Ferne Godfrey

is honored with a Brick from Mary Estes and Yvonne Slingerland.

Ferne Godfrey is a very special lady who has served as a mentor and role model to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She has tackled life's problems with style and grace and has given of herself to family and friends throughout her life.

Born in 1905 in Larned, KS, Ferne was the youngest of four children. She was cared for by her paternal grandmother after the death of her mother at age 2, then sent to live with her aunt in Stewart, IA. She returned to the Larned homestead at age 12 to live with her stepmother and father.

In spite of her father's insistence that education was wasted on females, Ferne graduated from high school and earned her teaching certificate from Emporia Teachers College. She taught school two years before getting married and starting a family. She raised her two sons in Wichita where she has lived the majority of her adult life.

Aunt Ferne has been a guiding force in our lives as well as in the lives of others. Today at the age of 92, though in fragile health, she is feisty, strong willed, and independent. We are grateful for her life example. We love and respect her and wish to honor her by placing her name in the Plaza of Heroines.

July 7, 1998