Red Dirt Diaries: OKC Man Proves You're Never Too Old To Start Something New

It can be hard to find a lot to smile about in a hospital.

Wilber Thorsen, 99, tries to change that one to two times a week inside the cafeteria at Integris Baptist Medical Center in northwest Oklahoma City.

Thorsen plays the piano and sings.

“I get quite of few ‘you made my day,’ and that makes my day,” says Thorsen, who turns 100 next year.

Thorsen joined the Air Force after Pearl Harbor and will sometimes play and sing in his original uniform.

“It’s nice to come down and take a breath of fresh air and listen to something that’s calming before we got back to work,” said nurse Donna Ledford.

Thorsen started playing about eight years ago as a way of getting out of the house.

His wife of 66 years passed away in 2009.

“She was Teacher of the Year,” Thorsen said while holding an old newspaper article about Lenora Thorsen.

Thorsen admitted his hands have gotten shaky and he take breaks between songs for a longer period of time.

He even plays a CD of himself during down time so there’s no break in the music.

“(I) try to make other people happy,” said Thorsen.

He hopes to still be playing when he turns 100 years old.