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It is with great sadness that I write
of the passing of our friend Robert Orth. Bob passed away on June 18,
2005 at St. Catherine's Hospital in Garden City, Kansas.
Bob started his EMS career in 1978. EMS in Sublette was just getting
organized. At that time if you needed an ambulance, you called the
Drug Store and the Pharmacist got whoever was sitting in a booth
drinking a coke to go help him Bob stopped in regularly for a coke, so
he was recruited. He also spent time with our local physician at the
hospital, always eager to help out and use the opportunity to learn.
Bob then attended class to become an instructor and taught his first
class in 1980. He was excited about EMS and always eager to share what
he knew. He was full of encouragement for students and new techs. When
we asked him why he put so much time and effort into EMS, he told us "
Because sometimes you get to make a difference." Many people across
the state have had him for an instructor at some level. I remember he
would sometimes go up to Phillipsburg and do Medic First Aid classes
for Jane. When asked about it he would respond that she needed someone
to teach the classes and he really didn't mind. He was always willing
to go the extra mile to help anyone in his EMS family. David Lake
could call and need support at a committee meeting in Topeka, and Bob
would be there. Bob has served on many
committees and Task forces for the Kansas EMS. I have been very
spoiled. If I needed to know anything about EMS I could just call Bob
and he knew the answer, I didn't have to go look it up. I think he
probably had forgotten more about EMS than I will ever know. He always
just took care of things. Reports, paper work, mailing labels for
KEMTA, schedules all seem to have just appeared, all completed and
ready to use. I don't think our service, community, or organizations
fully knew what he just did behind the scene. It really bothered him
the last few years that he couldn't do things as well as before. He
enjoyed so much those he visited with outside at the dance at KEMTA
this year. It took so much effort for him to just be there.
I believe we should not think of the bad times, the times we
disagreed, just the good times we shared. I will always remember his
laugh, encouragement, wit, and the way he touched us some way in the
heart. May we also live our lives knowing that sometimes we too can
make a difference in someone's life. |
