Barbara Kay Pippert 1940 - 2007
Funeral services for Barbara Kay Pippert, 66, Lawrence will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Warren-McElwain Mortuary. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.
She died Friday, June 29, 2007, at her home.
She was born July 24, 1940, in Baldwin City, the daughter of Alton C. and Gladys M. Ford Pippert. She attended Lawrence public schools. She was a lifelong resident of Douglas County and moved to Lawrence in 1947.
Barbara was a member of Lawrence Friends Church.
She made national news when she married Stephen Smelser, a.k.a. "Mr. Blue" and "The Button Man", on December 11, 1999. They were married aboard the little blue bus he drove, Bus 62. He survives, of the home.
Other survivors include a sister, Bonnie Taylor and husband Roy, Lawrence; an aunt, Oliveward Hunzicker, Columbia, Mo.; a niece, Lianne Martin, Denver; and a nephew, Loren Taylor, Champaign, Ill.
The family will receive friends from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
The family suggests memorials to Babcock Place, sent in care of the mortuary.
Online condolences may be sent at www.warrenmcelwain.com, subject: Pippert.
(Lawrence Journal-World)
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COUPLE PLANS MOVING WALK DOWN AISLE
By Peter Hancock, Lawrence Journal-World
December 4, 1999
The first walk down the aisle for this bride and groom will be down the aisle of a bus.
The buses that serve Douglas County senior citizens have been called upon for special duties before, but never like the one coming up Saturday.
That's when one of the buses will be converted into a makeshift wedding chapel for the marriage of Bus 62 driver Steven Smelser and his bride, Barbara Kay Pippert.
It will be the first trip down the aisle for both Smelser, 47, and Pippert, 59, who met each other at Babcock Place, an apartment building for people who are elderly or disabled at 1700 Mass., where they both live.
"It was kind of (love) at first sight," Smelser said about their first meeting. "We've been going steady since about June."
Pippert, who admitted being nervous about the wedding, said she liked the idea of having the ceremony on a bus.
"He's celebrating his anniversary as a bus driver, so I thought it would be neat," Pippert said.
Smelser said the wedding coincides with his two-year anniversary working as a relief driver for Bus 62, the transportation service operated by Douglas County Senior Services.
Smelser, however, said the decision to use the aisle of a bus instead of a church did not come immediately.
"First she was thinking of an outside wedding, one of those yard weddings," Smelser said. "I said, 'What about snow and icy wind blowing in December?', and she said, 'Yeah, I sure don't want to be out in that kind of weather.'"
One night, while discussing wedding plans, Smelser said he thought about renting a stretch limousine. "But she didn't want that because that makes her think of funerals, which made sense when she said it."
Then Smelser asked, "'Well, how about that blue bus I drive?' They call me Mr. Blue because that's the bus I drive, and she loved that idea."
The decision also shortened the task of sending wedding invitations. Only 14 people -- the wedding party, friends and relatives, the minister and, of course, the bus driver -- will be on board for the ceremony. That's all the bus can hold.
Smelser said all 14 people will board the bus at the senior center. From there, Ed Lewis, one of the regular drivers, will drive to South Park and stop so the couple can exchange their vows.
After that, the bus heads back to Babcock Place, where a much larger reception is planned.
"We sent out 250 invitations, not including all the people who just know us," Smelser said. "We just sent one invitation to Babcock Place inviting all 120 residents, and one to the senior center inviting everyone there."
Smelser said that as far as anyone knows, theirs will be the first wedding on a bus in Douglas County history, but it's an idea he thinks might appeal to other couples.
"Maybe I'll buy a new bus and start my own wedding service," Smelser mused. "It'll drive you wherever you want, then drive you and the misses to your honeymoon and drop you off."
Funeral services for Barbara Kay Pippert, 66, Lawrence will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Warren-McElwain Mortuary. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.
She died Friday, June 29, 2007, at her home.
She was born July 24, 1940, in Baldwin City, the daughter of Alton C. and Gladys M. Ford Pippert. She attended Lawrence public schools. She was a lifelong resident of Douglas County and moved to Lawrence in 1947.
Barbara was a member of Lawrence Friends Church.
She made national news when she married Stephen Smelser, a.k.a. "Mr. Blue" and "The Button Man", on December 11, 1999. They were married aboard the little blue bus he drove, Bus 62. He survives, of the home.
Other survivors include a sister, Bonnie Taylor and husband Roy, Lawrence; an aunt, Oliveward Hunzicker, Columbia, Mo.; a niece, Lianne Martin, Denver; and a nephew, Loren Taylor, Champaign, Ill.
The family will receive friends from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
The family suggests memorials to Babcock Place, sent in care of the mortuary.
Online condolences may be sent at www.warrenmcelwain.com, subject: Pippert.
(Lawrence Journal-World)
---------------------------------------
COUPLE PLANS MOVING WALK DOWN AISLE
By Peter Hancock, Lawrence Journal-World
December 4, 1999
The first walk down the aisle for this bride and groom will be down the aisle of a bus.
The buses that serve Douglas County senior citizens have been called upon for special duties before, but never like the one coming up Saturday.
That's when one of the buses will be converted into a makeshift wedding chapel for the marriage of Bus 62 driver Steven Smelser and his bride, Barbara Kay Pippert.
It will be the first trip down the aisle for both Smelser, 47, and Pippert, 59, who met each other at Babcock Place, an apartment building for people who are elderly or disabled at 1700 Mass., where they both live.
"It was kind of (love) at first sight," Smelser said about their first meeting. "We've been going steady since about June."
Pippert, who admitted being nervous about the wedding, said she liked the idea of having the ceremony on a bus.
"He's celebrating his anniversary as a bus driver, so I thought it would be neat," Pippert said.
Smelser said the wedding coincides with his two-year anniversary working as a relief driver for Bus 62, the transportation service operated by Douglas County Senior Services.
Smelser, however, said the decision to use the aisle of a bus instead of a church did not come immediately.
"First she was thinking of an outside wedding, one of those yard weddings," Smelser said. "I said, 'What about snow and icy wind blowing in December?', and she said, 'Yeah, I sure don't want to be out in that kind of weather.'"
One night, while discussing wedding plans, Smelser said he thought about renting a stretch limousine. "But she didn't want that because that makes her think of funerals, which made sense when she said it."
Then Smelser asked, "'Well, how about that blue bus I drive?' They call me Mr. Blue because that's the bus I drive, and she loved that idea."
The decision also shortened the task of sending wedding invitations. Only 14 people -- the wedding party, friends and relatives, the minister and, of course, the bus driver -- will be on board for the ceremony. That's all the bus can hold.
Smelser said all 14 people will board the bus at the senior center. From there, Ed Lewis, one of the regular drivers, will drive to South Park and stop so the couple can exchange their vows.
After that, the bus heads back to Babcock Place, where a much larger reception is planned.
"We sent out 250 invitations, not including all the people who just know us," Smelser said. "We just sent one invitation to Babcock Place inviting all 120 residents, and one to the senior center inviting everyone there."
Smelser said that as far as anyone knows, theirs will be the first wedding on a bus in Douglas County history, but it's an idea he thinks might appeal to other couples.
"Maybe I'll buy a new bus and start my own wedding service," Smelser mused. "It'll drive you wherever you want, then drive you and the misses to your honeymoon and drop you off."
Barbara Kay Pippert 1940 - 2007
Funeral services for Barbara Kay Pippert, 66, Lawrence will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Warren-McElwain Mortuary. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.
She died Friday, June 29, 2007, at her home.
She was born July 24, 1940, in Baldwin City, the daughter of Alton C. and Gladys M. Ford Pippert. She attended Lawrence public schools. She was a lifelong resident of Douglas County and moved to Lawrence in 1947.
Barbara was a member of Lawrence Friends Church.
She made national news when she married Stephen Smelser, a.k.a. "Mr. Blue" and "The Button Man", on December 11, 1999. They were married aboard the little blue bus he drove, Bus 62. He survives, of the home.
Other survivors include a sister, Bonnie Taylor and husband Roy, Lawrence; an aunt, Oliveward Hunzicker, Columbia, Mo.; a niece, Lianne Martin, Denver; and a nephew, Loren Taylor, Champaign, Ill.
The family will receive friends from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
The family suggests memorials to Babcock Place, sent in care of the mortuary.
Online condolences may be sent at www.warrenmcelwain.com, subject: Pippert.
(Lawrence Journal-World)
---------------------------------------
COUPLE PLANS MOVING WALK DOWN AISLE
By Peter Hancock, Lawrence Journal-World
December 4, 1999
The first walk down the aisle for this bride and groom will be down the aisle of a bus.
The buses that serve Douglas County senior citizens have been called upon for special duties before, but never like the one coming up Saturday.
That's when one of the buses will be converted into a makeshift wedding chapel for the marriage of Bus 62 driver Steven Smelser and his bride, Barbara Kay Pippert.
It will be the first trip down the aisle for both Smelser, 47, and Pippert, 59, who met each other at Babcock Place, an apartment building for people who are elderly or disabled at 1700 Mass., where they both live.
"It was kind of (love) at first sight," Smelser said about their first meeting. "We've been going steady since about June."
Pippert, who admitted being nervous about the wedding, said she liked the idea of having the ceremony on a bus.
"He's celebrating his anniversary as a bus driver, so I thought it would be neat," Pippert said.
Smelser said the wedding coincides with his two-year anniversary working as a relief driver for Bus 62, the transportation service operated by Douglas County Senior Services.
Smelser, however, said the decision to use the aisle of a bus instead of a church did not come immediately.
"First she was thinking of an outside wedding, one of those yard weddings," Smelser said. "I said, 'What about snow and icy wind blowing in December?', and she said, 'Yeah, I sure don't want to be out in that kind of weather.'"
One night, while discussing wedding plans, Smelser said he thought about renting a stretch limousine. "But she didn't want that because that makes her think of funerals, which made sense when she said it."
Then Smelser asked, "'Well, how about that blue bus I drive?' They call me Mr. Blue because that's the bus I drive, and she loved that idea."
The decision also shortened the task of sending wedding invitations. Only 14 people -- the wedding party, friends and relatives, the minister and, of course, the bus driver -- will be on board for the ceremony. That's all the bus can hold.
Smelser said all 14 people will board the bus at the senior center. From there, Ed Lewis, one of the regular drivers, will drive to South Park and stop so the couple can exchange their vows.
After that, the bus heads back to Babcock Place, where a much larger reception is planned.
"We sent out 250 invitations, not including all the people who just know us," Smelser said. "We just sent one invitation to Babcock Place inviting all 120 residents, and one to the senior center inviting everyone there."
Smelser said that as far as anyone knows, theirs will be the first wedding on a bus in Douglas County history, but it's an idea he thinks might appeal to other couples.
"Maybe I'll buy a new bus and start my own wedding service," Smelser mused. "It'll drive you wherever you want, then drive you and the misses to your honeymoon and drop you off."
Funeral services for Barbara Kay Pippert, 66, Lawrence will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Warren-McElwain Mortuary. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery.
She died Friday, June 29, 2007, at her home.
She was born July 24, 1940, in Baldwin City, the daughter of Alton C. and Gladys M. Ford Pippert. She attended Lawrence public schools. She was a lifelong resident of Douglas County and moved to Lawrence in 1947.
Barbara was a member of Lawrence Friends Church.
She made national news when she married Stephen Smelser, a.k.a. "Mr. Blue" and "The Button Man", on December 11, 1999. They were married aboard the little blue bus he drove, Bus 62. He survives, of the home.
Other survivors include a sister, Bonnie Taylor and husband Roy, Lawrence; an aunt, Oliveward Hunzicker, Columbia, Mo.; a niece, Lianne Martin, Denver; and a nephew, Loren Taylor, Champaign, Ill.
The family will receive friends from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
The family suggests memorials to Babcock Place, sent in care of the mortuary.
Online condolences may be sent at www.warrenmcelwain.com, subject: Pippert.
(Lawrence Journal-World)
---------------------------------------
COUPLE PLANS MOVING WALK DOWN AISLE
By Peter Hancock, Lawrence Journal-World
December 4, 1999
The first walk down the aisle for this bride and groom will be down the aisle of a bus.
The buses that serve Douglas County senior citizens have been called upon for special duties before, but never like the one coming up Saturday.
That's when one of the buses will be converted into a makeshift wedding chapel for the marriage of Bus 62 driver Steven Smelser and his bride, Barbara Kay Pippert.
It will be the first trip down the aisle for both Smelser, 47, and Pippert, 59, who met each other at Babcock Place, an apartment building for people who are elderly or disabled at 1700 Mass., where they both live.
"It was kind of (love) at first sight," Smelser said about their first meeting. "We've been going steady since about June."
Pippert, who admitted being nervous about the wedding, said she liked the idea of having the ceremony on a bus.
"He's celebrating his anniversary as a bus driver, so I thought it would be neat," Pippert said.
Smelser said the wedding coincides with his two-year anniversary working as a relief driver for Bus 62, the transportation service operated by Douglas County Senior Services.
Smelser, however, said the decision to use the aisle of a bus instead of a church did not come immediately.
"First she was thinking of an outside wedding, one of those yard weddings," Smelser said. "I said, 'What about snow and icy wind blowing in December?', and she said, 'Yeah, I sure don't want to be out in that kind of weather.'"
One night, while discussing wedding plans, Smelser said he thought about renting a stretch limousine. "But she didn't want that because that makes her think of funerals, which made sense when she said it."
Then Smelser asked, "'Well, how about that blue bus I drive?' They call me Mr. Blue because that's the bus I drive, and she loved that idea."
The decision also shortened the task of sending wedding invitations. Only 14 people -- the wedding party, friends and relatives, the minister and, of course, the bus driver -- will be on board for the ceremony. That's all the bus can hold.
Smelser said all 14 people will board the bus at the senior center. From there, Ed Lewis, one of the regular drivers, will drive to South Park and stop so the couple can exchange their vows.
After that, the bus heads back to Babcock Place, where a much larger reception is planned.
"We sent out 250 invitations, not including all the people who just know us," Smelser said. "We just sent one invitation to Babcock Place inviting all 120 residents, and one to the senior center inviting everyone there."
Smelser said that as far as anyone knows, theirs will be the first wedding on a bus in Douglas County history, but it's an idea he thinks might appeal to other couples.
"Maybe I'll buy a new bus and start my own wedding service," Smelser mused. "It'll drive you wherever you want, then drive you and the misses to your honeymoon and drop you off."
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