Noah, Cameron, and Elliott, you have been blessed with wonderful grandparents, not only that, you have been blessed with the best Angel a person could ask for. Right now you don't understand when we talk about Grandma Jeanne, and that makes me sad. The good and the bad...she was incredible! Because you can only hear my stories so many time without wanting to gag...I thought that I would ask some other people for stories about your beautiful Grandma Angel. I know you won't appreciate this now, but one day you will, and you know what, this has been so fun for me to gather these tales of my mom! Have fun reading these little memories that our loved ones have shared.
"I always remember looking forward to going over to your parents house and seeing you guys. My favorite part would be those great hugs from Aunt Jean. I was smaller then and it felt like I was getting a bear hug. And Sunday dinners were the best!" My best, cousin Tom Flandro
"I could write a book about how lovely a person was my sister Jeanne Leigh Flandro. She could also be quite stubborn. An example: When Jeanne turned eight, I walked with her to her baptism interview with the Bishop of the Yale Ward (this is when we lived at 1367 Thornton Ave in Salt Lake). After a successful interview, the Bishop filled out the Recommend and wrote her name with the middle name as Leigh. She told him in no uncertain terms that the spelling was “Lee.” I had a difficult time getting her to accept the correct spelling – I think she was attempting to change it to what she wanted!
I later performed the baptism in the font at the Salt Lake Tabernacle – Jeanne finally had given up changing her middle name, but she never approved of the spelling."
Love, Gary
Neil, Shelly, Gary, Jeanne
Growing up, we lived at 522 W. 3000 S. Bountiful, Ut. A beautiful, quiet, street that I feel I resented. We didn't live in a big house, we didn't have nice things, and until we moved away from there, I didn't realize how lucky we were! We had the best neighbors and ward around. When my mom got sick, we had so many people who loved her/us and just wanted to help. It is hard to find a ward "family" like the Val Verda II ward!
Sally, Gordon and Tami lived right down the street and were family to us. Sally was mom's best friend, Gordon was Dad's best friend, and Tami was Ricci's best friend. It was perfect! Sally wrote a letter to all of us kids and gave it to us at my mom's funeral. I have pasted pieces of it below. She also said that "I loved going to get a Diet coke with her and sitting out in front of your house with the car doors locked so no one could get in and bug her!!! hahahaha…… As silly as that is, that’s one of my favorites!!!" Oh how I remember them sitting in our driveway or in front of the yard and we would just be waiting at the door like dogs for mom to come back in! I am sure it just drove her crazy! Thanks Sally, for the words you wrote.
"Jeanne was probably the most selfless person I have ever known, right up there with my mom. Countless times she was on the phone or at the door to see if everything was ok with me...even though she may have been the one suffering or needing someone herself. I know she had a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, because she was always in tune to the needs of others. Not only was she always there for me, but also my family. She made sure that Gordon was fed if I was out of town...and was always there for Tami at some critical times in her life when I couldn't be there. Thank goodness she was always willing to take one more child under her wing.
My favorite memory of being in the Smith home was on a beautiful spring night when Gordon announced he wanted to be baptized. My heart was so full and Jeanne was there to share in my joy, as she had been so many times. I remember her hugging me so tight. I had waited so long to hear that news! Her beautiful children sang at Gordon's baptism and life was wonderful! She and Steve were with us again one year later in the temple...things had changed a lot for her that year...she attended our Open House that evening toting three very small babies.
The closest moments that Jeanne and I shared were just hangin' out...going to get a Diet Coke, driving around the new houses on the hill, going to the bank, and talking the whole time. Our discussions included everything from kids, money, our Moms, our childhoods, our missionaries that we didn't pick, to "how did we end up with these guys anyway!" We shared many thoughts and feelings that were close to both our hearts, some of which were never shared with others.
My last peaceful memory of my beautiful friend was watching her, her children, and Steve during her last hours. Her children surrounded her bed like Heavenly angels...all of them helping her to be able to go and be with her mother, Abby, and her Heavenly Father. What a beautiful tribute. I love my dear friend." Sally McWain
We are lucky to have such great family, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc. Ben(your dad) was overwhelmed the first time he met everyone. He said that he never hugged or kissed so many women in his whole life then he did when he met my family. Grandma Maxine, Sis, Jolene hugged and kissed him the first time they met him. That is how my family always has been! I love it! A few memories below from Tammy, Shelly, Aunt Jolene Aunt Sis, Grandma Maxine and Aunt Kelly:
"I remember your mom's laughter and her love for her kids. She was a good mother and a good cook. She was a fun person to be around. She loved having company and was very young at heart. I loved her dearly" Aunt Sis
"Your mom made a tapestry called "To Mother" that is about your dad. Not many people would do that. I have loved it. She was like a daughter to me and I love her so much." Grandma Maxine
"I have a sweet
memory of your mom. When I had Ems, she had to be in NICU for a couple of
weeks. When she was starting to get stronger, they wanted me to start nursing
her and she didn't like it. Your mom came to Logan and spent the whole day with
me at the hospital teaching me how to nurse my baby. My mom didn't nurse us so
she didn't have much advice. Jeanne was so sweet an patient and by the end of
the day, we were off to a good start. She sat there and told me stories of her
becoming a new mom. She said one her favorite things to do with her new
borns is waking up in the middle of the night with them and feed them and rock
them. She said it was her quiet time, just her and the baby. That stuck with
me. It made me realize right then the special bond between a mom and her baby
and I was so excited to get to bring Ems home and get started." Tammy Bateman
"We had gone to the Elvis concert and we fought over the binoculars because we were in the nose bleed section for sure - your mom spilled a coke all over my brand new coke! We would go down to grandmas and want to go to either Mesquite or Las Vegas we didn't have any money, you mom pulled out the car seats to find every nickel, dime, and quarter she could because she loved it so much. One time we walked out of the casino and it was daylight we were all shocked because we didn't realize we had been there so long. I also remember that when your Grandma Abby died she was upset at her for dying and she would go up to the cemetery late at night and sit. I have a lot of memories of your mom because she and I did a lot together. I love her like a sister." Aunt Jolene
"Every meal she cooked was like a Sunday dinner. I remember coming over while you kids were in bed and I helped your mom until 3am Christmas Eve making nightgowns. We were watching infomercials and your mom said "there is no way they are there this late on x-mas eve. I am going to call them" and she did, I don't remember what they said, but we got a good laugh out of it! I think I was always your mom's favorite! When she wanted her kids to be entertained, she would call Tammy, when she wanted her house cleaned, she would call me. Who doesn't want their house clean!" Shelly Poulter
"We had gone to the Elvis concert and we fought over the binoculars because we were in the nose bleed section for sure - your mom spilled a coke all over my brand new coke! We would go down to grandmas and want to go to either Mesquite or Las Vegas we didn't have any money, you mom pulled out the car seats to find every nickel, dime, and quarter she could because she loved it so much. One time we walked out of the casino and it was daylight we were all shocked because we didn't realize we had been there so long. I also remember that when your Grandma Abby died she was upset at her for dying and she would go up to the cemetery late at night and sit. I have a lot of memories of your mom because she and I did a lot together. I love her like a sister." Aunt Jolene
"Every meal she cooked was like a Sunday dinner. I remember coming over while you kids were in bed and I helped your mom until 3am Christmas Eve making nightgowns. We were watching infomercials and your mom said "there is no way they are there this late on x-mas eve. I am going to call them" and she did, I don't remember what they said, but we got a good laugh out of it! I think I was always your mom's favorite! When she wanted her kids to be entertained, she would call Tammy, when she wanted her house cleaned, she would call me. Who doesn't want their house clean!" Shelly Poulter
"I remember when your dad brought your mom home for the first time. She had long beautiful brown hair, and was big brown eyes. She was really sweet, but me, being the youngest, and not wanting her to think she could come in and snatch my brother up, I wanted to show her who was boss. We were getting ready to leave for dinner and I climbed right into your dad's truck and slid right in the middle, I was not about to move and let Jeanne sit next to him in the truck. I am sure she thought I was something else, but she never said a thing." (Story told to me by Aunt Kelly)
As time goes on and I get older, memories seem to fade. It makes me really sad. I really remember the feeling of the home I grew up in and really try hard to recreate that in our home. It was a mess...I am not going to lie, but it was warm and comfortable. The spirit was strong and the smell of a yummy home cooked meal was there every night. Mom was a good cook and cooked, not only for the million kids she had, but for anyone who might just stop by. So many nights we would have Tami, Allen, or a friend of one of us stay for dinner. We would crowd around our table and have the best time laughing and talking. Dinnertime was one of the best parts of the day!
I always wanted to be a cheerleader, you probably have caught on to the fact that it is a bit of a joke within our family! I was always dancing and performing...but really, I wasn't ever very good! I tried out for cheerleading when I was going into the 8th grade. My best friends sister made up my personal cheer and helped me with the steps. It was way too long! I got nervous, and forgot EVERYTHING! I didn't make it. I was devastated and embarrassed! Mom was outside the gym doors waiting for me prepared for whatever news I had to offer. We left the school and she took me to get a shake, we drove around the hills of Bountiful, looking at houses, talking about the events of the day and we cried. She cried with me because I was so sad. We did not go home until I felt better and was ready to let everyone know that I was not a cheerleader!
"When I had my solo at my 9th grade choir concert singing Les Mis, Mom was on the 2nd row crying, and then she cheered louder than anyone when I was done." Aunt Shelby
"I think all of the older sisters were out one night so mom let me stay up late. We cuddled on the flower couch and watched and Elvis movie. She told me all about him and how he was so handsome!
Also, whenever I was sick, she would lay blankets on the front room floor and lay by me and would always sing An Angel on my Shoulder." Aunt Amy Jo
"I remember mom loved to play games! I loved playing dominos and UNO or Phase 10! It wasn't very often but it was nice to see her relaxed sometimes!" Aunt Ricci
"I don't remember how old I was at the time, mom was working late at the hospital. One night I couldn't sleep, I waited up for her in the front room. When she got home, I could tell she was tired and probably upset that I wasn't asleep. She just asked what I was doing up. I told her I couldn't sleep, she set her stuff down, picked me up, and rocked me to sleep!" Uncle Chris
"I loved helping her correct papers and asking mom if the kids were "joking" because their writing was terrible! Mom would say "Erin, stop, just correct the papers." Going school shopping at Kings! Being so excited to help Mom set up her classroom for the school year. I remember Mom and Dad pulling into Cherry Hill and telling us that we were going to camp there, we threw a fit saying that 'we couldn't camp at Cherry Hill', so they found a campground somewhere else!" Aunt Erin
"My mom memory is when I was little and couldn't sleep, she would rock me back to sleep in the orange and white wicker chair while she watched her shows. She would sing songs and help me fall asleep." Uncle Daniel
"The smell of peppers when I make salsa reminds me of Mom. It was the best feeling to come home from school and take in that heavenly smell from as far away as the driveway. We ate it as fast as she could bottle it.
Christmas time when she hosted the big Caroling/Dinner. We caroled with our friends around the neighborhood and then she fed everyone with a big pot of chili, breadsticks, & hot chocolate.
Watching old movies with her. I still tear up while watching "It's A Wonderful Life", "Little Women", and even "Saturday's Warrior". The tears aren't because of the movies, but the memory of watching them with her.
Cheering for the Utes and the Jazz. No one got more riled up than she did. I can still hear her singing the U of U Fight Song. As far as the Jazz, she always claimed that the reason they lost on Sundays is because they were playing on Sunday. Wonder what her reasoning would be for the team now!! ;)
What I hope to instill into my children about their Grandma Jeanne is her spirit of service. She was ALWAYS thinking about how she could help someone in need whether it be a card, a phone call, even a jar of salsa! Everyone felt loved when they were around her." Aunt Stacy
"One of my favorite times with your mom is when we took the family to Disneyland. It was so much fun to watch all of you have such a great time. One of the hardest times was a week before she passed away, she knew that time was running out. She told me, take care of my kids. She loved you all so much and didn't want to leave. There was one time that while I was up at the U taking an English class, we had to write an essay. Your mom was teaching school and wanted to proofread what I had written. I handed in my paper with the changes she had made and the professor gave it back to me telling me to rewrite it. I changed it back to my original work and got a B. I had to tell your mom...I couldn't let her get away with that one!" Grandpa Steve
We went to Lagoon every year for Stake Lagoon Day. It was a big event for the Smith household, since, let's face it, with 8 kids you didn't get to do many fun things like that! We would prepare all morning, get lathered up with sunblock, because us Smith kids were also not blessed with the best "sun-kissed" skin! Mom would fry chicken, pack sandwiches, snacks, drinks, fruit, etc. We would stay at Lagoon ALL.DAY.LONG!
Aunt Carrie and Uncle Neil were very close to Grandma Jeanne. Carrie was one of my mom's best friends from school, and she ended up marrying my mom's brother, Neil. Growing up we had a lot of Sunday dinner, birthday parties, and just plain old get-togethers with the Flandro's.
"There are a lot of things that I remember, because we spent so much time with each other. I remember that her feet would sweat so badly that at the end of the night, she would take off her shoes and scratch her feet because they were itchy, for what seemed like hours! haha, I know those are not the type of things you want to hear about. I remember that Sherry, your mom, and I would lay out. Your mom didn't like it and didn't last all that long because all she would do is burn." Aunt Carrie
Aunt Carrie and Uncle Neil were very close to Grandma Jeanne. Carrie was one of my mom's best friends from school, and she ended up marrying my mom's brother, Neil. Growing up we had a lot of Sunday dinner, birthday parties, and just plain old get-togethers with the Flandro's.
"There are a lot of things that I remember, because we spent so much time with each other. I remember that her feet would sweat so badly that at the end of the night, she would take off her shoes and scratch her feet because they were itchy, for what seemed like hours! haha, I know those are not the type of things you want to hear about. I remember that Sherry, your mom, and I would lay out. Your mom didn't like it and didn't last all that long because all she would do is burn." Aunt Carrie
Gary, 1934,
Shelley, 1937, Neil, 1946, and Jeanne, 1947, were born in Salt Lake City, Utah.
We lived in a nice house on 1367 Thornton Ave. Salt Lake Cityy ,
Utah, about five blocks south of the University of Utah. Our Grandma Barber , lived with
us. Our oldest sister, Shelley,
remembers having to constantly bring us home. We loved playing down the street.
She would bring us in the front door we
would run out the back door then run down the street again. Before there was
T.V. we would listen to the radio Saturday mornings. There would be western, Hop-a-long Cassidy,
Lone Ranger, and the story Princess.
Mom would make
us yummy “
Hot Cakes” and homemade syrup and cold milk, or fried eggs and
toast. The syrup became a family favorite for all of our families. Sometimes
when we little we would go out in our pajamas with feet and chase after the
garbage truck. Mom, Aunt Ted (Edna Flandro),
or Grandma would read to us or tell us stories. Our Aunt Ted, Grandpa Al’s
older sister would sometimes sing songs to us like Home on the Range.
When Jeanne was
about four she got to be in the Days of 47 Parade, the famous LDS sculptor,
Avard Fairbanks designed the float that looked like an artist pallet. The cute
little girls were the colors in the pallet. I think it won best float design
that year.
Our sister
Shelley said that she loved to dress Jeanne up and teach her how to sing,
dance, and perform. Jeanne was in the ward talent shows and would sing in some
of the church programs. Maybe that was the beginning of her love to sing. She
was in the High school girls’ choir. We
lived on a quiet street on a big hill, that we could sleigh ride down as fast
as we could go. We would make snowmen and have snowball fights, as our winter
fun.
In the summer we
would play night games like Hide and Seek, Kick the Can, Tag, and jump on a
pogo stick and count how many jumps without falling off. We also had wood stilts that we would walk
around and count steps. We would put playing cards on the spokes of our wheels
with a clothes pin and ride around sounding like motorcycles. For the primary
parade we would put crepe paper in our spokes. We had roller skates (that was
before roller blades) that we would skate around the neighborhood on. We would
play Jump the Rope, Hopscotch and Marbles.
Shelley and her future Husband, Fred Mathews, took us Ice Skating the
Hygia ice rink in Sugarhouse. They were both great ice skaters and taught us
how. When we were little we would play hide the thimble and hot or cold with
Mom, Aunt Ted, and Grandma, something Neil plays with grandchildren now. I
remember grandma taking us on walks.
We had a wonderful
small canyon one block south of us on Yale Ave. it was behind the houses on the
south side of the street. We called it
the gulley. There were big trees and bushes and a little stream below. There
was a long rope we could swing off one side of the bank and back. There was red
clay in some areas of the water, you could make bowls, balls, or dig holes out
of this clay. We would play on the banks
or in the water. I am pretty sure it is like that today, sixty years later. I
think the water came down from the Red Butte area. There was a huge cherry tree
by a man’s garage on Yale Street. The man would let us climb on his garage roof
and pick all the cherries we could eat. At the bottom of Yale Ave. on 1300 East
was the home of our Prophet George Albert Smith.
We would go down
town or over to Sugarhouse to see movies with Mom, Dad, and Aunt Ted or go by
ourselves. We would take a great Journey on the bus because we didn’t have a
car. We would make Aunt Ted take us to Laurel and Hardy, Three stooges and Walt
Disney movies. She was a good sport.
Those early years in school, Polio was still a
terrible disease that many children died from. I had a friend that had a light
case that left him with a limp. Some of the kids would make fun of him. Other
children had to wear big heavy braces on their legs because it ruined their
muscles. We were lucky. I remember going to the school to get a shot for the
polio virus. Because they were testing the vaccine, Jeanne got the good stuff,
I got the water. Later, I got the real thing. There was no Chicken Pox vaccine
at that time so Jeanne and I both got them, red and itchy sores everywhere. I
can remember a Chinese restaurant called the “The Chicken Box”. We would sing
and laugh with Dad, “Chicken Pox, Chicken Box, Chick Chicken Pox!”
Our Mom spoiled
us rotten, she would make our beds, clean the house, and do the dishes. Because
we didn’t have a car the grocery store would deliver our groceries. Mom cooked
the best meals, no wonder we loved food so much. She learned from her Mom (Grandma
Barber). In the summer Mom would take
ice cube trays from the freezer and fill them with homemade Pineapple sherbet (sugar,
canned milk, lemon, and pineapple) and freeze it. Mom could make the best pies and desserts. Once
in a while, my Dad would stop on 900 south and 900 east and get ice cream from
the “Garden Gate”. He would get Rocky Road or Maple Nut for Mom. We would get
Black cherry, chocolate or vanilla. Sometimes when we were little Dad or Mom
would make homemade ice cream with a hand churn, ice, and rock salt.
One
time when Grandma took us on a walk, she made us a flute from a willow tree.
She would try to get us to take a nap in the afternoon, lying down with us, I
would sneak out and run down the street to play, Jeanne following after
sometimes.
Jeanne had a cat
named Mittens, a doll named Susie. I
think my first attempt of picture taking was of them.
Once a month we
would have a movie at the ward that they would call a budget movie. With the
ticket mone4y the ward would the light, heat, gas, and utilities. Our Yale ward
was right around the corner from our house to the East. We saw great family
movies. Our Ward house is still there on Gilmer dr. between 1400 and 1500 East.
A lot of the Apostles, General Authorities and great teachers lived in the Yale
Crest Stake, 1950”s.
When we were
little, Mom and Dad would take us to Liberty Park to swing, chase ducks, and
eat a picnic. We went to Saltair a few times.
Saltair is like Lagoon in the early 1900’s to 1950’s. It had a huge
ballroom and had some of the great singers, dancers, and bands that came to
Utah. When we went, we rode the trolley. Saltair was pretty run down and old. We went swimming in the salt water you could
float without knowing how. I remember we got salt water in our eyes which stung
like crazy. The water was higher then
and wasn’t so stinky.
I can remember the first time Mom and Dad
took us to Lagoon maybe 1955, we took a picnic lunch. Our Dad drove our old car 30 miles an hour
from Salt Lake to Farmington along the old highway 89/91. It seemed like it
took forever.
We got to go
horseback riding a few times at a place east of us below Hogle Zoo. Jeanne
found a love for horses after that and drew a lot of pictures of them.
Fall was a
wonderful time, all the streets were lined with big trees with lots of leaves
to jump and play in. The City used to let you burn dry leaves in the gutters of
the street. We loved that smell of autumn. We had a coal furnace in our house
downstairs with a room next it the size of a small bedroom where the coal was
kept. A truck would fill it with coal through the window. Our Dad would fill a
bucket with coal and throw it into a “Hopper”. The hopper would move the coal
into the furnace when you needed heat.
Jeanne and I would open the furnace door and watch this big fire burning
the coal. When the furnace cooled down, Dad would pick out the “clinkers, the
burnt ashes” looked like gray Christmas wreath. He would put it in the bucket
and haul it out to the garbage. Once in a while he would hurt his back carrying
out the heavy garbage can.
We walked to
school every day, up to 1400th
East, turned right to Yale Ave., then East to 1500 East, right to Uinta
Elementary( 1500 So.1500 East). It was always fun. One time a boy was walking
behind Jeanne teasing her and pulling her hair, I think he liked her. I had to
punch him, then he quit.
I can remember walking home from school and
finding blood all over the kitchen floor and no Mom. She had cut her finger
badly and had to go have it stitched, a very scary moment. One Christmas Mom
broke out in Hives from a nervous condition, and couldn’t get out of bed. We were
very sad for her, Christmas was not the same.
Birthdays were
always fun. We have fond memories of dinner, singing Happy Birthday and having
cake and ice cream. The best part was, I would get a present on Jeanne’s
birthday and she would get one on mine.
One time we were
with my Brother Gary my Dad’s 1937 Packard car,( yes we finally got a car).
Jeanne was sitting up front, Gary hit the brake for another car and Jeanne flew
into the windshield cracking her head (ouch). She was Ok. When we were around
six or seven, we were watching Gary getting his rifle ready to go deer hunting
for the first time with our cousin. Jeanne and I had a trundle bed¸ Gary was
sitting on the lower bed, playing with the rifle and we were sitting above him
watching. The gun went off shooting a bullet through the floor, knocking a big
chunk of concrete off the wall by the washing machine downstairs. My Mom
freaked out. Boy was he in trouble. One time when were little Jeanne came out
of the bathtub, nice and clean, I thought it would be funny to throw a dart at
her which bounced off her stomach. Boy was I in trouble, no more dart game.
My Dad was the
Sales Office Manager of Utah Idaho Sugar co. It was owned by the LDS Church. He
worked there 42 years. On Saturdays He would go to work and sometimes take me
and Jeanne with him. We were the only ones there. We would play on the
typewriters, draw and run around the Office. The best part was getting soda pop
from the machines. They were 10 Cents. Drinks like black cherry, cream soda,
orange, root beer, lime, and coke. Sometimes he would take us on Main Street to
get lunch.
Our parents divorced when I was ten and Jeanne
was nine. My Mom moved to Bountiful after getting remarried. My Dad moved in
with his older sister, Aunt Ted. We stayed with Mom through school year and
spent the summer with Dad. In the summer we loved to play card games, board
games, Canasta and Fish. Sometimes Dad would take us bowling. It cost 25 cents
a game. We would go to ZCMI department store downtown Salt Lake, Aunt Ted would
call it Zion’s cooperative for Mormon idiots (She was a Baptist). They had a
wonderful restaurant inside like the Lion House, good homemade rolls pies and
cakes and other great food. Carrie remembers going with Jeanne and Aunt Ted on
a Saturday to a movie and then eat at ZCMI after. It was so fun and exciting
for her. We would all dress up to eat at ZCMI.
During the
summer at Aunt Ted’s apartment on 4th south and 900 East in Salt
Lake, we would spend the summer. We went to the grocery store and would each
get to choose something special. One time we got coconuts. We drilled a whole
in the shell and the milk would be poured into a glass. Then we break it open
with a hammer and eat the coconut. I drank some of the milk and had Jeanne
drink it also. She threw up all over! “Good trick for your boys to learn”
Pretty funny at the time. Mean brother.
We would go to
the A and W drive-in and get a big frosty mug of root beer, sometimes a root beer
float.
On a Sunday
afternoon we went to Harmon’s KFC on North Temple and 300 West to eat. Aunt Ted
(around 75 years plus) tripped on a walkway, fell and broke her nose. She
wouldn’t say how bad it was, so we could still eat our meal. She was such a great
Lady!
We learned how
to play tennis at the YMCA in Salt Lake.
We had fun playing against each other. I still have my racket. We
watched a lot of T.V. in the summer. Game shows, comedy, movies, Mickey Mouse
Club. We went to see ‘Psycho’ and it scared the Bejeebees out of us. We saw the
movie ‘Loving You’ with Elvis, (Jeanne’s Idol). Aunt Ted took us. Sometimes Dad
would put a portable, black and white T.V. in the front room with the other
T.V. so he could watch two shows at once and read at the same time.
We went to Disneyland, with Dad and Aunt Ted,
about two years after it first opened. We got to ride on the Union Pacific train
from Salt Lake to Los Angeles. You could go in a glass top area and look out at
the stars at night. We had great memories of playing cards in the club car as a
lot of the men smoked. We ate wonderful meals on fancy tables, with tablecloths
and fancy silverware. We ordered Utah rainbow trout. We would run through all
the train cars for fun. We slept in our seats. We went about three or four
times to California. One year we went to San Francisco from Ogden on the Rio
Grande Train. We saw Alcatraz, and rode the trolley cars. Our dad bought a new
1960 Ford Galaxy from his Nephew in Idaho. I still have this car today. On the
California trip after He bought the car, I remember going over 100 miles an
hour across the desert. We had lots of
fun swimming in the Ocean, going to Sea World, and Knots berry Farm. We also
went to Beverly Hills to see if we could site a star. We visited Aunts, Uncles,
and Cousins.
We moved into the house Dad bought
from his nephews after their father, (Uncle Clarence) died. It was at 1332
Bryan Ave. (1560 So.) SLC, I remember many summer nights sitting on the front
porch swing with Dad, Aunt Ted, and Jeanne.
Almost every night about 8:00 P.M. a cool breeze would come down the
street from the canyons to the East. We would talk and visit while rocking in
the swing or playing on the porch. They would tell us stories about their
family. Aunt Ted was the Historian of the family. She lived to be 85 and never
was married. She helped raise My Aunt Ruth’s son Bob and daughter Betty, next
Gary and Shelley, then Jeanne and me. She took care of dad until she died in
1968. She always thought of others first. We had popcorn, candy, peanuts, and
soft drinks for our treats. She was a good cook too. She would make us toast
cooked in her oven, little burnt with a lot of butter.
I can remember going to Aunt Echo (Grandma Abby’s oldest
sister) and Uncle Merle Ellis’s home in Taylorsville. They had a big farm.
We went to see Grandma Barber she was 87 and failing in
health. We had a wonderful dinner. We
loved the fresh corn on the cob and other fresh vegetables. Gary, Shelley,
Jeanne and I have a nice picture together with Grandma. Grandma Barber and her
husband George Salt Lake Temple ordinance workers back in the 1920’s. He died in
1934 and she was alone for almost 30 years.
I am sure Jeanne picked up many lessons about being
strong in the Gospel from her.
We had some fun as children and
fun memories together after Jeanne was married. She was always so smart and
studied hard. Dad paid for her college
and bought her a new 1966 Mustang to go to school at the University of Utah. We
have a picture of Jeanne with Mom and Dad at her
Graduation. Everyone was very proud of her. She worked hard as
a wife and Mother, trying to do her best. She played the piano and violin very
well and could sing well also. He was a voracious reader like
Dad, Mom, Shelley, Gary, Aunt Ted, and
Carrie. She loved to paint like Mother
and we enjoy her paintings she gave us. She was a gracious host, cooking our
family Sunday dinners. Our kids always remember her looking out
for everyone else’s comfort before her own. Julie and
Tami remember her famous pancakes she would make the girls after a sleep over
with the cousins. She loved her family very, very much! I liked the way you always had family
prayers, family night, and fun playing games together. I was always envious.
You kids and her grandkids are the Jewels in her crown! Uncle Neal and Aunt Carrie
I am sure this will be an ever evolving post. It was a lot of fun talking about my mom and hearing some things that I never heard before. I love her with all my heart and know that one day, because of my brother Jesus Christ, I will see her again! I can't think of a better way to be welcomed into Heaven!
