FOREVER BLUE STAR – Ida Ketchum, who was 85 and young, shifted from “Blue Star” to “Blue Daisy” at Lancaster Cemetery on Friday. An iconic figure of the NASA and Air Force communities at Edwards AFB, with encyclopedic knowledge of the space program, Ida attended 2,500 sermons at the Edwards AFB Chapel. The funeral cortège for Ida Ketchum was led by Patriot Guard and American Legion Riders. Her sisters in the Antelope Valley Blue Star Mothers Chapter 14 conducted a folded flag ceremony of the Blue Star flag that signifies mothers of grown children in active military service. Her friends from the Edwards base and church communities attested that Ida’s strong Christian faith was the energy source for her service. Her son and caregiver Brian Ketchum and retired Air Force senior NCO Phillip Ketchum received the folded flag. “Everyone loved Ida,” her friend Elizabeth Wright said. “Like Cher and Oprah she only needed one name and everyone knew who she was.” Her activities included organizing the biggest “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans,” “Senior Of The Year” at Senior Expo, Blue Star Mothers, Retired NASA Professionals, Coffee 4 Vets and many other passion projects including sharing more than 1,000 personally created needlepoint “JESUS” desk plaques. Services were conducted by Duane Clark, associate pastor at Grace Chapel and Pastor Steve Baker longtime chief of Grace Resources and Navy veteran of the Vietnam Era. Click on the images to view gallery.
