Bernice Christine Brighton, 100 and ½, of Manhattan, Kansas, passed away Friday, July 3, following a brief illness. She was born November 21, 1925, on her parents’ farm south of Osage City, Kansas, to John Delbert and Nettie Lafferty.

She attended a one-room country school and later attended Osage City High School and the College of Emporia. She finished in August 1946 and took her first teaching job in Milford, Kansas. There she met her future husband, Dale Eugene Brighton, who had recently returned from serving in a U.S. Army railroad unit in Germany. Their only son, Van, was born June 11, 1948.

After Bernice and Dale married, Dale’s work with the Union Pacific Railroad brought them to Irving, Kansas, where Bernice taught school until 1957, when their home was purchased for the creation of Tuttle Creek Reservoir. The railroad later moved the family to Frankfort, Kansas City, Kansas, and finally Manhattan. Bernice taught elementary school, most often fifth grade, in each community, including at Ogden and Lee Elementary schools. Her proudest professional accomplishment was receiving USD 383’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1981. She retired in 1982.

In retirement, Bernice and Dale helped Van and his first wife, Sandy, with their small business, Office World, until she retired a second time a few years later. She was an active grandmother to Kristin and Michael, never missing a school performance or sporting event. After Dale’s death in 1990, she continued serving the community through Trinity Presbyterian Church, Order of the Eastern Star, Manhattan Retired Teachers, VFW Auxiliary and Welcome Club.

Bernice showed her love by feeding others. She loved hosting dinners in her home, and her guests never left without dessert and leftovers. For the last eight years, she lived at Meadowlark, where she often shared treats and artwork with fellow residents and staff. She had a smile for everyone and lived by the motto, “Bloom where you’re planted.”

Bernice is survived by her daughter-in-law, Jan Brighton; her granddaughter, Kristin Brighton and her husband, Benjamin Ward; her grandson, Michael and his wife, Heather; and four great-grandchildren, Ryan, Katharine, Mary and Andrew. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dale; her son, Van; her parents; and two older brothers, Harold and Glen Lafferty. She never knew a stranger. As her family grew smaller in recent years, she kept many extended family and friends close to her, including Connie Schweitzer and Janet Lowery, Sandy and Charly Pottorff, Nancy Whitney, and Kathleen Ward.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Burial will precede the service at 9 a.m. at Sunrise Cemetery. Family and friends may pay their respects at Irvin Parkview Funeral Home on Friday, July 10, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. The family will not be present.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Bernice’s honor to Trinity Presbyterian Church or Meadowlark. The family thanks the staff of Ascension Via Christi and Meadowlark for caring for her in her final days.