Rebecca Becky (Bodenhamer) Green

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family’s loss.

Dick and Ashlee, I was glad to get to say hello to you Dick at the funeral. I would love to have met Ashlee. I recognized quite a few of the extended family that I did not get to visit with. Listening at the funeral to those talking about Becky’s spiritual life reminded me of when we were the speakers for Youth Sunday when we were 10th or 11th grade there at First Baptist. Her dad, Chester came up to us after the service and said what a good job we had done and asked if we had thought about going into the ministry. Becky came a lot closer than I ever did. Sammye and I will miss her Christmas letters to tell what all you are doing. God bless and comfort you. Herb Hoss

Richard and Ashley–I was so sorry to hear about the loss of Becky. I have fond memories of long discussions about our kids growing up. I was unable to be at her service yesterday as we suffered the death of my older brother on Friday. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Susan Neff

To Dick, husband of Becky, to Ashlee, her daughter, to Barbara her sister-in-law and to all her family members, Oue sincere and deepest condolences on the sudden and unexpected loss of Becky. It was my pleasure to know her better by our working together on the Fincham reunion. She evidenced a strong committment to the Green family and her place among them will leave a great space. Barbara and I brought out her 1962 Pratt High year book and there Becky was as cheerleader, actress, and extra cricular star. Of course she went on to become wife, mother, attorney and teacher. Again our thoughts are with the Green branch of our larger Fincham family and we pray that you may find comfort in God’s grace and in Becky’s memory. Sincerely, Donna Hertlein Wygle for the George Hertlein Family

Richard and Ashlee, My prayers are with you and the rest of your family. I will always remember Becky as a law school classmate and friend, and though I moved from Wichita many years ago, I have always felt close to your family through Becky’s Christmas letters. Christmas time won’t be the same without them. May God strengthen you in this difficult time.

November 25, 2005 Dear Dick and Ashlee, I am so sad, I cannot imagine how either of you are making it through this. The thought of never talking to Bec or hearing her laugh leaves such an empty feeling in me, that I know, is magnified 100 times for each of you. Rebecca was my rock through law school. We were an unlikely pair. I may have been younger, but she was definitely flashier – all that blonde hair and.well, you know. She managed my love life, such as it was, and I propped her up when she got discouraged with studying or lonely for Dick and home. She took notes in class (in shorthand that she then typed out verbatim) and I helped her review and sometimes make sense of them. We laughed a lot. We could talk about anythingexcept politics, of course. For over 20 years we managed not to talk politics, knowing that we were coming from slightly opposite sides of the fence (my being one of the 20 democrats west of Topeka). Although I must say that she broke our unspoken vow with e-mails in this most recent presidential election designed to help me ‘see the light.’ Some were pretty funny, but I ignored them for the most part as she knew I would. We would talk about family so much that I felt I knew George, David and Ruth. I followed their careers, moves, illnesses, and family events over the years as if they were part of my family. Dick, you truly were the love of her life. How many times she would say to me ‘we just need to find you someone like my Dick.’ She thought you were the cutest and the best husband in the world and for 3 years she made the drive every weekend from Topeka to Wichita to be with you. Ashlee, you were all of her wishes fulfilled. I think she had pretty well given up on having kids when she went to law school and embarked on her legal career, but none of that held a candle to the little girl that finally came into her life. She labored through law school, but she loved being your mother. I received numerous pictures of you and your father (of course your mother was always waiting to lose a few pounds before she’d get in the picture). During that time, we would often talk only once a year when we caught up for the holidays, but we were always able to kind of pick up where we left off.there were no awkward silences or trying to think of things to say. We just started talking until we realized we’d been on the phone for an hour and had to say goodbye. When the girls and I were stuck in Wichita, there was no question that I’d call and no question that she’d run out to the airport on a moments notice. In the last couple of years, we started talking more as Bec decided it was time, at the rip old age of 55+ to put her career in high gear. She got frustrated with the whole process, but she never lost her sense of humour and was always able to laugh about whatever she was going through. She was the same Bec as in law school and we would slip back into our roles where she would give me the bigger lessons in life and I would help her ‘study’ (or research an issue or find the right forms). Last time we spoke, she was a bit frustrated with how things were going and I told her that when I retired, we’d start a pro bono practice in Kansas and both learn litigation on the job. I’m going to miss those talks. More important, I’m going to miss knowing that Rebecca is just there to talk to. There aren’t many people in this life that you can know for over 20 years and pick up the phone at any time and talk about life, family, careers, whatever is important to you and know that they will understand and won’t judge. That they won’t say ‘why don’t you ever call,’ but will listen and give you advice or just be a sounding board and hang up without trying to make you feel guilty if you don’t commit to call again soon. I know that you both know how special Rebecca was, but I want you to know how much she was loved by those of us she let into her life and made us feel a part of her family and, if I can help, in any way, please pick up the phone and call me, just like Rebecca would have. I don’t ever need explanations or reasons, you can call just to talk, or to ask a question about school, or a potential job or a contact, or a legal issue. I know we can’t bring Rebecca back, and so we have no choice but to go forward. Rebecca would want both of you to move on and succeed and be joyful in this life, and she would want me to be available to help whenever I got a call. You can always reach me at home 713.953.0377 or on my mobile at 713.898.9899. My e-mail is joni.ffrench@us.pwc.com. If you can’t find these numbers when you need them, you can always get a number for Jeffrey King in Salina, Kansas and he will find me. You are in my thoughts and prayers, Joni