Elsie Jean Cline Curry
is honored with a Brick from Tina Dowd; Candy Carlley; Mary Brown
(Elsie Jean Cline Curry)
"Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you, if you're young at heart."
Fun, enthusiastic, hard-working, service-oriented - these words capture a bit of our perpetually your-at-heart mother, Jean Curry. As a professional educator for over 40 years, as wife to Tom for 50 years, as mother, grandmother, and friend to hundreds, she has given and continues to give of herself generously.
Mom's Church of the Brethren background gave her an ability to cherish the simplest of gifts, and a passion to serve her fellow human beings. She always sees the best in every person, and the bright side of every situation.
Mom also has an uncanny ability (due to untold numbers of bridge games perhaps?) to remember everything - past and present - about every cousin (all 41 Cline's and Curry's!), every great-niece and -nephew, every friend, colleague, neighbor, distant relative, parishioner, medical personnel, grocery clerk, and every person who ever sat next to her on an airplane!
Her wonderful memory lends itself to great storytelling about growing up on the farm with her six brothers and sisters, and to many tales about her seven grandchildren, whom she adores.
Mom and Dad were founding members of St. Margaret Mary Parish and School, and their church leadership was instrumental in providing a stable, secure and fun childhood for us. In Mom's "free time", she sewed scores of costumes for our plays, dance recitals, and talent shows. Although we seemingly played our way through childhood, she also has given us wonderful model of hard work without complaint.
Mom continues her service to her Wichita community through Project Beauty, the Monica Circle, her church, and through life-long support of her alma mater, Wichita State University.
"For as rich as you are, it's much better by far, to be young at heart.
And if you can survive to 105,
See how much you'll derive, just by being alive.
So this is the best part, you'll have a head start.
If you are among the very young at heart."
Submitted with much love and gratitude by her three daughters -- Tina Candy and Mary.
