Deyo Orton

Have no pity for Mr. Deyo. He was a man in every sense of the word. Mr. Deyo did not let the collapsed disfigurement of his body stop him from everyday functions. Mr. Deyo was as independent as anyone could be. Mr. Deyo lived alone and cared for himself. I was scheduled weekly to assist him for two hours, although I would check in on him at other times. His residence was always impeccably clean and organized. Occasionally I would find that he had tried out some new recipe that may not have worked out too well. But I admired his enthusiasm and willingness to try something new. Mr. Deyo was a kind and generous man. He would call me up and ask me if I wanted to ride to Wal-Mart or Costco with him. He would have already ordered his groceries online and The Wal-Mart staff knew him and adored him, as anyone that knew Mr. Deyo. He would insist that I get something at his expense too. We would go to Costco and he would ride around in his cart, shop and get his hearing aid adjusted. He knew some of the best places to eat and we would often go out to dine. Mr. Deyo was amazing. Age and disability was not his handicap. Mr. Deyo used cell phones, text messages, emails, voice recordings, cable television, CD's and DVD's and he even developed his own WEBSITE! He was quite an entrepreneur. One of his favorite sayings was, "Nothing happens, till something is sold!" He had all sorts of items in his apartment for sale that he would sell to the other residents in his building. He loved to negotiate a sale. He was going to find some way to close the sale. Mr. Deyo loved the game shows "Let's Make a Deal" and "The Price Is Right". Fox News was his favorite news channel. Speaking about amazing, Mr. Deyo was an Uber driver! He stood in line to sign up. He went thru all the requirements and next thing I discovered, he had turned on his phone app to accept trips from potential riders. "I missed you, Mr. Deyo!" I did not see your van outside!" He would reply in a low and raspy voice, "I was out Ubering. This is the best time of day for trips!" Mr. Deyo could drive too! He knew how to put the pedal to the medal! Oh, he was funny! He had a good sense of humor. He was also quite proud of his many years of employment at Lockheed Martin. If anyone even thought that they were going to undermined Mr. Deyo, they would soon find out that they were ludicrous. Mr. Deyo was aware of his financial transactions. He signed his own checks, balanced his own checkbook and paid his own bills. If there was in a discrepancy in his statement, Mr. Deyo knew how to place the phone calls to get the fixer on the line! When he felt that a corporation was corrupt, he would close out his account. He even had discussions about forming a boycott of corrupt establishments. Mr. Deyo could dance and keep a beat! He was once a bandleader and could play a few instruments. There would be times I would be at his door and he would be blasting some funky beats and sounds from Rock to Jazz. He gave me a Miles Davis CD! On another occasion, he was watching Beyonc and Jay-Z concert! Mr. Deyo loved God. He tuned in to church services online, cable and radio almost daily. He would attend church services as often as he could. Mr. Deyo loved his family. He loved and missed his late wife. He spoke often of his children and the new generational offspring and spent some holidays with them. I loved the unforgettable Mr. Deyo. He was my friend. I am grateful to God to have known him. -BGH