Vickie Hemberger Odell
I had lost track of Frances after 1990 and several moves. We met at Longview Community College in Philosophy class when we discovered that we were both Christians and disagreed with some of the ideas being taught. After that we rode together to UMKC each day until graduation. We had several classes together since we were both planning to be elementary teachers. We ate lunch together with Linda Jordan, the most memorable was eating our sack lunches on the south steps of Nelson Art Gallery. Then the three of us would ride a couple of blocks to the Conservatory of Music. Our homework included rewriting music in another key and practicing for our final test of playing the piano on our cardboard keyboards while sitting in the hallway. Frances had a deep desire to play the piano and also loved art and being creative. When I'd visit her house, she was always trying to organize her arts and crafts supplies.
After I taught in public school a couple of years, Frances helped me get a teaching job at Blue Ridge Christian School where she was teaching. I taught in several Christian schools thanks to her prompting. I moved back to the area after having children and Frances and I reconnected. She needed a student to work with for a math education class she was taking, so that spring she came to our house a couple of times a week and taught my 5-year-old pre-school daughter her math techniques. Amazingly, Lisa became very good at math, even going to state math contests in Kansas. Frances may not have known this, but I know she touched many lives. I will always cherish fond memories of this dear lady and will look forward to seeing her again. --Vickie Hemberger ODell