Berdie I. Ordway, 99, retired Sears Roebuck & Co. sales clerk, died Saturday, April 26, 2003. Service 1 p.m. Tuesday, Old Mission Cemetery.
Preceded in death by husband, Frank; daughter, Velva Deanne "Bobbie" Berryman; four grandchildren.
Survivors: daughters, Shirley McCully of Wichita, Louise Greever of Augusta, Frances Hatcher of Mesa, AZ; sister, Madge Rue of Des Moines, IA; son-in-law, J. E. Berryman of Federal Way, WA; sisters-in-law, Retha McLain of Des Moines, IA, Ruby Scott of Leon, IA; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Memorial to First United Methodist Church, Television Ministry. Old Mission Mortuary. (Taken from The Wichita Eagle.)
Memories From Berdie (McLain) Ordway
Recited 10/12/93
"When I was 5 (1908), Christmas services for the children on Gander Hill were being held at the LDS Church, about 1-1/2 miles southwest of the farm following the road. Before leaving home, we were instructed to bring our gifts home, unopened. It was cold and windy. We carried our gift under arms. Our hands stuffed deep into our pockets to keep warm. We cut across the fields, through the snow drifts, thinking it would be faster. Arriving home, we tore open the packages to find mittens."
*******
"Veta and I had never rode on a train. We had saved a little money and we asked mother if we could ride the train to Leon and visit our cousins. Dad would think it silly and a waste of money so we wouldn't dare ask him. The Franklin's lived in Leon eight miles north of Davis City. The Franklin home was up a steep hill three blocks north of the station. We spent the day there and it soon became time to catch the train home. They tried to talk us into staying over night, but daddy would be upset if he found out where we had gone. We stayed till the very last minute and then made a mad dash down the hill to the depot. We ran all the way and got to the train just as it was pulling out. With the assistance of the conductor he helped us into the caboose. Veta, started hyper ventilating and fainted. The conductor and brakeman applied wet towels and she was still pale when we reached Davis City. By the time we walked the 3-1/2 miles home she was much better. Our secret was safe. The next day the conductor ran into daddy and he asked how his little girl was doing."
*******
"When dad and mother first got married they lived in a shed on what later became the garage. Mary and Grace were both born there and before Charles was born they moved the 'old Jones house' to its present location. When Steve and Retha got married and moved in, Wayne was born in the upstairs south bedroom. Mother wanted a kitchen built unto the small house for their growing family. Her way of reminding her carpenter husband was to step off the desired space for her new kitchen. Each time the steps got longer and longer. Finally, dad said that he had better get started before he lost his pasture."
*******
Velva Deanne [Bobbie] Berryman, Tommy Ford, Diana Ford, Janice Lynn Bolen and Larry McCully.
As you have probably figured out, these people are the direct descendants of my grandmother, Berdie Ordway. Is there any of us who would dispute the profound effect this women had on our lives?
Its mind-boggling really, the fact that this lady has been a huge part of our lives for over eighty years. Eighty years! Her presence has been felt for every one of those years in the same steady way. Whatever any of us are we can owe in large part to her influence. Whatever we believe about the right things in life, we gleaned from her example.
In the ninety-nine years she's been on this earth, she's seen the evolution of a completely different society from the days when she was a child on the farm in Iowa. The most common mode of transportation then was by her own two feet except when she went the longer distances by horse, and sometimes, with an attached buggy. Automobiles weren't common at all then. When one puttered through every now and then, it was an event that brought everyone out to see. And when she saw the first plane in the sky --- oh my, what a sight to behold.
Life outside of the immediate world she lived in didn't really exist. Her family depended on the bounty of the earth for the food they ate. They made their own clothes from bolts of cloth bought when they went into town, and one of grandma's chores was to sew and mend the clothes of the family. This experience made her a wonderful seamstress who made clothes for her own children and grandchildren throughout the years. I can remember several ensembles she made for me as I grew up, and I wore her creations with pride. The only time I can remember that I didn't fully appreciate when she made for me was when I looked across the room and saw my sister dressed in an exact replica of what I was wearing. But I never blamed my Grandma for my irritation. I was proud of what she made for me. My sister, on the other hand, copied every single thing I did, and it bugged the heck out of me every single time.
My grandmother met my grandfather when they were only twelve years old. During those early years they were friends mainly because Grandpa liked to hang out with Grandma's brothers. It wasn't until a few years later that he would call for her on horseback, and they would ride to church and school together. Frank Ordway married Berdie McLain when they were just 18, and within a few years they started a family that would end up with four girls ... Velva Deanne, Louise, Frances and Shirley.
The early years weren't easy. The Great Depression had the country in its mighty grip when the children were quite small, but they got by. Except for what they read in the newspapers, it was hard to feel the impact from their perch on the family farm. But they had their trials. When it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to exist by the land alone, Frank started scouting for jobs outside of the small country community they lived in. He heard about jobs being available in a town far away from home in a place called Wichita. He wasn't sure about relocating his family to somewhere far away from the familiar and their lifelong family and friends, but it had to be done. So with no small amount of trepidation, they made the long trip ... four children, three of them teenagers in tow.
With Grandma's unfailing optimism she helped to make the transition as easy as possible. Soon, the kids were enrolled in school and their life for the most part as easy and average as most of us have the privilege to enjoy. The girls finished growing up, made it through high school relatively unscathed, and got married and had children one by one. Grandma eventually went to work at Sears in the fabric department [Where else?] and it was from there where she retired several years later.
Now maybe its because I'm one of the grand kids that I can say this, but I think one of the finest assets my grandmother possessed was her way with grandchildren. She always made us feel safe and secure,, and right! Whatever our opinion, she made us feel it was the best one to have. She never talked down to us ... we felt important and secure around her. On the rare occasion she needed to discipline us, one sentence would stop our bad behavior in its tracks.
The Sunday dinners were a part of our lives from the very beginning. Back in Iowa. it was a regular event in many households and the tradition was brought from there to the new household in Wichita. The fare was pretty much the same every week, but that was because the family would have it no other way. Roast, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, green salad, jello salad, and the word-famous egg noodles. Again, that was an Iowa tradition that made it to the plains of Kansas, much to our benefit. The moniker given the Ordway household was fitting ... the Noodle Palace, and Grandma was the Noodle Palace Queen.
The desserts were a marvel as well ... always a couple to choose from: cherry or peach cobblers, apple pies, various cakes ... jello cakes were popular, and that wonderful strawberry concoction that practically melted in your mouth. If you hadn't eaten such a big meal before it, you almost let yourself eat two pieces.
It only became apparent as I grew older that she would have loved to have something different to eat ... if for no other reason than to have a variety of leftovers instead of the same week after week. She found creative ways to incorporate mashed potatoes into other dishes, and she tried to give away the leftover noodles to family members to take home so that she wouldn't have to use them in another meal. She saved the smallest portions, but would sometimes ask one of us clearing the table to go ahead and eat the tablespoon-sized dollops. Anything bigger she saved in tiny lidded containers. [Former butter dishes were great for leftovers!] When one of us asked for dumplings instead of noodles, she loved it because it meant that dinner could be a little different then usual. I personally like them as much as the noodles, but I've got to admit, if I didn't have one or the other, I missed it. I miss them now.
For a long time, she was the one who washed the dishes with the rest of us doing other chores, but even when she became more feeble and it became harder to stand for long periods of time, she sat at the end of the counter on a stool and took her place in the drying caravan.
She refused to waste anything. Living as she had through the Depression years, she had learned to use an object to its utmost potential. Sometimes people didn't understand why she would use a cling wrap, wash and dry it, then wrap it around a cardboard tube for use again later. Plastic bags from stores were kept and reused as trash bags to save pieces of fabric she kept for quilts she would do later on.
We all had our chores on Sundays ... mine was to put away the dishes and silverware as I was prone to claustrophobia with all the people in the kitchen doing their part to help out. Any one of us could step in to do another job, so the Sunday production was a lesson in teamwork and ultimate precision. I'd probably never see such a well-run show as that one again.
Berdie Ordway was devoutly religious, even when she couldn't go to church. And she lived every day of her life in the service of God. She could be stubborn and strong-willed at times, but never from a bad place in her heart. She had a strong sense of what was right, and an occasional opinion to others as to what she thought that was. She expected a lot from her family, and they have given their best to her all along. Very seldom did she have a bad word to say about anyone, and when she did, it was usually because they had done something to hurt her family.
I'm going to miss my grandmother. Even though I haven't been fortunate enough to see her for the best part of two years, her influence has been with me for every second of every day. Part of who I am stems from what I thinks she would say or do in my place and circumstance, and that will live on for as long as I do.
She's with my grandfather now ... as she has wanted to be for some time. Others are with them ... my aunt Bobbie, her kids, my sister, and my cousin Larry are there. What a joyous reunion that must have been, and someday, we will join them so that we'll all be together again. In the meantime, I will think of them often and know that they are with me, just in a different form. Linda
Preceded in death by husband, Frank; daughter, Velva Deanne "Bobbie" Berryman; four grandchildren.
Survivors: daughters, Shirley McCully of Wichita, Louise Greever of Augusta, Frances Hatcher of Mesa, AZ; sister, Madge Rue of Des Moines, IA; son-in-law, J. E. Berryman of Federal Way, WA; sisters-in-law, Retha McLain of Des Moines, IA, Ruby Scott of Leon, IA; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Memorial to First United Methodist Church, Television Ministry. Old Mission Mortuary. (Taken from The Wichita Eagle.)
Memories From Berdie (McLain) Ordway
Recited 10/12/93
"When I was 5 (1908), Christmas services for the children on Gander Hill were being held at the LDS Church, about 1-1/2 miles southwest of the farm following the road. Before leaving home, we were instructed to bring our gifts home, unopened. It was cold and windy. We carried our gift under arms. Our hands stuffed deep into our pockets to keep warm. We cut across the fields, through the snow drifts, thinking it would be faster. Arriving home, we tore open the packages to find mittens."
*******
"Veta and I had never rode on a train. We had saved a little money and we asked mother if we could ride the train to Leon and visit our cousins. Dad would think it silly and a waste of money so we wouldn't dare ask him. The Franklin's lived in Leon eight miles north of Davis City. The Franklin home was up a steep hill three blocks north of the station. We spent the day there and it soon became time to catch the train home. They tried to talk us into staying over night, but daddy would be upset if he found out where we had gone. We stayed till the very last minute and then made a mad dash down the hill to the depot. We ran all the way and got to the train just as it was pulling out. With the assistance of the conductor he helped us into the caboose. Veta, started hyper ventilating and fainted. The conductor and brakeman applied wet towels and she was still pale when we reached Davis City. By the time we walked the 3-1/2 miles home she was much better. Our secret was safe. The next day the conductor ran into daddy and he asked how his little girl was doing."
*******
"When dad and mother first got married they lived in a shed on what later became the garage. Mary and Grace were both born there and before Charles was born they moved the 'old Jones house' to its present location. When Steve and Retha got married and moved in, Wayne was born in the upstairs south bedroom. Mother wanted a kitchen built unto the small house for their growing family. Her way of reminding her carpenter husband was to step off the desired space for her new kitchen. Each time the steps got longer and longer. Finally, dad said that he had better get started before he lost his pasture."
*******
Velva Deanne [Bobbie] Berryman, Tommy Ford, Diana Ford, Janice Lynn Bolen and Larry McCully.
As you have probably figured out, these people are the direct descendants of my grandmother, Berdie Ordway. Is there any of us who would dispute the profound effect this women had on our lives?
Its mind-boggling really, the fact that this lady has been a huge part of our lives for over eighty years. Eighty years! Her presence has been felt for every one of those years in the same steady way. Whatever any of us are we can owe in large part to her influence. Whatever we believe about the right things in life, we gleaned from her example.
In the ninety-nine years she's been on this earth, she's seen the evolution of a completely different society from the days when she was a child on the farm in Iowa. The most common mode of transportation then was by her own two feet except when she went the longer distances by horse, and sometimes, with an attached buggy. Automobiles weren't common at all then. When one puttered through every now and then, it was an event that brought everyone out to see. And when she saw the first plane in the sky --- oh my, what a sight to behold.
Life outside of the immediate world she lived in didn't really exist. Her family depended on the bounty of the earth for the food they ate. They made their own clothes from bolts of cloth bought when they went into town, and one of grandma's chores was to sew and mend the clothes of the family. This experience made her a wonderful seamstress who made clothes for her own children and grandchildren throughout the years. I can remember several ensembles she made for me as I grew up, and I wore her creations with pride. The only time I can remember that I didn't fully appreciate when she made for me was when I looked across the room and saw my sister dressed in an exact replica of what I was wearing. But I never blamed my Grandma for my irritation. I was proud of what she made for me. My sister, on the other hand, copied every single thing I did, and it bugged the heck out of me every single time.
My grandmother met my grandfather when they were only twelve years old. During those early years they were friends mainly because Grandpa liked to hang out with Grandma's brothers. It wasn't until a few years later that he would call for her on horseback, and they would ride to church and school together. Frank Ordway married Berdie McLain when they were just 18, and within a few years they started a family that would end up with four girls ... Velva Deanne, Louise, Frances and Shirley.
The early years weren't easy. The Great Depression had the country in its mighty grip when the children were quite small, but they got by. Except for what they read in the newspapers, it was hard to feel the impact from their perch on the family farm. But they had their trials. When it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to exist by the land alone, Frank started scouting for jobs outside of the small country community they lived in. He heard about jobs being available in a town far away from home in a place called Wichita. He wasn't sure about relocating his family to somewhere far away from the familiar and their lifelong family and friends, but it had to be done. So with no small amount of trepidation, they made the long trip ... four children, three of them teenagers in tow.
With Grandma's unfailing optimism she helped to make the transition as easy as possible. Soon, the kids were enrolled in school and their life for the most part as easy and average as most of us have the privilege to enjoy. The girls finished growing up, made it through high school relatively unscathed, and got married and had children one by one. Grandma eventually went to work at Sears in the fabric department [Where else?] and it was from there where she retired several years later.
Now maybe its because I'm one of the grand kids that I can say this, but I think one of the finest assets my grandmother possessed was her way with grandchildren. She always made us feel safe and secure,, and right! Whatever our opinion, she made us feel it was the best one to have. She never talked down to us ... we felt important and secure around her. On the rare occasion she needed to discipline us, one sentence would stop our bad behavior in its tracks.
The Sunday dinners were a part of our lives from the very beginning. Back in Iowa. it was a regular event in many households and the tradition was brought from there to the new household in Wichita. The fare was pretty much the same every week, but that was because the family would have it no other way. Roast, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, green salad, jello salad, and the word-famous egg noodles. Again, that was an Iowa tradition that made it to the plains of Kansas, much to our benefit. The moniker given the Ordway household was fitting ... the Noodle Palace, and Grandma was the Noodle Palace Queen.
The desserts were a marvel as well ... always a couple to choose from: cherry or peach cobblers, apple pies, various cakes ... jello cakes were popular, and that wonderful strawberry concoction that practically melted in your mouth. If you hadn't eaten such a big meal before it, you almost let yourself eat two pieces.
It only became apparent as I grew older that she would have loved to have something different to eat ... if for no other reason than to have a variety of leftovers instead of the same week after week. She found creative ways to incorporate mashed potatoes into other dishes, and she tried to give away the leftover noodles to family members to take home so that she wouldn't have to use them in another meal. She saved the smallest portions, but would sometimes ask one of us clearing the table to go ahead and eat the tablespoon-sized dollops. Anything bigger she saved in tiny lidded containers. [Former butter dishes were great for leftovers!] When one of us asked for dumplings instead of noodles, she loved it because it meant that dinner could be a little different then usual. I personally like them as much as the noodles, but I've got to admit, if I didn't have one or the other, I missed it. I miss them now.
For a long time, she was the one who washed the dishes with the rest of us doing other chores, but even when she became more feeble and it became harder to stand for long periods of time, she sat at the end of the counter on a stool and took her place in the drying caravan.
She refused to waste anything. Living as she had through the Depression years, she had learned to use an object to its utmost potential. Sometimes people didn't understand why she would use a cling wrap, wash and dry it, then wrap it around a cardboard tube for use again later. Plastic bags from stores were kept and reused as trash bags to save pieces of fabric she kept for quilts she would do later on.
We all had our chores on Sundays ... mine was to put away the dishes and silverware as I was prone to claustrophobia with all the people in the kitchen doing their part to help out. Any one of us could step in to do another job, so the Sunday production was a lesson in teamwork and ultimate precision. I'd probably never see such a well-run show as that one again.
Berdie Ordway was devoutly religious, even when she couldn't go to church. And she lived every day of her life in the service of God. She could be stubborn and strong-willed at times, but never from a bad place in her heart. She had a strong sense of what was right, and an occasional opinion to others as to what she thought that was. She expected a lot from her family, and they have given their best to her all along. Very seldom did she have a bad word to say about anyone, and when she did, it was usually because they had done something to hurt her family.
I'm going to miss my grandmother. Even though I haven't been fortunate enough to see her for the best part of two years, her influence has been with me for every second of every day. Part of who I am stems from what I thinks she would say or do in my place and circumstance, and that will live on for as long as I do.
She's with my grandfather now ... as she has wanted to be for some time. Others are with them ... my aunt Bobbie, her kids, my sister, and my cousin Larry are there. What a joyous reunion that must have been, and someday, we will join them so that we'll all be together again. In the meantime, I will think of them often and know that they are with me, just in a different form. Linda
Berdie I. Ordway, 99, retired Sears Roebuck & Co. sales clerk, died Saturday, April 26, 2003. Service 1 p.m. Tuesday, Old Mission Cemetery.
Preceded in death by husband, Frank; daughter, Velva Deanne "Bobbie" Berryman; four grandchildren.
Survivors: daughters, Shirley McCully of Wichita, Louise Greever of Augusta, Frances Hatcher of Mesa, AZ; sister, Madge Rue of Des Moines, IA; son-in-law, J. E. Berryman of Federal Way, WA; sisters-in-law, Retha McLain of Des Moines, IA, Ruby Scott of Leon, IA; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Memorial to First United Methodist Church, Television Ministry. Old Mission Mortuary. (Taken from The Wichita Eagle.)
Memories From Berdie (McLain) Ordway
Recited 10/12/93
"When I was 5 (1908), Christmas services for the children on Gander Hill were being held at the LDS Church, about 1-1/2 miles southwest of the farm following the road. Before leaving home, we were instructed to bring our gifts home, unopened. It was cold and windy. We carried our gift under arms. Our hands stuffed deep into our pockets to keep warm. We cut across the fields, through the snow drifts, thinking it would be faster. Arriving home, we tore open the packages to find mittens."
*******
"Veta and I had never rode on a train. We had saved a little money and we asked mother if we could ride the train to Leon and visit our cousins. Dad would think it silly and a waste of money so we wouldn't dare ask him. The Franklin's lived in Leon eight miles north of Davis City. The Franklin home was up a steep hill three blocks north of the station. We spent the day there and it soon became time to catch the train home. They tried to talk us into staying over night, but daddy would be upset if he found out where we had gone. We stayed till the very last minute and then made a mad dash down the hill to the depot. We ran all the way and got to the train just as it was pulling out. With the assistance of the conductor he helped us into the caboose. Veta, started hyper ventilating and fainted. The conductor and brakeman applied wet towels and she was still pale when we reached Davis City. By the time we walked the 3-1/2 miles home she was much better. Our secret was safe. The next day the conductor ran into daddy and he asked how his little girl was doing."
*******
"When dad and mother first got married they lived in a shed on what later became the garage. Mary and Grace were both born there and before Charles was born they moved the 'old Jones house' to its present location. When Steve and Retha got married and moved in, Wayne was born in the upstairs south bedroom. Mother wanted a kitchen built unto the small house for their growing family. Her way of reminding her carpenter husband was to step off the desired space for her new kitchen. Each time the steps got longer and longer. Finally, dad said that he had better get started before he lost his pasture."
*******
Velva Deanne [Bobbie] Berryman, Tommy Ford, Diana Ford, Janice Lynn Bolen and Larry McCully.
As you have probably figured out, these people are the direct descendants of my grandmother, Berdie Ordway. Is there any of us who would dispute the profound effect this women had on our lives?
Its mind-boggling really, the fact that this lady has been a huge part of our lives for over eighty years. Eighty years! Her presence has been felt for every one of those years in the same steady way. Whatever any of us are we can owe in large part to her influence. Whatever we believe about the right things in life, we gleaned from her example.
In the ninety-nine years she's been on this earth, she's seen the evolution of a completely different society from the days when she was a child on the farm in Iowa. The most common mode of transportation then was by her own two feet except when she went the longer distances by horse, and sometimes, with an attached buggy. Automobiles weren't common at all then. When one puttered through every now and then, it was an event that brought everyone out to see. And when she saw the first plane in the sky --- oh my, what a sight to behold.
Life outside of the immediate world she lived in didn't really exist. Her family depended on the bounty of the earth for the food they ate. They made their own clothes from bolts of cloth bought when they went into town, and one of grandma's chores was to sew and mend the clothes of the family. This experience made her a wonderful seamstress who made clothes for her own children and grandchildren throughout the years. I can remember several ensembles she made for me as I grew up, and I wore her creations with pride. The only time I can remember that I didn't fully appreciate when she made for me was when I looked across the room and saw my sister dressed in an exact replica of what I was wearing. But I never blamed my Grandma for my irritation. I was proud of what she made for me. My sister, on the other hand, copied every single thing I did, and it bugged the heck out of me every single time.
My grandmother met my grandfather when they were only twelve years old. During those early years they were friends mainly because Grandpa liked to hang out with Grandma's brothers. It wasn't until a few years later that he would call for her on horseback, and they would ride to church and school together. Frank Ordway married Berdie McLain when they were just 18, and within a few years they started a family that would end up with four girls ... Velva Deanne, Louise, Frances and Shirley.
The early years weren't easy. The Great Depression had the country in its mighty grip when the children were quite small, but they got by. Except for what they read in the newspapers, it was hard to feel the impact from their perch on the family farm. But they had their trials. When it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to exist by the land alone, Frank started scouting for jobs outside of the small country community they lived in. He heard about jobs being available in a town far away from home in a place called Wichita. He wasn't sure about relocating his family to somewhere far away from the familiar and their lifelong family and friends, but it had to be done. So with no small amount of trepidation, they made the long trip ... four children, three of them teenagers in tow.
With Grandma's unfailing optimism she helped to make the transition as easy as possible. Soon, the kids were enrolled in school and their life for the most part as easy and average as most of us have the privilege to enjoy. The girls finished growing up, made it through high school relatively unscathed, and got married and had children one by one. Grandma eventually went to work at Sears in the fabric department [Where else?] and it was from there where she retired several years later.
Now maybe its because I'm one of the grand kids that I can say this, but I think one of the finest assets my grandmother possessed was her way with grandchildren. She always made us feel safe and secure,, and right! Whatever our opinion, she made us feel it was the best one to have. She never talked down to us ... we felt important and secure around her. On the rare occasion she needed to discipline us, one sentence would stop our bad behavior in its tracks.
The Sunday dinners were a part of our lives from the very beginning. Back in Iowa. it was a regular event in many households and the tradition was brought from there to the new household in Wichita. The fare was pretty much the same every week, but that was because the family would have it no other way. Roast, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, green salad, jello salad, and the word-famous egg noodles. Again, that was an Iowa tradition that made it to the plains of Kansas, much to our benefit. The moniker given the Ordway household was fitting ... the Noodle Palace, and Grandma was the Noodle Palace Queen.
The desserts were a marvel as well ... always a couple to choose from: cherry or peach cobblers, apple pies, various cakes ... jello cakes were popular, and that wonderful strawberry concoction that practically melted in your mouth. If you hadn't eaten such a big meal before it, you almost let yourself eat two pieces.
It only became apparent as I grew older that she would have loved to have something different to eat ... if for no other reason than to have a variety of leftovers instead of the same week after week. She found creative ways to incorporate mashed potatoes into other dishes, and she tried to give away the leftover noodles to family members to take home so that she wouldn't have to use them in another meal. She saved the smallest portions, but would sometimes ask one of us clearing the table to go ahead and eat the tablespoon-sized dollops. Anything bigger she saved in tiny lidded containers. [Former butter dishes were great for leftovers!] When one of us asked for dumplings instead of noodles, she loved it because it meant that dinner could be a little different then usual. I personally like them as much as the noodles, but I've got to admit, if I didn't have one or the other, I missed it. I miss them now.
For a long time, she was the one who washed the dishes with the rest of us doing other chores, but even when she became more feeble and it became harder to stand for long periods of time, she sat at the end of the counter on a stool and took her place in the drying caravan.
She refused to waste anything. Living as she had through the Depression years, she had learned to use an object to its utmost potential. Sometimes people didn't understand why she would use a cling wrap, wash and dry it, then wrap it around a cardboard tube for use again later. Plastic bags from stores were kept and reused as trash bags to save pieces of fabric she kept for quilts she would do later on.
We all had our chores on Sundays ... mine was to put away the dishes and silverware as I was prone to claustrophobia with all the people in the kitchen doing their part to help out. Any one of us could step in to do another job, so the Sunday production was a lesson in teamwork and ultimate precision. I'd probably never see such a well-run show as that one again.
Berdie Ordway was devoutly religious, even when she couldn't go to church. And she lived every day of her life in the service of God. She could be stubborn and strong-willed at times, but never from a bad place in her heart. She had a strong sense of what was right, and an occasional opinion to others as to what she thought that was. She expected a lot from her family, and they have given their best to her all along. Very seldom did she have a bad word to say about anyone, and when she did, it was usually because they had done something to hurt her family.
I'm going to miss my grandmother. Even though I haven't been fortunate enough to see her for the best part of two years, her influence has been with me for every second of every day. Part of who I am stems from what I thinks she would say or do in my place and circumstance, and that will live on for as long as I do.
She's with my grandfather now ... as she has wanted to be for some time. Others are with them ... my aunt Bobbie, her kids, my sister, and my cousin Larry are there. What a joyous reunion that must have been, and someday, we will join them so that we'll all be together again. In the meantime, I will think of them often and know that they are with me, just in a different form. Linda
Preceded in death by husband, Frank; daughter, Velva Deanne "Bobbie" Berryman; four grandchildren.
Survivors: daughters, Shirley McCully of Wichita, Louise Greever of Augusta, Frances Hatcher of Mesa, AZ; sister, Madge Rue of Des Moines, IA; son-in-law, J. E. Berryman of Federal Way, WA; sisters-in-law, Retha McLain of Des Moines, IA, Ruby Scott of Leon, IA; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren. Memorial to First United Methodist Church, Television Ministry. Old Mission Mortuary. (Taken from The Wichita Eagle.)
Memories From Berdie (McLain) Ordway
Recited 10/12/93
"When I was 5 (1908), Christmas services for the children on Gander Hill were being held at the LDS Church, about 1-1/2 miles southwest of the farm following the road. Before leaving home, we were instructed to bring our gifts home, unopened. It was cold and windy. We carried our gift under arms. Our hands stuffed deep into our pockets to keep warm. We cut across the fields, through the snow drifts, thinking it would be faster. Arriving home, we tore open the packages to find mittens."
*******
"Veta and I had never rode on a train. We had saved a little money and we asked mother if we could ride the train to Leon and visit our cousins. Dad would think it silly and a waste of money so we wouldn't dare ask him. The Franklin's lived in Leon eight miles north of Davis City. The Franklin home was up a steep hill three blocks north of the station. We spent the day there and it soon became time to catch the train home. They tried to talk us into staying over night, but daddy would be upset if he found out where we had gone. We stayed till the very last minute and then made a mad dash down the hill to the depot. We ran all the way and got to the train just as it was pulling out. With the assistance of the conductor he helped us into the caboose. Veta, started hyper ventilating and fainted. The conductor and brakeman applied wet towels and she was still pale when we reached Davis City. By the time we walked the 3-1/2 miles home she was much better. Our secret was safe. The next day the conductor ran into daddy and he asked how his little girl was doing."
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"When dad and mother first got married they lived in a shed on what later became the garage. Mary and Grace were both born there and before Charles was born they moved the 'old Jones house' to its present location. When Steve and Retha got married and moved in, Wayne was born in the upstairs south bedroom. Mother wanted a kitchen built unto the small house for their growing family. Her way of reminding her carpenter husband was to step off the desired space for her new kitchen. Each time the steps got longer and longer. Finally, dad said that he had better get started before he lost his pasture."
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Velva Deanne [Bobbie] Berryman, Tommy Ford, Diana Ford, Janice Lynn Bolen and Larry McCully.
As you have probably figured out, these people are the direct descendants of my grandmother, Berdie Ordway. Is there any of us who would dispute the profound effect this women had on our lives?
Its mind-boggling really, the fact that this lady has been a huge part of our lives for over eighty years. Eighty years! Her presence has been felt for every one of those years in the same steady way. Whatever any of us are we can owe in large part to her influence. Whatever we believe about the right things in life, we gleaned from her example.
In the ninety-nine years she's been on this earth, she's seen the evolution of a completely different society from the days when she was a child on the farm in Iowa. The most common mode of transportation then was by her own two feet except when she went the longer distances by horse, and sometimes, with an attached buggy. Automobiles weren't common at all then. When one puttered through every now and then, it was an event that brought everyone out to see. And when she saw the first plane in the sky --- oh my, what a sight to behold.
Life outside of the immediate world she lived in didn't really exist. Her family depended on the bounty of the earth for the food they ate. They made their own clothes from bolts of cloth bought when they went into town, and one of grandma's chores was to sew and mend the clothes of the family. This experience made her a wonderful seamstress who made clothes for her own children and grandchildren throughout the years. I can remember several ensembles she made for me as I grew up, and I wore her creations with pride. The only time I can remember that I didn't fully appreciate when she made for me was when I looked across the room and saw my sister dressed in an exact replica of what I was wearing. But I never blamed my Grandma for my irritation. I was proud of what she made for me. My sister, on the other hand, copied every single thing I did, and it bugged the heck out of me every single time.
My grandmother met my grandfather when they were only twelve years old. During those early years they were friends mainly because Grandpa liked to hang out with Grandma's brothers. It wasn't until a few years later that he would call for her on horseback, and they would ride to church and school together. Frank Ordway married Berdie McLain when they were just 18, and within a few years they started a family that would end up with four girls ... Velva Deanne, Louise, Frances and Shirley.
The early years weren't easy. The Great Depression had the country in its mighty grip when the children were quite small, but they got by. Except for what they read in the newspapers, it was hard to feel the impact from their perch on the family farm. But they had their trials. When it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to exist by the land alone, Frank started scouting for jobs outside of the small country community they lived in. He heard about jobs being available in a town far away from home in a place called Wichita. He wasn't sure about relocating his family to somewhere far away from the familiar and their lifelong family and friends, but it had to be done. So with no small amount of trepidation, they made the long trip ... four children, three of them teenagers in tow.
With Grandma's unfailing optimism she helped to make the transition as easy as possible. Soon, the kids were enrolled in school and their life for the most part as easy and average as most of us have the privilege to enjoy. The girls finished growing up, made it through high school relatively unscathed, and got married and had children one by one. Grandma eventually went to work at Sears in the fabric department [Where else?] and it was from there where she retired several years later.
Now maybe its because I'm one of the grand kids that I can say this, but I think one of the finest assets my grandmother possessed was her way with grandchildren. She always made us feel safe and secure,, and right! Whatever our opinion, she made us feel it was the best one to have. She never talked down to us ... we felt important and secure around her. On the rare occasion she needed to discipline us, one sentence would stop our bad behavior in its tracks.
The Sunday dinners were a part of our lives from the very beginning. Back in Iowa. it was a regular event in many households and the tradition was brought from there to the new household in Wichita. The fare was pretty much the same every week, but that was because the family would have it no other way. Roast, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, green salad, jello salad, and the word-famous egg noodles. Again, that was an Iowa tradition that made it to the plains of Kansas, much to our benefit. The moniker given the Ordway household was fitting ... the Noodle Palace, and Grandma was the Noodle Palace Queen.
The desserts were a marvel as well ... always a couple to choose from: cherry or peach cobblers, apple pies, various cakes ... jello cakes were popular, and that wonderful strawberry concoction that practically melted in your mouth. If you hadn't eaten such a big meal before it, you almost let yourself eat two pieces.
It only became apparent as I grew older that she would have loved to have something different to eat ... if for no other reason than to have a variety of leftovers instead of the same week after week. She found creative ways to incorporate mashed potatoes into other dishes, and she tried to give away the leftover noodles to family members to take home so that she wouldn't have to use them in another meal. She saved the smallest portions, but would sometimes ask one of us clearing the table to go ahead and eat the tablespoon-sized dollops. Anything bigger she saved in tiny lidded containers. [Former butter dishes were great for leftovers!] When one of us asked for dumplings instead of noodles, she loved it because it meant that dinner could be a little different then usual. I personally like them as much as the noodles, but I've got to admit, if I didn't have one or the other, I missed it. I miss them now.
For a long time, she was the one who washed the dishes with the rest of us doing other chores, but even when she became more feeble and it became harder to stand for long periods of time, she sat at the end of the counter on a stool and took her place in the drying caravan.
She refused to waste anything. Living as she had through the Depression years, she had learned to use an object to its utmost potential. Sometimes people didn't understand why she would use a cling wrap, wash and dry it, then wrap it around a cardboard tube for use again later. Plastic bags from stores were kept and reused as trash bags to save pieces of fabric she kept for quilts she would do later on.
We all had our chores on Sundays ... mine was to put away the dishes and silverware as I was prone to claustrophobia with all the people in the kitchen doing their part to help out. Any one of us could step in to do another job, so the Sunday production was a lesson in teamwork and ultimate precision. I'd probably never see such a well-run show as that one again.
Berdie Ordway was devoutly religious, even when she couldn't go to church. And she lived every day of her life in the service of God. She could be stubborn and strong-willed at times, but never from a bad place in her heart. She had a strong sense of what was right, and an occasional opinion to others as to what she thought that was. She expected a lot from her family, and they have given their best to her all along. Very seldom did she have a bad word to say about anyone, and when she did, it was usually because they had done something to hurt her family.
I'm going to miss my grandmother. Even though I haven't been fortunate enough to see her for the best part of two years, her influence has been with me for every second of every day. Part of who I am stems from what I thinks she would say or do in my place and circumstance, and that will live on for as long as I do.
She's with my grandfather now ... as she has wanted to be for some time. Others are with them ... my aunt Bobbie, her kids, my sister, and my cousin Larry are there. What a joyous reunion that must have been, and someday, we will join them so that we'll all be together again. In the meantime, I will think of them often and know that they are with me, just in a different form. Linda
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