Martha Gray comes home

When she moved into Manor of the Plains earlier this year, Martha Gray’s life came full circle.

Born and raised in Dodge City, Martha moved away to attend college and spent her adulthood living in various locations around the country. But when she returned to attend her 40th high school reunion she was reminded of what makes Dodge City so special. That’s when she made the decision that it was time to call it home once again.

“It’s the attitude that I find so refreshing in my hometown,” said Martha. “I lived in so many places during my life and this one just beats them out.”

After visiting several retirement communities in the area, it was the people and the freedom she found at Manor of the Plains that ultimately sealed the deal.

“Here, you can go and do what you can do and then you come home and they’ll take care of you, feed you and do nice things for you,” said Martha.

Martha also found herself instantly surrounded by a vast network of friends.

“The people living on my wing just kind of adopted me and I went along with it,” said Martha.

It was similar to the experience Martha’s own mother had at the community when she herself lived here.

“It was an exciting time for her. She always had something to do or some place to go. She loved it here as well,” said Martha. “That was a big thing for me when trying to figure out where I was going to go.”

The transition back to Dodge City hasn’t been without its frustrations though as Martha has found herself having to adapt to a town that looks a lot different than the one she left all those years ago.

“I have to adjust to the ‘new’ Dodge City and still be able to tie it to the old one,” said Martha. “Those are my memories and they’re very precious to me.” said Martha.

In addition to her new friends at the community, Martha also has three siblings she is in constant contact with.

“Family has always been my support system—I’ve always known that I have them to fall back on,” said Martha.

Away from home, Martha is involved with various political and community organizations and takes pride in the fact that she is a woman of action.

“I’ve always kept busy and have done my best to say, ‘that’s a wonderful idea, let’s not just talk about it—let’s do it,’” said Martha.