When describing Jerry Esfeld, one word comes to mind: Teacher.

Be it her time teaching grade school in Great Bend or telling youth about the importance of agriculture in her role with Barton County Farm Bureau, that stands as the one commonality. It probably dates back to her rural roots.

Esfeld was raised on a ranch along the Smoky Hill River near Gorham. 

“My parents were wishing for a boy,” she said. But, “I helped on the ranch as a son would have. I’ve been a farm girl ever since.”

She attended a small rural school before going to secondary school at St. Mary of the Plains in Dodge City. She went on to Fort Hays State University.

“My husband (Terry) was a rancher from Smith County,” she said. “We met when I was a freshman at Fort Hays.”  

After she graduated they moved to Larned, where her husband took a job as an insurance salesmen. He knew this wasn’t what he wanted long term, but it was a job.

During this time, their son TR and daughter MelEesa were born. “Raising babies was not my thing. It made me a nervous wreck,” she said.

After two years, Terry took a job as a cattle buyer for Thies Packing. He commuted to Great Bend, leaving the nervous Jerry alone with two infants.

“Neither of our parents thought I should work outside the home. They thought I should just stay home and take care of the children,” she said. “But, that was not my cup of tea.”

So, unbeknownst to her husband, she signed a contract to teach fourth grade at Jefferson Elementary School in Great Bend.

“Two weeks before school started, I told him we needed to move to Great Bend,” she recalled. “Immediately, the whole household was happier.”

That was in 1965, and they have been here since.

She taught fourth grade at Jefferson for 44 years. Then, two years before she retired, she moved to kindergarten at Park Elementary School, also in Great Bend.

When asked what she liked about teaching, her answer was simple: “Every part of it.”

 “I like it especially when my former fourth graders contact me and tell me I made a difference in their lives,” she said. She has also had the parents of those children reach out to her.

The next chapter

“Some people work to live. I live to work,” Esfeld said.

As she was getting ready to retire from teaching, Barton County Farm Bureau contacted her about working for the agency.

She asked what the job involved. “It was right up my alley,” she said.

She would serve as the coordinator, keeping the association’s 2,000-member list up to date and planning events, but the key component was Agriculture in the Classroom.

“I would go into schools and remind the teachers to tell students to thank a farmer,” she said. She gives presentations to grade school students across the county.

This has been a part-time gig for the past 14 years, but it gives her a chance to keep teaching. “It keeps me busy,” she said.

In the down time

For years, Esfeld has been involved heavily with the Prince of Peace Catholic Parish in Great Bend and the local PEO (Philanthropic Educational Organization). 

In addition, she has been on “many commissions” and in other groups over the years. But, “Most importantly I think was when I was the chairperson of the School Council when the St. Rose was closed and Holy Family began.”

When not working or with family, “I love to entertain, big groups and small groups,” she said. She and five dear friends still meet as the “Taco Club,” formed when she moved to Great Bend in 1965. 

They gather and, as the name implies, eat tacos.

And, “when I introduce myself to fourth graders, I say ‘I’m the lady who likes the F words.’ That gets their attention,” she said. She is referring to faith, family, friends, fourth graders, food, football and flowers.

“I love gardening,” she said. “It’s a true pleasure.”

She and Terry do all their own yard work and any spare moments they have are spent outdoors.

And, “there’s no place like home – Great Bend,” she said. “Opportunities abound and there the best of people.”

She and her family have always had a soft spot in their hearts for those in need, even fostering children. She recalled an incident many years ago when she and Terry befriended a small boy they found roaming in a rural county ditch.

The child was the nephew of a Barton Community College basketball player and spent much of his time alone. The Esfelds invited him into their home, and over the course of the next several months, he would visit and become sort of an adopted brother to their two children.

The boy returned to Los Angeles with is uncle and they have not heard from him since.

Glad to be home

Esfeld said she can’t imagine being anywhere else. “All of our family lives within six miles of ‘home,’” she said.

“We’re blessed to have all of our family right here,” she said. “It’s a job, but a happy job.”

As for their kids, TR is now an auctioneer and runs the family business Esfeld Cattle. MelEasa married Terry Stueder and they own Stueder Contractors.

Community Connections is a regular feature of the Great Bend Tribune, showcasing people who live in the Golden Belt. We welcome readers to submit names of individuals who are active in the community that they would like to see featured in a future story. Send suggestions to news@gbtribune.com and explain their “community connections.”