OCTOBER 2021
Dr. Bob Meneilly lived a life of service rooted in Christ’s love In the dawn of the 1940s, a young minister ventured out to the rural areas west of Kansas City to spread the word about a new church coming to the area. For a year, Bob Meneilly went door to door, visiting with people in the growing suburban areas, slowly building a new congregation. On Feb. 13, 1949, Village Church held its first Sunday worship service, with 282 charter members gathering inside the chapel. For the next 45 years, “Dr. Bob” continued to shepherd the Village Church to not only grow in size, but to grow in its faith and outward demonstration of Jesus’ love for others. Bob passed away peacefully on July 20, 2021, in the company of his children. A memorial service was held on July 30 at Village Presbyterian Church. “I think the mission is to get God’s love out into the world,” Dr. Bob once wrote. “God’s work isn’t done Dr. Bob Meneilly lifts a spade of dirt at the groundbreaking so much in the church as out beyond the church. And we’ve got to be the avenues and instruments of of Aberdeen Village. love where people are hurting — whether they’re socially hurting or physically hurting or spiritually hurting.” After his retirement. Dr. Bob focused his efforts on a new ministry: building a Christian-based retirement community to care for residents of any faith. From that vision emerged Aberdeen Village, a thriving community built on the foundation of care based on Christian principles. After five years of work with leaders of PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica®), that vision became a reality with the Aberdeen Village groundbreaking in March 2000. Dr. Bob recognized the distinct difference between a house and a home. He sought to ensure Aberdeen Village was a welcoming home to all its residents. Designed with an attractive social setting and a leisurely lifestyle, Aberdeen Village allows every individual to participate in activities, pursue friendships, try different hobbies, and travel on new adventures — all with the built-in support of a caring staff. Throughout his life of service, Dr. Bob carried his faith across the country and the world.
Meneilly – continued on page 4
Wellness across all areas is an important matter for staff, residents Particularly over the past 18 months or so, it’s hard to understate the importance of emotional and mental wellbeing. The changes brought about by a global pandemic have made life more Liz Miller, LMSW challenging in a variety of ways. “I believe the emotional and mental health fallout of the COVID pandemic have been just as devastating as the physical losses,” said Liz Miller, LMSW. “We’ve done our best to continue to foster relationships with families and residents in order to recognize emotional struggles. We’ve been diligent in ensuring visitation can occur as much as possible and developed new, creative ways to facilitate visitations when necessary.” In a normal world, Liz’s work centers on discharge planning, visitation facilitation, helping to develop medical interventions, and working with residents and their families to meet their needs and create a warm living environment. While that work continues, there’s been additional effort dedicated toward ensuring emotional and mental well-being for everyone at Aberdeen Village. “Emotional health is essential for physical health,” Liz said. “Unfortunately, emotional health sometimes is overlooked because people can hide emotional and mental concerns easier. But if emotional health is suffering, total health is suffering. Conversely, if emotional health is well, total quality of life tends to be better,
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Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at AberdeenVillage.com/covid-19.
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New partner brings fine dining to Aberdeen Village We recently started a partnership with Cura Hospitality, and to kick it off we held a five-course dinner for our independent living residents. Everyone truly enjoyed themselves. The staff worked hard, and the residents were so appreciative of the gourmet meal. There was a buzz at every table about the meal and service, and the residents were full of gratitude for the staff. The evening began with a tofu dip with homemade crackers. A lot of residents hadn’t tried that before but said it was delicious. This was followed with a beautiful peach and tomato salad prepared tableside and topped with a balsamic glaze. The next course was a red pepper and smoked gouda soup with crème fraiche. Some residents
were apprehensive about the soup, but it turned out to be a big hit; everyone ate every last drop. The bread complemented the soup perfectly, too. As each delicious dish came out of the kitchen, residents’ anticipation for the next course grew. For entrees, each resident had the choice of grilled salmon, pan-seared boneless pork chop or maple-glazed chicken. The smell was intoxicating, and the sight of our residents’ eyes lighting up when they saw the entrees was fantastic. The final course of the night was awarded “best of show” — dessert! This was a fun part of the meal. Residents enjoyed the chocolate avocado mousse with fresh berries and orange cream, as well as the lemon basil cake with ricotta
Dining staff working hard to prepare a delicious Five course meal.
buttercream and lemon curd. Jo Shawger couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw the cake that was brought to her for dessert. She said she had never seen such a large slice of cake before. “It tasted just as good as it looked, too,” she commented. Many thanks to Cura Hospitality and our wonderful dining staff at Aberdeen Village for serving such a memorable meal. The independent living residents were still talking about what a wonderful time they had for quite some time after the evening. They would like to applaud each and every person who was involved in cooking, serving, cleaning and all the little things that went into the meal. Thank you! u
Residents eagerly awaiting the next course!
Residents were treated to a a gourmet five course meal as part of our Grand Opening Celebration Dinner with Cura Hospitality
Our Dining Services Director, Cory Booher greeting residents as they finish their delicious meal.
Our Executive Director, Tim Allin checking in with residents as they enjoyed their gourmet meal. Like us on Facebook to stay updated on news and events.
Community Matters 913-599-6100 u Fax: 913-599-3810 17500 W. 119th St. Olathe, KS 66061-9524 AberdeenVillage.com
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | October 2021
is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Village by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
To submit or suggest articles: soehlert@pmma.org Tim Allin, executive director Stephanie Oehlert, director of sales and marketing
OUR MISSION: To provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Six local artists among Art is Ageless® masterpiece level winners Six winning artists in Aberdeen Village’s annual Art is Ageless® juried competition will be featured in the 2022 Art is Ageless calendar produced by PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America). “Pumpkin Harvest,” Sharon “Carved Wood Loop,” Sam Nelson, drawing Malsbary, sculpture/3D; “Christmas Memories,” Sharon Nelson, Christmas; “Pumpkin Harvest,” Sharon Nelson, drawing; “Bob’s Navy Memories,” Judy Otey, quilting; “Tribute,” Jo Henderson, needlework; “Reflection,” Aileen Moise, drawing; “Kansas Girl,” Carol Rondinelli, drawing, will all appear in the calendar when it is released this fall. Carol Rondinelli also won best of show in the professional division with her drawing titled “Just Me and Teddy in a Strange World.”
“Just Me and Teddy in a Strange World,” Carol Rondinelli, drawing – best of show professional
“Carved Wood Loop” by Sam Malsbary, “Christmas Memories” and “Pumpkin Harvest” by Sharon Nelson, and “Bob’s Navy Memories” by Judy Otey will be featured in the 2022 calendar. “Tribute” by Jo Henderson, “Reflection” by Aileen Moise, and “Kansas Girl” by Carol Rondinelli will be on greeting cards.
“Tribute,” Jo Henderson, needlework “Bob’s Navy Memories,” Judy Otey, quilting
“Reflection,” Aileen Moise, drawing
“Kansas Girl,” Carol Rondinelli, drawing
“There are so many incredibly talented artists in the Aberdeen Village, and we’re so proud of each and every one of them,” said Marketing Director Stephanie Oehlert. “It’s invigorating to see the hard work of our residents, and we’re grateful they’re willing to share
their gifts with us. We’re especially happy for Carol that her gifts and professional talents were “Carved Wood Loop,” recognized as Sam Malsbary, best of show.” u sculpture/3D
piece for the New York Times titled “The dangers of religion.” His ideas helped launch the Mainstream Coalition in 1993, for which he served as chair.
“He knew that his job was to give the congregation a word from God, and he was always well prepared because he studied scripture carefully and he paid attention to events in the news,” former Kansas City Star columnist Bill Tammeus said. “So, although he was never arrogant about his task, he was nothing but confident in his sermons. Beyond that, he practiced what he preached.”u
Meneilly – continued from page 1 During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, he invited African American families to join the congregation and encouraged others to do the same. In 1972, he was selected to be part of the Paris Peace Talks, an experience that compelled him to write “Who cares enough to want peace?” which sought to humanize the Viet Cong after the Vietnam War. In 1993, he penned a sermon and op-ed
Dr. Bob also served on numerous boards and received many distinguished awards throughout his lifetime. But his lasting legacy remains the influence he left on the Village Presbyterian Church and those who learned and grew their faith under his leadership.
Aberdeen Village | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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Wellness – continued from page 1 even if physical limitations exist.” In the era of COVID-19, emotional health has been strained — as quarantines prevent normal socialization and activities that can make a person feel connected. “Everyone, regardless of age or state of life, wants to feel like they belong and have a purpose,” Liz said. “This is what we strive to cultivate at Aberdeen Village by forming relationships and meaning with each resident.” To that end, Liz said Chaplain Diane Gunsolley and the entire staff work to keep residents active and engaged, help protect their health, and offer
support through activities such as a monthly grief support group. “Our chaplain and activities staff do a phenomenal job of offering concrete ways for residents to engage with the community, which aids emotional and mental health,” Liz said. “We social workers also engage with activities, we look thoughtfully at each resident to recognize signs and symptoms of emotional issues and work to provide interventions as needed.” Though the challenges have been big in the past couple of years, Liz said the culture and staff of Aberdeen Village have risen to meet residents’
17500 W. 119th St.
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COMMUNITY MATTERS | October 2021
Olathe, KS 66061-9524
needs in the most trying of times. “The staff at Aberdeen — from the nurses, to dining, to activities, to maintenance — is so caring and have stepped up in so many ways to assist residents in feeling cared for. This helps with emotional health as well,” she said. Outside of her work at Aberdeen Village, Liz enjoys her husband and son — and she is excited about their second son due in November. “I enjoy reading a good murder mystery novel, advocating for residents, being outside, and decaf French vanilla cappuccinos,” she said. u