HONESDALE, PA — At 105 years old, Melvin Baker had an unfulfilled wish.

His late wife, Marion, loved music and could play the organ, so in 1990 Mel bought her an organ as a gift. But before Marion could sit at the keyboard and play, she fell ill and passed on. 

In November, Pastor Lloyd Canfield of the Smith Hill Methodist Church in Honesdale was kind enough to accompany me to meet Mel at his home nearby for an interview for the River Reporter on the occasion of his extraordinary milestone birthday. As we were about to leave, Mel told the story of his wife and lamented that he’d never heard the organ play in his house.

While we walked out to our cars, I asked Pastor Canfield if it might be possible to make Mel’s unfulfilled wish come true. He told me he would look into it.

During the next few weeks I learned that Smith Hill Methodist Church had just gained a new organist, Roxanne Smith, a relative of Pastor Canfield’s wife, Norma. 

A few days later, Pastor Canfield reached out to with me with the news that arrangements had been made to make Mel’s birthday wish come true. He invited me to attend Sunday service on November 19 at Smith Hill Church. Following services, I made the short drive to Mel’s home with Pastor and Norma Canfield and Roxanne Smith.

Mice under the keyboard

We made our way into Mel’s room, where we found the organ tucked away in a small opening in the wall. The keyboard was facing away from us, and a large screen TV stood on top of it. 

With the help of Mel’s son, Kevin, we disconnected the TV and turned the organ around. Kevin opened the keyboard cover. What we saw next dismayed us all. At some point, a family of mice had decided the organ would make a good place to build a nest.

We removed the rubble and cleaned and disinfected the keyboards. We all waited with bated breath, as the instrument was plugged and the power button depressed. The lights came on!

Roxanne pressed a few keys, and the organ came to life. Kevin got Roxanne a chair.

Roxanne Smith played a selection of hymns on the long-silent organ.

She proceeded to play a nice selection of hymns, much to Mel’s joy. I couldn’t imagine a better birthday present, to hear music from this organ after such a long silence. Mel thanked us all.

I helped Kevin move the organ back into position and get the TV hooked up and working again. Knowing of Mel’s strong faith, I was moved by the circumstances behind this poignant story.

A rugged old cross in a field off Smith Hill Road in Honesdale.

On my way to the church that day, I noticed an old heavy wooden cross standing a bit off-kilter, not far from Mel’s home. Was it a coincidence that Roxanne chose to play “The Old Rugged Cross” by the Rev. George Bennard as part of her recital?

One of the hymns that Roxanne Smith played for Melvin Baker on his late wife's organ.