Mary Eleanor Geist Kinkaid

is honored with a Medium Paver from Tom Kinkaid, Marcia Smola, and Susan Williams.

Our mother is the most loving, unselfish person who always communicates great love, joy, and beauty to those around her. We feel so very fortunate to have her as a parent as well as a dear friend. Although her first priority is her immediate family, she embraces many others in her extended family and circle of cherished friends. A devoted Christian Scientist, her daily life is filled with countless acts of kindness which spring from her understanding of her relationship to God. It is this well of faith that she draws on to share her energy and thoughtfulness without any regard for recognition.

For these many expressions of love that she has given and continues to give to varying groups of people, we see her as an angel of mercy. Whether it is speaking to a public audience during a time when racial tensions were high in Wichita, delivering meals to people who were in need, or volunteering her time and skills to numerous community organizations, our mother has enjoyed reaching out and helping others. When her granddaughter, Ashley O'Rourke, was struck by lightning in early June of 1996, it was our mother who comforted and hugged the great numbers of Ashley's friends and relatives who gathered in the hallways of the hospital. All of these acts of kindness are done for no other reason than she sincerely enjoys helping others.

This is a woman who is completely at peace. She does not struggle with the past, for she sees each day as a new opportunity to experience God's love and bounty. She has no regrets or desires to relive moments. She is always full of gratitude, be it expressing thanks for a delicious hamburger at McDonald's or for spending time with her. She has always loved being able to grow up in a town where she had life-long friends. It is these friends, along with her family and church, that have shaped her character.

Our mother is constantly looking for the good in others and in any situation that arises. Her incredible humility makes her a tireless and active contributor to each organization of which she is a part. When a friend or stranger enters a room, she loves to make them feel welcome and included in her circle of love. We feel she is a true embodiment of pure spiritual Christian qualities, indeed, a godly woman. With deepest love and affection, Marcia, Susan and Tom

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Born in Wichita to Ola Eleanor and Floyd William Geist, Eleanor attended the Wichita Public Schools and the University of Wichita. She married Tom Kinkaid, and they raised one son and two daughters; Marcia Smola of Wichita and Susan Williams and Tom Kinkaid of Dallas. They had seven grandchildren.

Eleanor has worked at several jobs and has been involved in many community organizations. She has especially enjoyed working with two types of people children and women. She has volunteered to help in her own children's scout groups as well as for organizations such as The Wichita Children's Home. She has worked with the YWCA, both at the local and state level. She has served on the Friends of the Wichita Public Library Board, the Senior Services Board, the Kansas Council of Women, and as president of the P.E.O. Council. She has been a long time Sunday school teacher.

Eleanor has accomplished much in her life so far, but the most important job to her has been that of being a homemaker, creating a beautiful and harmonious atmosphere in which to be a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.

September 12, 1998 (for Mary Eleanor Geist Kinkaid)