Charlotte Brighton Herr, age 91, of Manhattan, KS passed away September 26, 2024 at Good Shepherd Hospice House in Manhattan.
After completing a BFA in Interior Design at the University of Kansas, Charlotte went to the Big Apple for a summer of study at the NY Institute of Interior Design. She returned to the Little Apple to work for 36 years with Brighton Home Furnishings as the third generation in the furniture business. Charlotte met her husband, Chuck Herr, at United Methodist Church of Manhattan and they were married in 1956. Together, they were partners in Brighton Home Furnishings and shared in a 54-year hobby of historic preservation with apartments and homes in Manhattan and Ogden. The store and apartments provided multiple generations of family members the opportunity to learn how to decorate, hang wallpaper and make drapes.
Charlotte and Chuck provided a home to more than just their family. They hosted several foreign students thru AFS, were involved for many years providing foster children a needed home, and mentored a graduate student while she completed a graduate Art degree at KSU. Charlotte’s long life in Manhattan, as well as being a local business owner, allowed her to share her talents with newcomers. And she knew everybody.
We remember Charlotte saying “what box” in approaching any creative project, whether it was personalized decorating projects for clients or designing her own quilts. Charlotte made her first quilt 64 years ago when pregnant with first daughter, very much an “in the box” hand quilted project. A second phase of quilting started when her girls were in high school and college. This began her “outside of the box” phase completing each project herself with an electric needle. The Konza Prairie Quilters’ Guild was dear to her; for many years Charlotte participated in their activities: teaching classes, serving as president, and sharing in the joy of fabric arts with others who loved it as much as she did. Any time Charlotte’s work was in a national show, Chuck made the arrangements to travel to the show. She was appreciative for the time, space, and equipment that made it possible to “do her thing” and create whatever she needed.
Charlotte was preceded in death by both parents, Don and Olga Brighton; brother, Jim Brighton; and her beloved Husband, Chuck Herr. She is survived by sisters, Mary Funk and Bobbie Trowbridge; brother, Tom Brighton; daughters, Conni Scherff and Claudia Herr; grandson, Riley Scherff; and nieces and nephews.