Life of Caring
Bud Sears, 83, was recognized with a prestigious award simply for engaging in his own special brand of physical and mental therapy.
Sears, who lives at Concordia at Cabot Haven Apartments on Marwood Road in Jefferson Township, on Tuesday was stunned to hear his name being announced as the winner of the Horst and Eleanor Schwalm Faith and Caring Award, which is bestowed on an individual at Concordia Lutheran Ministries each year for volunteerism.
“I'm still floored,” Sears said Friday. “It's just such an honor. I just do what I love to do, you know, sharing my talents so I can help people.”
Sears was immediately overcome at the announcement and admitted he has been in a fog since he received the award.
Sears, a retired engineer, former Army lieutenant and West Virginia transplant, cared for his wife until she died of Lewy body dementia in 2013.
“When she passed, I was sort of at a loss,” he said.
So, he took up a volunteer position at the neonatal intensive care unit at Thomas Memorial Hospital in Charleston, W.Va.
Eventually he decided to downsize, and began looking for independent senior living facilities.
He remembered Concordia Lutheran Ministries from a stint as a Butler resident in the mid-1970s. So, he selected his apartment at Haven II, sold his house in West Virginia and moved to the Concordia campus in October 2018.
From pies to repairs
Since that time, Sears has volunteered at the campus in any and every capacity.
He rehabilitated an unused garden at Haven II so he could raise vegetables, including cucumbers he makes into jars of pickles to pass out to residents and staff.
He also uses fruit from Concordia's orchard to bake pies for residents and staff.
Sears also serves as a volunteer repairman, fixing up or putting together furniture for his fellow residents.
“I like gardening and repairing broken things,” he said. “Volunteering seems like therapy.”
Sears also has volunteered with Concordia's fishing derby, Octoberfest and a host of other activities.
He created a live Nativity, served as Santa Claus, decorated for events, helps plant and maintain the facility's flower beds and uses the Concordia woodshop to build bookshelves, picture frames or anything else anyone might need.
Sears is always on call to troubleshoot any maintenance issue that crops up on campus.During the coronavirus pandemic, Sears was asked by an employee in the skilled nursing department to build an ice cream cart, which he did using refrigerator boxes and a battery-powered cart normally used to transport patients.“In about every building, I've done something,” Sears said.Having overworked himself at one point last year, Sears now works for one hour and rests for one hour. He figures he puts in at least three to four hours per day volunteering around the Concordia Haven campus.“People say 'Bud, you're doing too much,' but I say 'No, I work and rest.' I know how to rest,” Sears said.Sears' current project is building raised garden beds so Concordia residents who use wheelchairs can garden.The seven 18-inch by 4-foot raised beds were placed in a 200-square-foot area at Concordia that was not being used.When Concordia replaced a set of windows, Sears snagged a pile of old glass to make lids for the beds, so onions and lettuce can be grown in the hotbeds in wintertime.Growing project“I do the work; God makes it grow,” he said of his penchant for gardening.In addition to being a dedicated volunteer, Sears is also a three-time cancer survivor.“Lung, prostate and skin,” the spry Sears states. “I'm fine now. I'm in good shape.”Connor Hagey, director of retirement living for Concordia Haven Apartments, marvels at Sears' unshakable dedication to his neighbors and the Concordia staff.“He is just the true definition of caring for others,” Hagey said. “He lives to make others happy, and he embodies that in everything he does.”Sears' energy and drive have rubbed off on his neighbors as well, Hagey said.He pointed to a woman in Sears' building who rarely left her apartment or interacted with other residents.Once Sears began making and handing out pickles, the woman took to collecting empty pickle jars and taking orders from those who want a jar.“If they bring an empty jar back, they get a free refill,” he said.Sears' fellow residents have gotten involved in gardening as a result of his passion for the hobby.“He really gets others involved as well,” Hagey said. “It's really a neat thing.”Hagey also appreciates Sears' sense of humor as he goes about his happy tasks each day.“If a resident has something that needs to be fixed, Bud always says, 'I'll take it into surgery and see what I can do,'” Hagey said. “Then, he'll send me a picture of him working on it with the message 'currently in triage' or something like that.”Sears has no plans to slow down anytime soon.“I always say, 'I came here to live. I didn't come here to die,'” he said.Hagey looks forward to many more years of watching Sears help his fellow residents and the staff at Concordia Lutheran Ministries.“We're simply blessed to be able to serve him and work with him,” Hagey said.The award is named for the late Horst and Eleanor Schwalm, who were Concordia Lutheran Ministries' longtime administrator and first activities director, respectively.Two recipients were named in 2021 because the award was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.The other award was bestowed upon Bobbe Grandey, a Good Samaritan Hospice volunteer.The Horst and Eleanor Schwalm Faith and Caring Award is Concordia Lutheran Ministries' highest volunteer honor.
