Giving others the chance to be heard
By Heather Schnese S’12, content specialist
April 10, 2018 | 12 a.m.
John and Joan Wories
John remembers when the words disappeared. Five years ago, he suffered a stroke that left him with aphasia, a disorder that affects a person’s ability to speak, read, write, and understand language. For months, communication was nearly impossible. But John and his wife Joan weren’t giving up.
After initial inpatient and outpatient therapy, John signed on for an intensive three-week aphasia recovery program through Chicago’s Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The program required six hours of therapy a day, five days a week—entirely over Zoom due to the pandemic. Progress was slow but steady. And John was determined. He brought the Wall Street Journal to every session, even when he could only look at the pictures. Slowly, he regained the ability to read, listen, and speak. “It was in this process that I made the most significant progress,” John says. “It was the key milestone in my recovery—a gift of life.”
Now, John and Joan Wories are sharing that gift with others. Their generosity will launch Bethel’s John and Joan Wories Center for Speech-Language Pathology by fall 2027. Their lead gift will help establish the center within Bethel’s Anderson Family College of Health Sciences, advancing facilities, supporting faculty, and developing both undergraduate and graduate programs. The Wories’ gift will also provide scholarships for future speech-language pathologists and support a free clinic offering therapy for individuals with aphasia and other neurogenic disorders—all to prepare the next generation of Christ-centered clinicians at Bethel.
From the beginning
John and Joan met in 1976 in Chicago. At the time, Joan was working as a secretary and John was on the factory floor at American Steel Foundries. Both were taking junior college classes, and they married a year later. John went on to become a railroad industry executive with Amsted Rail—a global leader in truck assemblies and end-of-car components for freight and passenger rail markets—for 51 years. The Wories raised two daughters and one son in the Chicago and St. Louis areas, and their connection to Bethel goes back decades. Both daughters, Kim Larson ’04 and Luanne Hasbrouck ’05, are Bethel alumni—Kim in nursing and Luanne in communication studies—and John was invited by former President George Brushaber to serve as a trustee for two sessions from 2006-2018. During that time, John Roise and Rollie Anderson—both trustees then and longtime Bethel donors—mentored him.
John during recovery with Joan and their two daughters
Although John’s retirement from Amsted Rail was already in the works in 2020, his stroke expedited the process. Joan stepped in, working with company executives to make decisions in John’s absence and managing the tasks at home that John typically handled. It was an incredibly trying and exhausting time, recalls Joan. But at his retirement gathering, John marked a huge milestone in his recovery—he gave his first speech since suffering the stroke.
“With Joan at my side, I very carefully and deliberately read my notes to friends,” he says. It’s something that would have been impossible without speech therapy through Shirley Ryan.
By then the Wories had moved to the Denver area to be near their children, and from there, they’ve stayed connected to Bethel through various alumni and donor events.
It was last year when they learned about Bethel’s new speech-language program (SLP)—the Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (BS-SLP) program launched this fall, while a graduate program (MS-SLP) will launch in the summer of 2027, pending approval from accreditation bodies. “The news knocked our socks off,” says Joan.
Connecting the past to the future
After seeing the difference that high-quality, research-based care made in John’s recovery at Shirley Ryan, the Wories knew immediately they wanted to help Bethel build something similar. They first wanted to connect Bethel leaders with Shirley Ryan to share best practices in aphasia therapy and research.
“Visiting the Shirley Ryan lab with the Wories was an extraordinary, intellectually stimulating experience,” says Jayanti Ray, Bethel’s SLP program director. “The detailed tour of the facility and meaningful interactions with the clinicians, researchers, and staff not only helped me expand my knowledge about clinical services for patients with aphasia, but also allowed me to witness innovative approaches to rehabilitation research that will inform the future of evidence-based practice and person-centered care for people with aphasia.”
— Joan Wories
The Wories also learned firsthand that even the best therapy requires more than innovation. “It took John a long time to process things,” Joan says. “His brain had to make new pathways. It was slow work. A good speech pathologist needs to be compassionate, very patient, and willing to listen.” That’s what they saw in John’s clinicians—and what they hope Bethel students will model in their future careers. The program is holistic, challenging students to grow not only as scholars and clinicians but also as ethical, empathetic, and Christ-honoring leaders.
“Faith is not an afterthought in the program—it’s the foundation,” Ray says. “We model how Christian values can guide ethical decision-making and patient-centered care.”
Access for others in need is also important to the Wories. John’s intensive program was not covered by insurance, and the couple quickly learned the deep costs associated with this type of recovery. They are excited to be part of Bethel’s free clinic that will help community members who can’t afford care receive high-quality services while giving students clinical experience. “That’s what excites us,” John says. “Some people fall through the cracks. A free clinic means they won’t.”
The clinic will give students the chance to put what they learn in class into practice with real clients. They’ll be guided by mentors as they gain confidence, try out proven therapy methods, explore new approaches, and reflect on their growth along the way. “These learning experiences will help deepen their spiritual formation, allowing them to see their work as both a vocation and a calling to serve God through the lives they touch,” explains Ray. “In this way, the clinic will not only benefit clients and patients in the community but also serve as an essential training ground for preparing graduate students to become skilled, compassionate, and research-informed clinicians.”
Excited to change lives
The Wories’ stewardship philosophy is simple and deeply biblical. Joan points to Proverbs 11:25: “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” “We don’t give for payback,” she says, “but we do see how generosity comes back as joy—when lives are changed.”
— John Wories
And they’ve helped change many lives through the years with their involvement in organizations like By the Hand Club for Kids, Denver Rescue Mission, and Love, Inc. “We smile a lot when we see that what we've given has made a difference in someone's life, and then that someone maybe helps their family and then helps their community,” says Joan.
Now in their 48th year of marriage, John and Joan also celebrate another milestone each year—what they call John’s “strokeaversary.” They spend their days attending their 11 grandchildren’s games and concerts. “God has been good to me. From where I was to where I am—with more to come, Lord willing,” he says. “We’ve been blessed. So now we use our resources to help others. We just love sharing the love of God."
The Wories with their children and grandchildren
For the Wories, supporting Bethel’s SLP program is a fitting way to do this. It isn’t just an academic track. It’s a way to multiply the compassion they experienced—and to make sure more families find hope after a diagnosis of aphasia or a child’s language disorder. “The Bethel community and I are extremely grateful to John and Joan for their generous support,” says Ray. “Their passion for aphasia rehabilitation, kindness, and generosity made it possible for us to pursue our dream of offering graduate clinical training and free speech-language diagnostic and therapy services to our community.”
Ray’s gratitude reflects what John and Joan feel as they look back on their journey and imagine what’s ahead for Bethel students and the people they’ll serve. “Bethel has been part of our life for a long time,” John says. “Now we get to be part of this new chapter. We’re excited for what God will do through these students—for every voice that needs to be heard.”
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