The Story of My Life - Zada Norman Autobiography

Grandma Zada wrote up her life story, from her birth in 1918, through 1978, when there were 12 grandchildren and two more on the way. A condensed auto-biography was featured here on the blog (Zada Howell Norman - A History) with a link to the PDF of the scanned in pages (all 32 of them). While the PDF preserves the feel of the original (featured above) with some of Grandma's handwriting, text from an actual typewriter and added illustrations, it is always nice to have histories in document form (word, google docs) where parts can be copied, cut and pasted ... and it's just a little easier to read. August of 2021, Chris retyped all the text from "The Story of My Life" so now we have that too. As always, it's included in the family Dropbox, and on FamilySearch.org.  

Zada Fern Howell Autobiography

(written by Zada Norman in 1978, retyped by Chris Westra in 2021)

I was born in Fairview, Utah April 6, 1918, in the same family home that all my brothers and sisters were born in.

My parents were Edmund Sylvanus and Hannah Lucinda Hurst Howell.

I have always been proud of being born on April 6, as it is believed our Savior was born that day, and it is also the day our church was organized.

Up until this year (1977) they have held General Conference on my birthday and of course it nearly always rained also.

I’m sure my parents were hoping for a boy with two daughters already, but at least I was the first of the children to have naturally curly hair. Dad’s hair was curly and mother's was slightly so.

I was the third daughter in the family. Reola and Neva being older and Bertha following me; then came Berthell, Demont and Kenneth.

Our parents worked hard to feed seven hungry children besides themselves. They farmed, worked bees and Dad butchered animals for the Fairview townspeople. Mother did her best to cook and serve tasty meals on a meager income. She was a good cook and often sang as she worked.

As soon as we were old enough, we were taught to work and often worked outside our home to make a few dollars.

I always liked making things rhyme and this showed up early in life. As a small tot I came in from gathering the eggs and said “Dickey Dickey dare there were no eggs there.”

We were quite poor as we grew up, and although we usually had plenty of fruit and vegetables, things we had to buy were scarce. I took things quite seriously and tried not to eat very much so the food would last; but having a good appetite, I wasn't too successful.

Once when my sisters complained about being crowded in bed, I took a rope and tied myself to the bedpost, so I wouldn’t crowd anyone. Needless to say I didn’t sleep much that night!

We lived about 1 1/2 miles east of main street in Fairview, Utah, and it was an uphill climb, we didn’t have a car so we did a lot of walking and carrying groceries, etc. from the store to our home. On a hot or cold day with a heavy load this was very hard.

In our early years, we walked to school and back. I can remember wading in snow up to my knees (sometimes without boots) and being very wet and cold on arriving at school.

They finally provided us with what they called a hack to ride to school in. It was a covered wagon with seats on each side and it really beat walking.

I was blessed with a good memory but once in a while this didn’t help. I recall getting a low mark in reading in the first grade because I would memorize everything instead of reading it.

We had a large lot as we grew up; two or three large gardens, fruit trees, farm animals and a bee yard. While herding cows, to keep them from getting in the gardens or the bee yard, we used to sing songs, play games and even try yodeling when we thought we were alone.

Eva Cox, one of our friends, was a very good singer and she used to teach us how.

Although we were lacking in worldly things, we were luckier than most in many others. We loved each other, had good health and our neighbors would ask us if eating honey made us so beautiful.

Even at age sixty, as I write this, I receive my share of compliments as I work in the Temple and meet the public. I imagine our ancestors had a part in this.

I attended school in Fairview until after my sophomore year; then on to Mt. Pleasant for my junior and senior years.

It was great meeting all the new students those last two years, (especially the new boys).

I always liked English, spelling and arithmetic, but didn’t care for history or geography. We used to have spelling bees and I did quite well in those.

We made our own entertainment as we grew up. We had parties, candy pulls, played out and went swimming in the creek or in Cox’s pool.

In the winter we had excellent sleigh riding. We would get a big schooner and one of the older boys would drive and another would give a push and jump on the back. We could go about three miles; sometimes faster than was safe.

We didn’t have sidewalks in front of our home and money was scarce, so we never learned to skate or even ride a bicycle.

During the Christmas Holidays they would have a dance almost every night. We would often walk the mile and a half to the dance, dance until midnight and then walk home.

Bertha and I slept upstairs once on a mattress made of corn husks, and in the winter it was very cold. In fact, our whole house was cold and we hugged the coal stoves to keep warm.

I remember as a small child going over the Fairview Mountains in the old wagon.

The canyon road was steep and narrow and I used to sit on the tongue behind the wagon because I was afraid we would roll down the hill when we passed other vehicles.

Once I tried to retrieve some pretty wild flowers about half way down the steep side of the canyon. I lost my footing and rolled to the bottom but I wasn’t badly hurt.

Often I was asked to give the 2½ minute talk in Sunday School, which I memorized and got many compliments on.

Leota Brady was my best friend; she lived just a block west of me and we did everything together. She was a very intelligent girl and was always at the top of the class.

In our teens Bertha and I were very close; we had the same friends and did most things together. In the summer, when we slept out, we would sing every song we could think of before finally going to sleep.

I got my growth early and always envied the girls who were small and slow to mature.

I graduated from North Sanpete High School in 1936, at the age of 18.

I wanted to go on to college but those were depression years and college education was quite a luxury. I taught the little children in Sunday School and they were so precious!

For a couple of years I worked in several different homes helping with the house work, cooking, etc. Although housework was not the best job in the world; I learned things from each of these families and became a pretty good homemaker.

I went with several young men and had to decide between 2 or 3 of them.

My Great Grandmother Anderson used to say that no matter which one I married I would always wish at times I had chosen another one, but this hasn't been the case.

I knew Miriam and Gordon at school and went out with Gordon a few times. He introduced me to Rex at a High School dance and I remember telling a friend I liked him. My first impression of him was that he was really optimistic (I had been praying to find the right one). I remember the peaceful feeling I had on our first date and I knew he would take good care of me.

Rex didn’t care much about dancing so we went to a lot of movies and usually ended up at his home for some rich home made ice cream. He did take me to a few dances however.

It was Christmas Eve, I was with Rex and Bertha was with Lloyd.

We arrived home a few minutes apart and on each of our wrists was a shiny new watch. We looked at each other and laughed.

Rex always kids me about proposing to him since I said yes on girls day.

In a month or two I had a pretty diamond ring on my third finger.

We hoped to be married on my birthday but the Temple was closed for Conference, so we waited a week and got married in the Manti Temple on Dad Norman’s birthday. This was April 13, 1938.

Daddy Howell was having cancer problems by this time and Mother had spent a lot of time in Salt Lake with him.

I had been in charge of the family at home, besides stepping out a lot, etc. and when I was married I was thinner than I had been for some time - 115 lbs. Dad couldn’t go to the Temple with us but Mother went and we had a beautiful sealing.

Due to Dad’s illness a big wedding was out of the question; however, Miriam and Leota gave me a shower and Eva Cox had a wedding party for us. Eva had arranged for the group to spend part of the evening at a dance in Mt. Pleasant where the orchestra would play “Here Comes the Bride”.

Rex and I were tired after our honeymoon trip to Salt Lake and Ogden and like I said, Rex didn’t care to dance, so we didn’t go. (party poopers)

We spent our first night in a cabin called “Utah Lake”, so you see we were all wet to begin with!

We lived in Fairview for a year and Rex worked for the State Road Commission.

Our first apartment was one large room, a small bedroom and a little pantry. I used to hide behind the kitchen stove to bathe in a round tub and one time I stooped over a little too far and ouch - but that stove was hot!

Nelva Joy, our first baby, was born March 20, 1939 in Fairview; I remember that day so well. The snow was deep but it was a clear sunny day. My water broke early Friday morning and she wasn’t born until Monday evening, so I had a very difficult delivery. She was also a posterior birth.

In those days we weren’t taught how to give birth and I made things worse with my stupidity. Aunt Radia Clement ( a good midwife) stayed with us for 11 days for $10.00.

Dr. Bert Madsen delivered her at our little apartment and only charged us $25.00. How things have changed!

Dad Norman knew of Dr. Madsen’s whereabouts the whole weekend so we could get him in a few minutes when we needed him.

How we loved her. No one was ever more proud of their baby than we were!

She was extremely collicky however, and spit up a lot, and I got so worn out I felt like crying.

We moved to Mt. Pleasant when she was just a few days old. Mother and Dad Norman helped us move, and I will never forget the lovely meals mother Norman used to cook. - Hot rolls, fruit salad and the whole bit.

No matter when we went there she would always ask us if we had eaten and if not, cook us a good meal. Her breakfasts were always extra special, and we slept over many times through the years.

Daddy Howell had cancer for years and suffered a great deal. It was in his bladder and was about the size of a golf ball when he finally went to Salt Lake for his first operation. It was too late. He passed away May 20, 1939, the day Nelva was 2 months old.

We were living on Mt. Pleasant at the time, and I remember looking at the moonlit sky on the way to Fairview and feeling his presence up above.

It was such a strong feeling I have never forgotten it. His last words were “Tell them all not to forget there is”, he did not finish but reached upward. He had suffered so much and he was now at rest.

When Nelva was a small baby, Rex got a job with Young & Smith Construction Company and our first job was out at Thompson, Utah, near Green River.

There wasn’t adequate housing so Rex and Dad Norman built us a little trailer house which became home. We lived in this little trailer house during the depression, and it wasn’t uncommon to see hitch hikers almost every day catching rides along the highway or on freight trains - sometimes even young mothers with babies in arms.

There was a Cafe-Tavern close to us and many a night, after taking a ride to get Nelva to sleep we would relax to the (Beer Barrel Polka).

One morning I awoke and no Nelva at my side. We found her down at the bottom of the bed under the covers and what a scare! Luckily she was all right.

From Thompson we went to Emery with the Construction Company. We parked our trailer house on Hansen’s lawn, and some of the men boarded in the house. Rex was the bookkeeper.

One day I heard a commotion near the pig pen and looked in to see a chicken with its legs caught between the boards in the pen, and the pigs had chewed its legs off.

Another time we went to Grand Junction, Colorado for groceries and Mrs. Hansen gave us her list also. We had her groceries put in boxes and went to get our car to load them. I don’t know how it happened, but evidently someone picked up her boxes and left theirs. Anyways, when we got home with her groceries they were the wrong ones.

We felt really bad but she said she could use them just as well, and wouldn’t let us stand the loss. They were such special people.

In those days if you bought $5.00 worth of groceries it was considered such a big order they would give you a large sack of candy.

We used to go to Sanpete every week or so to see the folks and take Dad Norman home. I had bragged to Joe and Duge how smart he was and they hired him also.

From Emery we went to Rockville in the spring of the year, and we enjoyed the Easter Pageant there. Rockville was at the entrance to Zions Park and it was beautiful.

We would ride up to the Park often and watch the deer.

Nelva was a year old and running all over. The summer was hot and she remained at 20 pounds until she was nearly two years old.

The neighbors had a big mean rooster who would fly at her and knock her down every chance it got. We complained and they made chicken stew out of him.

We had a lot of company come to see us that summer, so I would prepare the food and take them to the park; or we would eat in shifts in our little trailer-

From Rockville we moved to Ogden. We parked our trailer house at Aunt Leolas for a while and then we got a motel and Dad Norman used the trailer house out at the job. They were building a large bridge on 12th Street, west of Ogden.

Nelva met the barber for the first time and you should have heard her scream!

The Construction Company was out of work that winter so we went to Mt. Pleasant and parked our trailer at Dad and Mother Normans.

Rex trapped muskrats and drew unemployment.

When spring came Rex got a job with Morrison & Merrill doing yard work and waiting on customers. He was paid $100.00 a month and we thought we were well off.

We rented an apartment at 140 Girard Avenue in Salt Lake City.

Melvin and Berthell got jobs up there and slept out in back in our trailer house. I prepared good meals for them.

Rex took a Merit System Examination after about 4 months and secured a job with Employment Security. He worked there for about 34 years until he retired in 1976 at the age of sixty.

They had a lovely luncheon party for him and gave him a golf cart and clubs; there was a large crowd there.

Mother married Arthur Bohne after being a widow for 13 years and he was a welcome addition to our family. He was good to us and I’m sure made her life happier and contributed to her longevity. He died of Pneumonia in 1977.

Neva and I became real close after marriage and I really enjoyed being in their home and helping with the cooking, etc. at some of our family parties and visits; she also did a lot of sewing for us. Reola was always real free hearted and would give you anything.

We hoped for another baby but I failed to get pregnant until I went to the doctor and had a minor treatment.

After being pregnant for 3 months I was losing weight and not feeling too well and the doctor decided I had a chronic case of appendicitis.

My blood count was right on the line, but because of my pregnancy the Dr. thought I should have my appendix removed. It was worse than was expected and was near rupturing.

Well, anyway, due to this operation I didn’t get very large through my second pregnancy.

Although Marjorie weighed 7 lbs and 2 ounces and I was 10 days overdue, people asked me where I hid her.

Marjorie was born at the L.D.S. Hospital in the Avenues. The doctor gave me a shot and went back to his office and Rex went for a haircut. Things happened so fast after that shot they both did well to get back to the hospital in time.

Marjorie was a darling baby; she loved a certain blue blanket and also her thumb. At eight months she developed a bad case of eczema and we took her to an allergy doctor. He thought she was allergic to wheat and suggested I wean her and put her on the bottle. She wouldn’t take a bottle and rationing was on. We hunted the stores over to get enough baby fruit so she could have food; she has never liked milk since.

Nelva was really jealous of the new baby and since she had received all the attention for over 3½ years, she found it hard to share.

When Marjorie was only 9 months old, I found I was pregnant again; the doctor's treatment had worked too well!

This was a real blow with the war on and me worrying each day that Rex would be drafted. He was drafted and Mother and Dad Norman invited me to move in with them (with our two little girls) until after Merrill was born.

Rex was at Buckley Field, Colorado, and received a delay en route while going to Mitchell Field, New York, so was home when Merrill was born.

Merrill was about 10 days late and we really worried that Rex would have to leave again before he was born.

I started in labor in the wee hours of the morning and everyone was sleeping at the hospital.

The hospital was above the stores and the door was down stairs, and try as we might we couldn’t wake anyone. We finally had to go back and phone.

By then I was shaking like a leaf (although it was May), and he weighed in at about 9 lbs and skinny at that.

At least we had our son, so it was well worth it, and Marjorie and Merrill, being 18 months apart, were always very close.

We rented a house north of the Theater in Mt. Pleasant. It was owned by Frandsens, who lived just west of it. I enjoyed living there with our 3 children and Rex sent us gifts and was able to get home a couple of times.

Merrill was quite an easy baby, as long as his tummy was full and he got enough sleep. It seemed good not to have to curl his hair.

I will never forget the day President Roosevelt died, or the rationing that went on during the war.

Mrs. Frandsen had a chance to sell the little white stucco house we were living in so a car dealership could be built there, and she decided to do so.

We moved to a home owned by Mrs. Wall. I raised a big garden, bought a pressure cooker and canned the fresh vegetables. I kept so busy I didn’t have time to get too lonely and when night came I was ready for sleep.

The kids had chicken pox while we lived at Walls.

Soon the war was over and Rex would be home! What a happy day that was.

Mrs. Wall was coming back to Utah and needed her home, so we had to find one in a hurry. We went to Salt Lake to look.

Homes were scarce and when the realtor showed us a pretty white immaculate frame with red shutters at 4568 Boxelder Street, I was over anxious and we bought it.

We left Nelva in Mt. Pleasant with her grandparents to finish first grade, but she was homesick, so joined us in Murray a week or two before school was out.

We soon found that we had a very dirty range in the kitchen. It was a coal stove that converted to oil and was a real mess, so we didn’t waste any time getting natural gas put in our new home.

We lived about a mile from the school and the ward chapel and since I didn’t drive much we all did a lot of walking, which was good for us.

The neighbors were very good about taking the kids to school much of the time, and Rex was a real jewel to drive us everywhere when he wasn’t at work

There were many children on Boxelder Street so the youngsters had many friends to play with.

We had a root cellar out in the back of the garage with a dirt floor and cement walls; our vegetables were kept all winter in this neat cellar.

Above the root cellar was a wooden play house where the kids (with their little stove and table) would prepare play dinners and serve them.

Marjorie and Nelva took tap and ballet lessons and looked so cute in their costumes that Aunt Neva helped us make.

I taught primary and enjoyed that and was also secretary of the P.T.A. for a year or two.

Rex liked to fish and hunt and after the family got older, I went with him much of the time.

My health wasn’t too good over the years. I had an allergy that turned to asthma and gave me a lot of digestive disturbance.

I found I couldn’t climb hills in the cold so the hunting had to stop.

We had some special friends on Boxelder Street. The Barrons, Shanleys, and Shellys and we used to play rook and do things together. None of these gals drove either - maybe that is one thing that brought us together.

Rex went to work at the Department of Employment Security five days a week and got home about 5:30 each night, so I always had a tasty dinner waiting for him.

We were happy when they broke ground for the new 8th ward Chapel; it was much closer and we had a chance to help build it and to enjoy it.

Nelva always claimed she was going to be a Ballerina, but that was before the boys started coming around - soon that was all forgotten.

All the youngsters did well in school. Nelva received the (Harmon Cafe Scholarship) at graduation.

I’ll never forget how my heart pounded when they announced her as the winner of the largest scholarship.

She was going steady with Arnold Griffiths and he was on a mission when she graduated.

We had decided to sell our Boxelder home and to build up in East Millcreek, but Nelva objected, so we waited until she and Arnold were married.

Nelva had studied at the U. of U. where she was a member of Lambda Delta Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta.

Arnold completed an L.D.S. Mission in the Central Atlantic States and went on to get his Masters at the University of Utah.

They were married in the Salt Lake Temple March 20, 1959 on Nelva’s 20th birthday.

We had a lovely reception for them in the new 8th Ward Chapel in Murray.

She chose shrimp and white for her wedding colors and many people commented on the lovely wedding line.

They went on a honeymoon to Las Vegas.

Nelva and Arnold had four children; Dale and Darie being born in Salt Lake City and Randy and Greg first seeing the light of day in Sacramento, California.

We flew down for Randy’s arrival and spent Christmas with them. He was born on January 3rd, 1970 about the time we were due to go back home. Arnold was quite shook up about the hard birth.

That was my first trip in an airplane and I was quite nervous going home, when I could see the ground below us, but it was a good flight and we got home O.K.

Greg was born December 13, 1976 and we drove down for the event and to play mama and papa. We went to see Nelva at the hospital; Randy was with us and he was so excited he could hardly wait.

We arrived back in Salt Lake City a few days before Christmas and really hurried to get things ready.

I had spent ten years in the Primary as a teacher and counselor; I was honored in a primary Sacrament Meeting because I had served longer than anyone.

At least we were able to get the building lot at 2665 Spring Hollow Drive and Bert Howell (my brother) was going to build our new home.

Marjorie and Merrill started school at Olympus before our new home was quite finished.

Marjorie was going with Chuck Dansie at this time and he would come clear down to Murray each morning and drive her and Merrill up to Olympus High.

Rexx, Bert and Max had worked ever so hard trying to get our new home finished before school started and they built the whole thing in three months. We moved up in October 1959.

I had a decorator from Sears Store help us with the decorating and things were just right; we really loved our new home.

Right away I was asked to teach a Sunday School class of eight and nine year olds, but I decided this was a very hard age to handle. I would rather teach the five and six year olds.

I taught Primary, Primary Inservice, and the Visiting Teachers Message in Relief Society and then I was asked to be the Ward Librarian.

We didn’t have anything in the library at that time, and I literally built a workable library, spending day after day on this project until it expanded and I got help.

I was asked to be Meetinghouse Librarian over 3 wards and served in that capacity for a few years, but keeping the equipment up was a worry for me, so I told them I would rather just be Ward Librarian.

They called a man to be Meetinghouse Librarian and he is a natural with the equipment etc. His name is Jack Pickroll.

I have always enjoyed baking and candy making. Before we were married Rex took a loaf of my homemade bread to the State Fair and I won a blue ribbon. I also won 2nd place on divinity and mixed candy.

I have always made chocolates and other candy at Christmas time and baked nearly all the goodies we eat.

Chuck went on a mission and soon after Majorie met LaMar Westra at a Fraternity Party and they started dating.

LaMar had served an L.D.S. mission in Holland from September 1957 to May 1960 and had finished his schooling at University of Utah.

They seemed to know very quickly they were meant for each other.

Marjorie had finished a course at Henager Business College (on a high school scholarship) and was working at the University of Utah.

The wedding date was set for June 29, 1962 and was to be in the Salt Lake Temple.

Marjorie was given several showers and parties before her wedding and received many lovely gifts.

The wedding was in the East Millcreek Stakehouse east of our home, and was a lovely affair. Her colors were turquoise and white.

They lived in Salt Lake for a while and then moved to Richland, Wash, where Scott, Chris, Wendy and Jenny were born.

We made trips to Richland for each of these births to see the new arrival and to help out a little.

About the time Marjorie and LaMar moved to Richland, Nelva and Arnold moved to California and Merrill went to Rarotonga on a two and a half year mission. They all left the state within six months and things were really quiet and lonely at the Normans.

Laurel and Perry and Deanne and Max were very considerate of us and tried to take the youngsters' place on holidays and special occasions. Lucille and Joe and later Vic were sweet also but we still missed our kids.

Rex and I bought a boat and a trailer house and spent a lot of time fishing in the summer; we usually went to Strawberry and caught limits most of the time.

We also purchased a new ¾ ton pick up and had a shell put over that.

Bert and Jeniel bought a self service laundromat and dry cleaning establishment and I worked in that for a few years; it gave me a job near home.

About 1969 I got a letter from the Salt Lake Temple asking me to be a Receptionist down there and I accepted. At this writing 1979, I have been there 9½ years, two days a week, and made many special friends; as well as living a life of service

Merrill served a very fruitful mission in the Cook Islands, baptizing many into the church and even teaching the natives to farm.

It was a very primitive mission on some of the islands, and they were allowed to fish and hunt to help with their food supply.

They built a mission home, a chapel and a tennis court on the island of Monihiki and also a water tank. Although we wrote every week, he only received mail every 3 months.

Sometimes food was scarce and that was a worry. At the close of his mission we all met him in Chinl, California and visited Nelvas for a few days driving home.

Merrill went back to school at the U. of U. and received a $5,000.00 National Defense Scholarship. He joined the R.O.T.C. and won a Distinguished Military Award. He was made a 1st Lieutenant in the Service.

He dated several girls but when he met Lorrie Burchett at a church fraternity cupid's arrow hit the mark.

They were married in the Salt Lake Temple December 17, 1968 and had a wedding breakfast at the Doll House.

Merrill had the flu for their wedding and Lorrie had been ill but was feeling a little better.

The Reception Center had just been remodeled and it was beautiful for their Christmas wedding.

Because of the epidemic of influenza that was around, many friends were ill and could not attend the wedding but we still had a good crowd; I made chocolates for the occasion.

Christmas really took a back seat that year as the wedding came first.

Merrill was drafted into the service and left Lorrie pregnant and living at the Aie Le Chappel.

Jason was born August 29, 1971 and we had the opportunity of taking Merrill’s place at the time.

Lorrie was really a brick and Merrill was super excited when the baby was a boy; he called Lorrie from Vietnam on two or three occasions.

Marjorie and LaMar moved back to Salt Lake in August 1972 and we were delighted; now we could see them often. They bought a home at 1677 Hermitage Circle and have been very active in the ward and the stake.

Merrill returned home from Viet Nam in November and they bought a home on Connor St. where Katie was born December 3, 1973.

He worked as an accountant for Elmer Fox Westheimer & Company. After modernizing this home on Connor Street they sold it for a good price and built at 790 North Shore where little Emily was born September 23, 1977.

We helped out for a few days when Katie and Emily were born and also at Marjorie's when Shane came on May 3, 1976.

Rex spends a lot of time helping Merrill and LaMar finish their basements; he has learned to do the wiring and most things that need to be done.

The Bishop and Relief Society president came and asked me to be nursery supervisor for the Relief Society and I accepted.

Two days a week in the Temple, Ward Librarian, Visiting Teacher and now nursery supervisor. I have always liked to keep busy!

It is now November 13, 1978. We have 12 grandchildren and both Lorrie and Marjorie are expecting - oh well - 14 is always a good number!

We have just returned from a trip to Hawaii. Our first really big vacation. We went with Burgeners and Lewises on a Beehive Tour.

We picked a rather rainy time in Hawaii but the rain didn’t interfere too much and we had a fabulous time.

It was snowing on our arrival home and remained wintry for a few days after.

We found prices much higher in Hawaii so the high prices at home no longer seem so bad.

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In 1996, Grandma updated and wrote "January, 1996 Update. Our married grandchildren think it is about time I update my life history and I am inclined to think they are right, so at the age of 77, I shall attempt to do so. I kept a journal for a few years, so this will be a help until it runs out." 

May 13, 1979 (Mother’s Day): I didn’t have to be in the library that day, so I played hookey and baked pies, as I hoped the kids would come for a visit; which they did. Merrill’s family came and brought me white satin pillowcases and some perfumed cream. Marge’s family came and brought a pair of aqua colored pillow cases, a journal, and a lovely booklet on Mothers by Boyd K. Packer. They had treats and stayed until church time. Nelva and Arnold sent a lovely big card and a rain check for dinner for when they would come in June.

May 17: We took frozen berries and freezer jam and drove about 100 miles to visit our folks in Sanpete. Rex helped his dad put a new roof on his patio. Since our time was short and both mothers were preparing dinner, I ate in Fairview with my Mother and Rex had dinner in Mt. Pleasant with his. We visited Reola for a few minutes and stopped at Bonnie and Wally’s on our way home. They showed us Marilyn’s picture as “girl of the year” in her yearbook. I’m sure that was a great honor.

May 19: It was my dear friend’s birthday today (Kay Jensen). I called her and then baked pies as Lucille and Vic (Burgener) were coming up for our weekly game of Scrabble.

June 17 (Father’s Day): We went to Sunday School, then went up to Merrill’s for a good dinner. Kit and Bob were there also. The kids gave Rex a pair of hip boots.

June 23: Nelva and Arnold came and stayed until July 9. They took us out for a nice dinner and we went to the family reunion at Jeniel and Bert’s in Alpine. We were also entertained at Marge and Merrill’s homes. We had an enormous crop of apricots that year. We gave them to at least five people and Marge and I made leather, puree, jam, dried them and bottled them fresh. We also had a lot of cherries, raspberries and string beans.

August 8: We took Scott and went fishing at Strawberry in our neat trailer house. This was my first time fishing since we took Rex’s folks to Gooseberry fishing for a couple of days for Father’s Day. I wanted to try my hand at fly fishing that evening. 1979 has been a very hot summer.

October 7, 1979: Lorrie and Merrill came down and brought the kids. Little Nikki is 6 weeks old and is really cute! Katie and Jason picked berries, tomatoes and cucumbers. They like to garden.

October 13: We went to a party at Bain’s cabin in the mountains. Breezes and Thompsons went with us. We hiked and Carmen and I played ping pong. Glen was tired and said the doctor had found a heart murmur. He is getting a little heavy like the rest of us.

October 15: I was asked to be the messenger in the temple on Monday for three weeks and I really love that job. I took the important papers, prayer rolls etc. from one end of the temple to the other, even to the baptistry. I was filling in for someone else as my post was at the front desk at that time.

October 22: Rex and Merrill had been hunting. Rex shot a 3-pointer right through the neck and Merrill killed a spider. It was cold that night, so after Rex was asleep I went out and covered the tomato plants. We heard that a special temple friend (who was an assistant supervisor) by the name of Ducane Love had passed away after a heart bypass operation. Kay and I went to his funeral as he and his wife Ethel had been special friends for years.

October 26: Rex went early and got a load of rocks for Marge and LaMar’s fireplace. Later he, LaMar, and their boys went for a second load. Rex and Merrill hunted deer again Saturday and bagged a spiker. I mounted pictures and took them over to the ward to run them through the press and file them. Mother and Dad Norman were at Miriam’s until after Thanksgiving; and since I would be in the temple for the next two days, I had them over for a pot roast dinner that Sunday. Merrill’s and Marge’s families came for Thanksgiving dinner. I had been busy before then, washing all our china and polishing our silverware as well as cleaning the house etc.

December 2: We had cake and ice cream at Merrill’s for Katie’s birthday. Lorrie had made a darling cake in the shape of a little girl. We gave Katie a nightie and a book.

December 14: We had a lovely turkey dinner at Marge’s for Scott’s birthday. Then Sunday we watched him get set apart as a Priest. We gave him a camera case and some film.

My asthma got bad just before Christmas and Dr. Burtis Evans gave me two big shots which made me very ill. He was going to get rid of my asthma once and for all! I’m sure these big shots were a mistake and probably were the cause of cataracts I got later. Sometimes you can trust a doctor too much!

January 1980 I started back at the temple after it was closed for three weeks. My new post was at the disk desk, as people go on a session. I really liked it there.

January 9 We bought our new Magnavox. They delivered it Friday. Rex is as excited as a kid with a new toy.

January 11, 1980 We invited Jenny, Wendy, Jason, and Katie to come stay overnight and until Saturday afternoon. Jason was to have his first skiing lesson early Saturday, so Lorrie didn’t tell them. Rex picked Wendy and Jenny up and I prepared a meatloaf, hot roll dinner. We played a few games and just enjoyed each other. Jenny said, “Grandma, do you know why I’m glad I have the parents I have?” and I answered, “No, why?” She said, “Because my parents are nice and I get to have you for my grandma.” The next morning they watched cartoons while I prepared a bacon and egg breakfast, then we washed dishes and made Jacob’s ladders, ate lunch and Rex drove them home. We should have done this more often.

January 13 We went to Alpine for Stanley’s missionary farewell - Very nice.

January 19 We tended Lorrie’s kids while she took her Japanese cooking lesson. Merrill came down and showed us his new Cadillac and we went for a ride in it. It is beautiful.

January 21 I was chilly in the front foyer at my post in the temple. That night the married couples in the family went to dinner at Mr. Steak to celebrate Lorries’s birthday. Then we came back to our home to visit and have some home made candy.

Fanuary 22, 1980 I was at the temple when Sister Curtis, the temple matron, handed me an urgent note telling me to call home immediately. I called Rex, but no answer, so I called Marge and she informed me that mother Norman had just passed away with a stroke. What a shock! She was really a sweet person and good to all of us.

Last of February: Neva, Mar, Bertha, Lloyd, Rex, and I went to San Diego. We were going to stay a few days in a nice condo, courtesy of Perry. Rex and I stayed at Neva and Mar’s the first night. We left Spring City early after packing a good lunch and the four of us headed for Phoenix. We had our lunch on a picnic table at BullFrog. It was so nice and warm there, we hated to leave. Bertha had dinner for us and we visited a while then went to bed. We stayed in a nice condo in San Diego and we would shop at the nice stores close to us, and we three women would prepare the meals. We really fell in love with San Diego and even crossed the border into Tia Juana Mexico while there.

May 29 Marge and LaMar left today to visit Nelva and Arnold and take their kids on their first real vacation. Their vacations have been few. We hope they have a fun time!

September 24, 1980 We were fishing at Strawberry and I could hear an airplane but couldn’t see it. Soon after I went to Dr. Richard Sontag only to be told I had cataracts in both eyes. What a blow! I found out later the cortisone shots I had taken for asthma had probably done this. I never worried so much, or prayed so hard to know which operation to have. Implants were a very new thing in Salt Lake at that time, but a friend in the temple had a son in law in California who was a very good ophthalmologist and he had told her that implants were the only way to go. She gave me his phone number and I called and talked to him. He told me he was doing several implants a day and that they should last for a lifetime; so I decided if I could find a doctor who had done a lot, I would have them.

November 17, 1980 It was a week ago today that we buried Marge and LaMar’s little stillborn son. (This was very hard on all of us after them losing little Kellie Sue who was born with an undeveloped heart on April 17, 1979.) They named him Corey Mathew and he was buried next to Dellie Sue. I did all I could to help out with the family at this time and the Westra’s friends and neighbors went overboard to show their love also.

February 5, 1981 Well I had the cataract removed from my right eye by Dr. Andrew Lyle on January 26th. I chose him because he had done about 2,000 of these operations and many of the other eye doctors had done very few. They gave me valium and my blood pressure dropped so low they had to administer adrenaline. They expected me to walk to the car, but I would have much rather have slept for an hour or two. I went home and slept for a couple of hours.

March 18, 1981 We went to Riverton and bought a new white Oldsmobile with a white vinyl top, white wall tires, and a jade green interior. It won't be ready until the last of April.

May 9, 1981 We drove to Sanpete to show off our new car and to break it in a little before leaving for California on the 13th. Lelva and Arnold really went all out to show us a good time and we brought some veggies home with us.

May 23 We went to my 45th class reunion and had a wonderful time. We won one of the center pieces and I was able to obtain a picture of my graduating class and order one of the class chorus. My classmates had changed so much they didn’t know me, Ha Ha.

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May 25 It was our turn to go to Sanpete and help Dad Norman. I made salads to help with the dinner I fixed for him. We visited with Hugh and Lora at Mom’s in Fairview.

May 29 Tomorrow is fishing season. We are taking Scott and Chris to Strawberry with us and although the chubs are bad, we came home with 17 trout about 9:30 p.m.

June 5 I went to see Dr. Bronsky because I had been wheezing so much at night and couldn’t sleep. It had been 3 years since I saw him and he scolded me a little. When he found out I had had a cataract operation and was about to have my left eye done; he asked me if I had been taking cortisone shots and when I said yes, he said one shot could cause cataracts in some people. (Live and learn.)

August 19, 1981 Nelva’s family came to visit and bring Karie up to the Y for school. Dale was on his mission at the time and Arnold flew up on August 30th. They stayed until September 6th. Karie came to see us a few times while at the Y.

October 2 Marge called and said our dear friend, who was LaMar’s mother, Lucille Burgener, was in the hospital with bleeding ulcers and they were testing her for leukemia as her blood was only 18 and should be about 40.

Cloy Griffiths, Arnold’s dad, was in the hospital with cancer of the spine also so I made a box of candy for each of them and we visited them. In a few days, Rex went and took Cloy home and saved Griffiths a big ambulance bill.

December 13 Dad Norman came up from Sanpete with Rex for a double hernia operation. They operated on Monday and one hernia was extra large, but he got along O.K. We made regular visits to stay with him at the hospital. 8 days later he also had a prostate operation. He was given a drug that made him hallucinate terribly bad. We had him in our home from the December 29 until February 23.

Rex’s brother, Gordon, had a serious stroke January 26, 1982. He had a blood clot as large as an ice cream scoop in his brain and although they worked hard to save him, he passed away on Saturday January 20th. We really thought he would be O.K.

February 24, 1982 I had the cataract operation on my left eye. Merrill, LaMar, and Rex gave me a blessing the night before and I was confident things would be O.K. The hard part of this operation was having to go without glasses that give you the right correction for such a long time.

Reola slipped on ice and broke her hip on February 9th, 1982. She was admitted to the new St. Marks hospital that day. She wasn’t feeling very well and didn’t want them to operate so they waited 17 days before operating. We went to see her several times. She was released on February 28th and stayed at Sharon's for a few days.

March 18 We took Cindy (Dale’s girl) and drove to Sacramento as Dale would get home from his mission the next day. He looked great and it was so good to see him again. Greg got the flu the next day and Dale didn’t feel too well either. He had decided he didn’t care for Cindy as he had thought, but felt obligated to show her a good time since he had asked her to come with us to Sacramento. We came home March 25 and brought Dale and Cindy with us. 

Dale spent a few days with Dorothy and Cloy as Cloy was extremely ill with cancer and he and Dale had always been very close. Sunday in church Rex started coughing with the flu and it turned into bronchitis and he was quite ill. I made an appointment with my doctor for him and Dr. Evans gave him some Ru-tuss pills. He must have been allergic to them because he could hardly breathe, and we ended up taking  him to the emergency room at St. Marks hospital. They gave him a pill and he came home and slept like a baby. We were $100 poorer, however.

LaMar was called to serve in the Cottonwood 13th Ward Bishopric and this was very special. Derek was born in May of this year.

January 8, 1983 Rex and Dad were coming home from home from Marge’s and someone side swiped our nearly new car. They took it to Dave’s Body Shop and we were without it twenty days. We needed it as we were going to Logan for John and Christine’s wedding the next day. It was very nice.

Reola fell on February 2. We stopped (while taking Dad Norman to Sanpete) to see her at Utah Valley Hospital, but they were getting her ready for a kidney examination. She had broken her other hip in the fall.

Scott left for his mission to Tampa Florida in May 1983.

December 1983 We had Mom Bohne in October and also December. Bonnie and Wally’s daughter Marilyn and her baby were in a serious car accident on January 27 and Marilyn had over 100 stitches on her face. Her car was totaled out, but the baby was not hurt. We prayed that Marilyn would be O.K. and that her face would not be scarred. Our prayers were answered and she looks great.

Tuesday, January 24 We drove to Mt. Pleasant through Thistle Canyon and brought Dad Norman up for a couple of weeks. We were also down 2 weeks ago to visit him. It seems good to go through the Canyon again after the slide. He is going down hill. He is nearly blind and hard of hearing also and sleeps about half of the time. It drives me mad to have the TV on loud all day!

January 11, 1984 I received an honorable release from the temple to help care for our aging parents. Mother will be 92 on February 10 and Dad Norman will be 90 on April 13 so they can’t be left alone now.

March 15, 1984 Mom Bohne has been with us for a month and will stay until April. We are invited up to Merrill’s for Jeff’s birthday March 21. Lorrie had a baby boy April 2. He didn’t wait for my birthday on April 6. He is a handsome boy. 

Dad Norman was taken to the Todholm rest home in Springville on October 2, 1984. Rex has been to see him twice, but I have been tied home with mom. It costs $1200.00 a month to keep him there. Bonnie and Norma take turns visiting him now.

October 1986 Dad Norman had been in the Todholm rest home for about 1 ½ years and although it was fenced, he tried to climb over the handrail and fell, breaking his hip. He was taken to the Payson hospital where his hip joint was replaced, but he was never the same after that. He was taken to a home in Orem where he passed away March 31, 1986.

We had Mom Bohne at our home in February and March so we gave her an open house for her 94th birthday. She had a lot of company come, but was very tired after the company Sunday and Monday. Neva and Mar came for her on April 1. Bertha and Lloyd came from Phoenix and took care of mom in May and June. While she was at Bertha’s she had an eye infection. When we brought her up here in July, I could tell she was really going downhill and couldn’t read anymore.  

She had a fever off and on, and once in a while, she would have what resembled a heart attack with pains in her neck and upper arms. I would put a nitroglycerin tablet under her tongue and tell her to leave it there, but she would just eat it. She really felt rough and didn’t feel like helping or even waiting on herself anymore. Jeniel came for her on August 1. Although I prepared lunch for her, she was tired and hardly ate anything.

We bought a new mother home in June of ‘86 and went over the mountain with Mar and Neva the last of June. Berthat and Lloyd came over and brought mom for the afternoon and she was just dying to go out and fish. She loved to fish, but we didn’t have a boat with us.

We three girls were worn out and our health wasn't the best, so we decided to have our brothers put her in the nursing home where her sister was, (Crestview in Provo). We went to see her Tuesday afternoon and again on Saturday afternoon. Saturday she was sleeping and we couldn't wake her up. They told us she was taking too many strong medicines and that she wouldn’t eat her meals. I wrote her a note. I cried on the way home. Things were not right. Monday about 6:00 p.m. Bert called and said mom had passed away. This was October 13. She had only been in the nursing home for 17 days. We felt bad of course, but at least she hadn’t had to linger and suffer too severely. Dad Bohne had passed away with pneumonia a few years earlier.

Jason left for a mission to Texas in 1990. He left home on his 19th birthday and he seemed so young to be leaving for two years. Lorrie and Merrill were super at sending mail and packages to him. Lorrie even mailed a small Christmas tree his first Christmas away from home.

We were on the committee for a ward married party up at Bain’s cabin and I made all the caramel corn with the help of a friend, Kathryn Westmoreland. It was really good!

November 1 I was asked to make all the candy, except the fudge, for the ward married Christmas Party. They were going to put 8 pieces in each little basket for 100 people. By the time I had made 600 pieces and all the candy for relatives, neighbors and friends, I was tired. Edna Winkler came and helped with the candy for the ward. She was on the committee.

January 1987 We left January 26 for a lonely motorhome vacation with Mar and Neva. We each took our motorhome and Bertha and Lloyd joined us at Quartzite for the weekend, sleeping in our motorhome. We spent a lot of time at the big rock festival. There were thousands of motor homes there, and hundreds of booths selling everything from things made of wood, beautiful rocks, geodes and gems and even food. But we preferred to cook our own most of the time.

After we left Quartzite, we traveled to Aquila. We loved it there and when they found out we were rock collectors they told us where we could find apache tears. People came to Aquila for a few days and forgot to leave. We were gone on this super trip for 3 weeks and enjoyed it very much, but we had carpet layers coming on February 20th and needed to get ready for them. We carpeted the upstairs all but the living room, dining room, and the kitchen. As spring arrived I kept wanting to hunt geodes and we bought a book with maps from a rock shop that showed us where to go. We went to the west desert and found the geode beds. We found a large hole where a black hoe had dug and pieces of geodes were laying around. We dug into the clay like soil with a pick and found several geodes, but we were breaking them, so we had to use other ways of digging them. That same trip, we went over to Topaz Mountain and found some topaz in the gray rocks. We also found Agate Jasper and Apache Tears. I loved this trip, but digging is too hard at our age. We would love to take the young men of the family on this trip, but by the time school is out it is too hot. We were very much alone in parts of the west desert and that is a bit of a worry too. Chris left for his mission to Columbus, Ohio in October 1987.

June 1987: The last of May and first part of June we went fishing a few times and then Nelva’s family came for their vacation. We had our big water skiing boat, so we took them water skiing at East Canyon where most of Marge and LaMar’s family joined us the second day. Our apricots came on while Nelva’s family was here and since we were getting ready to go to Sun Valley, she helped me make apricot jam and used apricots for herself. They had already been to Idaho to see Dale so didn’t want to go again. Merrill had invited us to go to Sun Valley for a few days. So we invited Marge and LaMar to go with us. We cooked most of our meals in the motor home, and that there were more reasonable eating places there. It was raining hard when we arrived at Sun Valley so we visited with Lorrie and Merrill before we found a place to park. We only had to take a few steps in back of our motor home to catch fish.  

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April 9, 1988: We had been married 50 years so the kids had a big party at the ward for us. I made up the poem on the invitations and we had two pictures on them, one from back then and one from now and they were very nice. Some people ask which picture was taken when! Nelva flew here for the occasion and we had banana slush, salmon puffs, fruit plate, rolls with ham, cake and other delicacies. 

Eleanor Zimmerman helped with the decorating and Lorrie made the centerpieces. Karie and Stephanie took turns at the book and Neva and Mar manned the kitchen. Jenny and Wendy sang their hearts out, even though it was noisy. We had around 200 presents. Nelva made us a lovely white book for the occasion. Karie was busy, so Gary took over keeping the buffet table supplied and did a wonderful job. The cultural hall was decorated for the occasion and we felt the party was a big success. My father was very ill with cancer when we were married so this party took the place of the wedding we missed then.

April 8th 1989 we went on a Deep South Tour with Mar and Neva and Webbs Traveling agency. We flew to Dallas, changed planes and flew to New Orleans. We took a bus to the French quarters on the Mississippi River. The French Festival was in progress and it was very crowded. We were hungry and finally found a cafe that wasn’t too overcrowded. Rex and I ordered stuffed mushrooms but it wasn’t a very good or large meal. We watched the fireworks before going to our hotel. We were thrilled when we boarded our bus for this trip as we knew about ⅓ of the people on the tour and no one smoked. It was a neat bunch. Sunday we went on a 2 hour Mississippi River luncheon cruise on a paddle wheeler steam boat called the Natchez. We visited an above ground cemetery. They cannot bury the dead below ground because of the high water table.

April 10, we traveled from New Orleans to Tallahassee and it was a big travel day. We had a big buffet dinner which was very good. We entered Florida at Pensacola, the home of a major naval air station and the Blue Angels precision flying team. We stayed at the Laquinta that night and we loved it there. About an hour out of Tallahassee we crossed the Swanee River. We had lunch and visited the beautiful Cypress gardens which were out of this world. We rode the electric boats and watched a thrilling water ski review from the Marine Stadium. OUr motel for 3 nights was the 1776 Resort Inn. We spent 2 or 3 days at the Epcot Center including our 51 Wedding anniversary and the tour group sang to us. We really loved the Epcot Center, but found Disney World more for children.

April 14, We had a 2 hour tour of the Space Center. It was an enormous place. The men on the tour likely appreciated it more. (See I’m a poet!) We watched for alligators in the streams along the road, but only saw Sea Turtles in a big pond.  We drove to Miami beach for the next two nights and stayed at a beautiful Holiday Inn overlooking a lovely swimming pool, a sandy beach and the ocean. Food was like gold here and we tried to find a grocery store and eat in our rooms. Rex went deep sea fishing part of the next day but it was cold and windy out on the ocean and some of the fishermen fed the fish instead of catching them. Neva and Mar and I went swimming and played on the beach then Neva and I washed and set our hair as we were going on a big dinner cruise that night. I will not go into any more detail here but I have written a more complete account of our deep South trip if anyone wants to read it. I also composed a little poem about the people on the trip.

Wendy left for her mission July 5, and Chris retired from his mission in October.

1990: Six years ago, Merrill had been made a partner at Fox and Co. CPA firm, where he worked for 3 years before joining Pete Myricks firm; where he spent another 3 years. He wasn’t too happy and wanted to try his own wings; so in April of this year, he and a partner by the name of Lobeck started their own company called (Norman Lobick Co.)  They work mostly in litigation. It is a little frightening to go into business for one’s own self. We surely hope it works out well for all concerned. We went on another big trip down the Colorado and stayed in Camps on B.L.M. land on February 3. Neva and Mar went with us in their motorhome. We stopped in St. George and visited with Jeniel for a while and filled our motorhomes with water. (We could not fill them at home because it was too cold and the water would freeze.)

Bert was in Alpine so we didn’t get to see him. Bert and Jeniel were living in a relative’s home while the relatives were on a mission. We went on to the Peppermill’s big parking lot and had dinner and parked for free. We were anxious to get quartzite only to find it cold and windy. Monday  was beautiful, however, we spent most of the day at the big rock and gem show. I found a few things I wanted and we bought 15 lbs of dates as our neighbors at home wanted some. When we got down by the Salton sea the motor in Mar’s motor home quit and we pulled him to a government campground. We phoned for a wrecker, but they came with a big flat ruck and hauled his motor home to Indio. Neva and Mar slept there in their motorhome but Rex and I stayed at Indian River’s RV Vamp and it was really nice. Their motor home was ready by noon so we went back to the government camp by the Salton Sea where we parked free for 2 nights.

We were going to cross the border into Mexico, but it was Saturday and very busy so we gave that up. Rex walked over the border, however. We may drive to Yuma and cross the border there. We love this part of California with it’s orange groves and date farms and vegetables and fruit growing everywhere. My asthma is better here and Mar feels better here below sea level also. We are at Brawley and have attended all our meetings. Then we had liver and onions at a cafe. We are going to Yuma and will cross the Mexican border on the way as Neva wants to buy some picture frames and we will get some vanilla. We parked two nights at Yuma Lake. We loved it there. We picked grapefruit and lemons at a farm nearby and that was a neat experience. We went to see some Fairview friends who winter at Tuma. We talked things over and decided to go to Buckeye, Arizona, leave our motorhomes there, take Mar’s pick up and drive to Phoenix to see Bertha and Lloyd. Bertha fixed dinner for us and we went for a big ride to see if there was a place we could park our motorhomes in Phoenix when we came again. But they were all very expensive, so we gave up the idea. Lloyd took us to a store and we bought groceries to take back to Buckeye. We invited Bertha and Lloyd for dinner the next day and they came and brought us some grapefruit, lemons. And some rolls. They stayed until we were leaving for Quartzite, but when we got back there it was windy and rainy. Neva and Mar decided it was raining inside also. We went to camp Katherine where we stayed Monday and Tuesday. We went to Laughlin for a big buffet and played the slots for a little while. Neva was ill during the night so we decided to start home Wednesday.

We drove as far as Mesquite and parked free again. We turned in early as we planned to stop in St. George to see Bert and Jeniel the next morning then come on home. We ate lunch at Cove Fort and hurried home as we needed a couple of parts for our motorhome. We ate lunch at Cove Fort and hurried home as we needed a couple of parts for our motorhome. To our disappointment, Leisure World had closed for good. We gave Edlunds the two wooden ducks we had bought and our best package of dates for taking care of things. This was our last big trip to Quartzite and the Colorado River campgrounds. I will always remember these special trips and the fun we had. We were not using our motor home very often and it was expensive sitting in our driveway; so in 1993 we sold it and bought a new Pontiac, but I for one have really missed it. Our dear friend, Lucille Burgener passed away August 29. We loved her very much.

In the late summer of 1991, Merrill talked us into a fishing trip to Great Slave Lake just under the Yukon. He paid for our air fare to Edmonton so that was a big help, and Anglers Inn arranged the trip. Our friend across the street, Vern Edlund, went with us. His wife doesn’t care to fish but she cried when he was leaving for about nine days. We flew by Delta air lines to Edmonton, Canada and on to Yellow Knife. We just had time for a short walk as it was getting dark, so we went to our hotel.

We were to have a big lunch on arriving at Great Slave Lake, so we took a walk the next morning and bought a sweet roll for our breakfast. We took a float plane which held fourteen people and flew toward the lake. We could see the land and water really plain below us, as we weren’t up too high. We arrived at Great Slave Lake about noon and were very happy to be assigned to one of the two or three cabins. It had a big room, a bedroom, and a bathroom with a make-shift shower. We were also assigned a guide by the name of Peter. He was an Indian and one of the best guides there. Vern was not very happy with his guide.

We had fish stew at the lodge which was very tasty, and we were hungry. It really tasted good. After lunch, Peter took us fishing and we caught some large lake trout, but we didn’t keep any that day, although one was about 17 bs. There was an Indian village across the lake from us. The Indians would come by boat to buy treats, which were very expensive. We would go out to fish for lunch. He would also have some hash browns and a couple of other things along after lunch, we would go back out and fish until 5:00 p.m., at which time we would come in and clean up for dinner. Breakfast and dinner were very good and were cooked by a French Chef. The only thing we didn’t like were the flies. They were a different kind of fly and they could really bite. I had a swollen face two or three times.

Sometimes we would take a boat and fish with Vern in the evening. I remember catching a few fish of different species, but they weren’t extra large. It stayed light until eleven at night. We saw a large bear, from the boat, eating berries on the hill, which was interesting. It was quite warm while on this trip. It only rained a little once and we had wind once bad enough that we could hardly make it to shore. We caught a lot of fish and got five seventeen pounders. We brought some home which they froze for us, and a fresh one which we had mounted.

We came home by the way of Yellow Knife and Edmonton, staying overnight in a very nice hotel in Edmonton. Marvin Edlund met us at the airport when we arrived at Salt Lake City.

Rex was cleaning in the garage and fell, hitting the car and hurting his side. He had already fallen a couple of times and thought maybe he should be checked. His shoulder was also bothering him. He went to a Dr. Issacson, his friend Bob had been to. While there, he mentioned a prostate exam and the Dr. examined him and also gave him an PSA test just to be sure that things were okay. Rex was to call him for results on Tuesday. 

Monday the phone rang and I answered it. It was Dr. Issacson told me to have Rex see a good urologist and that his count was 32. He nearly scared me to death and I said, “It isn’t cancer, is it doctor?” He replied, “that was the worst thing it could be.” We didn’t know who to go see so we called a children’s urologist by the name of Brent Snow in our ward, and he recommended a Dr. Robert Stevenson, at the University Hospital who was working with Dr. Middleton. He said either of these doctors would be good, but since Stevenson was new in town, he may not be quite as busy.

We went to see Dr. Stevenson and he was pretty sure it was cancer, but asked Rex to have a biopsy and sure enough that’s what it was. He also had a bone scan, but his bones were clean. He told us there were three things we could do. He could have radiation, hormone therapy, or have a prostate removal. He said that if the prostate was removed, it would cause impotency and that he would have poor bladder control for a while, but with exercise, that would only be temporary.

We decided that his life was the important thing and that we would go that way. We knew a couple of men whose prostate cancer had spread to their bones who had suffered terribly. It has been over four years now and although he has had some bladder and constipation problems, his health is pretty good. He and a friend walk about 3 miles six mornings a week.

Chris and Casandra were married on July 15, 1991. It was a lovely garden wedding reception at Marge and LaMar’s. Casandra had a gorgeous dress and Chris never looked so handsome! They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and Marge and LaMar had the wedding dinner and everything. She had three more children who were soon to be married, so this one was sort of a dress rehearsal. Wendy returned home from her mission in January, 1991.

1992 For more future events, March 20, Scott and Amy Whiting were sealed for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple and had a wonderful reception at the Willow Creek Country Club. Amy is tiny and cute and they make a very attractive couple. We were very happy with this marriage even if Chris came in first. This was also Nelva’s wedding anniversary and birthday.

It was during this year, we had purchased a large boat and it was great for water skiing, and we took the kids and grandchildren water skiing a few times. We also used it for fishing boats, so we decided to sell the water skiing boat and make the change. We sold it in a hurry and bought a Smoker Craft, which we really like. We still go fishing a lot!                 

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On May 13, 1992, Chris and Casandra became the proud parents of a baby boy and they named him Conner. That made Marge a Grandmother before she was 50.

Randy Griffiths married Jennifer Neilson in the Salt Lake Temple that hot summer and It was so hot that they were forced to have their garden reception in the front of the house where there was shade, after Gary and Karie had worked like beavers to have the big backyard in perfect shape.

In July, Jeni and Greyson were married in the Jordan River Temple and had a lonely garden wedding at her home. We had another wedding on September 12, when Katie Norman became the bride of Jake Murakami and the reception was held in the alumni house that evening. They received many lovely gifts.

1993 We had two new babies born in February 1993. Katie and Jake received a big valentine in the form of a baby boy which they named Anderson Murakami and Scott and Amy had a little baby girl and gave her the name of McKenna. She was born on February 23. Both couples were super excited. This brings to mind a little poem which reads:

Why is it that all the little birds and all the little beeeses,

Never come in twoses, they always come in threeses?

September 1993 Merrill moved from the high avenues to Kennedy Dive and is now a counselor in the Monument Park Ward near his home. Lorrie is very busy in the ward and entertaining family and friends at their lovely big home with its big sports court. We all look forward to the fabulous parties!

1994 LaMar and Marge had an orchard behind them where we used to gather asparagus. It was made into a housing area and the lots were on sale. LaMar, thinking one of his children may want to build there, bought a nice lot just in back of their present home at Hermitage Circle. It didn’t work out that any of the kids could afford to build, so they decided to build a new home themselves. In the spring of 1994 after studying and looking at homes and much planning, they started their dream home which was completed in November of 1994. What a lovely Christmas gift!

Victor Burgener died in January, 1994. He was a good friend.

Rex had been wanting a new shed, as the present aluminum shed we had had seen better days, and it wasn’t large enough to hold our belongings anyway. The only drawback was we had to cut down our cherry tree which, although old, broduced yummy big bing cherries. To make a long story short, on March 4,1944 we had a 12 x 12 Dura Shed put in the north west corner of our lot, and very roomy inside. It’s red with tan trimming. It really takes a lot of the clutter out of the house.

On June 2, 1994, Chris and Casandra had another baby boy and they named him Kadan. (Chris gets the boys and Scott the girls.) It is strange how things work out sometimes. Wendy and Rick had decided to get married on the 28th of July of that year in the Jordan River Temple and have a wedding reception in Westra’s backyard, so I made the slush and the rolls and also some candy to tie in with their wedding colors. I made the candy and rolls for all the Westra weddings except Scott’s. However, I did make candy for the wedding breakfast for Scott and Amy’s wedding. Nelva came from Sacramento and made some fancy desserts for the wedding reception. She is really good at it!

My right hand had really been bothering me and my bottom lip kept peeling every two or three days, so I finally went in to Dr. Jenkins at the Salt Lake Clinic and he took x-rays of my neck and sure enough, as he thought, I have a bone pressing on a nerve in my neck. He also thought I had an early cancer of the bottom lip and sent me to a cancer specialist by the name of Richarsds. Dr. Richards took a biopsy and sent it in and the test showed it was sun damage. Boy, was I relieved, but it still fails to heal as it should, so it is still a worry.

After examining  my right hand, Dr Richards and Dr. Greene told me I had Carpal Tunnel, so I had it operated on September 19, 1994. By December, my arm was well enough that the doctor said it was okay for me to make my usual Christmas candy. My neck still bothers me however.

October 10, 1994 Soon after my Carpal Tunnel operation, the phone rang and it was Bertha on the other end. She said, “Zada, I’ve got bad news, real bad news. Kelly has been killed in a car accident.” I could hardly believe it. It seems that Kelly and Joan had been to buy a mattress for one of their boys and were coming home through the mountains after dark, and a huge elk jumped out in front of them.

Kelly swerved to miss it and the car rolled down the hill and into a river. Joan couldn't wake Kelly, but somehow got out of the car and back up to the highway and got help. But when they got back down to the car it was too late.

Kelly lived with us for a time, while attending school at the University of Utah, so he was like a second son and this was really heartbreaking for us.

1995 Little Alyssa was born February 15, 1995. Amy being so tiny had to have her by C section, as she had McKenna, as they were normal sized babies and really cute. Shane received his mission call to Brazil, and while at the MTC has learned the Portuguese language. He had spent 2 months in the MTC. He gave a really good talk in sacrament meeting before he left, and he left for Brazil September 19. We were all at the Airport to say Good-bye.

Jeni’s baby was born September 7 and was a fine boy. They named him Landon. Grayson and Jeni were super proud to take him to the airport and show him to Shane. Scott and Amy were also thrilled to show Shane how Alyssa had grown.

My sister Neva turned 80 on August 26 and her children gave her a lonely catered party on August 12. It was a garden party and Neva looked really lovely in Sunday attire and her hair done for the occasion. Neva hadn’t been feeling too well for some time, but seemed to enjoy the party and the birthday gifts she received. The weather was unsettled and it rained a little, so we all went inside. There was quite a crowd indoors, so we left a little early as we thought she was tired. We visited with Bertha and Lloyd a while before returning home to Salt Lake.

Bertha and Lloyd spent most of the summer of 1995 remodeling their home in Fairview. They added a family room, Bedroom, bathroom and a washroom to their present home making it much roomier and more comfortable. It is very nice now.

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1995 has been a very sad here for the Howell family. We have been extremely lucky healthwise until the last year or so; but now Jeniel and Yvonne have cancer and Arlea has breast cancer and is recuperating after an operation for that. In fact, Jeniel just passed away on February 1, 1996 and we are still mourning her loss. 

As I write this, the tears are blurring my eyes and I can hardly see to write. She took a whole year of Chemotherapy, but it didn’t seem to help much. She has lost almost her entire family to cancer, except her father, who died from a heart attack. She was the first born in her family and has only one sister left. She had four siblings. Yvonne’s cancer has gone to her liver after her taking radium treatments during the winter of 84 so this is serious, and she is on Chemotherapy now also. 

Neva’s problem seems to be congestive heart failure, but since the doctor put her on azmacort, she seems to be feeling a little better. Mar is about 82 now and has trouble getting around much and enjoys their park home in St. George in the winter time. Reola uses a walker to get around, in fact, we are all aging and it is a sad year or two; but as I said before, we have been extremely lucky to have gook health this many years.

Rex turnied 80 August 31, and since Nelva had gone back to Sacramento and Merrill had an important business trip scheduled, I decided with Lorrie and Marge’s help, to give him a party in the form of a barbecue in our backyard and invite our brothers and sisters. My only worry was that the weather may not cooperate and it would be quite a crowd to have inside. So I worked like a beaver cleaning the house from one end to the other, as well as helping Rex with the outside. The weather was nice so I wouldn't have needed to work so hard.

Lorrie made 3 wonderful cakes, Marge prepared the beans and I did the rest, even making 3 kinds of homemade candy. They all came except Rowland and Miriam Norman and Reola, and we had a great barbecue. Ken and Yvonne brought a big balloon and Bonnie and Wally brought a box of delicious chocolates, although we didn’t expect any gifts.

I invited Bertha, Lloyd, Neva and Mar to stay overnight and we enjoyed them. In fact, Neva and Mar were here two nights before taking a plane back to Carol and Ellis’s for a few days. About 4 days before the party, I came down with a virus of some kind and although I wasn’t contagious, I didn’t feel too well and was coughing a lot.

We were asked to be on the Committee for the ward adult Christmas party, so I made 200 turtles and 200 peanut butter cups for the Christmas Party.

This is the fourth time I have made Christmas candy for the ward. A few years ago, the Bishop of the ward had me make 3 pieces for each person in the ward and the Bishopric took the candy and visited each family. They paid for the ingredients and their wives packaged the candy.

We have an unusual winter this year. It was almost like spring until January, then we seemed to get most of our snow in one month, and it was really deep. Now it is thawing and warm except at night.

Rick and Wendy got an early Christmas present this year when little Janika joined their family on December 8. She is a beautiful child and they finally have the baby Wendy has wanted for so long. Rick has decided she is pretty special also.

Lorrie and Merrill are preparing for another wedding. Jason will be married April 25 to Dristen Simonsen. We are all looking forward to that eventful day in their lives. Sunday March 24 many of us attended a lovely shower given for Kristen.

Nelva and Arnold had a fun trip to Hawaii, but it was a long time to be on one island and they wished they had planned to go to at least one other island part of the time. They rented a car and really got to see Kauai.

Greg got along fairly well with the help of friends, who invited him for dinner a couple of times. Randy and Jennifer had a baby girl March 15 to keep Taylor company. They named her Shelby Nichole.

We are so proud of Dale who is Bishop of his ward in Layton. I remember when I worried about him a time or two while he was on his mission, he would say, “Don’t worry about me, Grandma, the Lord will take care of me.” He is truly religious. We left Sunday, March 17, for a few days in St. George to visit three of my siblings and their spouses, who spend the winters down there. We knew the traffic would be much lighter on Sunday, and at this age, that is a help.

When we arrived at St. George, Neva had dinner almost ready and Mar was talking to Arlea who lives just a few steps away. I had baked a large batch of cinnamon rolls, made peanut butter cups and chocolate nut clusters, and taken a bottle of raspberries for each couple as a treat. We enjoyed dinner, washed the dishes, and nepped for a while. Then we went over and visited with Arlea and Demont. That evening we played pinochle with Mar and Neva for a while.

Yvonne was quite ill after her week of chemotherapy so we just dropped the goodine off at their home, left my scrapbook for them to look at and waited to visit them until she improved. Monday Rex took Neva shopping while I cleaned things up and Mar had his nap. Demont and Arlea took us all to the new Chuck-a-rama for lunch, then we played Bingo at the clubhouse that night. Rex won a split pot and got $2.00 and I won a breakfast for two. I hadn’t slept well Sunday night, but had an excellent night’s sleep Monday night.

By Tuesday, Yvonne was feeling better and invited all of us for pinochle at 4:00 p.m. Ken took Rex and me to see Berthells’ new home first and I really like it. THey had bought a lot of treats and we enjoyed the treats and our two games of pinochle. We slept at Ken’s that night and Ken cooked a niat breakfast for us Wednesday morning. All eight of us drove to Mesquite for dinner at the new Player’s Island. Rex and I treated Ken and Yvonne and Mar bout Arlea and Demont’s dinner. We played the slot machines for a little while, but Rex was the only one who had any luck, so we went back to Neva’s, napped a while, then had another game of pinochle before going back to Ken’s to sleep. It was almost midnight when we finally went to bed. We were going to Denny’s for breakfast at 8:00 Thursday morning, and then leaving for home.

Neva had packed a lunch for us to eat on the way home. I was so tired I slept half of the way, and on arriving home, we enjoyed the good lunch. Neva is always super thoughtful and we all think the world of her and Mar.

After lunch I told Rex it was his turn to rest and I would unpack and do the work. It was like summer in St.George, during the day time at least. It gets a little chilly at night.

Yvonne and her five daughters are going to California on Monday to attend the “Price is Right,” then stay a day or two before flying back home.

We took a nice gift down for Neva and I sent them all a thank-you letter after we arrived home.

Yvonne called from Manti Thursday to tell us that Bedorah had been chosen to be on The “Price is right” and had won the Show Case Show Down. Yvonne and her girls had bought and worn sweat shirts which read Utah U.S.A. Deborah was called to “come on down” and had guessed $800.00 on a rowing exercise machine, so got to go up on the stage. They assigned her the game of “Three Strikes” which is the hardest game of the bunch as far as we are concerned. If she could pull the numbers out of a bag and put them in sequence to equal the price of a Lincoln Town car, without getting the three strikes, she would win the car. She won a colored television set, living room furniture, 70 yards of carpeting and a Satellite Dish. We are super excited for her.