IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Leona Winifred
Ferris
November 16, 1924 – December 14, 2016
Obituary
Winifred Ferris, age 92, went home to be with her Lord, December 14, 2016. She passed peacefully in her sleep.
Winifred was born November 16, 1924 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She was the daughter of Lela and Leon Hester. She grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She was a member of the General Baptist Church. During high school, she worked as a soda jerk in the local drugstore. She took dancing and went to modeling school. She also loved music all her life.
When she was nearly 19, the Boeing Company recruiter came to town, looking for women to train as "Rosie the Riveters." Winifred and her girlfriend signed up and took the train to Seattle for training. She worked there for two and a half years. She worked on B17s and B29s. Later, after visiting an aunt in California, she returned to Cape Girardeau.
Winifred met her future husband, Charles when he and his band went to Cape Girardeau for a four-month stint. They were married shortly thereafter, and honeymooned in New York City, where Charles was playing in a band.
After two years they moved to Dubuque, Iowa where Charles went to college.
Eventually Winifred and Charles moved to Lompoc. Winifred became very active as a member of the Methodist Church. She sang in the choir for the First United Methodist for 28 years. She was active in the UMW and made crafts for their bazaars. She also served as hostess for wedding receptions in the church for three years.
Winifred sang in the Lompoc Valley Master Chorale, loved needlework, gardening, traveling and baking. She won a first place for a cake in the Lompoc Record food contest.
She and Charles also added another laurel many years ago, when they entered their first dance contest at the Santa Barbara County Fair and they won first place for the Jitterbug.
Winifred is survived by her daughter Stephanie Gustafson (Doug), grandchildren Melissa (Bryan) and Jacob (Vida) and five great grandchildren, Kayla, Anderson, William, Gabriel and Penelope.
The funeral service will be Friday, December 23, 2016, at 1pm at the First United Methodist Church of Lompoc, California. Interment will follow in the Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery.
Winifred was born November 16, 1924 in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. She was the daughter of Lela and Leon Hester. She grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. She was a member of the General Baptist Church. During high school, she worked as a soda jerk in the local drugstore. She took dancing and went to modeling school. She also loved music all her life.
When she was nearly 19, the Boeing Company recruiter came to town, looking for women to train as "Rosie the Riveters." Winifred and her girlfriend signed up and took the train to Seattle for training. She worked there for two and a half years. She worked on B17s and B29s. Later, after visiting an aunt in California, she returned to Cape Girardeau.
Winifred met her future husband, Charles when he and his band went to Cape Girardeau for a four-month stint. They were married shortly thereafter, and honeymooned in New York City, where Charles was playing in a band.
After two years they moved to Dubuque, Iowa where Charles went to college.
Eventually Winifred and Charles moved to Lompoc. Winifred became very active as a member of the Methodist Church. She sang in the choir for the First United Methodist for 28 years. She was active in the UMW and made crafts for their bazaars. She also served as hostess for wedding receptions in the church for three years.
Winifred sang in the Lompoc Valley Master Chorale, loved needlework, gardening, traveling and baking. She won a first place for a cake in the Lompoc Record food contest.
She and Charles also added another laurel many years ago, when they entered their first dance contest at the Santa Barbara County Fair and they won first place for the Jitterbug.
Winifred is survived by her daughter Stephanie Gustafson (Doug), grandchildren Melissa (Bryan) and Jacob (Vida) and five great grandchildren, Kayla, Anderson, William, Gabriel and Penelope.
The funeral service will be Friday, December 23, 2016, at 1pm at the First United Methodist Church of Lompoc, California. Interment will follow in the Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery.
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