Residents of Kalispell might know Richard Lorenz for a number of reasons. It could be his kind heart, good sense of humor and many friends.

Or it could be because of the tricycle he rides daily in better weather up and down Main Street.

Lorenz, who turned 85 last Wednesday, was invited to celebrate his birthday with dozens of friends in the Northwest Community Action Partnership’s boardroom.

Born in 1929 in Glendive, he was raised in Philipsburg until the age of 19, where he was placed in a residential facility for the developmentally disabled.

He was at the site in Boulder for more than 20 years. In 1972 he left for a group home and eventually a job at Flathead Industries.

His boss there, Randy Kenyon, has known Lorenz for 40 years and was at the party at Community Action Partnership.

“He’s just endearing,” Kenyon said. “He’s a big proponent of self-advocacy and community safety. How many 85-year-olds do you know that live alone in their own home?”

Although he receives government assistance, Lorenz tries to give back to the community. When the snow melts, visitors to Kalispell can see him riding his tricycle with a large basket through town. He goes to the partnership every day, usually riding the bike.

Gay Modrell, director of Kalispell’s Special Friends Advocacy Program, has connected Lorenz with three “special friends” who keep him involved in the community.

“They just go out and do stuff together,” she said. “He’s invited everywhere. On holidays he has to decide who he gets to go with. He’s never alone.”

Lorenz has no family locally, but the staff at the partnership treats him like a beloved member of the family there.

Leslie DeWitt, a former employee of Flathead Industries and the Community Action Partnership, said she formed a long-standing friendship with Lorenz while she worked with him.

“He used to come here every day to see me,” DeWitt said of her post at the partnership. “He would change the calendar every month and flip over this hourglass I had here.”

Lorenz, perhaps as a part of his upbringing, cannot stand to see things wasted. He’s developed an unfortunate dumpster-diving habit (to which he was politely convinced to stop by the Kalispell Police Department), along with repurposing things as gifts for friends.

“He made me a 12-foot long scarf,” DeWitt said. “It truly was a scarf of many colors. I’m waiting for another really cold day to wrap it all around my head.”

As for Lorenz? He’s waiting for the day he can pry open his shed and get his bike out. Kenyon, who checks on his friend regularly, has insisted he wait until the weather warms up. But Lorenz is nothing if not independent.

“I’m wanting to ride my three-wheel bicycle,” he said. “I’ve been riding it all summer and I want to again.”

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.