2019 Christmas Letter

The Annual Update. What's Up with the Westras.
Want a closer look? PDF is here.

Christmas Letter from the Jensens

Angel of Lost Keys

 Mom encouraged the siblings to share a "prayer story" and so here is one from Wendy.

The sharing happened Dec 2020. The memory happened in 2019...

I went to bring Jaiden to tumbling after school, but couldn't find my car keys anywhere. Luckily Rick was home and so I was able to use his spare key temporarily, but I knew that I needed to find mine. 

When I returned I said a prayer that I would find them. The whole family joined in the search but with no success. I was getting nervous because the key fob costs about $200.00 to replace. I checked all of the usual places several times. A few hours later I decided to try again and said another prayer mentioning the cost of replacement and even threw in a reminder of how I had paid extra tithing all last year, ha ha! I explained that I would really love to find my keys and we could really use this little tender mercy! 

Anyway, after dinner I thought that maybe I should check the garbage can. Although, why in the world would they be there, right? I took out a garbage bag and started pulling out the garbage piece by piece, putting it in the bag. I had gone through the entire day's garbage and was moving on to the garbage from the day before. I was about to give up when I saw a round black thing. I pulled it out and sure enough, there were my keys near the bottom of the garbage can! I was so grateful!! I gave several "thank you" prayers expressing gratitude at God's tender mercies! If I hadn't received an impression to check there the keys would have been thrown away and lost forever! 

Rick joked that there was probably an angel in heaven whose sole responsibility was to help people find their lost keys -- in fact maybe there was one specifically assigned to the Jensen family, ha ha! He then shared his own miracle experience of when he had lost his keys at Tuacahn. He had been in the costume room getting a costume together for a seminary assignment. He was nervous because he was in a hurry and only had ten minutes before he had to get to his assignment. He knelt down and said a prayer asking for help to find his keys immediately so that he could get to his appointment on time. He then looked over and there was a basket of boots. He reached into one of the boots and there were his keys! 

I am grateful that God is aware of the tiny details of our lives and blesses us with tender mercies even when it is something as inconsequential as missing keys!

Calder's Baptism

Another eight-year-old Westra grandkid! 

 ... in the "to be scanned and put into family box"  pile, the program from the baptism. 

Army Pictures and Paperwork

Thank you to our Veterans! 

There has already been a post about Grandpa Rex Norman's military service (In the Army Now) which showcases some family furlough photos and portions of his written history. As we continue to research, additional photos and documents have been uncovered. So here's a few more peeks into Grandpa Rex's military service. Two new photos (above) and some paperwork (below, click on any image to enlarge).

This record shows the duties/positions, work experience and prior education 

as well as dates entering and leaving the service.

We found it interesting to note on the discharge papers, that Grandpa Rex was only 5'7" and 151 pounds. This also includes "Decorations and Citations" and we are grateful he didn't need to go into action overseas!

Certificate of Appreciation 

This was the pouch that Grandpa kept these papers in.

History of Marjorie Norman Westra

1st 20 years (growing up)

I was born on Saturday, Nov. 7, 1942.  The address listed on my little newspaper birth announcement was 140 Gerard Ave. in S.L.C.   My parents didn't live here for very long. Gerard Ave. was just barely on the North side of downtown S.L. I remember my dad saying that Gerard Ave. was torn down and Social Hall Ave. replaced it. Social Hall Ave. was where Rex worked in his career a few years into their marriage and then for the rest of his working career (when we lived on Boxelder street in Murray). So Dad said he worked on the same street where they used to live when I was born! We moved to Mt. Pleasant soon after my birth, by my Dad’s parents, when he went off to serve in World War II (he never did combat, but stayed in the states). Merrill was born in Mt. Pleasanton May 3, 1944, when I was 18 months old.

I can’t remember exactly how old I was when we moved to 4568 Boxelder Street in Murray, but it was before kindergarten. When we first moved there, the trains just west of us were so loud, in the night it was scary for me as a child because it sounded like they were heading right for the house. But soon you never even noticed the noise. 

I went to the movies at Murray Theater a lot as a child (It is still there on State Street in Murray, but not used as a theater). As I remember it, I would have 20 cents. It would cost 12 cents for the movie ticket and I would buy 8 cents worth of penny candy at a little store by the theater. We also went to a theater in downtown Salt Lake (Utah Theater I think). I can't remember if we took the bus or someone's parent took us. I remember there were black and white newsreels of what was going on in the world and lots of cartoons. Later, when I was teen, my friends and I would go to Murray Theater a lot on Friday or Saturday nights----no so much for the movie, but to see friends from school, especially boys, who might be there. I remember I could often tell who was there as they walked up the aisle in the darkened theater, just by the way they walked, and size and shape etc.:-).

We lived at the Boxelder house through my sophomore year in high school. I attended Arlington Elementary, Murray Jr. High and Murray High School. In 8th grade, my friend DeAnne Webb and I were cheerleaders, song leaders, and would lead the school in the school song after each assembly. We did a lot of lip sync acts on assemblies. I was elected Sophomore Secretary in 10th grade and was one of the nominees for prom queen, but didn't get chosen. 

My first job was as a carhop at the A & W Rootbeer Drive-in at 4500 South and State Street. We moved to 2665 E. Spring Hollow Drive, in East Millcreek, in the Fall of 1959, after Nelva got married on March 20, 1959, on her 20th birthday. My mom’s brother, Berthell Howell, built our house. Merrill and I started school at Olympus my Junior year and I had to drive from Murray for awhile. We were in the new house before my birthday in Nov. I went from being “a big fish in a little pond” to being “a little fish in a big pond.” Olympus was a very big school, with 720 in my graduating class in 1961, so I didn’t get well acquainted in my two years there. I was #20 academically. Skyline started the following year, so Olympus was divided. Nelva worked as a secretary at a law office in the Sentinal Insurance Co. building about 21st South state Street and got me a job there. She was married and had a baby and worked mornings and I worked after school. I received a full-tuition scholarship to Henager’s Business College, so I went there and graduated in 1962, shortly before we got married. I was voted by my classmates at graduation as “The Secretary most likely to Succeed.” LaMar graduated from the University of Utah in Chemistry 1962 also.

While at Henager’s, a chapter of Lamda Delta Sigma (the Church fraternity/sorority at the U.) was started—Omicron. I joined. As part of joining, you had to memorize the names of the Inter-chapter officers, of which LaMar was one. I thought Westra was a nice name. I met LaMar at the first “conjoint” party between Omicron and Delta chapter (which LaMar was in). It was a Halloween party. The day before meeting LaMar, I sent off the missionary I was planning on marrying. We were “pinned” for Valentine’s Day and became engaged at the U. of U.’s Junior Prom at the UnionBuilding in April.

First 20 years of marriage~

We were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 29, 1962. I was 19 and LaMar was 25. We had our wedding breakfast at the Maxfield Lodge up the canyon. Our reception was held at our Church bySkyline High. Our first apartment was in a new 8-plex in Sugarhouse on McClelland Street. LaMar did a year of post-graduate work at the U. to avoid the draft, which ended at age 26. I worked as a secretary in the Radiobiology Dept. at the Cancer Research Center at the U. 

Around the time of our first wedding anniversary, we moved to Richland, Washington. LaMar had 3 job offers, one in California, one in Denver, and the one in Richland. He visited Denver to interview, we both made the trip to California to interview----then accepted the Richland job offer from General Electric without even visiting there. I was 3 months pregnant with Scott. It was difficult to find a place to rent. Apartment complexes didn’t want people with children or expecting one. We finally found an old house to rent on Rainier Street. LaMar had to start work, so I had to spend the days in the empty house, waiting for the moving truck to arrive. I had morning sickness and ate barbecue-flavor potato chips while waiting at the house----I haven’t been able to stand them for the next 50 years! 

We had some nice young couples as neighbors and enjoyed life there. LaMar was a stake missionary and took classes a couple times a week, so I got tired of being alone a lot. Scott was born on Monday, Dec. 16, 1963, just before midnight, at the Kadlec Methodist Hospital. It was a fast labor and delivery. My parents came up for a visit after he was born. After they returned to Salt Lake, I developed a fever and weakness on my left side and was re-hospitalized. They did a spinal tap, etc. to check for meningitis, etc. Our pediatrician arranged for baby Scott to be admitted also, so I could nurse him, and so LaMar didn’t have to care for him. The doctor put the bump on Scott’s ear as the reason for the hospital admittance.

I had a couple more episodes of the fever and weakness over the next few months and my doctor had me go to a neurologist in Seattle. I was never really diagnosed—just “an inflammation of the brain.” It hasn't reoccurred but has left me with a slight weakness on my left side.

LaMar had appendicitis and had it removed (I think while I was pregnant with Chris). Chris was born on Sept. 5, 1966. Chris was a long labor and was born on Labor Day. We purchased a new home at 726 Saint Street before Wendy’s birth on April 29, 1968. Since I was sent home from the hospital when I first went in for Chris’s birth, I almost waited too long when in labor with wendy and was only at the hospital a half-hour before she was born. Jeni was born Nov. 10,1970. We moved back to Salt Lake in August 1972 and bought a newly built home at 1677 Hermitage Circle. We lived there for 23 years. Shane was born on May 3, 1976. Kellie Sue was born April 17, 1979, and died of a congenital heart defect at Primary Children’s hospital on April 25, when she was 8 days old. Cory Matthew died in utero two weeks before his due date, and was born on Nov. 5, 1980. Derek was born May 5, 1982. Scott was 18 ½ and graduating from Cottonwood High School. After one year at BYU, Scott left for his mission to Tampa, Florida, May 1983.

School Daze

Scott (and kindergarten Chris) would have started school up in Washington, but for the majority of Westra school life ... it was Woodstock, Bonneville and Cottonwood.

I wish we had a better picture/more pictures of the Woodstock we grew up in. Right there on the corner of 13th East and 6400 South. Just like our forefathers, the Westra kids had to walk to school, uphill both ways. Just kidding - it was a pretty straight shot, but the walk seemed long to little legs. The school was torn down in 2011 and a new Woodstock was built on the same spot.

Jen's memories of Woodstock

On to Junior High ...

Bonneville is still standing ... I've been back for boy's basketball games. Always interesting to walk into your old stomping grounds after many years have passed. I contributed to that 1986 District Girls Track championship! I remember that Chris and Wendy had run track, so that coached Faircoff and Hughes (spelling??) didn't really give me a choice. I recall their office in the gym always smelled so strongly of coffee, and they were super tan. My locker was up the stairs my 7th grade year. My choir and history class was there as well. My friends and I were super silly at times and brought bowls, milk and boxes of cold cereal to have at lunch. I was in the school musical "Teen" and performed my winning Reflections song for the school during an assembly. We technically weren't eligible for the bus, which was CRAZY because there really wasn't a walking route to the school, and the bus stop was right at the end of our street! I think we all managed to sneak onto the bus. I remember the huge dips, and our bus driver often wouldn't slow, sending kids bouncing almost to the top of the bus!

Next up ... High School

All of the Westra kids graduated as Cottonwood Colts. Black, White and Gold will be victorious ... that was the school song, but that's all I know :) We'd experienced part of the school before going there ... swimming lessons and tennis lessons. I was in the high school production of Annie as a 9th grader, which really eased my transition as a sophomore.

... and a SCHOOL DAZE post wouldn't be complete without School Pictures ...

Scott

Chris

Wendy

Jeni

Shane ... missing high school shots!

Derek

WW2 Westras - Remembering Rationing

 Word War 2 ended September 2, 1945

When Covid-19 came on the scene - there was a sudden rush for products. Toilet paper was gone from the shelves. Bottled water was nowhere to be found. Antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, masks, gloves ... and later on basic staples like yeast, flour and sugar. All either impossible or very hard to find. Similar shortages have happened in certain areas before big storms. This perhaps can give us a small glimpse into why rationing was important in 1942.

Here are a couple great websites explaining rationing ... 

NationalWW2Museum and Ames History Museum

During the Second World War, you couldn't just walk into a shop and buy as much sugar or butter or meat as you wanted, nor could you fill up your car with gasoline whenever you liked. All these items were in short supply. The US government’s Office of Price Administration established a system of rationing that would more fairly distribute these limited products. Every American was issued a series of ration books during the war. The ration books contained removable stamps good for certain rationed items, like sugar, meat, cooking oil, and canned goods. A person could not buy a rationed item without also giving the grocer the right ration stamp. Once a person’s ration stamps were used up for a month, no more of that type of food could be purchased. 

Going through boxes of memorabilia from Granma Lucille's estate, 

some of these old ration books were discovered and scanned in to share here. 

First page of a book, and several examples of different ration stamps.

Information (name/address/age/height/weight/sex/occupation) had to be filled out.

This gives us a unique look at this information for our family!

... as mentioned, gasoline was rationed as well as food, 

so there were separate stamps and books issued for necessary transportation. 

This was Dad/Lamar and his family ... Dad was six years old. On Mom/Margie's side of the family, Grandpa Rex had been drafted and Grandma Zada was on her own with three small children. She doesn't mention the war much, but did make this statement " I will never forget the day President Roosevelt died, or the rationing that went on during the war."  (In The Army Now). 

What was rationed and when? Check out the chart below.

... at least toilet paper is back in stock now, right?

Father's Day 2019

The Westra Way blog started in 2020 ... I don't know if Scott had any idea that his clever email invites from past years would be saved and showcased. Will this inspire him to write something even wittier this year, or will he become shy and standard. Does Scott even know there is a blog? *Ü*

He kept it fairly simple for 2019 ~

From Scott: Dear family, it is once again time to celebrate all of the fathers at the annual Draper Westra Father’s Day Spectacular! We have arranged for Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri to cater dinner and Cirque du Soleil to provide entertainment. Festivities will begin at 5:00 pm. We hope to see everyone there.

From Mom: I'm embarrassed to admit that I only know one of the three famous names:-[  We will be there! At least you won't have to do your yard prep this year!

From Wendy: The Jensens will be there!!! I haven’t heard of the two famous chefs either mom -- but I have heard that there is this guy named Grayson Blackham who also has the gift! Maybe we could enlist those services along with the rest of the foodies in the family!

From Shane: We really wish we could come to the Father's Day party, but my schedule has me in California that day so that my family can shower me with gifts and praise. Tell Emeril and Guy hello for me, it's been a while since I've hung out with them.

Derek had written that a few days before, Layla had suddenly turned very sad. He asked her what was wrong and she replied  "I just miss my cousin Jaiden so much and I really want to see her!" :) Happily, the Jensen's were able to make it this year, and Wendy and Jaiden and Jenna slept over at Derek's house so the cousins could hang out a little more before heading back the next day.

There were the usual outdoor games, and inside, Landon had set up a customized Jackbox game set. There were lots of funny questions about all the family members. Lots of funny answers about the Westra clan. What do you see when you look down from a hot air balloon?

The History of Joseph Lamar Westra

Birth and growing up years, 1937-1949, Ages 0-12. 

I arrived into this wonderful world 28 May 1937, the first child of Joseph Ate Westra and Lucille Erskine. I was born in Salt Lake City, and spent most of my early childhood in the South Salt Lake area, where we attended the old Haven Ward, just a block west of State Street about 2300 South. Our family grew to include two sisters and one brother. The old Haven Ward must have been torn down after we left the area. 

 We lived at 246 East 21st South. 

 

My father’s parents were both born in the Netherlands, so my father was 100% Dutch, making me 50% Dutch, with ancestor surnames such as: de Haan, Bangma, Scheeringa, Posthumus, Snip, Ploeg, Hofstra, Wijnalda etc. My mother’s ancestry was mostly English and Scottish with ancestor surnames such as: Erskine, Cushing, Roberts, McFarlane, Peat, Bird, etc. 

One of my early memories, when I was a small boy, was when I set fire to the field behind our house. My mother had always said how she liked a nice bonfire, so I lit the fire for her. She wasn’t pleased. I think my fire almost burned up a cow that was in the field. 

I attended Madison Elementary on State Street about 2400 South: kindergarten through 6th grade. Some of my friends during my elementary school days were Boyd Parry, Fred Dalton, Gary Royce and Norman Middleton (see more about friends from Madison and the neighborhood, including a first girlfriend). There was an initiation into the 6th grade that all the lower grades would dread. It involved harassment by the outgoing 6th graders, and eating grasshoppers. 

I remember having a thriving nightcrawler business. My dad and I would go out at night and gather nightcrawlers from golf courses around the valley: Nibley, Forest Dale, and Bonneville, and Fairmount and Liberty Parks. I would store the nightcrawlers in my basement in large flat wooden boxes, spread with damp gunny sacks, and feed them Cream of Wheat until we sold them. I would take orders in advance, so often we would have to make special night excursions to fill orders of 10-12 dozen nightcrawlers. I charged 15 cents a dozen, or two dozen for 25 cents. My sister Sharon would be my helper and help customers if I wasn’t home. We even put electrical rods in our back lawn to bring the night crawlers out. It worked pretty well, but the worms became a little woozy. 

I got my dad to take me fishing. We would go down to Spring Run on 9th East about 50th South. It was the final point of one of our bike trips. One time, when I was about 10 years old, my dad and I were fishing in Mill Creek, near Granite High. The water was very deep there, and I caught a whopper. I pulled it out and it came flying out of the water up on the bank, and the hook came out. It was about to flop back into the water when my dad grabbed it and tossed it up on higher ground. It was a 21 ½ inch rainbow trout. We took it home, and somehow the newspaper got word of it, and my picture appeared in the newspaper, with this big trout hanging over my shoulder, and hanging almost down to my waist. It would be about 16 years later, after I had married, and we had moved to Richland, Washington, when Margie’s dad called us and told us that my name was on the big yellow Dees cup for being the record holder in Utah for the largest rainbow trout. It was listed on the cup as a 21 ½ pound rainbow trout, caught in Millcreek Reservoir. That record actually stood up for many years. It was the listed record until they built the Flaming Gorge reservoir, and grew rainbow trout bigger than 21 ½ pounds. 

My father was a returned missionary, having served in the Southern States Mission under President LeGrande Richards. But during my growing up years, he was not too active in the church. My mother would attend church with us children. My father was very often playing golf each Sunday. He was a pretty good amateur golfer, and had lots of golfing trophies. But when I was 12 years old, I was given the Aaronic Priesthood and ordained to the office of Deacon by my father. I was also ordained to the office of Teacher by my father, but I was ordained to the office of Priest by someone else: Melvin Brain. My father later ordained me to the office of Elder. 

Grandview Circle Years - 1949-1957 Ages 12-20

When I was 12 years old, our family moved into a new home South and East of Sugarhouse, at 2740 South Grandview Circle (about 1700 East).  See the neighborhood around Grandview Circle.  I remember working with my dad doing cleanup during the construction: sweeping, straightening nails, etc.  We lived in the Wilford Stake and attended the Grandview Ward on 20^th East, about 2900 South.  I attended Roosevelt Junior High, which is now Rowland Hall, a private school.  It was located west and down the hill from East High School.  We were bussed to Roosevelt.  I remember some of the teachers at Roosevelt: Mr. Kartchner for PE, Justin Tolman for math, Buttermilk Bertha Rappoport for type.  I wrestled for Mr. Kartchner.  Mr. Tolman would tell us how he taught the young man who invented Television, Philo Farnsworth.  He said he had long discussions up in schools in Idaho with Philo, who would explain his theories, and fill the blackboard with complex equations.  Buttermilk Bertha Rappoport gave me the only D I ever got on a report card.  Then the next semester she gave me an A.  My mom told me she had Bertha Rappoport for type when she was in Roosevelt Junior High.  Buttermilk Bertha got her knick name for sitting outside her classroom on a garbage can and drinking buttermilk. 

Then I attended South High School which is now part of the Salt Lake Community College and Grand Theatre.   Having all three of my old school buildings no longer operating as public school buildings makes me feel somewhat of an outcast.  At South High, one of my favorite teachers was Rocky Schroeder for math.  Mrs. Schroeder was a diminutive little lady, probably less than 5 feet in height.   Another favorite teacher was Mr. Armont Willardsen, for acapella choir.  I tried out for the choir as a Junior and got in as a baritone.  So I was in the choir for two years.  We would go around to different wards in the area to sing in sacrament meetings.  We put on the whole program, including speakers and 8-10 musical numbers.  One of our favorite closing numbers was Battle Hymn of the Republic.  I can still sing the baritone part today.  We sang almost every Sunday.  I remember singing also at locations in downtown SLC, the Hotel Utah and the Congregational Church, and for the big Baptist church on 13^th East just north of East High School.  The pastor there, Fenwick Fowler, knew that most of the members of the choir were Mormons, so he always planned on a baptism as a part of the service.  The baptism was done in a font, high above the pulpit, complete with mirrors so the audience could see the baptism being performed.   The pastor always had a fiery sermon prepared for us.

Chemistry teacher got me to major in Chemistry at the U. 

I was also enrolled in early morning seminary.  We had a carpool, mainly driven by Don Phippen.  My sister Sharon and I were in the carpool together.  She was one year behind me at South High.  Others in the carpool were my sister’s friends: Joyce Keiser and Eileen.  We would be in a big hurry every morning, and would very often arrive late.    

Some of my friends from the ward were: Frank Willardsen, Tim Maxwell, Mike Dixon, and John Dunn.  Tim had lots of exotic birds: pheasants, etc.   Tim’s dad was our scoutmaster, and each year, our ward would take a trip to Moab to camp and hike n the Arches.  Some of the friends I met in High School were Jim Peterson and Dick Van Wagenen.  I would play lots of basketball with Jim, down on Ashton Avenue, and ping pong with Dick down in his basement. Dick lived on Parkway.

On Sundays, we had a big group of boys who played football, at the Stratford Park church, just south of the Crystal Heights ward building. I played on our ward young men’s teams: basketball, and softball(Libby EdwardsSchool). My sister Sharon didn’t have many friends in our Grandview ward, so she attended the Crystal Heightswardin the next Stake to the North, where she had lots of friends: Steve Stutz, her old boyfriend, JoyceKeizer, and Eileen. Don Phippen also lived in that ward. I think that Don and Joyce were cousins. When Sharon eventually married, she had her reception in the Crystal Heights ward.

I worked each summer for the Granite School District, starting about age 14.  My dad was the purchasing agent.  The main offices were in a small two story building on State Street just north of 33^rd South.  My dad knew everyone at the school district, and got me jobs, first in the Cannery at about 25 cents per hour, and then on the cleaning crew.  The crew was made up of 5-6 teachers, and 5-6 young guys like me.  We would travel from school to school and clean rest rooms and dough clean walls and ceilings with wallpaper cleaner: soft pink stuff you would wipe over the surface and it would clean the dirt off.  We would build scaffolding to get to the ceilings.  It got quite precarious in rooms like the Granite High School auditorium.  We would be way up there on the scaffold, walking a thin 2 by 8 plank, swinging our arm wildly from side to side.  Then we would throw the dough at each other.  Then I got jobs on the plumbing crew, installing and repairing sprinkler systems.  The last jobs I had were watering new lawns as they were planted.  They planted seed, which needed watering every day.  I brought up new lawns at Granger High, and several elementary schools: Eastwood, East Mill Creek, etc.  I would also catch gophers when they made mounds in my new grass, by inserting gopher trips in the holes.  My main boss for all of this work was Lee Davey. 

After my graduation from high school in 1955, I attended the University of Utah for two years, majoring in Chemistry.  I spent much of my free time at the LDS Institute of Religion.  A big group of South High graduates met there.  We played a lot of ping pong, and took institute classes, and ate our lunch, and joined Delta Chapter, one of the four men’s chapters of Lambda Delta Sigma, the LDS fraternity/sorority at the U of U.  I met lots more friends there.  Many of our girlfriends were from Sigma chapter, the woman’s chapter that met the same night we did, on Wednesday evenings.  We dated lots of different girls, but many of them were set up dates between our Delta chapter and one of the seven woman’s chapters.   

Some of the group went on a river trip down the Colorado, with the Socotwa River Rats.  We had four Deltas on our boat, and three Sigmas.  The Deltas were Steve Carr, Tim Maxwell, Don Phippen and I.  Steve was there with his girlfriend, Annette Thorpe.  We got in the Colorado near Moab, and floated down through Cataract Canyon until the convergence with the Green River, in what is now Canyonlands National Park, and then to the convergence with the Yampa River.  We met with others in our company who were floating down the other rivers.  We were on the river 10 days, clear down past the Glen Canyon Dam being built.  We could see some of the construction high up on the canyon walls.  We hiked up some of the side canyons that are now covered by Lake Powell, including Hole in the Rock and Rainbow Bridge.  In some of the side canyons, we would hike up a narrow canyon, and then encounter a section of water, where we would have to swim or wade.  We got to one canyon with a fantastic waterfall.  Some of our group actually dove from the top of the waterfall down into the deep pool in which it was falling.  We continued our floating, past the Arizona border. 

Some of us had a last fling before our missions.  We went on a trip to California with Jim Peterson and ….  Ray ….  ….. Marlo Gwynn

Mission Years (1957-1960)

  

I was called to the Netherlands Mission: 1957-1960.  I was pleased to receive a call to the land of half of my ancestors, and to be able to learn the Dutch language. 

I was 20 ½ when I was called.  I attended the old Missionary School in downtown SLC, 20-31 August, near where the LDS Conference Center is now.  Dick Van Wagenen and I were there together.  Dick had been called to the Northern States Mission.  We skipped out to visit our girlfriends: Joann Despain and Sylvia (Saliva) Wheelwright.

My mission is pretty much described in my Missionary journal, including the trip over to the Netherlands, with my traveling companion, Elder Ronald Whiting, of Firth, Idaho,  via train to Chicago, where we had to change trains, and train stations, and New York, where we stayed two days, and were able to visit Niagara Falls, and New York City, Central Park, Empire State Building, Radio City, show, the Pajama Game, and the boat trip on the SS Maasdam, 5-14 September.    

We made a stop in Southampton, England, and LeHavre, France, and got to Rotterdam on 14 September.  We were met by Elder Russell and Elder Teerlink, and went to The Hague in President Sperry’s car.  We stayed in The Hague for three days, and then were transferred.  I went on 17 September to Amsterdam, with a trainer, Elder Robert J. de Bry, who was the District President in Amsterdam. 

Usually, when new missionaries arrive in the Netherlands, they go straight to the mission home in The Hague to the mission school.  However, since there were just the two of us, me and Elder Whiting, they decided to have us wait for the school, until three other missionaries would be arriving. 

So I spent my first month in Amsterdam with Elder de Bry.  We made trips to Haarlem and other places. 

I got back to The Hague to attend the mission school, 19 October to 8 November.  Our school teacher was Elder Schetselaar, and the missionary presidents for the Sunday School and Mutual (OOV) were living there also, Elder Shupe and Elder Lemon.   Some of the others attending the mission school, were Elder van Boerum, Elder Whiting.     

I was transferred to my next assignment, in Arnhem, 9 November.   My companion was the Branch President in Arnhem, Elder Butler, and then Elder Sieverts, and finally, Elder Ladle.  We were in a foursome, living above the church in Arnhem.  The other two missionaries were the District President, Elder Stewart, and his companion, Elder Stuart Poelman.   

I was in Arnhem for about 7 months. 

I was transferred to my next assignment, back to The Hague, 26 May 1958.  My companion was Elder Leon de Vries.

After I was released as a missionary, I went up to the Northern two provinces of the Netherlands, Groningen and Friesland, and did family history work in Friesland the archives in Leeuwarden, and visited the villages where some of my ancestors had lived.  I stayed up there for two weeks, waiting for the release of three more missionaries. 

We toured, with five missionaries and two Volkswagons, through Germany and Austria and Italy and France and Belgium.  We had tents and camped out, or stayed in youth hostels along the way,  We went to England to do more touring, and to board the SS United States for our return to the US.  We toured New York and Washington DC and traveled west to Dayton, Ohio to meet with my uncle Harold Erskine.  We continued our trip west in our Volkswagons to SLC.  My mom was not aware of where we were until we knocked on her front door.    

Post Mission Years (1960-1963)

After my mission, I returned to the U of U, where I continued my chosen major of Chemistry.  I got into summer school when I got back home, to avoid being drafted.  I took 20 hours during summer quarter, 4 five hour classes, all relatively easy: German 1, Music 1, Statistics, Econ 1.  Our teacher in Econ 1 was a young bearded fellow, who taught with a cigarette in one hand, and a piece of chalk in the other.  He would sometimes forget which was which.  I remember one of our texts for Econ 1 was The Communist Manifesto.  I graduated in 1962, and spent an additional year of post graduate study, changing my emphasis from Chemistry to Math and Computers.

At the U, I was actively involved in Lambda Delta Sigma, the church sponsored fraternity/sorority group.  I was elected an inter-chapter officer, Treasurer.  It was there I met the love of my life, Margie Norman.  She didn’t attend the UofU.  She went to Heneger’s business college.  A group of Henegers students created another chapter of Lambda Delta Sigma, the Omicron chapter.  We would have conjoints, or parties between one men’s chapter and one women’s chapter.  The first conjoint between the Delta chapter and the Omicron chapter resulted in 5 or 6 marriages.  Margie and I were married 29 June 1962 in the Salt Lake Temple.   

We moved into our first apartment, an 8 plex on McClelland Avenue in Sugar House, and went on our honeymoon to Las Vegas, with a stop at Bryce Canyon.  Margie showed her prowess as a gambler by winning several big returns on her slot machine.  We took in a few shows in Las Vegas: PillowTalk, and

We paid $80 per month for our apartment, and it was the only one of the 8 that did not have a carport and storage unit.  The builder promised one, and when it didn’t happen quickly, we paid only $75 per month.   t ….  Address ….   We stayed in the apartment for one year, while I did a year of graduate study.  Margie had her job at the Huntsman Cancer research center, and I had an assistantship where they paid a stipend for teaching lab and research classes in Chemistry. 

In the summer of 1963, I went on two interview trips.  One was by myself, flying to Denver, Colorado to interview Marathon Oil, and then Margie and I drove to San Francisco to interview Shell Oil Company.  Then we accepted a job offer from General Electric in Richland, Washington, one of the three cities making up the Tri Cities.

Richland, Washington Years (1963-1972)

In the summer of 1963, I went on two interview trips.  One was by myself, flying to Denver, Colorado to interview Marathon Oil, and then Margie and I drove to San Francisco to interview Shell Oil Company.  Then we accepted a job offer from General Electric in Richland, Washington, one of the three cities making up the Tri Cities.  I was hired as a chemist, but never did any work in chemistry.  I was assigned to work in computer programming, and spent the next 40 years as a computer programmer/systems analyst.  We had planned to stay in Richland about two years, and get some work experience, and then return to Salt Lake City.  Those goals didn’t work out quite as planned.  We lived in Richland for nine years, in two homes.  Our first home was a small house in what was called Richland Village, at 2031 Raineer Street, on the corner.  We paid rent: $79 per month.  The house had a garage and a basement.  We made acquaintance with two of our neighbors.  Elwyn and Marilyn Shimoda lived in the house just west of ours, and Gil and Eileen Litchfield on the next street.  They each had one child.  Eileen served as a surrogate mother for Margie, since her own mother was so far away.  

We had our first child 16 Dec 1963.  Scottie was born in Kadlec Memorial Hospital, which had been built years before by the government.  The whole city of Richland was built by the government to support building the atom bomb.  A lot of people were hired to work in Richland in the years before 1945.  Most of the people who worked there didn’t know they were working on a project to build the atomic bomb. 

After the first two atomic bombs were exploded in Japan, the local Richland High School changed their mascot name to the Richland bombers. 

In Richland, General Electric was a sub contractor for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and was operating the Hanford nuclear reactor plant on the Columbia River.  I started with GE in the tech grad program.  There they had new employees take 3-4 three month assignments with different groups.  Then when the employee and the group manager come to a mutual agreement, the employee is assigned to that group.  I had one assignment out in the labs, a 20 minute bus ride west to the lab area, and another assignment in downtown Richland.  I accepted the second assignment, working in the Richland Federal Building for Glenn Otterbein, doing computer work, mostly in Fortran.  After working there for just a year or so, GE’s contract expired, and the contract was divided into 5-6 different groups.  Other subcontractors won the contract with the AEC.  I sat at the same desk, but was now working for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC).

My father died in May 1965. We returned for his funeral.

We had our second child, Christopher, 5 Sep 1966.

Moved to a new house, 726 Saint Street.   Nov 1967 …    Richland 1^st Ward.   Richland Stake new Stake Center …  included wards in Kennewick and Walla Walla.   Neighbors Roy and Sharon Kent on one side and Jean and Dick Turley on the other side …..   

Served in Family History, starting the Richland Family History Center in our new stake house.   Served as a stake missionary …   adult Aaronic replacing Dick Turley …

Graduate Classes at the Richland Center for Graduate study …….   Classes in Math, Advanced Calculus, Advanced differential equations, linear algebra, etc.  The Richland Center would contract with professors from Washington State, U of Washington and Oregon State to fly in to teach the classes.    

Wendy was born 29 Apr 1968. 

 In the summer of 1969, CSC moved us to Los Angeles for three months, along with 8 or 9 other families, to develop software at the main CSC headquarters in El Segundo.   

Back in Richland: One time I was working out in the yard and supposedly tending the kids.  I didn’t notice, but Wendy wandered off.  One of the neighbors way up the hill saw her and brought her back home, clutching an all-day sucker.  I hadn’t even missed her.  The neighbor said they knew her from church, with those beautiful blue eyes. 

Jenny was born 10 Nov 1970. 

I taught early-morning Seminary (9th grade) for a year before we moved back to Salt Lake.

 Hermitage Circle Years (1972-1994)

(check out The Hermitage House post)

   

We finally returned to Salt Lake City in August 1972, along with our first four children, ages 1-8.  We moved into a new split entry home in the Jamestown subdivision, 1677 East Hermitage Circle.  The Jamestown area was part of the home show in the year before.  We attended a number of Cottonwood Wards in the Cottonwood Stake.  We were first in the Cottonwood 9^th Ward, meeting in the ward house on Highland Drive.  A few weeks later, the new Cottonwood Stake Center on 1830 East 6400 South was finished.  We were assigned to the Cottonwood 11^th Ward meeting in the Stake Center.  …Bishop Harry Peckham . 

  

In our move to Salt Lake City, I was hired as a computer programmer by the Sperry Corporation, who ran a plant out by the Salt Lake airport.  They eventually merged with other companies and became the Unisys Corporation. 

In my first assignment there, I worked with David Powell and Franci de Long.  Our boss was Wayne Slagle.  I worked as a computer programmer or analyst.  During my work there, I took many trips: many to Roseville, Minnesota and many others to Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.  I took another trip to New Orleans, and another to Miami to attend conferences of some kind or another.  Other bosses were: Wayne Ivie, Glenn Johnson, John Burns, Franci de Long.  I worked on many projects. 

Church callings – Family History, FREP, Church, FH Center …..membership clerk, teach ….  Varsity Scouts ….. 

  

3 May 1976      Birth of Shane Michael Westra

Ward split, 13^th Ward …Bishop Robin Egan, with counselors Lane Summerhays and Steve Woolston.   Margie was the first RS president.   We were a very small ward ….  After two years, Steve had to be released: working for the church, too much travel, South America.  I was called to replace him as 2^nd Counselor.

17 Apr 1979     Birth of Kellie Sue Westra.  Our little girl had a heart defect and died at the age of 8 days.

22 Jan 1980     Death of Margie’s grandmother, Louella McGee Norman

5 Nov 1980     Birth of Cory Matthew Westra.  He was a full-term stillborn little boy.

5 May 1982     Birth of Derek Alan Westra. I was almost 45 years of age.

26 Dec 1982     LaMar - called to serve in the Bishopric of the Cottonwood 13^th Ward, with Bishop Robin Egan and Lane Summerhays.  LaMar replaced Steve Woolston who was doing a lot of traveling for the church. 

Budd Ferre was later called as a counselor to Bishop Egan, and when Bishop Egan was released, Budd was called to be the new bishop.  I served as a counselor to Budd also.  I served for almost 7 years as counselor. 

26 May 1983    Scott was called as a missionary to the Tampa Florida mission.  He departed 26 May 1983.  The missionary system had been recently changed, with new missionaries called for a period of just 18 months.  Scott returned 30 Nov 1984.   After Scott’s return, the missionary system was changed back again, with new missionaries again called for a period of two years.    

• 31 Mar 1986 Death of Herbert LaVar Norman
• 13 Oct 1986 Death of Hannah Lucinda Hurst Howell Bohne
• 21 Oct 1987 Chris departed as a missionary in the Columbus, Ohio mission. Chris returned 6 Oct 1989. 
• 5 July 1989 Wendy departed as a missionary in the Atlanta, Georgia ASL, American Sign Language. Wendy returned 24 Jan 1991.
• 26 Nov 1989 Release from Bishopric after serving almost seven years in the Bishopric 
• 29 Aug 1990 Death of Lucille Erskine Westra Burgener
• 15 July 1991 Marriage of Chris and Casandra Mueller
• 20 Mar 1992 Marriage of Scott and Amy Whiting. They moved into a house in Cottonwood Heights, 2256 East 6630 South, 84121.
• 13 May 1992 Birth of our first grandchild, Conner Joseph Westra 
• 22 July 1992 Marriage of Jennifer and Grayson Blackham. 
• 23 Feb 1993 Birth of our second grandchild, McKenna Nicole Westra 
• 15 Jan 1994 Death of Victor Alma Burgener
• 12 Mar 1994 Move Chris and Sandy to Fayette
• 2 June 1994 Birth of our third grandchild, Kadan Christopher Westra 
• 28 July 1994 Marriage of Wendy and Rick Jensen. 

We lived in the Hermitage home for over 22 years, and then built a new home, just east of our old home, in a new subdivision called New Haven.  12 Nov 1994     Move to 6176 South Haven Moor Circle. We have now been in our current home for over 10 years.      

Haven Moor Circle Years 1994-Present

• 12 Nov 1994 We moved into our new home: 6176 South Haven Moor Circle
• 15 Feb 1995 Birth of our 4th grandchild, Alyssa Blair Westra
• 19 July1995 Departure of Shane for his mission in Brazil. Shane returned 25 June 1997. 
• 7 Sep 1995 Birth of our 5th grandchild, Landon Gordon Blackham
• 8 Dec 1995 Birth of our 6th grandchild, Janika Carol Jensen
• 16 Dec 1995 Move Scott and Amy, and McKenna and Alyssa, to Draper, 404 East Rosewood Park Lane. 
• 16 Oct 1996 Birth of our 7th grandchild, Kellen Scott Westra
• 12 Dec 1996 Move Jen and Gray, and Landon, to West Jordan, 3692 West 8070 South, 84088
• 6 June 1997 Birth of our 8th grandchild, Corin Benjamin Westra
• 28 June 1997 Move Rick and Wendy, and Janika, to Ivins, 582 North 300 West, 84738
• 8 July 1997 Install new computer
• 2 Dec 1997 Birth of our 9th grandchild, Jase Rick Jensen
• 5 Aug 1998 Birth of our 10th grandchild, Kemery Chase Westra
• 21 Feb 1999 Birth of our 11th grandchild, Callahan Joseph Blackham

1 Jan 2000   One of the last projects I worked on at Unisys was the Y2K project.  In Jan 2000 all the programs that relied on a two digit year would be compromised, because the year 00 was then 1900.  The Y2K project has us go through all our programs and see which ones needed to be changed, so that on 1 Jan 2000, they would not all become obsolete.

•  8 Mar 2000     Birth of our 12^th grandchild, Jared Daniel Jensen
• 31 Aug 2000     Birth of our 13^th grandchild, Keaton Glen Blackham
• 9 May 2001     Marriage of Shane and Alicia Marie Green.  
• 3 July 2001     Departure of Derek for his mission in Campinas, Brazil.  Derek returned 2 July 2003 
• 4 Oct 2001     Move Chris and Sandy, and  their three boys to Gunnison, 711 East 300 South, 84634.  Chris had purchased the property, and built the house there. 
• 1 Jan 2002     LaMar retired from Unisys, after working there for 30 years. 
• 27 Apr 2002   Birth of our 14^th grandchild, Camden Jacob Westra
• 20 June 2002   Departure of Merrill and Lorrie to be the Mission President in New Jersey.  They returned June 2005.
• 12 Aug 2002   Start of LaMar’s Family History Mission.
• 14 Oct 2002    Birth of our 15^th grandchild, Janelle Marjorie Jensen
• 27 Aug 2003    Birth of our 16^th grandchild, Taylee Grace Westra
• 28 Aug 2003    Birth of our 17^th grandchild, Cooper Grayson Blackham
• Oct 2003          Margie and LaMar called as Area Family History Advisors
• 1 Nov 2003      Move Shane and Alicia to Sandy, 9704 South 1700 East
• 3 Mar 2004      Move Rick and Wendy, and their 4 kids, to Santa Clara
• 31 May 2004    Birth of our 18^th grandchild, Jaiden Wendy Jensen
• 2 Nov 2004     Birth of our 19^th grandchild, Adria Elisabeth Westra
• 12 Feb 2005     Move Scott and Amy, and their 5 kids, to 936 East Old English Road

This was the start of a 9 month period where we had four grandchildren born.

• 20 Dec 2005     Birth of our 20^th grandchild, Colton Jensen Blackham.  
• 16 Apr 2006     Birth of our 21^st grandchild, Joshua Joseph Jensen
• 22 May 2006     Birth of our 22^nd grandchild, Cayson Michael Westra
• 23 Aug 2006     Birth of our 23^rd grandchild, Mirella Marie Westra

•  4 Nov 2006       Marriage of Derek and Danielle Taylor.  
• 13Jan 2007       Move Shane and Alicia and their two girls to Lindon, 967 East 300 North
• 17Aug 2007      Move Derek and Danielle to Hawaii, 2065 Lanihuli Drive, Honolulu
• 27Jan 2008       Death of President Gordon B. Hinckley

I have always been an avid genealogist, especially on my Dutch lineage.  After being released from my mission in the Netherlands, I spent two weeks doing research in some of the old archives in the Netherlands.  In Richland, I worked with others in starting up the Tri Cities Family History center. 

I have held a number of church callings.  I was in a Bishopric in our current ward for 7 years (serving under two Bishops), and also served as membership clerk and then in Family History work as the Stake Family Records Extraction Director.  I worked with others in our stake to establish a Family History Center, and worked as Stake FHC Director for a number of years.