Esther Louise was born in Kansas City, Missouri on January 2nd, 1931 to her parents Jesse and Bessie Kerns. She was the first born child and was joined by a sister, Willadean a few years later. The family moved to LaCygne, Kansas when she was 6 where Esther went to school and graduated in 1949. Every year her parents, sister and Esther spent their vacation in a cabin on a lake near Warsaw, Missouri. Esther’s father built the cabin and he enjoyed fishing. The little girls loved to go exploring on their bicycles together.