Bulah Alta McKinney

Bulah Alta Ferguson was born May 8, 1929 at Liberal, Kansas to Charles and Stella Warner Ferguson. She followed quickly and unexpectedly on the heels of her twin sister, Drula. Two older brothers and an one sister were already present in the home; four younger brothers would follow, including Robert Lee, who died of dust-bowl pneumonia around 6 months of age.

Until the mid thirties, the family lived on a hardscrabble farm about 12 miles east of Liberal, near the Cimarron River. Continued bad times forced Charles to give up farming, which led the family to move into town. There, Stella was paid a visit by the Liberal Friends Church pastor’s wife, Marie Thornburg; soon the family was worshipping and active in the Friends Church. Through the church’s ministry, Bulah became convicted of her need for salvation and surrendered her life to Jesus Christ as a young teen. Bulah attended Liberal schools through her junior year of high school; during these years she also took piano lessons (later becoming a somewhat reluctant church accompanist). Living close by in Liberal were her grandparents, and several sets of uncles, aunts, and cousins. She was able to learn sewing and other skills from Grandmother, who lived just across the alley.

Bulah and Drula were lifelong special friends, as twins; growing up, they dressed alike and did almost everything together. They were fun loving and got into a little mischief now and then. They shared in each others lives at every stage, up until Drula passed away in January of 2018.

In 1946, the family moved to Haviland, Kansas. Bulah completed high school at Friends Bible Academy in 1947. Following that, she and Drula returned to Liberal where they worked at Woolworth’s for one year. Bulah then completed two years at Friends Bible College (FBC) in Haviland, followed by a summer session at Fort Hays State College to obtain a teaching certificate. She then taught for one year in a one-room schoolhouse near Bunker Hill, in Russell County.

August 17, 1951, Bulah married Francis McKinney at Haviland. Francis had become aware of Bulah at Church Youth Camp at Camp Wood. He became more aware of her when they both attended FBC and when his older brother Fred married Drula in 1949. Within a month of the their wedding, Francis, who had graduated three months earlier, followed his father and his grandfather into the ministry, and he and Bulah, both 22 years old, became pastors of Cold Springs Friends Church in southwest Oklahoma. This is where Lynette was born. After several years, they moved on to a church in Ringwood OK.

In 1956, Francis and Bulah with Lynette began a 13-year pastorate at Pratt Friends Church, where soon Mike and then Randy were born. They also ministered at Plains, Kansas; Alva Oklahoma in Oklahoma; Mount Ayer near Alton, Kansas; Argonia, Kansas for 12 years; and, lastly, Francis became a member of the pastoral staff of Northridge Friends in Wichita, Kansas for more than 15 years. Although Bulah did not preach, and may not have been thought of as a leader, she and Francis together, at whatever church they were at, were often referred to as being “the pastors”. This is a recognition of how important a pastor’s wife is to the pastor, and that there are many ways the pastor’s wife ministers, also. Francis continued in the ministry until he was in his middle eighties. Bulah was his faithful partner through all the joys and difficulties that 65 plus years of loving Jesus and loving people bring. Altogether they were blessed with a 69 year marriage, when Francis passed away Dec 17, 2020.

Besides her husband and her children, Bulah loved the people around her - people that were in the church and people who were not She enjoyed close relationships with numerous friends through the years. Family connections with the McKinney’s and the Ferguson’s were important to her. Also, her grandchildren and their young families were very dear to her.

Bulah prioritized her relationship with her Lord and Savior. She immersed herself into study of her Bible; in Wichita, she attended Bible Study Fellowship, for women, many years, where she enjoyed making friends with ladies from other denominations. Bulah had an extensive prayer life. She learned to overcome her anxiety by peacefully trusting God; this became a habit that carried her through many challenges, including losing her husband. She always had something uplifting and edifying to read.

Bulah was an excellent seamstress and made many of her and Lynette’s clothes, including wedding dresses for herself and Lynette and dresses for both of their wedding parties. Her family enjoyed her great cooking. She enjoyed simple things such as walking, gardening, crafting of various kinds, picnics, cookouts, short trips, and good laughs. Her children appreciate the spontaneity she brought: maybe her favorite thing would have been to stop and wade in a stream while on a family vacation.

Someone wrote a book about growing up in the time period that Bulah grew up in. The title of the book was, “We Had Everything but Money.” That title is a description of the circumstances that Bulah was born into - they had little in the way of material possessions, but they were rich in the closeness of their relationships. Her childhood memories included some of the dust bowl days of the dirty thirties. Bulah’s mother was known to quote Psalm 37:25, I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread.

In the home that Bulah made with Francis, there was still not a lot of money. But there always seemed to be enough, sometimes just barely. In addition to just enough money, there was love, a sense of humor, and a sense of belonging and acceptance. Her children appreciate immensely the home that she made, and the example that she provided of the solid foundation for our lives of the truth of Jesus Christ.

Bulah is preceded in death by her parents, husband, son-in-law Carl Mease, and 7 siblings: Wendell, Charles, Ivol, Drula, Floyd, Robert, and Willard. She is survived by her brother, Delmar, sisters-in-law Doris Ferguson Davis and Betty McKinney, children Lynette, Michael, and Randall; grandchildren: Kristen, Micah, Levi, Titus, Simeon, Enoch, Gideon, Rachel, Cindy, and Sarah; 23 great grandchildren; and 4 great great grandchildren.

In Bulah’s 94 years she touched many lives. She will be greatly missed. Her life was one characterized by thankfulness, trust, and contentment. She had an ever present, beautiful, unforgettable SMILE even to her last days. Even though she had forgotten almost everything near the end, she still knew her children and never stopped speaking words of love and encouragement. Because of her faith in The Lord Jesus and because of her lifelong demonstration of her love for him, she has surely been welcomed into eternity with the open arms our Savior and Lord.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.HillsideFuneralHomeWest.com for the McKinney family.