PEARL TREASE DAVIES, 1933-2020

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I love reading of the little human incidents that made up the lives of my ancestors. But they are so sparse that I go away longing to know more of them.

In this story of my life, I am including many small memories that may not seem important to many people, yet they have helped to make me what I am. So, for the present day loved one or for the future descendant of mine, who, like me, has a yearning to know more of the past or of those who came before, this story is written.

I. From Whence I Came

I was born to John Oscar Trease and Ila LaVon Cowling Trease. My paternal grandparents were Morgan Baird Trease and Ella Kate Gross Trease. My maternal grandparents were Pearl Lola Smith Cowling and Walter Cowling. My grandfather and grandmother Trease had passed away before my birth, as had my grandfather Cowling. So the only grandparent I knew, was my grandmother Cowling, and she was just a "visiting grandmother", as I only saw her a few times when she visited us in Ohio, and on several trips, that we, as a family, would make to Utah when I was a little girl. She was a fun grandmother and liked to have a good time and laugh a lot. She played the piano by ear and I can still see her sitting at the piano and really "belting it out." As you can see, I was named after this grandmother. My mother had promised her mother that she would name her first daughter after her, and that was me!! I have always felt that the name, Pearl, was too old for me, and have not known many women with this name. Also, my middle name was my grandmother Trease's name. So, hence, my name!! I wish I had the privilege of knowing my other grandparents. I feel like I missed out on a lot by not knowing them, or not knowing much about them. I would like to have been close to them, and learn from them, as grandchildren should. I understand that I am of English, Irish, and German descent.

My father was a farmer and had lived on the farm that we lived on at the time of my birth, since he, himself, had been two years old. It was a fifty two acre dairy farm, with four crops that were rotated each year. He was a very hard worker, and was up before the sun, and came in long after dark each day.

He ran the farm by himself, and was able to retire in 1949 at forty seven years of age. My father was a very quiet, humble man, and very compassionate. He was so good to my mother. I know that he loved me, although he was not able to verbally communicate this to me. He was very sensitive and tears would come easily for him. I have been told that he was so loving and kind to his parents. My father could always see things to be done when he came to visit with us, after my marriage. I could

always count on things being fixed, or windows washed when he was there. He was stern when it was necessary. I had few spankings, but do remember the ones that I got!! My father could not get up and speak in church, but was very aware of things that needed done around the building, and outside, and would quietly take care of these things during the week. My father was killed in an accident, at the age of 65, in Springville, Utah. This was one of the most difficult experiences in my life to have to deal with. I always felt very close to my father and still miss him a great deal.

My mother had quite an adjustment to being a farm wife, which was understandable after being raised in the city. But over the years she did a tremendous job, and took over the household duties in a fine manner, and taught me a lot. I feel that my ability to organize, was learned from her. She was a really hard worker, and accomplished so much in a day!! I could never begin to keep up with her. And she is still this way. She is very frugal, and can repair things, and keep her home in perfect order. When we all still lived on the farm, my mother would play her ukulele, and this was always a fun time for my sister and I. My mother is a very spiritual person, and the gospel means so much to her in her life. She has always been strong in the Church and has a strong testimony. She is a very concerned, dedicated mother, and at this writing, she is nearly 78 years old, and lives alone in Springville, Utah. She is very active in the Senior Citizens organization, and loves the job of being secretary and treasurer.

I have only one sister. She was born four years after me. Her name is Jacquelyn LaVon Trease Zaret. We are very different in personality, and have different interestst except for reading, which we both love!! She was more the tomboy. According to her recollection of our relationship with each other as little girls, I seemed to be the one who yelled the loudest when there was a problem, and she was the one who got punished!!

We became more close after we both were married and had children, probably because we had more in common then. She is a very intelligent person, very organized and- a good leader in the Church.

II. My Entry Into The World

In the small town of Wadsworth, Ohio, (population at that time of seven thousand), I was born on a Sunday, May 28, 1933, sometime around eight o'clock in the morning (according to my mother's recollection.) She was not really sure of my birth weight, but thinks that it was nine and a half pounds, and that I was twenty one inches long. The birth was at home with a Dr. Johnson delivering me, and my grandmother Cowling, who was visiting at the time, acted as nurse, and then taking care of me and my mother after. The cost of my birth--$25.00!!! (Times have changed since then -- now it costs nearly that for an aspirin!)

III. Home Is Where The Heart Is

We had a large farmhouse. It was frame and painted white, but as the years passed, this paint began to fade and peel, but it was still a very important home to me, and one that I lived in from birth until I moved to California at the age of sixteen. It was a two story home, with a partial basement. We lived only on the first floor, which consisted of two large bedrooms, a large living room, a sunroom, a large kitchen, and a buttery. Upstairs there were three large bedrooms, an attic and a closet. But these rooms were used only if someone were staying with us. They were not heated in the winter, either. In the basement (cellar) was the furnace and the coal to burn in it. Also, all that my mother canned during the summer was kept in the cellar. My father sold eggs and these were sorted in the cellar, too.

The home had three large porches facing the east, north and south. My mother scrubbed these three porches weekly!! on the south porch, we did our washing in the summer. In the winter, the washer and tubs were moved into the kitchen. The kitchen held a large coal stove that my mother kept in perfect order. It was beige and white in color and the top of the stove was black, and was kept shiny, by rubbing wax paper over the top of it. So much canning, baking and cooking was done on this beautiful stove. And it was the source of heat for the kitchen area in the winter. We had our weekly baths in that kitchen in a wash tub. (More on this ritual, later.)

The farmhouse was surrounded by lawn area, which in order to look nice, was mowed by my mother every week during the summer, on top of all her other homemaking duties!! To the north of the house was the garage and the driveway leading to it. on the south of the house was the huge garden and the grape arbor. To the west were apple trees and beyond that the farmland. To the southwest was the apple orchard. To the northwest was the barn area with a huge red barn, chicken house, corn crib, and spring house where the milk was cooled and kept to be picked up and taken to the dairy where our milk was sold. The road ran in front of the house to the east, and was sometimes called "Trease Road". Now, I understand, that it is officially called this. Across the road from our house was the "woods" where we would go to pick blackberries, but was not a place to play!! (Several years before we left the farm, this area was subdivided and homes were built there.)

I feel I had a happy home and have often said that I wish my own children could have experienced the same things that I had as I grew up! I felt secure in my home and never heard my parents argue about anything, so if there were problems, I never knew about it. It was peaceful and tranquil on the farm. I still love peace and quiet.

IV. Ah, Sweet Memories

Where does one begin, with memories. I have so many memories of my life on the farm, but hesitate to take too much time and space to share them all. This was a very special time of my life, and as stated before, how I wish that all my children could have experienced the things that I did. Life was certainly much simpler. At least as a child, I felt this way. I know that my parents worked hard and long. But we didn't have all the confusion, noise, hectic way of life. Good fresh air, good food from the garden, non-structured time, with lots of space to play or whatever we chose to do.

With all the space to play, we had plenty of room to play fun games. We did not have to be entertained like children have to be today. We played hide and seek, "mother may I", kick the can, and in the winter we would play fox and geese in the orchard on the newly fallen snow. We collected fireflies in glass Mason jars on hot summer evenings and then placed the jar on our dresser in our bedroom when we went to bed, and laid there and watched the fireflies light up.

We put an old binder canvas (a binder is a piece of machinery for harvesting wheat), over the clothesline, so that it provided a tent for us, and my sister and I spent a lot of time playing under this. We would pretend we were scouts, or rock collectors, or whatever we wanted to be that day, and kept all our "stuff" under this tent. When we were real little, we spent a lot of time playing in a sandbox underneath the huge maple tree in our yard. This same maple tree had a wonderful swing hanging from it, that was so much fun to play on. My sister and I also shared a bicycle, and this provided some fun times for us. Our neighbors lived some distance down the road, south of us, so we spent most of our time just playing ourselves. My sister and I did have quite different interests, so she often had to invent her own activities, while I was sitting someplace reading!

In the summer we had to help during the canning season. We sat outside and husked corn, and pulled elderberries from the stem. This job with the elderberries, was very messy and stained our hands with the purple juice. I often had to help with the peeling of the peaches, and as soon as my hands got in the water, I had to itch my nose! Great concern for my mother!! I often thought it was my way of trying to get out of helping! To this day I do not like to can, and don't!

We did not have running water for a number of years, so the water was obtained from a pump on the north porch. Water was brought into the house in a pail and put on a table in the buttery for drinking. A reservoir in the side of the big coal stove held water that was warm from the warmth of the stove. This was used for the daily "sponge baths", or for whatever other use warm water was needed. Speaking of the "sponge bath", I was washing up one day, and had my foot and leg propped up on the window sill in the buttery, when either my mother or sister came through where I was. I hopped aside to let them through, and fell into the window!! A large jagged piece of glass came down and went into my shoulder. I still have the scar from that little accident!!

We had a "Saturday night bath" and water was heated on top of the coal stove in one of the wash tubs and then lifted down and put on a blanket on the floor of the kitchen. My sister and I bathed in the same bath water!!! Then this was emptied, and later in the evening, after my sister and I were in bed, my parents bathed. The kitchen was heated up for this ritual, and it was mighty chilly, going to bed, when the rest of the house was much cooler than the kitchen had been. In the winter, my mother would often wrap up the stove iron in a towel, and put it at the foot of our bed to keep our feet warm!!

Since we did not have television when I was a little girl, we spent our time listening to the radio. We had our favorite programs like, Captain Midnight, Fibber McGee and Molly, Amos and Andy, Truth or Consequences, Hit Parade, People are Funny. I even remember listening to some of the soap operas, and for some strange reason, can recall saying, to myself, the name "Ruth Ann Dexter", in time to the swish, swish, swish of the washer on wash days!! (the name being one of the characters on a soap opera!) Listening to the soap operas must have taken the boredom out of washday!! I did not see television until I was sixteen years old, and then it was at the neighbor's house, and I saw part of a baseball game with the Cleveland Indians. After our move to California in 1949, we purchased a television, and that was quite a luxury, and a fun experience!!

I remember tapping the huge maple tree in the yard, each spring to get the sap from it to make maple syrup. (This was the same tree that I mentioned that sheltered our sand box and from which our swing was hung.) My father would insert wooden spigots into the tree, and the sap would drip slowly into a bucket. Then this was taken into the house and put into a large roasting pan and left on the stove to simmer down until an absolutely wonderful syrup was left. Maple syrup is a real treat!! I can still taste how heavenly it was on pancakes and fried corn meal mush!! (I happen to have that roaster pan now, as my mother gave it to me a few years ago.)

I remember, so well, my mother fixing a huge meal for the men who came to help with the threshing or the filling of the silo each year. It was my job to help put out the towels, on a wooden rack, in the yard, along with soap, and a mirror and comb, alongside the tubs that were filled with water for the men to wash in. I never could figure out how they could all wash up in the same water and use the same comb!! Then the men would go into the kitchen and really enjoy all the good food that my mother had fixed for them. This was the custom then -for the men to go around to the farms and help each other at these special times when the wheat had to be threshed and the silo filled with corn silage.

I remember the crisp fall days, when my sister and I would take our packed lunch and go out on the wagon in the corn field with my father and spend the day with him. We would sit on the wagon, and read or whatever, and just ride along as the horses were told to move ahead, and as my father husked the corn and put it into the wagon. This was a special time with my father, since we didn't get to see much of him. Then we would ride back in on the big load of corn, and it would be shoveled into the corn crib near the barn.

Winter was quite an experience on the farm in Ohio. My, the amounts of snow that we would get!! Many times, we would be snowed in and could not return to school after the holidays. But the sledding was wonderful! So many hills to slide on. it seemed to take forever to get bundled up, and then many times, we would get so cold, we were right back in the house! But when we could stay outside, it was so much fun, especially in the pasture area at the north end of our property. Many people from town, came out to sled on the hills there.

Once a year it was time to butcher a cow, so that we would have our meat for the year. But we didn' t put the meat in the frozen food locker. My mother canned it all!! Can you imagine canned hamburger and steak?! But that is the way we did it. I remember going down around the barn after the cow had been butchered, and see the cow hanging on a large hook, while they cut the meat from the carcass. They would put the tail in a large pan, and I can still see that tail give a twitch now and then, as it lay there!!! I know it doesn't sound too appetizing or appealing, but we even pickled the tongue and the heart, and canned this. And fried brains were so delicious!! This must sound absolutely horrid to anyone reading this, but I guarantee, they were delicious!! Sometimes a pig would be butchered, and how yummy the "cracklings" were to eat. And the scrapple. This was like a mush, that when fried was so great to eat, with lots of butter on!! Obviously we did not know about cholesterol then!!

Because of living on a farm and producing our own food, not very much had to be purchased at the grocery store. When we "went to town" it was usually just for flour, or some of the staples. I remember the store we shopped at was Kroger's. A clerk waited on us, and would get the things from the shelves as we asked for them. They had about five cereals to choose from then -- mainly Wheaties, Kix, Shredded Wheat, and corn flakes. It was really progress for Wadsworth, when we finally got an A&P grocery store. The check out lanes were really something new for us. But they were still nothing like our supermarkets today. While we were "in town", we got to go to "Isaly's", an ice cream place and have a dish of ice cream. Now, that was really a big treat for us then. We never had ice cream at home, except an ice cream cake on Christmas.

With living on a farm, and producing our own food, we had quite a variety of vegetables in our garden. I think that is where I learned to really like vegetables, and still like the "unordinary" ones, like parsnips. But I could not stand stewed tomatoes. Never could swallow those without gagging!! Or lumpy mush. We were always expected to eat everything on our plates. One morning, I was dawdling along, and realized the school bus was coming over the hill, and that I was going to have to get on it, with graham crackers still in my mouth. I literally sprayed them all over as I said, "Good morning, Mr. Brenner (our school bus driver.) I've had a good laugh about this many times since.

I had a very special place in our orchard that I would go and sit and write or read. My love of writing was born at that time, and it was such a quiet and pleasant place to sit and think, and to read or write. In fact, that very special place, was a huge rock. How it ever got there in the first place, I never knew. But it was great!!

In the summer, my sister and I would sit under the grape arbor and eat purple grapes. I can remember some tummy aches from eating too many. Also from eating too many green apples from the apple tree that was just south of the house.

We had a big dinner bell that was rung when my mother wanted to get my father' s attention to come to the house, when he was working out in the fields. It hung just outside the south back porch and could be reached by leaning out of the door to the south, and grabbing the rope to pull it.

I am still so nostalgic about the fragrance of lilacs. There was a huge lilac bush right outside my bedroom window, and when they were in bloom each year, it was just heavenly!! I remember too, the big snowball tree that we had in the corner of the front yard, and the peony bushes with huge red blooms on them. We took bouquets of these flowers to the cemetery on Memorial Day.

One day I was sitting in the "outhouse", with the door partially open, and a big Holstein cow sauntered by. Talk about scared!! It went on around a shed nearby, and somehow I got the courage to make a mad dash f or the house. I have always been afraid of animals, so this was a frightening thing for me.

Spring cleaning was quite an event at our place. The rugs were taken up and hung over the clothesline and beat with a rug beater. Curtains were taken down and washed and then stretched on curtain stretchers --a wooden frame with sharp prongs all around the frame that the curtains were fastened to. I had many sore fingers from being pricked by those sharp prongs!! Wallpaper was cleaned with stuff that looked like the playdough that children now play with. It was rubbed up and down over the wallpaper and took off the dirt. Someone inexperienced with this could make one grand mess! Everything was literally turned upside down to get the spring cleaning done. This seems to be a thing of the past. I know that I have never had a spring cleaning time.

Our home was the favorite place for the missionaries to come and have a good meal and stay overnight, if necessary. We were the only family in the branch of the church, who lived on a farm. So many of the missionaries were farm boys themselves, and this was just wonderful for them to be able to come and have some fun and eat!! I can still see my mother standing at the coal stove and frying pancakes all morning long to fill those missionaries up!! Some even helped with the chores at the barn. It was a fun time for me too, being a teenager, and having all these good looking fellows around!!

I previously mentioned the cellar that we had. This was such a scary place for me to have to go. I would be sent down there quite often to bring up bottled fruit or whatever my mother needed from down there. The cupboard that the catsup was kept in was especially scary for me. It was on the west wall of the cellar and no light to see where I was reaching. I always thought I was going to reach in and feel a mouse!! I would very cautiously go down there, and run like mad back up the steps once I had gotten what I was sent for. Equally scary, was having to go upstairs after dark, and get popcorn, that we kept up there because it was dry. It was in the furthest bedroom, and really was a very scary thing to have to go in there. Besides, there were all these big pictures on the walls of ancestors staring at me as I passed through the rooms! ! I would literally fly back down the stairs once I had the popcorn. But in the daylight, during the summer, this was a fun place to be. Especially the front bedroom, where we would put on plays and have all sorts of fun. We had a sign above one of the beds that said, "Kilroy slept here." one time after the missionaries had stayed over, we found a sign that said "So did the missionaries!"

There was a very small closet off from this bedroom that held all sorts of school text books that had been there for years. My grandfather had been on the school board, and these books had been obtained during this time. I loved going in there and looking at them, and would carry some of them downstairs and sit on the step between the living room and the kitchen with a big pile of books on my lap, feeling very scholarly!!! No wonder I love books!! I really started out early!

I must not forget to tell about "wash day" at our house! And of course, it was on Monday! The washer and two rinse tubs were hauled into the kitchen. The water had to be heated on the big coal stove, and then transferred to the washer and the rinse tubs also filled up. Because of the condition of the water, we had to use a product called Mello that brought scum to the top of the water, and then this had to be skimmed off, before the water could be used. Clothes were put through the wringer of the washer, into tub number one and "stomped" with a big metal and wood stomper to get out some of the soap, and then put through the wringer again, into the next rinse tub, stomped again, and then after being put through the wringer again, and into the clothes basket, were hung out to dry. My mother would go out even in the cold winter weather and hang up clothes. I can still see the blue bib overalls that my father wore, standing up in the middle of the floor, where my mother would stand them, still solidly frozen after being on the line! I don' t know how she managed to go out in the cold like that and hang up the clothes. On wash day, we had soup beans that had cooked all day on the big coal stove. The windows would all get fogged up during the winter because of all the moisture in the house. Of course, in the summer, the wash was done on the back porch. But it was an all day chore. Now we don't even know what "wash day" is. We just put a batch of clothes in our washer and dryers whenever we want to -- push a button, and it's all done!

Family home evening had not been instituted when I was a little girl, but my parents, nevertheless, realized the importance of doing something together as a family. And because we didn't get to see much of my father during the week, we used Sunday as a time to be together. We drove fourteen miles to the branch of the church, in Akron, Ohio. After the meetings were over, we would go down into the kitchen of the church, and eat a lunch that my mother had packed and brought with us. Then we would go to a "stage show" at the big Loew's theater in Akron, and be able to see one of the big name bands perform. I remember hearing Skinny Ennis and his band, Sammy Kaye and his band, and others. A short, fat little man, named Wild Oscar would play the huge organ before the bands performed. He was so very good, and we loved hearing him play. This may seem strange to you who are reading this, that we would do this on a Sunday. But it was the only time that we could be together as a family. And to this day, I still treasure this time we spent doing this. We had to be home in time for my father to do evening chores. Speaking of theaters, I could go to our local movie on Saturday afternoon for a dime. I loved going to see the "college musical" type shows that were so popular then. Peter Lawford and June Allyson were in so many of the movies that I saw, and I just thought they were great! Also, my sister and I saw every Roy Roger movie that came to town, and would often seem them twice. Then we would come home and play cowboys!! I was very caught up in the glamour of the movie star kind of life in my pre-teens. My favorites at that time were Guy Madison, Lorraine Day, Peter Lawford, June Allyson, Shirley Temple and Lana Turner. Vaughan Monroe singing "Racing with the Moon" absolutely made me swoon!!! Now you can tell how old I am with a phrase like that!

A few summers when I was about twelve years old, or so, I would spend a few days with my Aunt Rhoda and Uncle Bob at their home in Barberton, which was about seven miles away. This was really a big deal for me at that time. I got to do things that I didn't get to at home, like take a bath in a real bathtub, eat pork and beans, canned soup and white bread!! They even took me to a drive-in movie one time when I was staying with them, and this was really a new experience for me!!

Certain foods had real meaning for me and how I would love to eat some of them now. We had bologna made each year that was so good!! For some reason, the big pieces of it were kept in a big pan in our bedroom. (Probably because it was so cold in there!) Also, we would have apple butter made that could never be duplicated. Oh, it was so good!! . Also, the dandelions that my mother would pick from the farthest area of our farm, where they would be cleaner, and then bring them home, clean each piece thoroughly and then make a delicious cooked vinegar dressing with bacon in it and put over the dandelion greens!! (to this day, it is believed that the reason I did not have complexion problems as a young girl, was because I ate so many dandelions, and they are a good blood purifier. Another thing, I remember, was mother picking pennyroil tea in the pasture, and then making a tea out of this when I had cramps. It really made me feel much better!

Perhaps this should have been mentioned when I was talking about the lovely flowers in our front yard. But we also had holly hock bushes. The holly hocks made cute little dolls -- the petals of them were like long bouffant evening dresses, and then the bud of the flower, was set on top with a straight pin through it, to make the head of the doll. We played for hours with these dolls!

V. Readin', Writin', and 'Rithmetic

My first day of school. How well I remember it!! I didn't want to stay (guess that is nothing new for a first grader) . I cried and didn't want my mother to leave. I still sucked my thumb then, so that was a worry (probably more to my mother than to me.) But I don't recall sucking it at school. I can remember my lunch pail that I carried my lunch in. I remember the smell of the room at lunch time, with all those lunches that had been sitting in the cloak closet all morning. My first grade teacher's name was Miss Kuhn. I took an I.Q. test in the first grade and had a score of 132, the highest in the class. I still have the letter that my teacher wrote to my mother, informing her of this.

In the second grade, my teacher's name was Mrs. Vining. She was a very large,, heavy woman. I got along fine with her, except for one time when I and a friend, locked another girl, in the narrow metal lockers that lined the back of the room. We really got into trouble for this, and had to bend over the seat at the front of the room, and she paddled us!! (This would not be allowed in schools today!). I was always a good student and well behaved, so this was really something for me to get into trouble. No wonder I still remember it.

I remember that I was the only one who had to wear "leggings" in the winter time. These were wool pants that usually matched the coat. They had to be pulled up under my dress. This was quite a feat for me, due to having to discreetly manage to do this in the hallway, where our lockers were, and where everyone else was at their lockers, including the boys!! It seemed like I was always running to catch the bus because it would take me longer to get ready to go home each day, because of these leggings! I truly hated them!! When I was younger, I had to wear long brown stockings in the winter. Later on, I managed to get by with knee socks. But when spring time came, it was something to look forward to, to be able to wear ankle socks once again!!

I went to grade school at the Centralized School, and went there for grades one through nine. We did not have kindergarten then. I was considered in junior high, when I reached the seventh grade, but did not change schools. When I graduated from the ninth grade, I was the class salutatorian, which meant that I was the second highest in the class academically. I gave a speech for graduation. I was also a member of the National Honor Society at this time, which was quite an honor. '

When I was in the ninth grade, I had, the opportunity of giving a talk about the Word of Wisdom, as an assignment in my English class. (I chose the subject myself, though.) But my teacher, Mrs. Brintlinger, was so impressed with the message, she spoke to the principal, Mr. Isham, about this, and then I was asked to give it to a larger group of students. Until my sister started school, four years after I did, I was the only "Mormon" student in the public schools, so hearing a talk on this subject was really something.

All during these years, I had a very close and dear friend. Her name was Miriam Koppes. How I would love to know where she is now and what she is doing. We were always together, and did everything together. She was a good student too, so there was competition in that area. Our teachers even called us David and Jonathan, after the close Biblical friends.

Mentioning the Bible, reminds me of something I should write about here. Each summer, I would attend Bible schools, of both the Mennonite and Lutheran churches. I learned more about the Bible at these times, than I would have, had I not lived in the area I did and had this opportunity. This was a fun experience for me and I had some really wonderful times attending these Bible schools. My best friends also attended these. For the record, I will mention their names. Besides Miriam, there was Violet Hurst, Phyllis Hoover, Donna Handshue, Maryland Vellenoweth, and Margaret Gardner. I also remember all my teacher's names all the way through school, but won't bore anyone with that bit of information.

One year when I was in grade school (and I wish I could remember which year), I won fourth place in the county spelling contest. This was really a big event then. My friend, Miriam, and I, were the representatives from our school. our school principal, Mr. Isham, took us to the competition. The word that I missed was, "silhouette". ( I unfortunately spelled it, "siloette"). But our principal was so proud of us that he took us to lunch on the way back to school!

During my junior high years, I was also a member of the local 4-H Club. Two different years, I won first place for the category of sewing that I had done and then entered my project in the county competition. one year I got to go to the Ice Capades in Cleveland, Ohio, as a prize for winning! I still am not a good seamstress, though, despite all this effort when I was young! I think I had too much help and didn't really learn to do things myself.

I graduated from the ninth grade at Centralized School, and was the salutatorian, as I told before. I have very fond memories of that school!! Spent nine years there. It was your typical old style school. Long hallways with classes on each side, with the old fashioned wooden desks with ink wells in them. It had a combination gymnasium and small auditorium on the main floor. Upstairs were the junior high classes. Down in the basement was the school lunch room, one Home Economics room, and the big boiler and furnace room. We would often go in and talk to the janitor of the school, in the furnace room. It was always so hot and noisy. In grade school we played "pole tag" during lunch time. I recall some bushes near the poles that lined the sidewalks that had red berries on them that were poisonous and we were always reminded not to put them in our mouths!! We had slides and swings in the back of the school, but that is all there was to play on.

Should mention here, that in the sixth grade we had a teacher named, Miss Huff. She was tall, skinny, wore real thick round glasses, wore a wig, and had very pointed toe shoes. When someone misbehaved, they got kicked good with her pointed toe shoes!! She would walk back and forth by the windows during class time, and pull the dead geranium blossoms off the plants that lined the window sill, and then stand with her back to the radiators, and drop the dead blossoms behind them. The pencil sharpener was fastened to the wide window sill, so when we went to sharpen our pencils, we would "accidentally" drop our pencil out the window, so we could go down the two flights, and outside to retrieve it!! one way to get out of class for a few minutes!!

I rode a big yellow bus to school all those years. It was a long ride, because we had to many to pick up in the area before finally arriving at school. Everything was much simpler then, and we did not have all the extra curricular activities like they do in the schools now.

I attended my sophomore year at Central High School. I was active in the speech class there, and had the opportunity to participate in oratorical contests, and several short plays. I felt very grown up, going to this school, but only attended it one year because of our move to California before my junior year.

My parents felt it best to make a move to the West, because my sister and I were getting to the age where we would be socializing and dating, and there were no other Latter-Day-Saint teenagers to be with. They felt this important enough, to leave all that was dear to them, and make this sacrifice. My father retired from farming at this time. So in the fall of 1949, we left Ohio. We had a farm sale on August 27, 1949.

I enrolled in and attended Covina High School, in Covina, California for my junior year. I was dating and going steady with Tom at this time, so it was a busy and eventful year for me. I was selected to be an "Alcyonian" during my junior year. This was supposedly quite an honor to be taken into this group. I didn't get to serve in this group long, because I moved to Meridian, Idaho to finish out my schooling there, as a senior.

I was very active, socially and academically during my senior year in Idaho. It was a small school. As I recall, we had a graduating class of about fifty two students. I worked in the office and did a lot of correspondence work for the principal. I graduated with honors in May of 1951. 1 had worked afternoons at the bank in Meridian, as a bookkeeper, during my senior year, because I had more than enough credits to graduate. Perhaps one of my most embarrassing moments happened, when I was a senior. I was editor of the school paper during that time also, and stayed late working on the paper, after school was over. As I left the school one afternoon, I walked out the back door, and past the locker rooms which were on the lower level of the school, and all lined with windows. The football team was in there getting dressed after a practice!! It was one of those situations where you don't know whether to keep right on going, or turn around and go back!! I kept right on going, but could hear the team yelling at me!!

I only went one quarter at Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah, in the fall of 1952. The tuition then was $85.00!! I was able to take just what I wanted, because I was only at school for the experience, and because Tom was going to the "Y" and I wanted to be with him. I took a Book of Mormon class from Eldin Ricks, a theology class from Gerrit deJong, and a sewing class from Mrs. Jorgensen. The one thing I remember from her class was that the only good thing she had to say about a gray wool dress that I slaved over, was "you do a nice job of hemming!" I honestly don't remember the other classes I had, but do remember that no one warned me that I had scheduled every other class on lower campus!! Talk about getting my exercise!! I was absolutely worn out, and usually late to my classes. But then, I was only there for the fun of it, right? I left BYU in December of 1952 and went back to California to prepare to get married. I had become "officially" engaged in October of 1952.

VI. Church Activity

I was born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. During the time I lived on the farm (from birth through age sixteen) I attended a branch of the church in Akron, Ohio, fourteen miles away from where we lived. I was the only girl my age during the time, in the branch. But it did give me a lot of opportunities to serve that I otherwise would not have had. I played the piano for the services, and also did a lot of accompanying. I started this at age twelve. I also had the opportunity to teach little children in the Primary group at this time. This was before the days of the consolidated schedule, of course, but because this was a branch of the church, we still could not carry out the programs of the organizations, like they did "in the West". We did our best, but the little children really had a combination of Primary and Sunday School. Relief Society was held, as was Priesthood, early, before the sacrament meeting service. Since I was the only girl my age in the branch, I did no socializing through the Church. So I was never able to go through the Primary or the M.I.A. program as outlined by the church. Actually, I did enter the Mia Maid class when I moved to California in 1949, and was able to attend M.I.A. then. I've held many positions in the Church. working in all the organizations at one time or another. I have been a visiting teacher in all the wards or branches where we have resided. As I stated earlier, I started out as the branch pianist for Sunday School and sacrament meeting when I was twelve, and also taught the young children at this time. When we lived in Hutchinson, Kansas from 1957 to 1958, 1 served as the Mutual President, over the whole organization. We had no Young Men's presidency. So I would conduct , play the piano, take minutes, and then teach. I had to counselors either. In the mission field you do the best you can with what you have. During this time, I was teaching the Social Relations class in Relief Society, was a Primary teacher, and Sunday School teacher. I also had the opportunity (if you can call it that!!) to speak in sacrament meeting at least once a month -- sometimes I was assigned, and at other times would be asked as I came in the door, because another speaker had not shown up! ! Yes, you do the best you can in the mission field. During the time we lived in this branch, we hosted a reception for Frank W. Asper, at that time the organist for the Tabernacle Choir. He was touring the area, and played at another church in Hutchinson where they had a larger organ. But we hosted the reception. Tom had made a beautiful scroll with the music written on it of "Come, Come Ye Saints". It was just beautiful and we used it as part of the decorations for the refreshment table. Brother Asper asked if he could take it with him, and we felt this quite an honor!!

Then when we moved to Provo, Utah about a year later, I worked again in the Primary while in the Provo 12th Ward. Then we moved to the Rivergrove Ward on the west side of Provo. I served as Junior Sunday School pianist and as speech director and then later the age group counselor in the M.I.A. My position of speech director was my very favorite one. I loved that type of work at that time and especially enjoyed working with the young folks.

When we moved to Orem, Utah in 1961, 1 again worked in the M.I.A. as a counselor, for a short time , until we moved back to Provo, and was editor of the ward newspaper, again in the Rivergrove Ward that I lived in a short time while Tom was living in southern California, trying to find employment, before we moved there, too, five months later.

While living in El Monte, California, which we did, from 1963-1976, 1 served as pianist in both the Primary and the Relief Society, as various times. My very favorite job there, which I held for two years, was that of Mother Education Teacher. This was a wonderful experience and I truly loved it!!

And then since returning to Orem, Utah, I have served as Relief Society pianist, and also secretary. My opportunities to serve as I once did, have been less in the past few years, due to the limitations on me due to some health problems. But I am grateful for the experience that I had over the many years of being able to serve.

VII. My Impressive Work Resume

I do not have a very impressive work history!! I started out "working" as a baby sitter, for my cousin when I was probably twelve or thirteen. It was quite an experience for me, not having been from a large family, and still having the responsibility of knowing how to take care of them. I did have one "bonus" along with the ten cents an hour that I made!! I got to take a bath while I was there in a real bathtub, in a real bathroom! !! But because I was so anxious to get that special privilege, I would tell my cousins it was time to go to bed, an hour before they were supposed to go, just so I could enjoy taking that bath, after I got them settled!! Guess I could be called a "dishonest employee!" But that bath was so much fun and probably the reason I consented to baby sit. I certainly wasn't making any money with the job!!

So with that illustrious start in the work world, I went on to work as a cashier in the Cornet dime store in Covina, California, after moving to California. I worked there afternoons during my junior year in high school.

While living in Meridian, Idaho, during my senior year in high school, I was lucky enough to be able to work afternoons at the bank in Meridian. ( I had more than enough credits to graduate, so didn't have to go to school in the afternoons.) This was a great experience for me, even though banking can be a bit grueling at times. This was before the days of the computer, and with a lot of human error involved, some afternoons were a bit long, until we found our mistakes!!

With this experience, I was able to work at the Covina National Bank, in Covina, California, after moving back there in the summer of 1951. 1 worked there during 1951 and part of 1952, until I quit to attend Brigham Young University in the fall of 1952. 1 worked in the escrow department some of the time, but most of my duties were as a bookkeeper, using the great big bookkeeping machines, that are a thing of the past now.

For several months, during the first part of 1953, and while I was preparing for my marriage, I worked in the Covina City Clerk's office. This was an interesting job, but one that I had only a few months, due to getting married.

Shortly after my marriage, and while Tom as in boot camp in San Diego, I worked in the offices of Monahan, Carr and Smith as a typist and general office clerk. I had my first experience with an electric typewriter at this time, and it took some doing to get used to it!! This was my last job during my marriage, because Tom and I felt it important that I be with my children and take care of them. So even when things got very tight, financially, I still remained at home with my little family, and have always been grateful that I made this decision. They have told me many times, how much it meant to them to have me at home when they returned from school, and to know that I was always there. I am sure that my father-in-law, was pleased with this decision also, because he has always felt very strongly that a mother's place was in the home, and was proud that his daughter and daughters-in-law had been able to do this.

I have done some part time work for Planned Management, in just the past two years, entering data into the computer, but have been able to work at home, which was great for me. And I am glad for the experience of learning how to use a computer. I had been very intimidated by them, but found out they were really not such monsters!

So, that is the extent of my work experiences. There is one very big disadvantage to this, though, in that if I ever found myself in a position to have to work outside the home, again, I would have a very difficult time because of not being trained in anything special, and not being in the work force for so many, many years.

VIII. With Stars In My Eyes -- Our Courtship

Would you believe that Tom's father married my mother way back in 1930?! A good attention getter, if anything. During our courtship and later when we got married, this was a wonderful story to tell!! Let me explain. In 1930, Tom's father, Joseph T. Davies, was the bishop of the ward that my mother was living in at the time of her marriage. She had a civil marriage on June 22, 1930, because my father had just joined the church. (They went to the temple a year later.) But anyhow, Bishop Davies was the one who married them!! They moved to Ohio, and nineteen years later, moved to California and into the Baldwin Park Ward. The first Sunday there, my mother recognized Bishop Davies, and in talking with him,! found out he had a son the same age as I was!! That same afternoon, in sacrament meeting, Tom played a piano duet with Joy Cluff, and as he went to sit down, I said to my folks, "That's Tom Davies?!?! And that night, oddly enough, he ended up taking me home from a fireside, even though he had not attended the fireside himself. He had been the youth speaker at another ward, but when he returned home, it had all been "cooked up" by the couple who had taken me to the fireside, that "Tommy Davies" would take me home!! He came by, in his old gray Ford (the door on the passenger side wouldn't open). And he took me home!! That was the beginning of a long four year courtship. We began dating right after that, and except for the year that I had to live in Meridian, Idaho, we went together. I still felt like I was going with him, even when I lived in Idaho, because I was still so crazy about him. So I feel like we went together for four years (instead of three, which was actually the time we were together.) We dated steadily during these years, and dated no one else. We were very serious about one another. We had our stormy times, believe me!! Many a night, after getting upset with each other, Tom would sit outside my house until, long after I had gone in. And then suddenly he would "peel out" (the neighbors heard all this, too!) and would finally go home. But we had some really wonderful times too. We spent a lot of time at the beach in the summer. These were such fun times. Sometimes we went alone, and other times with a group of friends. In the winter we went to the mountains to play in the snow. One time when we were coming down on a toboggan, we went over an incline that we didn't know was there, and flew off the toboggan, and Tom lit right on top of my back. Haven't been the same since!! We went to movies, skating (although I never learned to skate!), and to a lot of dances. At that time, the Lucky Clover dances were verypopular in the M.I.A program. I don't think we missed one of them each weekend! We loved to dance!! Would rather have done that than eat!! Those times with our friends are very choice memories.

Our very first date was to a sock hop!! Tom was really trying to impress me that night by dancing cheek to cheek. Because I was so short, it must have been very tiring for him, and I do know that I had a very stiff neck!! Because I had the smallest feet (size 2), 1 won the prize of a white angora sweater!!

I spent a lot of time at the Davies' home during this time. We were usually there for Sunday dinner and lots of times in between. The barbecues in their back yard were lots of fun. Tom and I would sit on the lawn swing, long after everyone else had gone in the house and watch the embers of the fire in the fireplace where we had cooked the food.

I think our courtship was as normal as anyone. We had our share of fights or disagreements, but made up awfully quick!! And as long as we went together, the temptations were always there. But we truly loved one another and had enough respect for one another to try to do what we knew was right. We always knew that we would be married in the temple, and all our plans were always in that direction.

While Tom was at Brigham Young University, the fall of 1951, he asked me to be his wife, in a letter that I received October 10, 1951. But I did not get my ring until over a year later, on November 18, 1952, while we were both attending school together at BYU. My engagement ring was the diamond from a ring given me by my grandmother, and then we had it put it a new setting. I was so proud to be engaged to Tom. It had been a long four years, and we both had experienced a lot in that time. I went home to California in December of 1952, as did Tom, and we started to prepare for our wedding which was set for February 17, 1953.

IX. Beginning the Journey

We left for Mesa, Arizona on February 16, 1953, with my parents and Tom's parents. We had dinner that night and stayed in a motel, and readied ourselves for the wedding the next morning in the Arizona Temple. I still have to laugh when I think of what Tom and I were doing, while his and my parents were playing shuffleboard at the motel. We were inside, and Tom was reading the Book of Mormon and reading passages to me dealing with having a family!! I can remember how concerned I felt, and probably a little panicky! Earlier in the afternoon, we had to go to the County Clerk's office to get our marriage license. we really had that poor county clerk going when we told her that Tom's father had married my mother. And we just left it at that, until we got a good chuckle over the reaction of the clerk. Then we explained what the situation really was!! Dad Davies had to sign for Tom because he was still "under-age", at nineteen. But no one had to sign for me.

So then, the next morning, we arrived at the Arizona Temple. I do believe that I was numb by then. I was hardly aware of what was going on. And besides I had a cold, so that made it even harder. We were the only bride and groom that day, so a great deal of time was taken with us, to explain everything to us. I do know that it was a very special time of my life, and I was very much in love. As we descended the stairs, after the ceremony, and had gotten dressed in our street clothes, we were told by one who had married us that, "We were going out into the world, but we did not have to become part of it. 11 1 have always remembered this admonition to us. We had dinner with our parents and then they left to go back to California in my parents car, and left us with their big Oldsmobile!! We stayed on in Mesa for the night, and attended a session at the temple the next morning before leaving to return home. I was now Mrs. Thomas L. Davies!!

Much preparation had gone into our reception for weeks prior to our wedding. My mother had done a terrific job and most of the organization of it. I had my gown made and paid for this and bought my "going away suit". We had a lovely reception, and so many people came, it was really gratifying. The newspaper account of our reception is included here. I have to laugh every time I look at our wedding pictures and see the one of our beautiful wedding cake. When my father would look at it, he would say, "Thirty five dollars for that!!" At that time, that was an expensive cake!! Our whole reception was a lovely occasion, and one I hope I will always remember. We did not have a honeymoon, but only that one day that we stayed on in Mesa, before returning home.

The little house that we arranged to rent was not available right then, so we stayed a few days with Tom's folks. This was not the greatest thing to have to do, with being newly married, but we had no choice. But in a few days we were able to move into a little frame, one bedroom house, just a few blocks from mother and dad Davies. We were given furniture from various sources, and I worked hard to make our little house a home. It was fun using all the brand new things that we had gotten. My cooking wasn't the greatest, but we managed to survive it all, as I learned gradually how to cook. During this time, Tom worked as a carpenter on the Pasadena Stake House, and made a whopping four hundred dollars a month!! This was very good money then, and we thought we were living quite well!! one entry in my diary at that time said, "I bought a steak for $1.50!!" And in another entry, we had gotten back our wedding pictures, complete in an album, and they cost $21.50!!

So we lived the life of the newlyweds, until Tom entered the Navy on May 5, 1953. We had been together less than three months when he left. I was so lonely and so lost and had no idea what was ahead for both of us and how much we would have to be separated. I had made arrangements to rent a little house on the back of some property that my parents owned, in Covina, California. So, the day after Tom left, I moved in there. A friend of ours, Norma Haynie, whose husband was also in the service moved in with me a few days later. I was working at the office of Monahan, Carr and Smith at this time. I did not drive, so had to take the bus from Covina to El Monte each day. On the weekends, I would go to San Diego to be with Tom. I would either take a bus into the station in Los Angeles, and take the train down to San Diego, or sometimes, Tom's brother Ken, would drive me down. But I always got there , and we would spend the weekend at the Pickwick Hotel, when he had a pass. Otherwise, we would just have to spend the time on the base. As I reflect back on those weekends " and how I got around by myself, I can hardly believe that I did all this!! With the way things are these days, I would not have wanted to travel by myself, and make all these connections, to get to San Diego, and then on to the base. But times were surely different then. I remember that I would always make sure that the other sailors on the train would see my wedding rings when they started talking with me, so they would know that I was married.

Finally "boot camp" at San Diego was over and we were moving again. This time to Oxnard, California, while Tom was stationed at Point Mugu. This was quite an experience for me, to have to be away from all our loved ones, and I was very homesick, and very sick also, because by the time we left there, in mid October of 1953, 1 was two months pregnant with our first baby. Tom left for the Philippines on October 14, 1953. 1 went home to live with my parents in West Covina, California. It was very, very difficult being without Tom, and especially having to go through my pregnancy without him.

It was not easy to go home after being married and gone for eight months. But I had no choice, and they welcomed me back and made me comfortable. But with being pregnant with my first baby, and without Tom, it was a very difficult time for me. I managed to get through Christmas that year, somehow, and spent a lot of time preparing for our baby, by making little kimonos and nightgowns. I kept busy with church activities, and spent a lot of time with friends, several of whom were already married, also. I was able to spend a lot of time with Tom's family too, and this helped a great deal. But oh, the pain of being separated from Tom was unbearable at times. I lived with my parents until the latter part of January, 1954. They had sold their home in West Covina, and moved to Turlock, California. Because of a measles epidemic there at the time they moved, it was decided that I should stay in El Monte with Tom's folks until it was safe to move up to Turlock. I was with them until March 2, and then traveled by train to where my folks lived. They were renting at the time while their new home was being built. I was very lonely there, because my friends and Tom's family were not near by, and I had never been to this area before. But I kept busy in the ward there and continued to prepare for my new little "bundle from heaven". Spring came and I was nearing my delivery time. I was going to Castle Air Force Base for my check ups, and the doctors there kept telling me that I was due in April. They were very wrong, and all this time I kept thinking it was time for me to have the baby. And I was huge!! It looked like I was carrying twins!! I weighed only a hundred pounds when I got pregnant, and with such a small frame, I really looked big!! But I didn't deliver until May 15, 1953, when our first son, Kim Thomas Davies was born!! What an experience for me, to have a baby, and not have my husband there to be with me!! It was a very difficult situation at the base where I had Kim. We had to get up and go to the nursery and pack our babies back to our bed (and it was a big ward with about twelve beds in it.) We took care of our babies and ourselves. But the conditions there were very unsanitary. It is a wonder I didn't get some dread disease. The bathrooms were filthy!! The day I left there, I even had to make up the bed for the next person coming in there. Lifting the heavy mattress and changing all the bedding was not too great, just a few days after having a baby. But I survived, as did my cute little boy, and I was glad to be able to take him home. I was comfortable at my folk's place, with a room all to myself. But I knew nothing about babies , and so found everything quite a challenge!! I drove my family crazy, insisting that they always keep very quiet while Kim was asleep. And I thought he should always be asleep, not realizing that babies should be awake some of the time, so this was nerve wracking for all of us. But it was very painful to me to not be able to share this wonderful experience of having a baby and all the cute things that he did, as he grew, with Tom.

I moved (again) on June 22, when Kim was just five weeks old , to the new home that my folks had built there in Turlock. It was a lovely home, and I was fortunate to have a room for myself and Kim. The summer was unbearably hot, and I was missing Tom more than ever. I still kept busy in the ward there, and tried to keep up my share of the work at my folks, and take care of Kim.

Tom arrived back in the states on November 17, and the next day drove up to Turlock. I will never, never forget what a wonderful feeling it was to be with him again. And this was the first time that he had seen Kim. So Kim was six months old before his daddy saw him. Tom was so sweet with him, and it was a very special moment.

It was decided that we would live with Mother and Dad Davies during the time that Tom was on leave. So we moved in with them on November 21, and stayed through the holidays, and moved to Oxnard on January 1, 1955, where we went back to the same housing units that we had lived in before Tom left for the Philippines. This was all quite an ordeal for me.. I wasn't really comfortable living with the folks, especially with a little baby this time, and with Tom home, and not having the privacy that we would like to have had. So it was good to be on our own once again, although the living quarters were not the greatest. But we weren't together very long, because on February 22, just five days after our second wedding anniversary, Tom left again to go to Kodiak, Alaska!! Again -- I went home to live with my folks!! Many women at that time tried to follow their husbands when they left the states, but guess I was lucky to have a place to go, especially with a little one. It would not have been good for him to have been dragged around like that. So once again, I was active there in the Turlock Ward, and that helped some to keep me busy, besides taking care of Kim. I made a trip back to southern California during that time and stayed with the folks for awhile, so they could enjoy Kim. On August 1, 1955, Tom arrived back from Alaska. My father and I picked him up in Modesto, Calif. He had taken the bus from San Francisco. Together again!! And more traveling back and forth to southern California, to get all our belongings packed up there, and to finally leave from Turlock on August 13. It just about broke my heart, and my folks, too!! They had gotten very attached to Kim, with all the time that I had lived with them for the past year.

Tom had to extend his time in the Navy, in order to get home from Alaska, and at the time that seemed like the logical thing to do, because we were so tired of being apart. But this meant that we had to go on to Memphis, Tennessee, and arrived there the latter part of August in 1955. We couldn't find housing when we got there, and lived with another young couple that we met there, who graciously asked us to stay with them.. This was quite an experience, because they had three little children, and we had Kim, so there were four little children and four adults in a two bedroom flat. We stayed with them a couple of weeks, because we were so poor then, we couldn't afford a motel while we were trying to find a, place to live. The place we finally settled for, was way out in the "sticks" and was a very rundown, dirty, old house. It had "bugs", and I never would step on the floors with my bare feet while we lived there. There were cupboard doors that I never opened, because I was afraid of what I would find behind them!! An old rickety wringer washer that we used there, caught on fire one day while I was washing, and without thinking, I doused it with water!!! One of the dumbest things I could have done, of course. I lasted eleven days in that dump, and then we moved into "Mud Flat" the housing area for the base. This was a much better place to live, and although I didn't have a vacuum and had to sweep black tile floors every day with a broom, I was still much happier there. It was while living here, that I became pregnant for the second time and was quite ill. Poor little Kim would just stay by me and play with his toys when I was too sick to be up. I made curtains by hand for the kitchen in this little place, and was quite pleased with the results. We were so poor the Christmas that we were there, that we had a little two foot tree that we sat on the chest of drawers, which we kept in the living room. I cut pictures from old Christmas cards, and put them on the -wall behind the tree. That was the extent of our decorations. Kim got three things that year, and I remember them well!! He got a big Pinocchio doll, a metal truck and a ball. Tom and I gave each other "liquid pens" (a pen that wrote like a pencil!) That is all we could give one another!! Definitely quite an experience. We left this place two days before our third anniversary.

We were pulling a trailer, and packed up in the back of the car too. We had trouble with the trailer, so I sat in the car with Kim, while Tom hitchhiked to the nearest little town, but couldn't get help, so came back, and we left the loaded trailer at the side of the road, and drove into Jonesboro, Arkansas to rent a trailer, came back to where our loaded trailer was, and re-packed, right there by the side of the road!! Lost five and a half hours with this little venture. Finally on our way again, making a very hectic and trying trip into Hutchinson, Kansas, our next place to be stationed!! (Strange place for a Navy base -- in the middle of Kansas!) We arrived there on our third anniversary! But after finding a place to live, were on the road again to travel to California to visit with my folks and with all the Davies' family. By this time, I felt I was destined to spend my life packing and traveling. I thought that was all there was!

But after this trip, we settled down in Hutchinson the first part of March. This traveling had been extra hard on me, because of my pregnancy. But finally, we had a place to stay for while. It was an upstairs apartment, and we had to be especially quiet, because they normally did not rent to people with children. (The landlords lived downstairs). But we turned out to be good renters, and they just loved Kim. They even consented to our having an automatic washer, because I had a baby due, and had been washing diapers in the bathtub. Not an easy feat when you are very pregnant, and as big as I was!! This apartment was the hottest place on' earth!! At night, the sheets would just get soaked from sweating so much. I went through the summer heat during the last part of my pregnancy. After three "false alarm" trips to the naval base, I had another son, Jeffery Brent, on September 7, 1956. He was such a good little baby. But Kim really had a time getting used to him. He had been the center of attention for two whole years!! So I was a very busy little mother with two boys to care for, and keep up my home and church responsibilities. I was very homesick during the time we lived in Kansas. But was fortunate enough to have my parents visit us while we lived there. In fact, on one of their trips to see us, they took us to Ohio. I had not been there since 1949, when we left there.

Tom had a lot of "duty" nights while we lived in Hutchinson, and I had some difficulty with this, especially with being alone with two little children. The latter part of October of 1956, we moved to another apartment. This one had a huge kitchen, large living room, and bathroom on the main floor, with two bedrooms upstairs, and a basement where I had my washer. This was quite an ordeal, because of all the going up and down stairs all day, and with two little boys, there was a lot of running!!

The time spent in Hutchinson was quite an eventful and emotional experience for me. I had a lot of adjustments and problems during this time, and also had the responsibility of the M.I.A. during most of our stay there. I made some good friends, and undoubtedly grew a lot during this time. But it was a difficult time.

We were very tired of the Navy life by this time too, and probably wished at times, that we had not extended that extra year. But finally it all came to an end, in the spring of 1958, when we left the Navy for good, and moved back to Provo, Utah!!

This was one big phase of our lives that was good to leave behind. We were to now embark on another phase, that of being poor, humble students!!

X. Student Life -- No One Said It Would Be Easy

And poor humble students we were! The first place we lived in was a little white shingle, one bedroom duplex apartment on the east side of Provo. I was trying so hard to make ends meet, and gave a try at making shirts for Kim and Jeff. This was my first and my last attempt at doing this!! I found the life of a student's wife, a real challenge, because I was left alone so much of the time to take care of the boys and the chores that were a part of my "daily drama". I still wasn't driving a car at this time, so was really stranded!!

We soon moved from the apartment to a little white frame house on the west side of Provo. It had a large yard, a coal furnace in the basement ( a new experience for us!), and we had a bit more room, with a small bedroom for Kim and Jeff. I enjoyed the yard work, and did most of it by myself. I was a bit more content in this place, because I enjoyed the neighborhood, and the ward, and was very active in the M. I. A. during this time. It was while in this ward that I got my Golden Gleaner Award through the M.I.A organization. This was a great honor at that time.

After living in this little house for a year or so, we moved up the street one block, to a basement apartment that had a sunporch along the entire south side. It was while living in this apartment that I found out I was pregnant again, after a three and a half year break!! I found it very difficult to keep up with everything, because I felt so poorly for awhile. But did manage to keep up the apartment, and even made curtains for a huge front window. I was alone a good share of the time because Tom was working closely with a Dr. Trunnell on campus and would work long into the night. But again, with the association with neighbors and my activity in the Rivergrove Ward, this helped a great deal. Just before our daughter, Lori, was born, my parents moved to Utah from California. They arrived just the day before I delivered, in fact!! So this helped too, to have them near. The Christmas after Lori was born (which was just six weeks later), found us without any money to buy gifts. A dear friend of mine, took me to a toy shop and had me pick out three gifts for each Kim and Jeff, and she paid for them. So we at least had something from "Santa" for the boys. That same year we gave away all the paintings Tom had done when he was an art major at BYU, to all the families that we had to give gifts to. It was all we could do.

The next fall, in 1961, we moved from this apartment and actually moved out of Provo, and to the small city of Orem!! We wanted Jeff to be able to start school, and he missed the deadline, by just a week, if we stayed in Provo. So we found another basement apartment in Orem, and moved out there. Our landlady really liked us, so it made it quite pleasant living there. Jeff started kindergarten and Kim was in the first grade. Lori celebrated her first birthday in this little place.

By the spring of 1962, it was time to move on again, as we decided to live in the brand new tri-level home that Tom had built on the west side of Provo. He had once again turned to building as a means of support for his growing family. But there was no more for him to do in the area, so it was decided that I would live in this lovely home, while it was for sale, and he would go to Southern California, and try to establish something there for us. So, I lived in this home for five months, during which time I took care of Kim, Jeff and Lori, had to keep up a huge house and keep it in good condition for potential buyers to see. ( And I still wasn't driving, so had to depend on others to get me around, mainly my parents who would come in from Springville to help me out.)

XI. Moving On

We moved from this home in June of 1962, and left Utah for California. We had purchased a new little home from Dad Davies, which was built on property just back of them. So we packed up, and headed for El Monte, California, where I would live for the next thirteen years!!

I found the hectic pace of living in California very hard to get used to, after living in Utah. And at this time, I still didn't drive, so at least was not on the freeways!! But I could feel the "hustle and bustle" around me, and was homesick for some time for Utah. And I had left my parents behind, which didn't help any!! I was still quite dependent upon them, even after nine years of marriage.

A few months after being in our new little home, I found out I was pregnant again, with our fourth child. There was so much to be done in the house, but as usual, I felt pretty rotten for a few weeks. I remember how cute Lori was, to stay by the side of the bed where I was, and just play with her dolls. It took some time to get drapes, curtains, and such things up, but soon we had a comfortable little home. Then we had to worry about planting grass and getting the outside cleaned up. Again, my activity in the ward helped me adjust to the new surroundings, and Tom's folks lived right next to us, which was nice.

In April, I gave birth to another son, Mark Edward. Even though he was a very good baby, I was overwhelmed, and remember one morning, vividly, as I went to the door between the dinette, and the garage, where Tom had set up a drafting office, and threw up my hands and yelled, "Help!" But I soon got a good schedule going, and began to cope once again with the responsibilities of motherhood!!

But I was alone a lot, and the evenings were very tiring for me, until I got four children settled in bed. Thank heavens, they were good about going to bed, and I was very organized about bedtime and mealtime, so this helped quite a bit. But Tom was busy in the building business, and working out of town, and would very often get home late. These were the days for me, of staying up often until two o I clock in the morning, to get the ironing done (before the days of "permanent press") or to do other chores. Along with all this responsibility, I was still very active in the North El Monte ward, and held many positions at different times. But there were days, when even though I tried to run my home efficiently, I would find myself going from room to room, totally overwhelmed by it all, and cry.

When Mark was just fifteen months old, I found out I was pregnant again! ! But this pregnancy didn't go full term and I delivered a little boy, Douglas Leland, prematurely, on March 3, 1965. This experience was one for the books!! I will tell more about it, when I write about each of my children individually.So, this was a new and terrifying experience for me, to take care of a little premature baby, and give him the time and attention that he needed.

When Doug was only three weeks old, we made a sudden and rather unexpected move to a very large home in the Covina Hills, in Covina, California, about fifteen miles to the east. It was a home that Tom had built to sell, but it was decided that we would move into it, until it sold. Suddenly one morning, I found myself taking things off the table, putting them in the car and moving!! This was truly an experience, because it was a very contemporary style home, set up on a hill, quite isolated. Here I was with five children, the fifth, being premature and requiring a lot of care. And now I had this huge house to take care of!! It was during our stay there, that I finally "took the plunge" and started driving!! I never did take lessons, but simply started driving (without a license, no less), and after a short while, did go for my license. My world suddenly became much larger after I started driving and I felt so much more independent. As I look back on it now, I wonder how I survived that long without being able to get around be myself!

We lived in this home only ten months, and then returned to El Monte, to the home that we had lived in before. Unfortunately, we lost the big home in Covina, and it went back to the mortgage company. So once, again, I tried to settle down with my little family, and then suddenly found that I was expecting another baby!! I had been told after Doug's birth, that it would be best for me not to have any more children. My body was worn out, and this had been proved by having a premature baby. But, nevertheless, there I was, pregnant again for the sixth time!!

My energy was low, and I had a difficult time coping with all that was required of me. In the seventh month of my pregnancy, I lost my father in a tragic accident, in Utah. I returned to Utah by plane (my first time on a plane) and numbly went about the business of helping take care of plans for my father's funeral. This was, at that time, the most difficult experience of my life. I missed him so much, and would often feel his presence near me, in the years following his death. The emotional impact of his death took its toll on me, and three and a half weeks later, I gave birth, again prematurely, to our sixth child (our fifth son), Bradley John, who was born eight weeks early. He was in the hospital for three weeks, and I drove, daily, to the hospital in Glendora to feed him and hold him. Finally, I convinced the pediatrician, that I was capable of taking care of him and they let me bring him home, and he did thrive and grow very quickly. But it took a lot of time and energy on my part to take care of him, and the other five children besides. So, here I was, thirty four years old and the mother of six children under thirteen years of age. Needless to say, I was very busy and very tired. But I loved being a mother (and still do!)

It was, and still is, very important to me to be organized and run my home as efficiently as possible. I've always had a daily schedule and plan for the day. I really feel it helped me to get through those very busy years with my large family. As I have become older, I have been more flexible with my schedule, because I don I t have so many around that are dependent on me to run a well ordered home. And besides, old age has crept up on me, and I simply don't have the energy to do all that I used to. My patriarchal blessing said, "Think seriously of your home responsibilities. . No greater work or joy can come to you than comes through a well regulated home." I feel I have accomplished this.

As my family got older, I found myself going in many directions to get them to their activities. Scouting, church activities, baby sitting jobs, paper routes, school activities, and family outings took up a good share of our time. And then in 1973, I found myself sending off my first missionary! Kim had been called to the Washington D. C. area and left in September.I had a great deal of difficulty with this new experience, and Christmas that year was sad. I cried a lot! While Kim was on his mission, we moved from the home that we had been in for eleven years, and moved into another lovely new home that Tom had built just two blocks to the north of us, in El Monte. I really enjoyed my short stay in this home. Kim returned from his mission in September of 1975, and two months later, I had to say good-bye, again, this time to Jeff who had been called to the Caracas, Venezuela mission!! So far away, and I felt so isolated from him. I was realizing more all the time, how hard it is on mothers, when their sons go on missions.

XII. Moving Again!

The following spring, we went to Utah for conference, and while there, decided that it was time to leave California for good and move our family to a better environment in Utah. Many problems existed in the schools in southern California, and felt we should leave. So, two months later found us on our way to Orem, Utah. It was an extremely hectic trip. I had already been in El Monte, with Lori, Mark, Doug and Brad, while Tom had left for Utah for employment. Kim was going to Brigham Young University, and of course, Jeff, was on his mission. I had to try to get the house sold and get packed, while there by myself. So I was already worn out by the time we moved. When we arrived in Utah, we had to store our things, and temporarily live in a little two bedroom frame house, on the property that Tom was helping develop, building homes. That first month, I "nearly lost it!" What a challenge! Lori, Mark, Doug and Brad slept in a tent outside (except during severe windstorms, which are common in Orem, we found out!). But then the day finally came, when we were able to move into the home that Tom had purchased for us before I had arrived in Utah. Jeff arrived home from his mission in November of 1976. We had a full house for awhile, and then Jeff moved into an apartment in Provo, with Kim. There were problems with the house, as far as the construction, but I still felt good about being in Utah. When I would drive east, on Center Street, I would look at the beautiful mountains, and tears would come to my eyes. My first winter in Utah, made me wonder if we had made the right decision, though!! Winter driving was a new experience for me, and I found myself out in it every day, taking Lori, Mark, Doug and Brad to various schools. I learned fast, what to do and not do, on snow packed streets!!

I enjoyed the neighborhood, and the ward while living in this home, and it was rather sad to leave it, almost two years later, when we moved into a lovely, large home in the Deerfield subdivision, where Tom had designed and built other homes. Tom simply announced' one day, in the late winter of 1978, that we would be moving into this home (our twenty fifth anniversary gift!!) So, on my birthday, May 28,1978, we once again moved into a very lovely contemporary styled home (not completely finished, and still isn't at this writing, in 1988!) But everyone who came to see us for a year after that had to have the "grand tour".

Just three weeks after moving in, Jeff and Juli were married in the Los Angeles Temple, so we made the trip to California, for this lovely event. Soon after returning, we held an open house for them in our new home! Unfortunately, I spent the rest of the summer terribly ill, with a rash all over me, that many doctors could not diagnose. A few years later, I realized it was all from stress.

Ten short months later, we were having another wedding. This time, Kim and Susan. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple, and then we went to Boise, Idaho, for their lovely reception. We also had an open house here for them after their return to Provo. So we "broke the house in" quite well, that first year.

My life was not going smoothly for some time after this, and by the fall of 1980, 1 was really in trouble with depression, and had a very difficult time functioning. But somehow, I would struggle through each day, and even got through our third marriage, of Lori and Alan in April of 1981. If Lori hadn't been so organized and taken over with her plans, I don't know how this wedding would have taken place!! I wasn't much help, but she and Alan did a lovely job, and it was a special time for us.

I finally resorted to counseling at the Brigham Young University Comprehensive Clinic, and this, along with a determination to overcome this unfortunate event in my life, I began to handle my life some better. I've always felt so sad, that when my first grandchild, Jana, was born in July of 1980, 1 missed out on a lot of those first exciting months, because of my illness.

I was forty seven when my first grandchild was born, with five more to follow, and at this writing, two more by the end of January 1989. 1 will talk about my adorable grandchildren in another section of my history.

Once again, a son left home for a mission. Mark received his call in June of 1982, for the California, Los Angeles Mission (Spanish speaking). How ironic, that he would go back to an area so near to where he had moved from six years before. For my sake, though, it was good to know that he wasn't far away!

Now I had just Doug and Brad in high school. I realized how much my life was changing, and the adjustments that I was having to make in my life with these changes. I was having to learn to "let go" and this was so difficult for me. I kept slipping back into periods of depression. I was the classic example of the mother having to deal with the "empty nest syndrome." After Mark returned from his mission, he was home for awhile while attending Brigham Young University, eventually moving to Provo, and into an apartment. Doug,, who attended the university, also, soon moved to Provo, into the dorms first, and then later, into various apartments.

For the fourth time I found myself standing at the podium giving a farewell talk for our last missionary, when Brad was called to the Brazil, Rio de Janeiro Mission in the summer of 1986. The next few months were tearful and stressful ones for me, as Brad struggled with problems, and he eventually returned home in November. This was a learning experience for me, and I would never judge or condemn any young man who either chose not to go on a mission, or returned early from one. I do understand, and my heart goes out to them.

I was really challenged, emotionally and physically, when both Mark and Brad announced their wedding plans in the summer of 1987. Just six weeks apart!!! At first, it seemed an impossibility, but despite all, we did it!! Now I had five children married! My life was truly changing, and the question often came up, "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?" "Where do I go from here?"

I had gone through my married life being so caught up in the daily responsibilities, and the raising of a large family, that even though I had been told to prepare for the future, when this would no longer be a part of my life, I didn't heed the warning, so found myself without any skills, in order to work outside the home. School was suggested for me, but I lacked the courage to go back. My fantasy was to be a writer, so perhaps the writing of this history is one step in the right direction.

XIII. The Jewels In My Crown .... My Children

If our children are the "jewels in our crowns", then I truly have six beautiful jewels!! My children are so important and special to me, that I find it almost difficult to express myself here, about them. But I will try!!

Kim Thomas Davies

My firstborn, Kim Thomas, was born on May 15, 1954. He weighed in at nine pounds, thirteen ounces!! This was quite an accomplishment for me, being that I was only five feet two inches tall, and weighed a little over a hundred pounds when I started my pregnancy!! I gave birth to him, without Tom being here at the time of the birth, because he was overseas in the Philippines, while in the Navy. It was difficult for me being alone, but how I did enjoy my "little bundle from heaven." He was a good baby, but with my lack of knowledge about babies and what to expect of them, I thought he was supposed to sleep all the time, and got very frustrated when he didn't!! I soon learned what really goes on!! He spent the first four years of his life, moving around from one place to another while we were in the service. He entered school in Provo at the Timpanogas School, and was , the delight of his kindergarten teacher. He continued to be a good student through school, and as I recall, all of his teachers gave good reports on him. In high school, he played the drums in the band, and really enjoyed this, even though he had no formal training. He served a mission, from 1973-1975 in the Washington D. C. Mission, and was there at the time of the completion of the Washington D. C. Temple, and was able to serve as a guide before the dedication of it. After returning from his mission, he entered Brigham Young University, majoring in elementary education. He married Susan Jean Tuttle on April 26, 1980 in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. They have been blessed with three beautiful children: Jana Elise, Melanie Sue, and Kevin Thomas. After much hard work and sacrifice, Kim graduated in April of 1982, and is now teaching in the Highland Elementary School in Highland, Utah. I am very proud of him and his accomplishments, and that he has stayed strong and true in the church, and is leading his little family in righteous ways.

Jeffery Brent Davies

My second son, Jeffery Brent was born on September 7, 1956, in Hutchinson, Kansas. I was so eager to have him, that I made three trips to the Navel base hospital, with false labor, before I had him!! As with the birth of Kim, the situation in a Naval hospital is less than desirable, so I took him home as soon as I could. He was a very good baby, and I was a little more at ease, after having been through this before, so enjoyed him a lot. We left the Navy when Jeff was a year and a half old, so he didn't have to be moved around as much. He was Kim's shadow during those first few years after moving back to Provo. The neighbors were amused and entertained by watching Jeff follow Kim up and down the sidewalk, as Kim rode his tricycle, and Jeff pulled his by the handlebars. He would trudge all the way up the sidewalk in order to keep up with Kim, and then turn around and trudge all the way back down! He entered kindergarten in Orem, Utah, where we moved, purposely to get him into school, because he missed the deadline date by one week, had we stayed in Provo. All of his teachers through elementary and junior high school, gave good reports on him. He had a musical talent that became quite evident as he participated in vocal musical groups at school. He was able to use this talent while on his mission, too. He chose to serve a mission, and was called to the Venezuela Caracas Mission, where he served from 1975-1977. 1 noticed that he never complained about his mission. His letters were all quite positive. I always felt that he was very thankful to be able to serve his heavenly Father, at that time of his life. After he returned, in the fall of 1977, he also entered Brigham Young University, in the Communications Department. He married Julianna Young on June 16, 1980 in the Los Angeles Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. They were also blessed with three beautiful children, Jesse Thomas, Jamilyn and Jeremy Brent. Jeff worked and sacrificed too, and graduated from Brigham Young University on April 22. 1983 and left eight days later for Mesa, Arizona, actually moving there on May 27, 1983. He interned for ITT Courier for a few months, then accepted the position of Human Resources Director for a new hospital in Bullhead City, Arizona, moving there on New Year's Day, 1984. This position he held until returning to Mesa, and being the Personnel Specialist at Penmore (a subsidiary of Gerber products) for nearly two years, until the spring of 1986 when he accepted the position of Personnel Manager for Kinney Shoes Distributing Center in Phoenix, Arizona. I am proud of him and the abilities he demonstrates in his work. He has stayed strong in the church and is leading his family in righteous ways.

Lori Davies

Lori , my only daughter, was born on November 11, 1960. As the only girl, she was protected by her brothers, and doted on as a little girl. I admit it was fun to be able to dress up a little girl!! She was a very good student in school, and showed creative abilities early. She proved to be good leader in school, and maintained good grades, and was enjoyed by all her teachers. She never seemed to go through the awful teen years, and was quite serious about all that she set forth to do. Her creativity showed up in her teen age years, when she could go into her room and sew an outfit for herself in an afternoon!! She is also very creative in the things that she makes for her home, and for others as gifts. She graduated from Orem High School in May of 1980. She was much in demand as a baby sitter during junior high and high school, and even after. She worked at the Storehouse market and at Trafalga Fun Center, before attending a semester at Brigham Young University in the fall of 1980. During this time she had serious eye surgery to correct a detached retina in her right eye and a perforations in both eyes, which was a congenital condition. On April 2, 1981, she married Alan Reed Gillman, in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. She and Alan did a beautiful job of planning their wedding, and it was a lovely affair. Lori took care of children in her home for a few years, and has been working full time at Burrell's Clipping Service for the past five years, while Alan is finishing his schooling. Lori is working toward her Associate Degree, and has been taking a few classes at a time to accomplish this. She has always served diligently in the church, and has been able to use her talents in all her callings, and I am proud of her in all that she does.

Mark Edward Davies

Mark Edward, my fourth child, (and third son) was born on April 22, 1963, in Covina, California. He was an enjoyable baby, and right from the start had a mind of his own!! When he was put in stiff soled shoes, after he started walking, he simply stopped walking!! It was his way of protesting his new shoes that he did not like!! Mark did very well in school and participated in the gifted child program. His teachers all enjoyed him and always had to find extra things for him to do in the classroom. He had many interests as he grew up, and would concentrate diligently on them, before going on to something else. I would always "capitalize" on this at Christmas and get him something that went along with his "current interest". In high school, at Mountain View High School, in Orem, he participated in debate and won many, many honors in the debate tournaments. He received many honors while in high school, including being a Sterling Scholar finalist in social science in his senior year. He did an outstanding job at preparing his portfolio for this. He graduated from Mountain View High School in May of 1981, and was one of the speakers. At the Scholar's Banquet it was announced that he had the second highest GPA. Mark was fortunate enough to work at the MTC in the audio/visual department, while attending Brigham Young University on a scholarship. He interrupted his schooling in 1982 to serve a mission in the California Los Angeles (Spanish speaking) Mission. When he returned in 1984, he resumed his studies at Brigham Young University, and graduated there Magna Cum Laude, in April, 1986. He left for Taiwan on April 20 to teach English there, but a few days after that, decided to return home, and arrived on April 28. On August 7, 1987 he married Kathy Hayward in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. He is now nearing his master's program at BYU, and will be going to Spain in January of 1989, along with Kathy, where they will teach Spanish for six months. I am very proud of all that Mark has accomplished, and never cease to be amazed at the knowledge that he has of the gospel and of many other subjects.

Douglas Leland Davies

My fourth son (and fifth child), Douglas Leland Davies, was born on March 3, 1965, six weeks prematurely. This was a new experience for me to have a birth such as this. He was taken to Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, California, after his birth, because one lung wouldn't inflate. He was there three days, and then we were able to bring him home. Taking care of a premature infant was quite a challenge, along with already having four other children to take care of. He always seemed frail to me as he grew' up, and I was more cautious about what he did. His creative abilities were evident from a young age, when he could take things we had thrown in the trash, and make something really interesting out of it. I remember a robot that he made out of oatmeal boxes and other items, and sprayed silver. He used his talent as an artist all through school, and has made many interesting and creative birthday and Christmas cards. In high school it became evident that he had the ability to understand and operate computers. He graduated with honors from Mountain View High School in 1983 with a one year scholarship to Brigham Young University. He was a Computer Science major at Brigham Young University, and worked as the head TA in the computer department during his studies there. He graduated from BYU in April of 1987. Before his graduation, he had already been hired by Word Perfect as a programmer, so went right on to that job after his graduation. His salary is quite substantial, and the envy of all of us in the family!!

Bradley John Davies

My sixth child (and fifth son!) Bradley John Davies, was born eight weeks prematurely on August 3, 1967. 1 certainly wasn't prepared for this experience!! He was in the hospital for three and a half weeks after birth, and really not progressing as he should have. I convinced the pediatrician that I knew how to take care of premature babies, and was allowed to take him home. He really thrived after that!! It took a lot of care and time, but he did so well. As with his brothers and sister, he was well liked and enjoyed in grade school, and even doted on by some of the teachers. In high school, he got very active in music and with athletics. His athletic ventures got him into a lot of injuries, and he spent more than his share of time in the emergency room at the hospital with sprained ankles and messed up knees. Somehow we survived it all. He was very social in high school, and attended every event and dance that came along. He graduated with honors from Mountain View High School in 1985. He was called to the Brazil, Rio De Janeiro Mission on May 30, 1986. It was a busy summer for us as we prepared for his departure for the MTC. Because of health problems, his mission was changed to the Missouri, St. Louis Mission. He returned in November to us because of these same problems. on June 19, 1987 he married Mary Catherine Ethington in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. He resumed his studies at Utah Valley Community College, and is now a student at Brigham Young University, majoring in Elementary Education. He has proved to be a good manager, and is eagerly looking forward to fatherhood the latter part of January, 1989.

I enjoyed my children so very much as each one came along, and brought a special spirit into our home. It has been gratifying to see them grow and develop and become the special people that they are. I feel very close to each one of them, and am so proud of all that they have accomplished. With the many problems that families face these days, it is such a blessing to me to have children that are living the way that they should and guiding their children in righteous ways and staying close to their Heavenly Father. I have always enjoyed watching each of them at family gatherings. They each have a unique sense of humor that has been interesting to observe. I truly appreciate each one of them, and feel very, very blessed to be their mother. I had no desire to be a woman in the work place. My life was devoted to my family, and to see how very special they are, is the greatest reward a mother could have.

XIV. Grandchildren -- A Special Kind of Love

Like mothering, grandmothering is an exciting venture into the unknown. It is exciting to observe the individuality of each grandchild, their talents, and their differences!

I do love and cherish the six grandchildren that I have (at this writing!) Two more are eagerly awaited in the next two months!

My first grandchild, is Jana Elise, born to Kim and Susan on July 16, 1980. (She missed her grandpa's birthday by one day!) She is a bright little girl and it is fascinating to see her grow into a fine young lady. I feel I missed out on some of her early months, because I was ill the year that she was born.

My second grandchild, is Melanie Sue, born to Kim and Susan on June 28, 1982. She has a cute little personality all of her own, and we are amused by some of her comments and actions. I love watching and observing her.

My third grandchild, is Jesse Thomas, born to Jeff and Juli on December 6, 1982. It was special knowing that we now had a grandson, besides our two granddaughters! He is quite a reader, and also plays the piano now. He lives in Mesa, Arizona, so am not able to enjoy him as much as I would like.

My fourth grandchild, is Kevin Thomas, born to Kim and Susan on January 19, 1985. He is quite a boy and has a totally different way of talking, which I find quite amusing and cute. He really has to "hang in there" to compete with his two sisters!

My fifth grandchild, is Jamilyn, born to Jeff and Juli, on May 5, 1985. She is a cute little girl and when I visit with her, either in Mesa, or when they visit here, it takes her awhile before she decides that she likes grandma!

My sixth grandchild, is Jeremy Brent, born to Jeff and Juli, on February 17, 1987. (A very special anniversary present for Tom and I!). He looks like and is built just like Jeff was, so I really enjoy watching him! He is quite an active little boy and doesn't "miss a beat!"

I do not believe in telling grandchildren what to do, but would want them to know that I am always here, if they need me, or want to talk to me.

I want them to know that I love them so very much. And I do hope and pray that as they grow up, they will be strong and be able to resist the temptations that will be all around them. I do not think the future is going to be very easy for them. But they are being taught right ways now, and hopefully, this will help them to be strong as they grow into adulthood. I do hope that they will stay close to the church and to their heavenly Father:

I also hope that they will be good citizens, honest in their dealings with others, and find enjoyment in the vocations they choose, and in the rearing of their own little families.

May they receive the blessings that they are in need of, and have strong bodies and minds.

And for the two grandchildren that are soon to be born to Kim and Susan, and to Brad and Mary, and to all other grandchildren born in the future, please know that I will love you very much, and I will have the same hope and prayers for you.

I admonish you, also, to stay close to your heavenly Father and to the church, and grow up to be find upstanding citizens. To all of my grandchildren, I would hope that you stay close to your parents, and brothers and sisters, and find true enjoyment and love with them.

I love all of you very much, and am proud to be your grandmother!

XV. Honors and Awards

• Member of National Honor Society during junior high and high school years. Recognition of this at senior graduation.
• Salutatorian of junior high graduating class. (This is second highest in the class, academically.)
• Winner two times in sewing in 4-H, in a certain division.
• Fourth place in county spelling contest, while in grade school.
• Accompanist for junior high orchestra.
• Highest IQ in first grade!!! (how about that!)
• Opportunity to give speech on the Word of Wisdom , to many classes, upon request, while in junior high, due to interest of the principal and several of the teachers.
• Honor roll all during junior high and high school.
• Participant in oratorical contests in sophomore year of high school.
• Editor of school paper during senior year in high school.
• Member of Alcyonian Club during junior year. (This was a "snobbish" girl's service club, which I never participated in, although accepted in, (thank heavens!), because I moved from the area.
• Golden Gleaner Award (at age 26.)This was quite an honor in the M.I.A. program at that time.
• Mother of six!! (Best and most worthwhile accomplishment!)

XVI. Chronology

May 28, 1933 - Born - Wadsworth, Ohio (Medina County).

July 2, 1933 - Blessed by father, John Oscar Trease.

September, 1939 - Started school (first grade) at Wadsworth Centralized School. Attended this school through and including the ninth grade. (1939-1948).

August 22, 1943 - Baptized - by father, John Oscar Trease. Was ten years old at the time, but the baptism had been put off for two years, because of my fear of the water. (At least, that is what I have been told!).

September 1948 - May 1949 - Attended High School - Wadsworth Central High School.

September 2, 1949 Moved to Covina, California

September 1949 - June 1950 - Attended Covina High School during my junior year.

October 16, 1949 Met my "future husband".

August 12, 1950 Moved to Meridian, Idaho.

May 17, 1951 - Graduated from Meridian High School.

August 2, 1951 - Moved back to Covina, California.

September - December, 1952 - Attended Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

February 17, 1953 - Married in the Mesa Temple, Mesa, Arizona.

May 1953 - 1957 - Navy wife.

Lived in Oxnard, California, while stationed at Point Mugu, from August-October, 1953. Left there in October, because Tom was sent to the Philippines. I went home to live with my parents in West Covina, California, until January, 1954. Then went to live with Tom's folks in El Monte, California, until March of 1954, when I moved to Turlock, California, again with my parents.

May 15, 1954 - First child, Kim Thomas, born.

January 1, 1955 - Back to Oxnard, California.

February 22, 1955 - Left Oxnard, after being there just six weeks, as Tom was going to be stationed in Kodiak, Alaska. Back to live with my parents, in Turlock, California, until August 1, 1955.

August, 1955 - Moved to Millington, Tennessee

March, 1954 - Moved to Hutchinson, Kansas

September 7, 1956 - Second child, Jeffery Brent, born.

Spring, 1958 - We were discharged from the Navy. Once again, back to civilization!!

Spring, 1958 - Moved back to Provo, for Tom to resume studies at Brigham Young University.

November 11, 1960 - Third child, Lori, born.

Fall, 1961 - Moved to Orem, Utah.

Spring, 1962 - Moved back to Provo,-Utah.

June, 1962 - Moved to El Monte, California (5078 La Madera)

April 22, 1963 Fourth child, Mark Edward, born.

March 3, 1965 Fifth child, Douglas Leland, born.

March, 1965 - Moved to Covina, California

January, 1966 - Moved back to El Monte, California (5078 La Madera)

July 5, 1967 - My father died in Springville, Utah.

August 3, 1967 - Sixth child, Bradley John, born.

June, 1976 - Moved to Orem, Utah.

Resided first at 267 North 725 West. Lived there two years, then moved to 96 South 1000 West on May 28, 1978.

XVII. Church Positions Held

XVIII. "Christmas -- In the Treasured Past"

We remember our best Christmas. A flashback appears and this favorite Christmas plays on a very special screen in a picture of color, and we see the scenes we remember so well.

Christmas time was simpler than the glamorous ones of the past, but oh, so much richer! We had the pleasure of living amidst those colorful old scenes, of snow swept country sides, big trees in the living room, holly on the door, friends dropping in to wish a merry Christmas, just like the pictures that now are morseled out to folks on greeting cards. With the feeling of nostalgia, my story continues, abundant with memories.

We were small town folks, but shopping for our gifts was fun in a small town, for Christmas time was an old-fashioned, homemade holiday season, and everyone had the same spirit. One day a year we would make a long trip to the big city some miles from us, and look with awe and amazement at the huge window displays of the big department stores, where huge movable figures enraptured us. Walking through the beautifully trimmed and decorated stores was a rare delight. And best of all was seeing Santa, and telling him what we wanted for Christmas. Those were the days of simplicity, yet satisfyingly pleasant golden days of my childhood....

I remember the thrill of buying our Christmas tree, and how I couldn't wait until it was set up and ready to trim. Trimming the tree was somewhat of a ritual at our home. Daddy securely fastened the tree in a holder and put water in it, and then laid a big white sheet around the bottom of the tree. Then mother put on the lights. And then my sister and I put on the ornaments, leaving the high branches for mother. Then last of all the sparkling icicles adorned the tree, and the star was put on top. The tree was done, for us to admire.

Mother confined herself to the kitchen a great deal before Christmas, and we helped her make cookies like Christmas trees and stars and colored them green and yellow. One year we spent long hours making delicious caramels, but alas! -- the candy thermometer decided to take part in the festivities and dropped part of itself into the candy! The chickens had a lovely sweet Christmas that year, for we had to dispose of all of it!!

As the days went by, we began to burst with anxiety, knowing that the night before Christmas was approaching. Finally, it was that night, and mother read us the beautiful nativity story from the Bible. We sang our favorite carols, sitting around the tree. Then we had a cookie or a popcorn ball, and were tucked off to bed, after leaving out a snack on the kitchen table for Santa. We had pains in our tummies as we were tucked in, and were up for numerous trips for a drink of water, during the night. I felt sure that on one of those trips I would inevitably see Santa. But the middle of the night, Mr. Sandman had taken over quite firmly, and until morning, I didn't know what was going on in our big living room. But surprisingly enough, the next morning, the fruit and cookies, left out for Santa, were gone, so he must have come during my slumber.

Waiting for my father to come from his chores at the barn was a real task! But mother would patiently lead my sister and I from the cold bedroom (with our eyes shut!) to a nice warm kitchen where we dressed, and ate breakfast, while waiting. Then the vigil at the kitchen window, until we saw the milk truck come and go, the light went out in the spring house, and then we knew that our father was on his way to the house! We barely gave him a chance to remove his coat and hat! Then he went into the living room first, turned on the tree lights, and then we could go in , too. The moment had arrived! At first we stood spellbound, as if entangled in a web of fascination. But, then with a scream of delight, we bounded out of our state of bewilderment, and reentered the land of reality, and we ran to our toys and other gifts. Every year it was the same -- incredible happiness heaped upon us and flowed over us, and danced around us. We bubbled over with joy over simple things as color books, darling little doll clothes that mother had spent many late and tiring hours making at night after we were in bed, and oh, other things we had secretly wanted, And somehow Santa knew we needed.

I remember mother and daddy's patience in letting us put up home made paper chains all over the house, and yellow paper stars in the windows! To me, so much lovelier than sparkling and expensive decorations out of the store.

Many a year, a snowstorm struck before it was time to go back to school from our vacation. we were snowbound, so to speak! The big white wonderful world was our to do with as we pleased! we seemed to be tucked away in some far off land of silence, peace and contentment! It was wonderful, being wrapped in snow, and of not having to return to school!

But all the warmness and gladness that had been about us during the wonderful holidays seemed to warm us when we went out into the crisp, stinging air!

I can never go back again, except in my recollections. Now, with a stockpile of memories stored up, I can always see a repeat showing of an old favorite, "Christmas - in the Treasured Past." For now, I can count, not gifts, but treasures with a deeper value. Now in a world where hate tries to crowd Christmas pleasures, I can prize my own dear loved ones more.

(Written August 1, 1960 -Age 27.)

XIX. Just Me

For the sake of those who may read this, I decided to share a few thoughts about myself, in hopes that they might really get to know me.

I have always been somewhat of a perfectionist. But this has not always been an asset, because I would feel frustrated when I felt that I wasn't doing what I should be, or in the way that I wanted. It does indeed, cause stress in one's life, and it surely has in mine. But I try to do my best in whatever I set out to do.

I am deeply committed to my family, my husband, and my home. I would like to think that I have done a fairly good job in these areas.

I am a quiet person and so enjoy peace and quiet. I do not enjoy confusion or a lot of people around me. I, can fall apart very easily in these situations.

I keep a lot to myself, rather than to "rock the boat" so to speak. I kept much hidden anger in for so many years, and unfortunately, a few years ago, in 1980, I went into a severe clinical depression. After months of suffering, I finally resorted to counseling, which did not do much good. I just had to work my way through the pain of the depression. I still have a great deal of trouble with this, but hopefully have learned a few coping techniques in overcoming it.

I feel that I am a very caring person, and try to be of help to friends and family members when I know they have a problem, and perhaps just need someone to talk to.

I love to read, and would like to spend more of my day doing just that! My primary interests are in the field of child development, interpersonal relationships, self-improvement, histories and biographies and homemaking. I also have a flair for writing, and my fantasy is to write something that would be published.

I also enjoy music, both listening to it, and playing the piano and organ. The organ has been such a comfort to me since we purchased it. I call it my "tranquilizer" -- where many women resort to pills to calm down, I sit down and play the organ. It's great!

I would like to have accomplished more in my life, although I have never had the desire to be a career woman. Just not my style. But I of ten feel inadequate when I see what many women accomplish in their lives.

I do have a testimony of prayer, and have seen it work in my life. Sometimes I find it hard to pray when I am depressed or when my life feels out of control. But I can't deny the power of prayer.

I really am concerned about getting older (notice, I did not say "old"). I have been more aware of my own mortality in the past few years, as I see parents becoming older and experiencing the problems that they do.

Unfortunately, I do not feel that I am a very strong person, emotionally or physically. This has caused me to not accomplish many of the things that I would like to do, and to be the strong mother and grandmother that I truly wish I were. But then, we are all different, and can only do the best we can.

I am thankful for life, and for being able to come to this earth, and be a wife, mother and grandmother, and to enjoy life with those that I love so much.

As I end this history, for now, I feel there has been a purpose in my writing this -- I needed something to show for my life, and to prove that I really had lived!! And hopefully my posterity will know me a little better!

(I had big plans for including so much more with this history, so will try very hard to finish this as I would like, and will give copies to each one of you, that you can add to this, if you wish. Time closed in on me for getting even this much done by Christmas, and I simply could not get done all that I had planned.)