County's Oldest Resident Helping To Celebrate Warsaw's Anniversary
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
WINONA LAKE - Three large black-and-white photographs of the Tippecanoe River taken from the banks outside the Pound Store in Oswego are displayed on one wall.
Another wall holds color snapshots taken during travels around the Earth.
The tidy, photograph-filled room at Grace Village Retirement Center is home to Adria Orr, 104.
She is the county's oldest resident and is scheduled to participate as an honored guest in the Warsaw 125th anniversary "Years Gone By" parade on Saturday. She has witnessed most of the city's history, never believing she would live so long.
"I wouldn't wish this on anyone else," she said recently of her long life in Kosciusko County, although she doesn't have any particular troubles.
The trouble she does have, rheumatism in the knee, is quieted with a layer of sulfur in her shoes, a treatment recommended decades ago by an uncle who was a doctor.
Her granddaughters, Jane White of North Webster and Ann Eberle of Fort Wayne, visit once a month, which she says is not often enough.
Orr is the daughter of Don Pound who owned the Pound General Store in Oswego. The building still stands, now called the Pound Museum, and is the oldest commercial building in the county.
While her father saw to the day-to-day business of the store, Adria's mother was the Oswego postmistress.
She had one brother, the late Harold Pound.
Orr taught first-, second- and third-graders (they were all in one class) in the Oswego-Valley School for seven years, a career she delayed when she married William Alvin Orr May 29, 1920.
The couple were married for 70 years and had two children, the late William F.O. Orr and the late Mrs. John (Sara Ellen) Buhrt.
Adria and William moved to a house, which still stands, on the corner of county roads 100E and 200N, where they farmed 168 acres. William helped to organize the local REMC. He was the utility's manager for 40 years and retired when he was 75.
Adria retired when she was 75, too. She returned to teaching third grade classes at the Washington Elementary School, originally named the West Ward School. And was a substitute until 29 years ago.
At this point in her history Adria ventures an opinion saying children learned better in mixed age classes, the younger ones benefiting from the older children's lessons.
At one time, 1968-69, she briefly served as the Society Editor for the Times-Union.
William died in October 1990.
Until two years ago Adria lived in the residential area of Grace Village, going about her business independently and played the piano nearly every day.
Now, she uses a walker to maneuver around her room and the assisted living staff insist she ride in a wheelchair when going to meals.
It's a long life that has slowed down considerably. She's cut back on her reading, recently stopped working the daily crossword puzzle and doesn't get out as much as she used to.
She has the pictures to remember, though, to remember the years gone by. [[In-content Ad]]
WINONA LAKE - Three large black-and-white photographs of the Tippecanoe River taken from the banks outside the Pound Store in Oswego are displayed on one wall.
Another wall holds color snapshots taken during travels around the Earth.
The tidy, photograph-filled room at Grace Village Retirement Center is home to Adria Orr, 104.
She is the county's oldest resident and is scheduled to participate as an honored guest in the Warsaw 125th anniversary "Years Gone By" parade on Saturday. She has witnessed most of the city's history, never believing she would live so long.
"I wouldn't wish this on anyone else," she said recently of her long life in Kosciusko County, although she doesn't have any particular troubles.
The trouble she does have, rheumatism in the knee, is quieted with a layer of sulfur in her shoes, a treatment recommended decades ago by an uncle who was a doctor.
Her granddaughters, Jane White of North Webster and Ann Eberle of Fort Wayne, visit once a month, which she says is not often enough.
Orr is the daughter of Don Pound who owned the Pound General Store in Oswego. The building still stands, now called the Pound Museum, and is the oldest commercial building in the county.
While her father saw to the day-to-day business of the store, Adria's mother was the Oswego postmistress.
She had one brother, the late Harold Pound.
Orr taught first-, second- and third-graders (they were all in one class) in the Oswego-Valley School for seven years, a career she delayed when she married William Alvin Orr May 29, 1920.
The couple were married for 70 years and had two children, the late William F.O. Orr and the late Mrs. John (Sara Ellen) Buhrt.
Adria and William moved to a house, which still stands, on the corner of county roads 100E and 200N, where they farmed 168 acres. William helped to organize the local REMC. He was the utility's manager for 40 years and retired when he was 75.
Adria retired when she was 75, too. She returned to teaching third grade classes at the Washington Elementary School, originally named the West Ward School. And was a substitute until 29 years ago.
At this point in her history Adria ventures an opinion saying children learned better in mixed age classes, the younger ones benefiting from the older children's lessons.
At one time, 1968-69, she briefly served as the Society Editor for the Times-Union.
William died in October 1990.
Until two years ago Adria lived in the residential area of Grace Village, going about her business independently and played the piano nearly every day.
Now, she uses a walker to maneuver around her room and the assisted living staff insist she ride in a wheelchair when going to meals.
It's a long life that has slowed down considerably. She's cut back on her reading, recently stopped working the daily crossword puzzle and doesn't get out as much as she used to.
She has the pictures to remember, though, to remember the years gone by. [[In-content Ad]]