"It's a small world!" That well-known sentiment was proven true, once again, as Maple Crest, Bluffton, residents gathered for an organ hymn sing with Janice Shields.
Shields had barely been introduced when she realized that one of the residents had been her neighbor and school mate when they were children in Columbus Grove.
She stated her maiden name, Bryan, and immediately Jack McCullough remembered her, and jumped into a lively conversation with her, teasing her with the comment "You got older!"
Shields certainly has spent years at the organ. She began playing an old pump organ at Congregational Christian Church in Columbus Grove when she was only 15.
After she got married, Shields spent the next 55 years as the organist at Ebenezer Mennonite Church, Bluffton.
Today she lifts people's spirits as she plays hymns in area facilities, including Maple Crest and Mennonite Memorial Home, and she is often called upon to be the organist for funerals in the Bluffton community.
Shield's husband, Sam, loves to listen to her play the "Conn" organ at home, and he is faithfully present in the background, singing along, when she volunteers. Shields says, "he's my encourager."
