[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 61 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S4924]]
                         HELEN LUCILE WULFMEYER

 Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I rise to recognize a life-long 
Kansas native, Lucile Wulfmeyer, who passed away on May 11, 1997. Her 
memorial service at First Presbyterian Church included the following 
remembrance of Lucile, written by her elder daughter, Roberta Doerges:

       My earliest memories of mother and my family roots seem to 
     materialize in the home she purchased at 316 S. Bluff. Here, 
     I remember a formal dining room converted to a family room; 
     learning to ride my first bicycle; and meeting the man who 
     would later become my father: Lawrence Wulfmeyer. What come 
     before all of that dims in childhood lost, but along with 
     Marian's ``I wuv you, Wawrance,'' and my manipulative acts to 
     prevent my mother's dating, I remember an abundance of 
     motherly patience and forbearance. The nearly four years 
     between my father, Francis Chambers' death, and my mothers' 
     union of 37 years to Lawrence, set the stage for revealing my 
     mother's life of service.
       Today's stories might have described a woman with 18-month-
     old and not-quite-three-year-old daughters as capitulating to 
     welfare, but not so for our mother. A woman wise beyond her 
     decade, she returned to work at Wichita's McConnell AFB and 
     managed to provide her daughters with a live-in housekeeper, 
     as well as financial support. I have always marveled at her 
     courage to do this: a ``woman's libber'' before her time, 
     working in a predominately male field, and providing two 
     young daughters with love and sustenance.
       Knowing that she needed companionship, and a helpmate to 
     raise these little girls, Lucile married again in October of 
     1959. Lawrence's Brownie camera recorded two little girls, 
     dressed identically, and participating in the celebration of 
     their parents' union and a new father. A new home in East 
     Wichita, and a new family life ensued.
       Always a large part of the family picture was First 
     Presbyterian Church: group calling on prospective new 
     members, UPY meetings and youth choir through junior and 
     senior high school years. Even the conception and realization 
     of the Wulfmeyer ``Dream Home'' in Clearwater did not dim 
     that emphasis. Many a Lucckock Class picnic, or a Brown 
     Sunday School Class open house was held at the home in 
     Clearwater, dubbed ``Spring Creek Acres,'' and the seat of so 
     many collective family memories.
       Mother's life of service continued through all of those 
     years. Whether creating musical programs for Marian, Roberta 
     and Lucile to perform, or lovingly constructing costumes to 
     enhance them; whether taxiing busy daughters to endless high 
     school extracurricular activities, or typing term papers at 
     7:30 am (at 120 words per minutes proficiency, this was one 
     skill that was too tempting for at least her elder daughter 
     to overlook taking advantage of!) Reading and correcting 
     school papers, assisting with college choices, consoling 
     unrequited crushes--no act was too demeaning for Mother. Her 
     creative juices seemed endless; her power to be supportive 
     was astonishing; her innovation was impressive. (To this day, 
     I owe my own extensive and find vocabulary to her love of 
     literature, and the ingenious idea during our late high 
     school years to put a ``new'' vocabulary word on the table 
     daily, at breakfast. The challenge was not only to learn its 
     meaning, but, by dinner time, to be able to use it correctly 
     in conversation.)
       My mother's ability to teach and instill was amazing. I 
     never remember learning the 23rd Psalm or the Lord's Prayer. 
     These were repeated to us as babies, following our father's 
     death, and were as much a part of our essence as eating or 
     speaking. The faith which she instilled in us was invaluable: 
     the unswerving foundation of a God who loves us, in spite of 
     any adversity.
       Mother's ability to teach also shows through in her three 
     grandchildren: Autumn's love of art; Lauren's organizational 
     skills, service inclinations, and musical interests; Kyle's 
     appreciation of theater . . . all of these are owed in great 
     part to a grandmother who took the time of summer visits to 
     send grandchildren to art classes, or escort them to Wichita 
     Music Theater. That love and those lessons will last a 
     lifetime.
       Small wonder that Lucile had already begun a life of 
     service as a young woman. Her father died when she was 
     seventeen. She assisted her mother through years of 
     illnesses, operations at Mayo, bitterness over poor health, 
     and tender care in her elder years. This attitude of service 
     also include care for her elderly father-in-law, Sidney 
     Chambers, and for Lawrence's mother, Clara. Her love and 
     service seemingly knew no bounds.
       Those who loved Lucile will remember her devotion to 
     protocol, her gracious way of living, and her love of family. 
     They will remember her acute appreciation of the fine arts; 
     her gifts of writing prose and poetry; her love of reading 
     and of books, her fascination with history (especially 
     through the D.A.R.), and her delight in the unique (how many 
     American ``witches'' do you know)? She will be remembered for 
     her life of service to her family and her church; and her 
     appreciation of God's divine purpose.
       While recent months may have seemingly robber her of many 
     of the things which she appreciated most, her inability to 
     enjoy those things completely made all of us who visited and 
     loved her, acutely aware of all those finer appreciations 
     which she enjoyed and instilled in others.
       She was greatly loved, and will be greatly missed. ``Well 
     done, thou good and faithful servant.''

                          ____________________