DANBURY - Winona A. Boyer, 90, former Abilene, KS resident died Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1994, at Asbury Regional Medical Center in Salina, KS. She was born March 15, 1904 in Danbury to Edward and Edith (Newberry) Ruby. She grew up in Danbury, attended local schools, graduated from Danbury High School and taught school for several years.
She married Charles S. Boyer and lived in Danbury until 1947. They moved to Missouri for a few years then relocated to Jamestown, KS, where she worked for the local school system. After the death of her husband she moved to Abilene, KS in 1966 and made her home at Frontier Estates. She worked at the Mode O'Day dress shop in Abilene for six years prior to retiring.She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Abilene.Surviving are three daughters, Lois Zapp of Ord, NE, Enid Zapp of McCook, NE, and Roberta Garten Johannes of Salina; two sons, Allen Boyer of Lindsborg, KS, and Ron Boyer of Colorado Springs, CO; one sister, Doris Green of Cambridge, NE; 20 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.You are very much loved by a great many friends and family and will be very much missed.- From Winona's funeral service, 1994:Sometimes we think that we have it tough today. We look at our world and especially now when the politicians are complaining about how bad the world is.A few of us today can really remember what a hard life was. Winona could for she was the second generation of the pioneers to this area, although I can't remember hearing her complain about it. In the midst of what to us would look like impossible living she accepted life as it came to her without complaint.Eight children were born to her in a day when going to a sterile hospital was unheard of and probably no doctor was even there in attendance. If there were a doctor he probably had little more skill or knowledge about births than the midwife mother who really did the delivery.No running water. The only running was to the outdoor bathroom on a cold day. No heaters (well maybe a hot brick) in the buggy or maybe a car with side curtains to ride in to church. No air conditioned kitchens when canning was done over a wood or coal- fired kitchen stove. Imagine canning over a hot stove in July with three or four little kids underfoot. And not one of her children would eat anyone else's chocolate cake but their mother's. At our house it is still Winona's cake that Edra bakes. The cake may not be as good because Winona said that the milk must be deeply sour (for added flavor). No heated bedrooms in winter and no cooled ones in summer.In spite of all the daily hardships life was somehow good. You, her children, remember the songs around the piano. The Sunday dinners with extended family. The gangs of cousins having fun together instead of today's gangs of youth tearing up a city. There was a sense of belonging to the whole family, uncles, grandparents, cousins and the community.Edra wrote Senator Carl Curtis a few days ago and asked if he had ever had any relation in Danbury. He called her and talked about the times he taught school there. "Yes", he said, "I remember the Boyer girls. Did any of them tell you about that?"Why was life so good then in spite of hardness of the physical surroundings? For the same reason that life was good to the end for Winona, even though she had her share of sadness. She saw hard financial times. She had to go with most of her family away from the community of her love. She buried her husband to whom her body will return today. She buried three of her children. She had certain health problems that certainly did not add to her joy.Why did the pioneer communities find joy when we, reading about it, wonder how they survived? Because Winona with the rest of the community had three things most needed to make life worth living. Three things every generation must have if it is to get the most out of life.First, she had the inner resources to make her own entertainment. She was never bored with TV or Sunday Football or blaring boomboxes. And, according to the stories that I hear, was not ever bored with Som-R-Set. They made their own music in those days. The town was the motion picture where life was played out. The tasks of the changing seasons left little time to be bored.Second, she had community. It was a time of extended family. Three generations or four in the same community. Neighbors knew not only those next door but those down the block and down the dirt road as far as the eye could see. And they cared about each other. When one in the community hurt they all hurt. No one really lived alone even though there might not even be telephones to connect them. But the grape vine worked. It was not gossip. It was the need to know so that one could help if needed.Third, she had faith. She knew that there is more to the world than meets the eye. There is a friend unseen but well known who shares in the burdens and makes light the load. There is a God who cares, who will show the way if we have courage to walk it. A God who becomes a "lamp into out pathway". The same God who we know who will bring joy into our hearts as we say goodbye to the Winona we all loved. She will be greatly missed by all.
She married Charles S. Boyer and lived in Danbury until 1947. They moved to Missouri for a few years then relocated to Jamestown, KS, where she worked for the local school system. After the death of her husband she moved to Abilene, KS in 1966 and made her home at Frontier Estates. She worked at the Mode O'Day dress shop in Abilene for six years prior to retiring.She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Abilene.Surviving are three daughters, Lois Zapp of Ord, NE, Enid Zapp of McCook, NE, and Roberta Garten Johannes of Salina; two sons, Allen Boyer of Lindsborg, KS, and Ron Boyer of Colorado Springs, CO; one sister, Doris Green of Cambridge, NE; 20 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.You are very much loved by a great many friends and family and will be very much missed.- From Winona's funeral service, 1994:Sometimes we think that we have it tough today. We look at our world and especially now when the politicians are complaining about how bad the world is.A few of us today can really remember what a hard life was. Winona could for she was the second generation of the pioneers to this area, although I can't remember hearing her complain about it. In the midst of what to us would look like impossible living she accepted life as it came to her without complaint.Eight children were born to her in a day when going to a sterile hospital was unheard of and probably no doctor was even there in attendance. If there were a doctor he probably had little more skill or knowledge about births than the midwife mother who really did the delivery.No running water. The only running was to the outdoor bathroom on a cold day. No heaters (well maybe a hot brick) in the buggy or maybe a car with side curtains to ride in to church. No air conditioned kitchens when canning was done over a wood or coal- fired kitchen stove. Imagine canning over a hot stove in July with three or four little kids underfoot. And not one of her children would eat anyone else's chocolate cake but their mother's. At our house it is still Winona's cake that Edra bakes. The cake may not be as good because Winona said that the milk must be deeply sour (for added flavor). No heated bedrooms in winter and no cooled ones in summer.In spite of all the daily hardships life was somehow good. You, her children, remember the songs around the piano. The Sunday dinners with extended family. The gangs of cousins having fun together instead of today's gangs of youth tearing up a city. There was a sense of belonging to the whole family, uncles, grandparents, cousins and the community.Edra wrote Senator Carl Curtis a few days ago and asked if he had ever had any relation in Danbury. He called her and talked about the times he taught school there. "Yes", he said, "I remember the Boyer girls. Did any of them tell you about that?"Why was life so good then in spite of hardness of the physical surroundings? For the same reason that life was good to the end for Winona, even though she had her share of sadness. She saw hard financial times. She had to go with most of her family away from the community of her love. She buried her husband to whom her body will return today. She buried three of her children. She had certain health problems that certainly did not add to her joy.Why did the pioneer communities find joy when we, reading about it, wonder how they survived? Because Winona with the rest of the community had three things most needed to make life worth living. Three things every generation must have if it is to get the most out of life.First, she had the inner resources to make her own entertainment. She was never bored with TV or Sunday Football or blaring boomboxes. And, according to the stories that I hear, was not ever bored with Som-R-Set. They made their own music in those days. The town was the motion picture where life was played out. The tasks of the changing seasons left little time to be bored.Second, she had community. It was a time of extended family. Three generations or four in the same community. Neighbors knew not only those next door but those down the block and down the dirt road as far as the eye could see. And they cared about each other. When one in the community hurt they all hurt. No one really lived alone even though there might not even be telephones to connect them. But the grape vine worked. It was not gossip. It was the need to know so that one could help if needed.Third, she had faith. She knew that there is more to the world than meets the eye. There is a friend unseen but well known who shares in the burdens and makes light the load. There is a God who cares, who will show the way if we have courage to walk it. A God who becomes a "lamp into out pathway". The same God who we know who will bring joy into our hearts as we say goodbye to the Winona we all loved. She will be greatly missed by all.
DANBURY - Winona A. Boyer, 90, former Abilene, KS resident died Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1994, at Asbury Regional Medical Center in Salina, KS. She was born March 15, 1904 in Danbury to Edward and Edith (Newberry) Ruby. She grew up in Danbury, attended local schools, graduated from Danbury High School and taught school for several years.
She married Charles S. Boyer and lived in Danbury until 1947. They moved to Missouri for a few years then relocated to Jamestown, KS, where she worked for the local school system. After the death of her husband she moved to Abilene, KS in 1966 and made her home at Frontier Estates. She worked at the Mode O'Day dress shop in Abilene for six years prior to retiring.She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Abilene.Surviving are three daughters, Lois Zapp of Ord, NE, Enid Zapp of McCook, NE, and Roberta Garten Johannes of Salina; two sons, Allen Boyer of Lindsborg, KS, and Ron Boyer of Colorado Springs, CO; one sister, Doris Green of Cambridge, NE; 20 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.You are very much loved by a great many friends and family and will be very much missed.- From Winona's funeral service, 1994:Sometimes we think that we have it tough today. We look at our world and especially now when the politicians are complaining about how bad the world is.A few of us today can really remember what a hard life was. Winona could for she was the second generation of the pioneers to this area, although I can't remember hearing her complain about it. In the midst of what to us would look like impossible living she accepted life as it came to her without complaint.Eight children were born to her in a day when going to a sterile hospital was unheard of and probably no doctor was even there in attendance. If there were a doctor he probably had little more skill or knowledge about births than the midwife mother who really did the delivery.No running water. The only running was to the outdoor bathroom on a cold day. No heaters (well maybe a hot brick) in the buggy or maybe a car with side curtains to ride in to church. No air conditioned kitchens when canning was done over a wood or coal- fired kitchen stove. Imagine canning over a hot stove in July with three or four little kids underfoot. And not one of her children would eat anyone else's chocolate cake but their mother's. At our house it is still Winona's cake that Edra bakes. The cake may not be as good because Winona said that the milk must be deeply sour (for added flavor). No heated bedrooms in winter and no cooled ones in summer.In spite of all the daily hardships life was somehow good. You, her children, remember the songs around the piano. The Sunday dinners with extended family. The gangs of cousins having fun together instead of today's gangs of youth tearing up a city. There was a sense of belonging to the whole family, uncles, grandparents, cousins and the community.Edra wrote Senator Carl Curtis a few days ago and asked if he had ever had any relation in Danbury. He called her and talked about the times he taught school there. "Yes", he said, "I remember the Boyer girls. Did any of them tell you about that?"Why was life so good then in spite of hardness of the physical surroundings? For the same reason that life was good to the end for Winona, even though she had her share of sadness. She saw hard financial times. She had to go with most of her family away from the community of her love. She buried her husband to whom her body will return today. She buried three of her children. She had certain health problems that certainly did not add to her joy.Why did the pioneer communities find joy when we, reading about it, wonder how they survived? Because Winona with the rest of the community had three things most needed to make life worth living. Three things every generation must have if it is to get the most out of life.First, she had the inner resources to make her own entertainment. She was never bored with TV or Sunday Football or blaring boomboxes. And, according to the stories that I hear, was not ever bored with Som-R-Set. They made their own music in those days. The town was the motion picture where life was played out. The tasks of the changing seasons left little time to be bored.Second, she had community. It was a time of extended family. Three generations or four in the same community. Neighbors knew not only those next door but those down the block and down the dirt road as far as the eye could see. And they cared about each other. When one in the community hurt they all hurt. No one really lived alone even though there might not even be telephones to connect them. But the grape vine worked. It was not gossip. It was the need to know so that one could help if needed.Third, she had faith. She knew that there is more to the world than meets the eye. There is a friend unseen but well known who shares in the burdens and makes light the load. There is a God who cares, who will show the way if we have courage to walk it. A God who becomes a "lamp into out pathway". The same God who we know who will bring joy into our hearts as we say goodbye to the Winona we all loved. She will be greatly missed by all.
She married Charles S. Boyer and lived in Danbury until 1947. They moved to Missouri for a few years then relocated to Jamestown, KS, where she worked for the local school system. After the death of her husband she moved to Abilene, KS in 1966 and made her home at Frontier Estates. She worked at the Mode O'Day dress shop in Abilene for six years prior to retiring.She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Abilene.Surviving are three daughters, Lois Zapp of Ord, NE, Enid Zapp of McCook, NE, and Roberta Garten Johannes of Salina; two sons, Allen Boyer of Lindsborg, KS, and Ron Boyer of Colorado Springs, CO; one sister, Doris Green of Cambridge, NE; 20 grandchildren; 40 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.You are very much loved by a great many friends and family and will be very much missed.- From Winona's funeral service, 1994:Sometimes we think that we have it tough today. We look at our world and especially now when the politicians are complaining about how bad the world is.A few of us today can really remember what a hard life was. Winona could for she was the second generation of the pioneers to this area, although I can't remember hearing her complain about it. In the midst of what to us would look like impossible living she accepted life as it came to her without complaint.Eight children were born to her in a day when going to a sterile hospital was unheard of and probably no doctor was even there in attendance. If there were a doctor he probably had little more skill or knowledge about births than the midwife mother who really did the delivery.No running water. The only running was to the outdoor bathroom on a cold day. No heaters (well maybe a hot brick) in the buggy or maybe a car with side curtains to ride in to church. No air conditioned kitchens when canning was done over a wood or coal- fired kitchen stove. Imagine canning over a hot stove in July with three or four little kids underfoot. And not one of her children would eat anyone else's chocolate cake but their mother's. At our house it is still Winona's cake that Edra bakes. The cake may not be as good because Winona said that the milk must be deeply sour (for added flavor). No heated bedrooms in winter and no cooled ones in summer.In spite of all the daily hardships life was somehow good. You, her children, remember the songs around the piano. The Sunday dinners with extended family. The gangs of cousins having fun together instead of today's gangs of youth tearing up a city. There was a sense of belonging to the whole family, uncles, grandparents, cousins and the community.Edra wrote Senator Carl Curtis a few days ago and asked if he had ever had any relation in Danbury. He called her and talked about the times he taught school there. "Yes", he said, "I remember the Boyer girls. Did any of them tell you about that?"Why was life so good then in spite of hardness of the physical surroundings? For the same reason that life was good to the end for Winona, even though she had her share of sadness. She saw hard financial times. She had to go with most of her family away from the community of her love. She buried her husband to whom her body will return today. She buried three of her children. She had certain health problems that certainly did not add to her joy.Why did the pioneer communities find joy when we, reading about it, wonder how they survived? Because Winona with the rest of the community had three things most needed to make life worth living. Three things every generation must have if it is to get the most out of life.First, she had the inner resources to make her own entertainment. She was never bored with TV or Sunday Football or blaring boomboxes. And, according to the stories that I hear, was not ever bored with Som-R-Set. They made their own music in those days. The town was the motion picture where life was played out. The tasks of the changing seasons left little time to be bored.Second, she had community. It was a time of extended family. Three generations or four in the same community. Neighbors knew not only those next door but those down the block and down the dirt road as far as the eye could see. And they cared about each other. When one in the community hurt they all hurt. No one really lived alone even though there might not even be telephones to connect them. But the grape vine worked. It was not gossip. It was the need to know so that one could help if needed.Third, she had faith. She knew that there is more to the world than meets the eye. There is a friend unseen but well known who shares in the burdens and makes light the load. There is a God who cares, who will show the way if we have courage to walk it. A God who becomes a "lamp into out pathway". The same God who we know who will bring joy into our hearts as we say goodbye to the Winona we all loved. She will be greatly missed by all.
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