Bernice K. Bunny Link

Link, Bernice K. “Bunny”, a lifelong active member of the Wichita community, passed away July 30, 2008, just a month short of her 85th birthday. After graduating from the University of Illinois, she was vacationing in Colorado when a United Airlines executive noticed her and recruited her on the spot to become a stewardess. In a young airline industry that was still defining itself, Bunny Kurt was chosen the first secretary of the Airline Stewardess Association in 1945. She caught the eye and, ultimately, the heart of a young United pilot from Chicago, George Link, whom she married in 1945. After the war, they came back to Wichita where George finished his degree at Wichita University and, together, they started a family. Active in the Junior League of Wichita, she worked for the Community Planning Council and later for the state Department on Aging. She embarked on a successful real estate career in 1978 that sustained her through retirement ten years later. She had a long connection to Wichita State University and was a life member in The Presidents Club and The Society of 1895. Preceded in death by her husband, George, and three siblings, Lester Kurt, Regina Kurt, and Dolores Kent, she is survived by a sister, Joan Bradford (Hayward, CA); daughter, Patricia A. (Bruce) Cole; son, David K. (Becky) Link; son, Timothy G. (Jane) Link (all of Wichita). She delighted in her seven grandchildren: Carl R. (Randi) Hill, Danyelle C. Link, DeShane L. (Vincent) Naputi, Valerie A. Cole, Andrew G. Link, Emma Allison T.C. Link and Matthew W. Link; and eight great-grandchildren. Vigil services will be held Sunday, August 3, 7:00 pm at the Downing Lahey East Chapel, 6555 E. Central. Funeral mass will be Monday, August 4, 10:00 am at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1215 N Stratford. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations in her name to the Larksfield Employee Scholarship Fund, 7373 East 29th Street North, Wichita, KS 67226, or St. Anthonys Family Shelter, 256 N Ohio, Wichita, KS 67214. Vigil services will be held Sunday, August 3, 7:00 pm at the Downing Lahey East Chapel, 6555 E. Central.