood Creations Baileys Bead and Bows Cindi’s Hope Trudy’s This and That Manor residents Grammy’s Garage
Community Matters
is published monthly for residents and friends of Wichita Presbyterian Manor by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org. Dawn Veh, executive director Melody Dodge, marketing director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Amy Watson, life enrichment director, awatson@pmma.org.
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Telephone: 316-942-7456 Fax: 316-941-3806 Address: 4700 W. 13th St., Wichita, KS 67212-5575 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. WichitaPresbyterianManor.org
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Community Matters December 2016
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The Fabulous Funtastics The Funtastics performed at Wichita Presbyterian Manor’s chapel on Nov. 4. The group started in 1989 under the leadership of Imogene Fleming. The group is made up of seniors, most of whom are ages 80-89. They sing year round throughout Wichita and the surrounding area, mostly in retirement communities and churches. They take breaks in January, February, July and August. Members for 2016 are Evelyn Crammer (pianist), Phyllis Davis, Bernie Elrod, Jerri Garland, Bert Hess, Leonard Manning, Joe McCullough, Carolyn Rosile, Oleta Shamasko, Marjorie Thompson and Loren Wells.
Volunteers Douglass High School students volunteered at Wichita Presbyterian Manor on Nov. 3, supervised by Don Patterson. The group was participating in an annual Community Service Day, which is observed by all Douglass High students. The students who visited us helped with activities in memory care.
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Holiday Traditions and Recipes From the residents of Wichita Presbyterian Manor Jack and Louise Hall are residents of the Westwinds at Wichita Presbyterian Manor. Their Thanksgiving holiday is filled with joy as family on both sides come and spend the day together. The Halls have 12 children, 26 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren. Between 55 and 65 people usually come for the November celebration. To accommodate all the family members they meet in the church hall at St Peter’s in Schulte. The family enjoys visiting and catching up from one year to the next. Dee Burke shares a family favorite recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole Topping: 1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 tsp vanilla Boil and mash potatoes, add 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk in sugar, butter, egg , vanilla Christmas Peppernuts Residents Karen Smith and Velma Barber are planning to get together and make Christmas Peppernuts to share with Presbyterian Manor friends. 1 cup butter 4 cups brown sugar 4 eggs
6 cups sifted flour 1 Tbsp baking soda, dissolved in 1 Tbsp hot water 1 tsp cream of tartar ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp allspice, ginger, cloves Star of Anise to taste (we use 2/3 tsp)
and milk. Mix well. Pour into 13 X 9 greased pan. Mix all topping ingredients. Sprinkle on top. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes.
Beat butter and brown sugar together…Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients. Drop dough in cutter, press through the holes and cut at desired length. (about 3/8 inch) Place on greased pan and bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
This recipe comes to us from a Westwinds resident: Ozark Pudding 2 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 Tbsp flour 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 1/2 cups Jonathan apples (peeled and chopped)
1 cup pecans Mix in order. Bake at 350 degrees in a greased deep pan for about an hour. Pudding is done when the apples are tender. Top with ice cream and serve.
(Sometimes I double this, making 16 servings)
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Community Matters December 2016
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Meet new residents Dee and Tim Burke If you heard the national anthem sung a cappella at our Veterans Day memorial service, then you’ve heard Dee Burke sing. Dee and her husband,Tim, are two of our newest residents at Wichita Presbyterian Manor. Dee and Tim moved from Dodge City to a duplex in the Westwinds neighborhood in September, and Dee has quickly become known for her singing talent.
She is already working as choir director at the Adorers of the Blood of Christ convent in Wichita and has also sung the anthem at a charity race this fall. “Music has always been a part of my life,” Dee said, “I started singing at 3 years old for family things.When I was 5, I made a record, and when I was senior in high school I sang a solo on radio at Christmas.” Dee also sang with a professional
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Make a difference in the lives of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America seniors who no longer have the resources to care for themselves. Every gift to the Good Samaritan Program remains local and helps residents who are living right here in our campus. To make your gift, visit the front desk, go online to PresbyterianManors.org/GoodSam or call us at 316-685-1100. Like us on Facebook
diocesan choir in Des Moines; she plays piano, organ and guitar; and she’s a composer. She has written sacred music for her church and has also recorded a CD of country ballads. And she has performed in many musicals and cabarets. With all that experience, Dee said she does still get stage fright. “It’s just part of it. Even to this day, I get nervous when I have to sing. But that makes it better because I’m more conscious of my breath control and vibrato.” Believe it or not, Dee said she’s largely self-taught, with little formal musical training. Her profession instead was nursing. She served in several roles, finally as a bilingual nutrition counselor for the women, infants and children program at the county health department for several years before she retired. Dee also served on the state nutrition board. “I got bored real easy, so I changed jobs a lot because I liked to do all kinds of things,” Dee said. The Burkes moved to Wichita to be closer to family.They have three children, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grands. Plus, Dee has three sisters and a brother here.We’re happy to welcome them to Wichita Presbyterian Manor, and we hope you will, too! Wichita Presbyterian Manor
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Veteran’s Day Remembrance Celebration Residents from all areas played a part in the Remembrance Celebration! We enjoyed sharing stories, memorabilia, talents and tributes to honor our veterans of past and present.
MELODY, continued from page 1
telling and showing people the story, so they understand this is not how it was 50 years ago.We want to help people realize that once you move to a senior living community, it’s not about end of life but about beginning the next chapter.” Melody said she always wanted to work in advertising or marketing, so she pursued that major at Wichita State
University. After graduation, she went to work in marketing for Simon Malls, and she later worked at the Wichita Eagle for 17 years. She also held positions at T-Mobile and in the cable TV industry. She said she loved working at Harry Hynes, but she felt she had more to achieve. She prayed that God would open the door He wanted her to walk through, and He did.
“People said,‘You sound like you’ve got fire in your belly.’ I think you have to keep learning or life gets stale,” Melody said. Her zest for life and learning also extends to her family, including three sons; her dogs; and lots of outdoor activities, from gardening and biking to sailing and skiing. “We need to realize if we do stay active and engaged, we will live a longer and higher quality of life,” Melody said.
Enriching lives with art We will focus on art and how it’s used on our campuses to enrich life in an upcoming issue of Community Matters. How do the arts help you stay sharp? How do you exercise creativity? How does your campus support your exploration of the arts? If you’ve got a story to share, contact Life Enrichment Director Amy Watson and your story could be featured in an upcoming edition of Community Matters.
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Community Matters December 2016
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