THE MORTEN P. MORTENSEN FAMILIES 1A7

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S

1A7 PETER MORTENSEN was b. 29 Nov 1871 in Scipio, Utah, bpt. 17

May 1880 at Tuba City, Arizona (Moenkopi), md. MARY “MAMIE” CATHERINE

ANDERSON 4 Dec 1894, in Colonia Diaz, Chihuahua, Mexico, being sealed at the time of their marriage. They received their endowments 12 Oct 1899 in the

Logan Temple. Mamie was b. 22 July 1876 in Obed, Arizona, to Andrew and

Janet Hendersen Andersen. She d. 4 May 1939 at the age of 62. Peter d. 9 April

1938 at the age of 67.

When Peter was five years old his father Morten P. Mortensen moved the family to northern Arizona as they had been called by President Brigham Young to help colonize and strengthen the colonies in Arizona. Life was somewhat unsettled in Northern Arizona. Floods continued to wash out the dams that diverted the water from streams onto the farm land. The water from the streams was in many cases very salty and crops did not grow well.

Peter and some of the other children went with their mother Dorothea to the mountain pastures with the dairy stock in the summer time. The feed was much better there. The cows were milked and the milk made into cheese, butter and other products. These were returned to the kitchens of the colonists for winter use. While in the mountains near Flagstaff, Arizona, the cattle would come to a dry lake bed to water after a rain storm. With repeated tramping by the cattle of this lake bed after the summer rains, it began to hold water the year around. It is now a favored summer recreation spot with cabins and homes surrounding the lake known as Mormon Lake.

The next move took them to the Gila Valley of eastern Arizona for a short time and from there the family moved to Mexico where their parents could live together in polygamy without fear of being arrested and sent to jail for cohabitation. Peter was about fourteen when they moved to Mexico, and he grew up in

Colonia Diaz, Chihuahua, Mexico. Here they had the opportunity to think for themselves, to be self-sufficient. They developed humility, gratitude, compassion for others, unwavering testimonies and a host of other attributes so necessary for a successful and acceptable life style.

The families lived in wagon boxes, shacks, tents and other shelters until more permanent and comfortable housing became available. When 1888 began the families were comfortably housed in Colonia, Diaz.

Dances and dramatic presentations, usually three-act plays, produced by local talent, were the chief entertainment for young and old. Dancing was always the most popular.

Peter had very little formal education, but this was compensated for by

240

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S his association with men and women of distinction as they worked for a common goal. Peter was very sharp with mathematical calculations.

COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE

In Colonia Diaz, Mexico, Peter met Mary “Mamie” Catherine Andersen on

4 December 1894, Mamie obtained a teaching certificate upon graduation from high school and taught school for a short time.

We have no record today of their marriage license. These records were lost in a flood in Diaz shortly after their marriage. They were married shortly after they met in December

1894. They went to the Logan Temple

12 October 1899 and received their endowments; however, no record of their being sealed is recorded in the

Logan Temple because they were sealed in Diaz,

Mexico, at the time of their marriage.

They did not take

Arvin and Robert with them as would have been necessary if they were to have been sealed at that time.

Peter and Mamie and Arvin Mortensen

241


Peter Mortensen owned farms, livestock and a retail store in Colonia Diaz.

He carried on a freighting business, buying the produce of the farms in Colonia

Diaz, Colonia Dublan and Colonia Juarez, and hauling it to the miners some 75 miles farther south in Chihuahua. On his return trips he would purchase the items ordered by his customers or otherwise needed from the various manufacturing establishments in Colonia Dublan and elsewhere and bring them to his store where they were dispensed to his clients.

Mamie, his wife, looked after the store and other properties, giving instructions to those who were operating each enterprise during Peter’s absence. Aunt Mamie, as she was known in life, was a very magnanArvin, Lucinda and Robert Mortensen imous person, always looking out for the needs and interests of others. She did become a very proficient midwife, nurse, counselor and example of charity to all who knew her.

Mamie was blessed with a beautiful voice and was much in demand for special vocal numbers as well as regular choir participation, and her musical ability was enjoyed in the home.

Peter was an ambitious and industrious man and instilled in his children these same traits. There was always plenty of work to be done. When Peter was away, Arvin or Robert was in charge with Mamie to keep an alert eye on the family business which included a store, farm land and livestock. Arvin began travelling with his father when he was twelve years old. All Peter had acquired was completely paid for before 1912. Peter and Mamie had a two-story brick home consisting of six large rooms with the path to the privy out back. The water supply came from a pitcher pump over a well. A chicken house, pig pens and corrals were on the same four-acre lot. Some ground was planted to alfalfa along with a vegetable garden, orchard and flower garden close to the home to beautify it and for convenience of the household. Dorothea’s home was on the same lot.

Peter and Mamie assumed full responsibility of Dorothea, Peter’s mother, after his father’s death 6 June 1891 until the exodus from Mexico then she made her home with her daughter Diantha.

242


EXODUS FROM MEXICO TO THE USA

They along with the other Mormon Colonists were directed to leave Mexico

28 July 1912, at the time the Mexican revolution escalated—another trial in the lives of people who were used to being tried and starting over. They left all they owned and went to the United States. The U.S. Government supplied tents for housing and food supplies while they lived at Hatchita, New Mexico. The food was rationed every few days, so much per person. They were grateful to “Uncle

Sam” for help when it was so badly needed. But they were also grateful when

Peter and Arvin and some of the older girls were able to get employment enabling them to take care of themselves. For people who had never accepted charity, it was not a pleasant experience. They moved on to Deming where they worked at various jobs.

JOINT LAND PURCHASE

In time they settled in Virden, New Mexico, where a parcel of land was purchased for $50,000, with a down payment of $5,000 and a yearly payment of $5,000 plus interest at seven percent. The interest had been lowered by Mr.

Virden against the wishes of Mr. Cherry, the two men who were principals in the company selling the land. To honor Mr. Virden for his part in the negotiations the name of the community was changed to Virden. Twenty-one men signed the original purchase but because of prior commitments to move onto the newly purchased land, the entire Gila Ranch property was leased to the

Mortensen brothers, Peter, Joseph, Alfred, and Hans who arrived in Virden early in February 1915. Housing was a major problem. The Mortensen families utilized the two homes on the Gila Ranch property when they first arrived. Mamie and the girls and Richard remained in Deming until the end of the school year.

This was also necessitated by the birth of Marion.

Again farms were arranged for and homes were built. They were now in a community with enough members of the Church to have regular meetings and the full program of the Church. On 3 January 1916 a branch was organized by

John F. Nash of the St. Joseph Stake presidency. Peter Mortensen was sustained as Presiding Elder, Junius Payne and Frank Stowell were his counselors.

The Virden Branch became a ward 15 June 1916 with Bishop Willard E. Jones as the first bishop and Peter Mortensen and Junius E. Payne as counselors.

Under faithful bishops, their counselors, and an eager building committee a multi-purpose recreational center was completed in 1926.

Only those who experienced those early years will ever know the endless work, planning, frugality, scheming and sacrifices that were made by each member of every family so the yearly land payments could be met when due.

Twenty-one men had signed a common note. The failure of any one to meet his

243

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S obligation annually would cause all to lose their farms. Through a united effort which necessitated some picking up the slack when one was not able to assume his share of the debt on time, this goal was accomplished.

On 24 February 1925, just ten years from the signing for the purchase of the Gila Ranch property, as it was known, a mortgage-burning celebration was held. There were now comfortable homes, green lawns, and most importantly, spiritual security and productive farm land. Mr. Virden and his wife came from

Iowa to be with the group for this festive occasion.

Four more children were born to Peter and Mamie’s family after their move to Virden. Janet was born 16 June 1917 and remained in the family only one month and died from whooping cough 27 July 1917. Her tiny grave was the first in the newly surveyed Virden Cemetery.

Here in Virden, their children grew to adulthood, found their companions, and each in turn was married in the temple. Some of the children had to travel long distances to receive their blessings as the Mesa Arizona Temple was not dedicated until 1927.

Peter and Mamie loved people and were instrumental in bringing the circus to town on more than one occasion. They allowed the circus to set up on one of their alfalfa fields. Peter was known as an honest businessman and Mamie was the “Angel of Mercy,” delivering babies and treating the sick with home remedies that she had learned to use with skill.

As other land owned by individuals near the Gila Ranch tract became available, Peter and Mamie purchased an additional eighty-acre farm.

In the spring of 1927 Peter and Mamie made their last move to Arvin's home, which was vacant. It was just across the way from the old home on the

Muss Cosper farm land they had bought soon after arriving in Virden. This home was smaller but more comfortable and convenient than their former home.

PETER’S DECLINING HEALTH AND DEATH

Peter’s health was beginning to decline and he was compelled to retire from active management. He sold the farm to the three younger sons. By early

1938, Peter’s health had begun to fail more noticeably. He did not respond to prescribed medication nor to Mamie‘s loving and expert care. His problem was diagnosed as “Bright’s disease” which is a deterioration of the kidney, with kidney failure the end result.

244


Peter and Mamie’s sons who were living in 1958

Left to right,

Chester, Robert,

Richard and Marion

Taken at the

Andersen Reunion,

Mesa, Arizona

Peter and Mamie’s daughters who were living in 1958

Left to right,

Lucinda, Catherine,

Dorothy, Maybeth and Erma

Taken at the

Andersen Reunion,

Mesa, Arizona

245


Mamie Mortensen and daughters

Left to right,

Mamie, Lucinda, Kate,

Elmina, Dorothy, Erma,

Maybeth

LONG-REMEMBERED RECOGNITION

Twenty-eight years after Peter’s death, Bishop Junius Payne spoke during a three-day celebration commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the Virden Branch.

A grandson of Peter’s remembers the complimentary comments about

Peter, by Junius E. Payne, second bishop of the Virden Ward, in an address given during the celebration. Bishop Payne had been Peter’s first counselor in the branch presidency when it was first organized. In his humble sincere manner, he spoke first of the faith of all those first participants in the Gila Ranch

Project, the overall plan and its execution, the cooperative spirit, the sacrifice, and the unselfishness, all of which had brought success.

He then spoke of Grandpa Peter’s great wisdom, his ability to keep harmony among the saints—those who were well established before 1915, the old timers who were not affiliated with the Church, and the sudden influx of the

Colonial Mexico refugees. He spoke of Peter’s leadership and foresight and how he (Bishop Payne) as a young man had learned many important lessons under

Grandpa Peter’s tutelage; the importance of rearing one’s posterity in harmony with the laws of God and our nation, the importance of practical knowledge and the ability to handle the responsibilities of administration. “As I listened to this address of humble gratitude for others it occurred to me,” said the grandson,

“how wisdom and other attributes are passed along from one generation to another. Bishop Payne had learned from Grandpa Peter, then in due time he became bishop and chose a young man of promise, my own father, Robert

Mortensen, for his counselor. He in turn learned from this wise bishop.

246


MAMIE’S LONELINESS, OPERATION AND DEATH

After the loss of Peter and after much coaxing from friends and relatives,

Mamie took a trip to California. After returning she rented her home and went to Safford, Arizona, to keep house for Chester and Keith (son and grandson).

She had two sisters and a daughter, and many relatives and friends in Safford.

She had not been well for several years. A very competent doctor in Safford, after a careful examination, advised her to have a tonsillectomy. He was certain her health condition was caused from infected tonsils. During the surgery,

Mamie had a massive hemorrhage, went into shock from the loss of blood and passed away.

At her passing in the hospital, the attending doctor said of her, “I have just lost the best friend I have ever had.” Mamie touched many lives and had given of herself as she rendered service in the community as an “Angel of

Mercy.” She had served in the Relief Society presidency and later as Relief

Society president for a total of fourteen years.

AUNT MAMIE

There’s a name beloved in Virden Town

Although it’s not of world renown

And one we’ll honor and ever hold dear

‘Tis that of Aunt Mamie.

When measles or croup threatened to harm

Or any dread disease caused alarm

We thought of one who’d calm our fear

And help us save our children dear

We’d send for Aunt Mamie.

When a mother’s pulse beat quick with dread

And the husband’s heart was as heavy as lead

As fast approaches the trying hour of birth

It was then they’d long for one of worth

They’d phone for Aunt Mamie.

And when silent death drew near

And snatched from us those most dear

There was one on whom we could depend

One who would stay right ‘till the end,

You know it was Aunt Mamie.

247


She was a woman true friend to all

One who never shirked a call

And when she entered Heaven’s gate

A happy throng was there to wait

And welcome AUNT MAMIE.

After Mamie’s death, Sister Geneva Richardson added the last verse to the above poem. The completed poem was read at the funeral services.

Pete and Mamie had fourteen children:

1A7-1 ARVIN PETER MORTENSEN , b. 8 December 1895 in Colonia Diaz,

Mexico, bpt. 8 December 1905, md. EMMA BELLE PAYNE 24 July 1917 in

Thatcher, Arizona. She d. December 1986. Arvin Peter Mortensen d. 19 May

1937 in Safford, Arizona.

Arvin grew and matured to a sixteen-year-old in Diaz, the first of 14 children. He assumed responsibility at a very early age. Arvin was his father’s righthand man from his earliest recollection, going with him on long tedious freighting trips. Later he drove the team of two or four horses with a Mexican man or younger boy for company and help. It was on such a trip on Sunday, 26 July

1912 that Arvin and his father were camped between Colonial Dublan and

Colonial Diaz en route home, each with a load of merchandise for their store, when they got word that the Mormons were all to leave Mexico and go to the

United States for safety because of the Mexican revolution. Plundering by the rebels made living conditions too hazardous for the well being of these colonists.

Arvin’s education was very meager, but he utilized what education he did have and supplemented it with good common horse sense, experience, as well as the trial and error method. Arvin was among the scouts detailed to ride on all sides of the caravan of some 80 to 90 wagons, buggies, etc. transporting 800 or 900 inhabitants of Colonial Diaz to the U.S. It took eight hours to go 19 miles. He was not yet 17 years of age and returned to Diaz with the scouts to care for the stock which had been left behind. They brought what stock they could across the border.

Arvin worked like a man at whatever could be found to help earn a living for the family. They got a job where they freighted the ore and loaded it on to the railroad cars. They moved to Deming and worked on a farm project near there. Arvin went to Tucson, Arizona, in company with Uncle Delbert Johnson and his family. He worked there a while, then joined the family in Virden, New

Mexico, where they were in the process of establishing themselves in a purchased farming project with a group of twenty men who, like themselves, were products of the exodus from Mexico.

248


He worked at various jobs and later went into the farming business with his father and brother Robert.

Courtship and Marriage

The first night Arvin was at choir practice in Virden, Ted Payne called to

Arvin and said, “Hey, Swede, aren’t you going to take my sis home? I don’t want her along with us.” Arvin nearly broke his neck to get out of his overcoat and out of the wagon. Emma never did go with anyone else. Ted and Emily and Arvin and

Emma did their courting in a one-seat buggy. They went to Duncan and Franklin to dances and lots of house parties.

Arvin Peter Mortensen and Emma

Belle Payne, along with Ted Payne and

Emily Mortensen, were married 24 July

1917 in Thatcher, Arizona. They fixed up

Arvin and Emma Payne Mortensen wedding picture the old house Grandma Andersen lived in on the Gila Ranch. They had one room; the other was full of grain.

Army

In October Arvin was drafted into the army. He went to Camp Funston,

Kansas. The following May, Emma went to be with Arvin. He met her in Topeka.

Emma secured employment with a Mr. and Mrs. Skiles taking care of their two little boys and helping with the housework. They lived in the Skiles home. The Skileses were musicians playing the violin and the piano with a military orchestra, for all shows afternoon and evening. Arvin spent every night there and never had a pass. When anyone came to the stables where he was assigned looking for him, one of his buddies would jump on a mule and come after him. Arvin got up real early while the MPs were changing shift to eat his breakfast. Then he was dropped off in a trench that ran from where he ate breakfast to the back of the corrals where he worked.

One morning while eating his breakfast an MP came in. He said, “Well,

I’ve caught you at last.” Arvin told him there was no need to spoil a good breakfast, so he ordered the MP a breakfast. Pretty soon, Arvin picked up his glass of

249

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S water went back to the kitchen, out the side door, set the glass down, and dropped off into the trench and was soon at his shack, leaving the MP to pay for both breakfasts.

His lieutenant once said, “You didn’t think I knew you went to Topeka to meet your wife?” Arvin asked why he didn’t do something about it. The lieutenant just grinned and said he would have done the same thing.

Another time, while in an ice cream parlor eating ice cream, an MP came up and asked for his pass. He didn’t have one. One of his good friends was an

MP and he saw Arvin was in trouble so he stepped up and said, “I know this guy. I’ll take him in.” So he walked us back home. Arvin sure took lots of chances, but never really got punished because he had true-blue buddies.

In June or early July that year, Arvin was shipped overseas and served one year. Emma returned home. When Arvin returned home from the army he settled down to his farming occupation in partnership with his brother

Robert. They had a two-room home.

He later built a comfortable fourroom house, planted a large orchard, built some corrals and storage buildings, and also a chicken house. He always desired to improve his surroundings. He was a hard worker and very ambitious. He was a good husband and father being most anxious that his children have advantages that he had not had.

Arvin was Virden’s first scoutmaster. Men have said it was a real experience to have had his association. He expected the best from his troop and accepted nothing less. He had the attention, respect and admiration of all his troop members.

He also served as constable and as deputy sheriff of the village of Virden for many years. He was noted for his wisdom and fairness in his dealing. He might not have been

Arvin and Emma while he was in the Army before going overseas

250

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S well-liked by all those he encountered in his line of duty, but each had great respect for him. He was also elected to the local school board where he served well for several years. If there was a difficult situation to face, or decision to make, Arvin was the one chosen to do it.

When Arvin’s brother, Robert, married in May 1921, he didn’t have a place to live, so they built two lumber rooms on the back of the house. Rob and

McRae lived in two rooms and Alvin and Emma lived in the other two.

One day after we had three children, Arvin came in to dinner with some work hands. Dinner wasn’t ready and Emma was trying to wash on a scrub board. Emma put Arvin to scrubbing clothes while she got dinner ready. Not long after this Arvin bought a washing machine.

Mancel was a year and half younger than Keith. Then two and half years later Marcel came along. Then happy was the day when a little girl, Doris, came to live with us.

After the three little boys graced their home, they went to Logan, Utah, with Uncle Hans Andersen to go to the temple and have the children sealed to them.

The farm in Virden wasn’t big enough to keep three families, so Arvin and

Rob left their father and bought the Brooks farm at the head of the valley in

1929. They all moved on to the place in the early spring of 1930, at the beginning of the Great Depression.

Their family was getting larger, Hal was born before they left town. Arvin and Emma had five children now and Jane and Rob had one. There was only one house on the farm so that presented a problem. Arvin and Emma took the two largest rooms and Jane and Rob had the two smaller rooms. It was very hot that summer cooking in the house. Arvin bought a butane stove which did not heat up the house like the wood stove did.

While living together in this house we had a cloudburst. The rain came down the canyon above the farm and filled the Sunset Ditch till it broke in several places. Our whole farm was under water with water all around the house.

By nightfall the water made a loud roaring sound as it ran down the canyon. We were entirely cut off from anyone.

The next year Arvin and Rob bought an old building up at the Carlile

Mine, north of Virden. They tore it down and built a house from it with one large room upstairs where the bigger boys slept.

251


When Flora came, Emma went to her mother’s place. Arvin and Jane kept the kids. The kids used to say, “Mother, go off again so Dad will make biscuits for us.” They sure liked their Dad’s biscuits. No two brothers worked any closer or so well together as Arvin and Rob did.

Knee Surgery and Death

Arvin’s knee bothered him so much he went to Safford and had it operated on for the third time. The doctor sent him home right after the operation. His knee injury was caused by being thrown from a horse while breaking broncos during the war. He had no way to know there was infection in his blood from the years he suffered with his knee. Dr. Johnson said afterwards that operating was just like pouring oil on a fire. The pain flared up in a few hours so heavily that he went back to the hospital as soon as possible, but he only lived five days and died 19 May 1937.

Arvin Peter and Emma Bell Payne had seven children.

1. ARVIN KEITH MORTENSEN, b. 18 March 1920 in Virden, New Mexico, md. HELEN

LOUISE MONTIERTH 6 January 1942. Helen was b. 8 January 1924 in Cliff, New

Mexico. Keith d. 21 December 1964.

Keith was our first child, Grandpa and Grandma Mortensen’s first grandchild and Grandpa and Grandma Andersen’s first great-grandchild, and was born on his mother’s birthday. Keith seemed to develop the natural virtues of his father at an early age. Keith and Helen have three children:

1. LARRY KEITH MORTENSEN, b. 3 May 1943 in Safford, Arizona, md.

SHARON PEARL BYRD on 21 December 1964.

2. TERRY “L” MORTENSEN, b. 31 July 1944 in Farmington, New Mexico.

3. SANDRA MORTENSEN, b. 23 January 1947 in McNary, Arizona.

2. MANCEL VAR MORTENSEN , b. 22 October 1921 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 22

October 1929, md. DOVETTA FARNSWORTH 6 March 1942 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 7 May 1923 in Colonia Garcia, Mexico and bpt. 6 June 1931. Mancel went into military service August 1942 and was discharged February 1945. He was called on a mission February 1947.

The following are remarks made by Gary Staley, former stake president funeral service of Mancel Mortensen.

at the

There is not one thing I can say today that would tell you any more about what

Mancel Mortensen believed or about his makeup, any clearer than what you have already seen as evidenced by the way he lived his life. His life was his sermon and it was a pretty complete volume. Perhaps we just need to be reminded once in a while of what makes a truly great man and of who we really are.

252


To me there are at least five things that seem synonymous with Mancel and his life. They overlap and are intertwined and weave a very beautiful and very defined tapestry. These are heritage, friendship, service, church and religion, and family.

Though Mancel didn’t lay down his life for his friends, in a very real way he lived his life for his friends. Although his family, both immediate and extended, make up a large part of this congregation assembled here today, there are so many others of his friends here with you. It is evident that this simple life has influenced many with a loving and so often, helping touch. All of you cannot be mentioned except to say thank you for coming.

But, there are a few who I hope will forgive my mentioning in particular. I didn’t know Mort in his younger years, but in his middle years he had a wonderful relationship with people like Harold Cope and Ollie McCrary who were in the local school system of which he was a part for 16 years; and people like Jim Neeley, Arch Huber and

Jimmy Thompson who were fellow sportsmen.

Mancel and LaRue raised and gave away vegetables to half the county and cut and hauled wood for the other half. It seems he has known Chet Brown forever.

During the years which I knew him best, I know he appreciated so much the friendship of Chet and Pete Segulja and Billy Miller and Dick Allgood beyond what he or I could express. I got almost daily reports about what might have happened at Chet’s shop, the latest update on Pete’s condition when the bull horned him, or the huge mountain lion that Billy had at the taxidermy shop, and always the most detailed report of the latest quail hunt with Dick and always a report card and an instant replay of how well Brit did that day. I understand he may still be the best quail dog ever. I say to you gentlemen in particular, that he valued you as men of decency and honesty and men of integrity and goodness. I trust you sensed his deep concern for you, especially in your trials.

I also know that for all these years he has hoped and prayed that you would also sense his deep and abiding conviction to his God and his church. Without question I know that he would want me to extend an invitation to you to “…come feast at the table of the Lord.”

Now one cannot think or speak of Mancel without recalling his compassionate acts of service for so many. You didn’t have to pre-qualify for it. If you needed it and he knew about it, you probably got it. I have delivered firewood with him to those we didn’t even know. Someone just heard about a needy family, told him about it and he just went and did it. You boys can well remember cutting firewood for poor old Sis.

Campbell for more than 25 years. For many years as long as he was able he visited the hospital, the rest homes, the shut-ins and the widows. Many of these were daily visits.

He told me on one occasion that his experience during World War II, lying in a hospital in England, then being brought back in a cargo plane and lying in the veteran’s hospital in Santa Fe for 11 months with few visitors caused him to vow that as long as he was able, no one would suffer alone. He tried his best to keep that vow.

253


At last count he had spoken at more than 130 funerals, more than half of them for people who were not members of our faith.

His service also came in the form of encouragement and invitation. Several have shared with me personal experiences. Through tears, my oldest brother, Gene, recalled that when his wife, Edith, passed away suddenly in 1977, that Mancel and Dovetta were among the visitors to his home. Gene, not having been an active church-goer, now found himself not only lonely and without a companion, but also alone, being without

God. He remarked to Mancel, ”This old boy is about as low as he can get and I’ve got to get my life put back to together.” Mancel put his hand on his shoulder and simply said, “OK. We’ll see you in church Sunday.” And that is all it took.

Dovetta shared a sweet experience with me that occurred in the hospital just

Tuesday morning. Though he was struggling to remain coherent, he was very plain in asking Dovetta how Belen Allred was doing and if Dovetta had called her recently. I must admit that I might have known the “finished product” in his later years, but I have to say he was so considerate in always asking regarding someone’s well being.

Mancel served his first church mission in 1947 after he was married and

Dovetta had given birth to both Bart and Mike. He served 14 years on the local school board, for 25 years in the bishopric of a local church ward. When age began to take its toll by limiting his mobility and hearing and all the other reminders of old age, he continued to find ways to serve. In 1990 He and Dovetta served in the Mesa, Arizona, LDS

Temple for a period of time. In 1997 they served a seven-month full-time mission at

Cove Fort in central Utah.

How many of you have a cane made by Mort? [At least four in the congregation had theirs with them.] Dovetta is sure the number is more than 100. Here are two.

One is a branch from a walnut tree on my property. The other is a diamond willow from the area where Mike and Yvonne lived in northern Montana. Here is another not yet finished. I brought it from my daughter’s plum tree in Seattle. I had asked Mort to help me make a cane out of it. I’ll do my best to finish it like he would.

As age continued to affect him he continued to find ways to serve. He and

Dovetta turned their attention to family history records extraction work. . . . Many times I have stopped by their home and Mort would show me a stack of names and say

“There’s over 300 we’ve done this week.” They have been involved in this great, but rewarding work for five years.

I know of few others who have been more rooted, built up, grounded, settled and established in the faith than was Mancel Mortensen. We have had a small glimpse of his history and of his heritage. Not only does he come from pioneer stock he has been a pioneer in his own right. He has had much to do with the shaping of this community and even more to do with the rooting, grounding, building up, settling and establishing of the church in this area. Because of families like the Mortensens, McDonalds,

Lobsteins, Elders, Grimes and others, this church has become a visible and positive influence with a good name in this area. It has come out of obscurity and out of darkness. May we not forget their lasting contribution. . . .

254


And now a word of caution. Remember, that you are not “chosen” because of who you are. You are chosen because of those who have gone before. This noble birthright is not just the Mortensen name you carry with you in mortality it is also a spiritual heritage, a tremendous blessing from the past and it is designed to continue throughout all eternity. In order for those of your posterity to be heirs of this rich blessing it will be up to you to endure with faith the trials of a different world. Please safeguard it. . . .

Although you live in a contrasting kind of world than did your pioneer ancestor,

Morten Peder, or even much different than did your father or grandfather Mancel, nonetheless, the determination to remain true and stalwart to the faith, the effort to build on the rock and foundation they planted and the resolve to carry on will be as equally challenging to each of you in this era as it was pulling that handcart through the plains of Nebraska. . . .

Let me remind you that your father and your grandfather lived so simply, choosing to avoid the complexity which so often leads to confusion, next diversion, then abandonment of foundation principles and values. Do not be so quick to follow the world. Had your ancestors followed the world they would, no doubt, have wound up in

California, or Oregon, or Washington, but not Zion.

And now a promise. Your father and grandfather will have no greater joy than to know that you will always be found walking in the light of the Gospel. You have the power. I now say to you “summon the will.” You are an heir to something special. I reaffirm the promises made to you and to your fathers. . . . You will most definitely need them.

Randy mentioned to me just a day or two ago, “Dad hated weeds.” He would always say to me, “Get ‘em before they go to seed.” There is great symbolism in those statements. I plead with you to rid your lives of the “weeds” that sap your strength and are toxic to your soul. And, do it now before they become so difficult to pull without damaging the plant and especially before they go to seed. Remember that we are only one generation from extinction in this church. Let it not be any generation, especially not yours. Let there not be an empty chair in your parents’ garden in the eternities to come. . . .

To you, Dovetta, his wonderful and sweet companion of over 60 years. You have stood by him and walked with him every step of the way with faith in every footstep.

This must be one of the most difficult and challenging experiences of this mortal life. It is an experience with which some who are here today can personally relate, having lost their companions and one which none of us looks forward to. He is gone ahead to prepare a mansion for the two of you. I’m not sure how he will get along without you. You spoiled him. You did everything for him. I’m not sure he will be able to make his bed by himself, but I guess he can learn. . . . May His name be upon you and upon your children forever is my prayer. It is my testimony that what has been spoken this day has the approbation of God our Father. Of this I testify in the sacred name of His Only

Begotten Son, even Jesus Christ, Amen.

255


Mancel and Dovetta have seven children.

1. BARTLEY BRUCE MORTENSEN, b. 26 November 1942 in Farmington,

New Mexico, bpt. 26 November 1950, md. PAULA RUTH ROTH 27 May 1967 in the Manti Temple. She was b. 31 July 1944 in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. Five children, all b. in Silver City, New Mexico:

1. Bartley Brett Mortensen , b. 30 April1968.

2. Craig Aaron Mortensen, b. 22 July 1969.

3. Maralee Mortensen, b. 30 June 1971.

4. Todd Arvin Mortensen, b. 13 May 1973.

5. Rebecca Ruth Mortensen, b. 8 April 1979.

2. MICHAEL VAR MORTENSEN , b. 17 September 1945 in Safford, Arizona.

Bpt. 17 September 1953, md. YVONNE WILLIAMS 26 June 1970 in the Oakland

Temple. She was b. 23 February 1949 in Palo Alto, California. Eight children:

1. Michelle Rae Mortensen , b. 6 May 1971 in Silver City, New Mexico.

2. Dane Erik Mortensen , b. 18 April 1973 in Silver City, New Mexico.

3. Christopher Nephi Mortensen, b. 7 June 1975 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

4. Nichole Marie Mortensen , b. 1 July 1977 in Silver City, New Mexico.

5. Lance Tyler Mortensen, b. 21 January 1980 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

6. Jesse Michael Mortensen, b. 17 December 1981 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

7. Rachel Lynn Mortensen [twin], b. 20 March 1985 in Wheat Ridge,

Colorado.

8. Rene Moreen Mortensen [twin], b. 20 March 1985 in Wheat Ridge,

Colorado

3. PHILLIP ARVIN MORTENSEN, b. 28 June 1951 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Bpt. 4 July 1959, md. DONNA HAZEL TEDFORD 29 June 1971 in the Arizona

Temple. Donna was b. 16 June 1951 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Seven children:

1. Paul Brian Mortensen, b. 11 October 1972 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

2. Sean David Mortensen, b. 31 October 1973 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

3. Erin Leann Mortensen, b 19 February 1975 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

4. Jared Alan Mortensen, b. and d. 28 December 1977 in Silver City,

New Mexico.

5. Brent Lee Mortensen, b 9 March 1979 in Silver City, New Mexico.

6. Bethany Lynn Mortensen, b. 13 May 1982 in Silver City, New Mexico.

7. Laura Jo Mortensen, b 24 September 1984 in St. Louis, Missouri.

4. BYRON KEITH MORTENSEN , b. 27 May 1955 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Bpt. 28 May 1963, md. BARBARA LEE KAY 23 May 1992 in Silver City, New

Mexico. Sealed 6 November 1993 in the Provo Temple. She was b. 3 February

1959 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

256


5. ANDREW PRESTON MORTENSEN, b. 21 December 1958 in Silver City,

New Mexico, bpt. 24 December 1966, md. LORI COLLETTE CHRISTENSEN 24

April 1982 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 3 November 1959 in Idaho

Falls, Idaho. Three children:

1. Ashley Renae Mortensen, b. 4 May 1985 in Payson, Utah.

2. Brandy Lynn Mortensen, b. 25 October 1989 in Payson, Utah.

3. Leslie Ann Mortensen, b. 13 February 1994 in Payson, Utah.

6. WILLIAM RANDOLPH MORTENSEN, b. 30 October 1960 Silver City; New

Mexico. Known as Randy, bpt. 30 October 1968, md. DONNA MAE JONES 7

September 1985 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 23 February 1963 in

Colorado. One child:

1. Justin Dean Mortensen, b. 20 December 1991 in Ogden, Utah.

7. DAVID WAYNE MORTENSEN, bpt. 9 October 1973. David served a mission.

He attended BYU. David md. KAREN JOY ENSIGN 15 June 1991 in the Los

Angeles Temple [divorced]. She was b. 13 October 1967 in Glendale,

California. One child:

1. Jake David Mortensen , b. 4 February 1994 in Boulder, Colorado.

3. HARRY MARCEL MORTENSEN, b. 9 December 1923 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 2

April 1932, md. LORNA PACE 9 December 1943 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. She was b. 10 March 1925 in Miami, Arizona, and bpt. 1 April 1933. Eight children:

1. JAMES ARVIN MORTENSEN b. 14 March 1945 in Lordsburg, New Mexico.

Bpt. 4 April 1953, md MARIE EILEEN MILLER 26 January 1967 in the Arizona

Temple. She was b. 30 December 1946 in Phoenix, Arizona, and bpt. 4 August

1956. Four children:

1. Trent James Mortensen , b. 8 February 1968 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

9 February 1976, md. Tami Joyce Johnson 10 November 1990 in the

Arizona Temple. She was b. 25 June 1971 in Morenci, Arizona, and bpt.

17 July 1979. Three children:

1. Tyrel Trent Mortensen, b. 10 September 1992 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

2. Tyler James Mortensen, b. 30 August 1994 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

3. TyeLynn Tami Mortensen, b. 13 January 1999 in Showlow,

Arizona.

2. Traci Marie Mortensen, b. 17 March 1970 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

18 March 1978, md. Mark Allen Bentley 13 October 1990 in Animas,

New Mexico, and sealed 28 June 1991 in the Arizona Temple. He was b.

25 September 1969 in Phoenix, Arizona, and bpt. 22 April 1990. Four children:

1. Coy James Bentley, b. 2 May 1992 in Chandler, Arizona.

2. Kalyn Marie Bentley, b. 1 December 1993 in Mesa, Arizona.

3. Drew Mark Bentley, b. 17 April 1996 in Chandler, Arizona.

4. Sierra Shea Bentley, b. 28 May 1999 in Carson City, Nevada.

3. Troy Vitek Mortensen, b. 19 May 1975 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.

257


19 May 1983, md. Kodi Michelle Reidhead 30 May 1997 in the Arizona

Temple. She was b. 1 February 1976 in Showlow, Arizona, and bpt. 1

February 1984. Two children:

1. Taya Michelle Mortensen, b. 14 May 1998 in Flagstaff, Arizona.

2. Payce Vitek Mortensen, b. 25 May 2000 in Flagstaff, Arizona.

4. Trachel Anne Mortensen, b. 27 December 1977 in Silver City, New

Mexico, bpt. 27 December 1985, md. Aaron Michael Binnie 4 September

1998 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 12 May 1976 in Mesa, Arizona, and bpt. 12 May 1984. One child:

1. Paige Riley Binnie, b. 5 August 1999 in Showlow, Arizona.

2. HARRY “M” MORTENSEN, b. and d. 18 March 1947 in Lordsburg, New

Mexico.

3. ROSANNE MORTENSEN, b. 29 August 1948 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt.

1 September 1956, md. DAVID EDMUND CARBINE 8 June 1968 in the Arizona

Temple. He was b. 15 September 1948 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and bpt. 6

October 1956. Three children:

1. Trina Carbine, b. 1 December 1971 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt.

1 December 1979, md. Bobby Gene Holder 24 November 1990 in

Duncan, Arizona (divorced in 2001). He was b. 4 August 1970 in Benson,

Arizona. Four children.

1. Bobby Gene Holder III, b. 15 June 1991 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

2. Amanda Rose Holder , b. 20 October 1993 in Safford, Arizona.

3. Tommy Lee Holder, b. 20 March 1997 in Safford, Arizona.

4. John Michael Mortensen Holder, b. 8 September 2000 in Safford,

Arizona.

2. David Edmund Carbine, b. 5 November 1972 in Salt Lake City,

Utah, bpt. 10 November 1980.

3. Andrea Carbine, b. 27 May 1975 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 30

May 1983, md. Neil Lyvon Argyle 7 January 1994 in the Arizona

Temple. He was b. 2 December 1968 in Ogden, Utah, and bpt. 12

February 1977. Two children:

1. Kashe Colton Argyle, b. 20 July 1995 in Logan, Utah.

2. Austin Trey Carbine Argyle, b. 19 May 1997 in Logan, Utah.

4. CLINTON RAY MORTENSEN, b. 11 December 1950 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 3

January 1959, md. MARTHA JEAN GAILEY 11 October 1973 in the Arizona

Temple. She was b. 22 July 1952 in Phoenix, Arizona, and bpt. 6 August 1960.

Six children:

1. Lynna Dale Mortensen, b. 14 August 1974 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Bpt. 14 August 1982, md. Clint Joseph Lundy 2 August 1996 in the

Arizona Temple. One child:

1. Joslynn Rose Lundy, b. 25 April 2001 in Fort Collins, Colorado.

2. Cynthia Ann Mortensen, b. and d. 12 May 1976 in Safford, Arizona.

3. Clint Mortensen, b. 18 April 1978 in Springerville, Arizona, bpt. 18

April 1986.

258


4. Kristina Mortensen , b. 20 April and d. 26 April 1982 in Phoenix,

Arizona.

5. Stacie Mortensen, b. 27 May 1983 in Silver City, New Mexico.

6. Lori Lynn Mortensen, b. 25 October 1985 in Silver City, New Mexico.

5. THOMAS MARTIN MORTENSEN, b. 1 July 1954 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 4

August 1962. md. LINDA ANN WISCHER 27 September 1975 [divorced].

Thomas Martin Mortensen md. second SUSAN JEAN DUPLISEA 1 April 1983 in

Grand Canyon, Arizona. She was b. 22 July 1956 in Lincoln, Maine. Two children:

1. Corrinna Dawn Mortensen [adopted], born 22 March 1974 in Mesa,

Arizona.

2. Tessa Marie Mortensen , b. 16 October 1983 in Mesa, Arizona.

6. ANDREW MORTENSEN, b. 5 September 1956 in Prescott, Arizona, bpt.

5 September 1964, md. SHAUNA KAY QUIETER 25 March 1983 in the St.

George Temple. She was b. 28 February 1965 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Three children:

1. Cody Andrew Mortensen, b. 26 November 1984 in Page, Arizona, bpt.

26 November 1992.

2. Kami Kay Mortensen, b. 24 November 1987 in Page, Arizona, bpt. 24

November 1995.

3. Curtis Koren Mortensen , b. 19 November 1989 in Panguitch, Utah, bpt.

22 November 1997.

7. JEFFREY WAYNE MORTENSEN , b. 12 April 1960 in Mesa, Arizona, md.

KELLY IRENE DOLMAN 12 August 1983 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 18

October 1963 in Benson, Arizona, and bpt. 23 October 1971. Four children:

1. Garrett Willie Mortensen, b. 10 August 1985 in Flagstaff, Arizona, bpt.

13 August 1993.

2. Bo Austin Mortensen, b. 1 September 1987 in Flagstaff, Arizona, bpt.

2 September 1995.

3. Wyatt Young Mortensen, b. 18 April 1990 in Flagstaff, Arizona, bpt.

18 April 1998.

4. Cole Arvin Mortensen, b. 26 August 1997 in Show Low, Arizona.

8. WILFORD MARCEL MORTENSEN. He was b. 9 December 1967 in

Lordsburg, New Mexico, bpt. 9 December 1975. Endowed 30 June 1987 in the

Arizona Temple. He filled a mission to Denmark 1987 to 1989. Wilford married

ROBYN SHERI SHUPE 16 October 1992 in Mesa, Arizona. She was b. 24 June

1968 and bpt. 24 June 1997. Four children:

1. Colton J. Mortensen, b. 7 November 1990 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 7

November 1998. Colton was Robyn’s first child by first marriage. Adopted by Wilford Marcel Mortensen.

2. Cade Marcel Mortensen, b. 4 January 1994 in Flagstaff, Arizona.

3. Courtlyn Sheri Mortensen, b.28 October 1996 in Flagstaff, Arizona.

4. Callie Taylor Mortensen, b. 28 September 2000 in Flagstaff, Arizona.

259


4. DORIS MORTENSEN, b. 11 March 1926 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 5

August 1934, md. ALBERT VERNON BOWLER 7 September 1950 in the Arizona

Temple. He was b. 8 January 1926 in Woodruff, Arizona. Doris served a mission to the Central States Mission where she met Albert Vernon Bowler. Six children:

1. CALVIN REED BOWLER, b. 31 July 1951 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 1 August

1959, md. AMY KOREN MILLER 5 September 1975 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 2 March 1956 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 28 March 1964. Three children:

1. Nathan Reed Bowler, b. 4 July 1977 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 28

August 1985, md. HAILEE BROOK MORTENSEN 6 January 2000 in the

Arizona Temple. Hailee was b. 29 May 1977 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 1

June 1985. One child.

1. Jane Koren Bowler, b. 15 September 2001 in Phoenix, Arizona.

2. Jesse Noel Bowler, b. 26 March 1981 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 24

September 1989, md. KRISTENE DENISE HALTSMAN 23 February 2002 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 23 December 1980 in Phoenix,

Arizona.

3. Shea Danielle Bowler , b. 31 March 1988 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 6

May 1996.

2. ANN BOWLER, b. 6 November 1953 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 2 December

1961, md. MARK JOSEPH MABEE 16 February 1973 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sealed 12 July 1974 in the Provo Temple. He was b. 21 April 1952 in

Indianapolis, Indiana, bpt. 2 September 1972. Three children:

1. Daniel Mark Mabee, b 16 December 1973 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 2

January 1982, md. CHRISTINA ELIZABETH SANDONI 1 September1995 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 1 December 1974 in Omaha,

Nebraska, bpt. February 1983. One child:

1. Matthew Daniel Mabee, b. 9 September 1999 in Provo, Utah.

2. Brian Matthew Mabee , b. 7 September1975 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

7 September 1983, md. EDITH KAMILLE HEWARD 8 January 2000 in the

Arizona Temple. She was b. 21 May 1975, bpt. 8 June 1983. One child:

1. Abigail Rae Mabee, b. 16 February 2002 in Glendale, Arizona.

3. Erin Michelle Mabee, b. 20 May 1978 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 20 May

1986, md. BRIAN DENNIS TRIMBLE 14 July 2000 in the Arizona Temple.

Brian was b. 2 April 1979. One child:

1. Eliza Sage Trimble.

3. DEBRA BOWLER, b. 10 May 1956 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 6 June 1964, md.

WILLARD SIDNEY CROUSE 11 July 1975 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 17

March 1953 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. April 1961. Four children:

1. Jared Kimball Crouse, b. 19 July 1976 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 20

July 1984, md. KATHRYN ANN DAINARD 29 December 1998 in Mesa,

Arizona. Kathryn was b. 22 June 1976 in Lethbridge, Canada, bpt. 4

February 1984. One child:

1. Cole James Crouse , b. 16 August 2000 in Mesa, Arizona.

260


2. Emali Micah Crouse, b. 31 March 1982 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt. 14

April 1990.

3. Skyler McKay Crouse, b. 8 May 1985 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt. 8 May

1993.

4. Logan Lee Crouse, b. 24 September 1986 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt. 24

September 1994.

4. ELLEN BOWLER , b. 8 September 1960 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 28 September

1968, md. DAVID KENT ASHTON 26 March 1982 in the Arizona Temple

[divorced]. He was b. 11 February 1960 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 24

February 1968. Three children:

1. Kyle Schrader Ashton, b. 8 February 1983 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

2 March 1991.

2. Audi Colleen Ashton, b. 4 September 1984 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bpt. 19 September 1992.

3. Ian David Ashton, b. 20 November 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas, bpt. 13

December 1997.

5. CURTIS McKAY BOWLER , b. 12 February 1962 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 21

February 1970, md. PATTI SUE ANDES 1 June 1985 in the Arizona Temple.

Three children, all b. in Glendale, Arizona.

1. Jodi Michelle Bowler, b. 5 December 1987, bpt. 19 December 1995.

2. Katelin Sue Bowler, b. 23 May 1991, bpt. 23 May 1999.

3. Kacie McKay Bowler , b. 12 May 1994.

6. ALISON BOWLER , b. 21 November 1964 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 25 November

1972, md. GARY LEE ROOS 22 February 1992 in the Arizona Temple. He was b.

29 May 1958 in Morrison, Illinois, bpt. 5 June 1982. Three children:

1. Stephanie Michelle Roos, b. 16 December 1992 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt.

16 December 2000.

2. Kaley Danielle Roos, b. 21 October 1994 in Mesa, Arizona.

3. Suzanne Elaine Roos, b. 15 May 1997 in Mesa, Arizona.

5. HAL VERDON MORTENSEN , b. 29 September 1928 in Virden, New Mexico, md. PATRICIA NELL CORY 27 November 1952. She was b. 27 January 1933 in

Lea County, New Mexico. Hal and Pat live between Rodeo, New Mexico, and

Douglas, Arizona. They managed a large ranch for more than 25 years. When they retired, they moved about five miles from the ranch. Two children:

1. DENNIS LEE MORTENSEN, b. 15 February 1955 in Silver City, New Mexico, md. SANDRA LEE WEBER 14 February 1977. She was b. 4 July 1956 in Pasco,

Washington. Dennis and Sandy live in Tucson.

2. WAYNE JAY MORTENSEN , b. 16 January 1957 in Silver City, New Mexico, md. CYNTHIA ANN TUCK 16 January 1977. She was b. 9 September 1959 in

Denver, Colorado. Jay is a State Cattle Inspector and Hal does some of the local

261

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S inspection for him in his area. Jay and family live about 20 miles from Douglas.

Three children:

1. Jule Ann Mortensen, b. 6 April 1982 in Deming, New Mexico.

2. Hal Murray Mortensen, b. 13 June 1985 in Douglas, Arizona.

3. Laurie Kathleen Mortensen, b. 11 April 1991 in Show Low, Arizona.

6. FLORA MORTENSEN , b. 19 October 1931 in Virden, New Mexico, md.

DAVID MYRL LARSEN 10 December 1951 in the Arizona Temple [divorced].

Three children:

1. KERRY LYNN LARSEN , b. 7 December 1952 in Cherry Point, North

Carolina.

2. FLORA MYRLEEN LARSEN, b. 18 August 1954 in Fresno, California.

3. REX DAVID LARSEN , b. and d. 6 July 1959 in Silver City, New Mexico.

7. BRUCE “J” MORTENSEN , b. 20 June 1934 in Virden, New Mexico, md.

BEVERLY JANE SIMMONS 1 May 1952. She was b. 11 December 1936 in Oak

Hill, Florida. Three children:

1. DONNA KAY MORTENSEN, b. 6 April 1954 in Mesa, Arizona.

2. KELLEY RAY MORTENSEN , b. 29 October 1955 in Silver City, New Mexico.

3. DIANNE LEE MORTENSEN, b. 22 April 1960 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Bruce “J” Mortensen married second JOSEPHINE CECILIA TRAVIZ 24 February

1962. She was b. 4 May 1936 in Ft. Bayard, New Mexico. One child:

1. KENNETH DUANE MORTENSEN , b. 8 February 1964 in Flagstaff, Arizona.

1A7-2 ROBERT MORTENSEN , b. 21 October 1897 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, md. McCRAE TAYLOR 30 May 1921 in Thatcher, Arizona. She d. 5 May 1922 in

Thatcher, Arizona. No children.

Robert Mortensen md. second KATIE JANE McDONALD 31 May 1928 in the

Arizona Temple. She d. 2 February 1995 in Orem, Utah. On 27 February 1975

Rob passed on to a better life.

I was the second son and second child of Peter and Mary Cathrine

(Mamie) Andersen Mortensen. My father dealt in farm produce, freighting these commodities to the mining towns and ranching areas near Diaz. The farthest of these towns was 75 miles, taking about five, long, hard days to make the trip.

262


Some of my earliest recollections are of freighting trips taken with my father. He used wagons and teams for transportation. When I was about five years of age, I began going on these freighting trips with my father or some of the hired help.

I received all my formal education in the Diaz elementary church school except for a six-month period in Deming, New Mexico, after the exodus from

Mexico.

While Arvin and Father were gone on one of these trips, I, though only ten, was placed in charge of things at home. While there were two years difference in age between Arvin and me, there was even more difference in our size.

Arvin and I were very close all through our lives.

Socials, dances and theaters, usually three-act plays produced by local talent, were the chief entertainment for young and old. Dancing was always the most popular activity with a local orchestra being used for the regular dances.

Entertainment for the entire family on special occasions was held at a grove of cottonwood trees near the river. Ropes were suspended from tall tree limbs to make swings. Pitching horseshoes, baseball, foot races, and various games were played and supervised by the Mutual Improvement Association.

EXODUS FROM MEXICO AND LIFE NORTH OF THE BORDER

Sunday morning, 26 July 1912, about daylight, a messenger from Bishop

Romney asked that a member of each family assemble immediately at the school house. I, being the temporary man of the house, went to the school house as I had been instructed. President Junius Romney had sent a message that he thought it wise for everyone to leave immediately for the United States as the Mexican rebels seemed determined to exterminate the Mormon colonists.

We were to be prepared to leave by 10:00 a.m. taking food, bedding and clothes. We immediately began to make ready for our hasty trek, though we had neither horse nor wagons.

About nine o’clock, Father and Arvin arrived, their wagons loaded with merchandise for the store. We hastily unloaded and began loading our provisions for the trip north to the border. Some thought they would be gone only a few days or weeks until the rebel trouble could be settled, but for the majority of those who came out on that trek, there was no going back. Later when some of the colonists from Diaz returned briefly, they found the town demolished by fire and vandalism.

By evening we had crossed the U.S./Mexican border and went on to

Hachita, New Mexico. Here the U.S. Government sent us tents for housing and food supplies. I have always been grateful to “Uncle Sam” for help when we were

263

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S so badly in need. But I was grateful when Father, Arvin and some of the older girls and I were able to get employment enabling us to take care of ourselves.. A few men remained in Mexico to look after things, especially the livestock. Arvin who was only sixteen remained behind.

About a week later they crossed the border with the stock. We remained in Hachita, New Mexico through the winter of 1912 and part of 1913.

We made a trip to Thatcher, Arizona to visit some of Dad’s family as well as Grandmother Mortensen.

Early in the spring of 1913, Father secured a job for me on a ranch about

40 miles south of Hachita. With a few articles of clothing I left with the owner,

Mr. Al Lewis, and his wife, for the ranch. Here I experienced my first real homesickness. The first two weeks were the worst part of the ordeal. After the morning chores were done, we were free to do anything we chose. My job was to work in the yard, the young orchard, or take care of any other light chores that might need attention.

After about two months, word came that the family had secured work in

Deming, New Mexico, for Father, Arvin and myself. My wage was $25 for the two months’ work at the Lewis ranch. On arrival home the entire family flocked around to greet me. It was then, I believe, I learned the value of a good home atmosphere and close family ties.

Father, Arvin and I went to work for the Florspar Mines. We hauled ore from the mines to the railroad switch a distance of six miles and eleven miles.

We were paid by the ton. We then worked for the railroad and other jobs as they became available until 1915.

In February 1915, I went with Father, who with 20 other men had joined in the purchase of a parcel of land known as the Gila Ranch located on the Gila

River at Richmond, New Mexico, about five miles east of Duncan, Arizona. The name was later changed to Virden in honor of Mr. Virden, the owner of the Gila

Ranch Company from whom the land was purchased.

The Mortensen brothers leased the Gila Ranch from the other buyers for one year. Mother stayed in Deming with the new baby, Marion, and the other children until the school year was out. The older children helped in any way they could with work on the farm during the summer.

During the rainy season our house sometimes leaked muddy water from the dirt-covered roof. This was very unpleasant to all but especially for Mother and the girls. I mention these hardships we endured after the exodus neither

264

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S boastingly nor complainingly, but as a tribute to our parents who had lost all their monetary possessions with the exception of the teams, wagons, a scanty supply of food, clothing and bedding, a few treasured keepsakes and the large family. Our parents retained faith, courage, and determination that we, their children should have opportunities for self development and association with others of our faith in a community where we would have the advantage of a ward organization. This was the prime purpose of the Gila Ranch project.

After the second group of refuges arrived in 1916, Father bought an additional 80 acres of farm land near Virden which had a four-room house with an open porch across the front. This was a little more comfortable.

FRIENDSHIP, MARRIAGE, JOY AND SORROW

In 1917 the family of Guy Taylor moved to Virden. They were refugees from Colonia Juarez, Mexico. Jesse Taylor and his sister, McCray, came riding into our place on two good-looking horses. I thought she was very attractive but

I figured she was far too young for me to be interested. As time went on, the better I liked McCray and decided that perhaps age didn’t make so much difference after all. Her ideals for a husband were high. She wanted him to have an education, to be a returned missionary, and she wanted to be married in the

LDS. Temple.

The Taylors sold their farm and moved to the Panhandle in Texas, all except for the mother, two daughters, McCray, Camilla and two younger boys, Grant and

Lloyd who remained in Virden awhile, then moved to Thatcher, Arizona.

I couldn’t get the thought of McCray out of my mind. As time went on she relented about marrying a returned missionary, but she held fast to the idea of getting a better education. While I was waiting for her, I continued working on Father’s farm. Shortly before our marriage I leased a farm from a Mr.

Cosper. It had a fairly good home on it. I have always been grateful that we had an adequate home to start our married life.

McCray and I were married in Arizona 30 May 1921 at the Taylor home.

We had five wonderful years of friendship and then courtship while I waited for her to grow up. She was an ideal Latter-day Saint girl, honoring at all times her parental and church teachings. McCray, after an illness of a few weeks, passed away at the home of her mother after just a year of married life. Because of her death, life held no interest for me.

MISSION CALL

In the fall of 1922, I was called on a mission to the Northern States. I went to Logan, Utah, where I went through the Logan Temple and had McCray

265

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S sealed to me for time and eternity. Aunt Annie Nielson, Grandpa Andersen’s sister, stood proxy for this sealing.

After general conference in October of 1922, I was set apart for my mission by Charles H. Hart. I labored fifteen months in Sioux City, Iowa. The work was slow and difficult. There were some who professed to be members but were unworthy members. One staunch member in Sioux City, a Sister Hammerstrom was old enough to be my grandmother. We held a regular Sacrament meeting in her home, just the three of us present. She usually gave us a good home-cooked meal before our meeting. The day before my release from the mission field, 30

November 1924, I conducted the funeral services for a small child. This experience has been a tremendous value throughout my life.

CALL TO THE BISHOPRIC

Shortly after my return to Virden, the Virden Ward was reorganized. I was selected to be second counselor to Bishop Junius E. Payne. It is customary to choose men with families for these positions, or at least a married man.

FRIENDSHIP TO MARRIAGE

Fortunately for me, in the fall of 1925, the McDonald family moved into our valley. A daughter, Jane, came to teach in our local school system. Jane and I were compatible friends from the beginning of our acquaintance. We were married after the close of Jane’s third school term.

I fully realized after our marriage what an outstanding family the

McDonalds were. We have had a very happy life together rich in many and varied experiences, most of them pleasant.

Arvin and I continued our joint farm operation. Early in March 1930 we moved our families to a farm we purchased in 1929. The two families shared the one home, but each had their own living quarters. After a year a new fiveroom home was built for Arvin and Emma. We lived on this farm for nearly twenty years.

In 1933 Jane lost her mother. This was hard on her for they were very close, as she had no sisters.

The Depression began to be felt in late 1929. The first year we could not make the land payment but Mr. Brooks was happy to receive a little interest, and did not want the farm back. We made all our payments on time after the first year. In 1933 the Depression was at its worst, but I got a sub-contract from a road contractor near Rodeo, New Mexico, building highway grade with my

266

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S teams and scraper. The monies from this venture were welcome.

Shortly after Dale’s birth in 1935, I was hired as the salesman for the

Duncan Valley Potato Grower’s Association. We moved into Jane’s mother’s home for the duration of the summer to have access to a telephone. We invested wisely any money we received.

I served as first counselor in the bishopric, then on 16 June 1940 I was sustained as bishop of the Virden Ward, a position I held for seven years. I also served on the local Irrigation Board, the Duncan Valley Gin Board, the Potato

Grower’s Association Board, as P.T.A. president, on the county board of education for twelve years, and two terms as county commissioner. During World War

II I served on the County Selective Service Board

Jane worked in the Primary and Relief Society presidencies and in the

M.I.A. as president or in the presidency.

The World War II years were busy years. Help was scarce. Bevan and

Jerry shouldered considerable responsibility. Italian prisoners of war were used for seasonal work.

In May 1942 the children were happy to be out of school. They went for a swim in the canal after the evening chores were done. The next morning when they were to return to school for their report cards, Terril said he did not feel well, that his knee hurt. He passed away 22 May 1942. The doctor diagnosed it as a strep infection and osteomyelitis. How we missed him.

We received into the family Steven and Fernith Brown when both their parents passed away in 1947 and 1948.

The family was changing. There were missions, college, then the children began marrying and starting their own families, so we tried to expand our base of income. After several different adventures we purchased land in Blythe,

California. Jane returned to teaching since they were frantically hunting teachers.

When we moved to Blythe there was only a branch of our church. They had a building program. Shortly after the completion of the Blythe Chapel in

October 1957, I was sustained as Blythe Branch president. It took a lot of hard work and fervent prayers before the branch became more unified. In April 1958

I continued to preside as bishop of the ward.

In the spring of 1960 I was asked to take over the management of the

Parris Church Welfare Ranch. In June of 1964, Jane and I were called on a mis-

267

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S sion to the West European Mission which eventually became the North British

Mission. We were assigned to Blythe where Robert had the experience of removing 175 individuals from the rolls after proper steps had been taken for formal excommunication

We were able to attend the London Temple with all the missionaries in the

North East British Mission. After completing our mission we were permitted to do some touring. After returning home we moved to Blythe, California.

Though my health was deteriorating, I enjoyed checking the farm which my sons were now running.

On 27 February 1975 Rob passed on to a better life. Jane moved to Orem when their sons moved there. Here she passed away.

Robert and Jane have seven children;

1. ROBERT BEVAN MORTENSEN, born 26 October 1929 in Virden, New Mexico, md.

LEOLA RAE PAYNE 27 October 1953 in the Arizona Temple. She was born 10 April

1933.

I spent the growing years of my life on the family farm. I grew up with younger brothers sharing a bedroom, a chest of drawers, a closet, a horse, a saddle, and a bicycle. I did have my own hoe. We had many cousins whom we played and worked with and whom we loved and enjoyed. I always felt loved by all my aunts and uncles.

I attended Virden Public School and graduated in May 1947. During my senior year I was student body president. I completed my Eagle Scout work and received my

Eagle in June 1947.

Because of the Depression and then the war years, I did not experience a lot of leisure during my teenage years. It was at this formidable age that I learned from Dad to extend myself. From Mother I learned about organization and how to make those whom one is working with feel good about himself and what he is doing. Dad wasn’t afraid to let us children seek our level of ability. I started milking cows at the age of six.

At eight he taught me to drive a team of horses. When I was eight years old I started my “irrigation education.”

In 1937 Dad purchased 40 acres in Lehi, Arizona, and we moved. We returned to Virden in 1948. In May of 1949, Uncle Parley Jones. then bishop of the Virden Ward.

called me on a mission. I was assigned to the Northwestern States Mission. When I returned from my mission in June 1951 I immediately’ reported to the county draft board and was drafted into the United States Army. I served in Korea where I was a counselor to Rulon Terlick, the LDS leader.

While still in the States and home on a furlough during Christmas time I dated

Leola Rae Payne, the first child of Harry Vearle and Mandona Hanchett Payne. We

268

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S acquired the Bell Ranch in Chandler, Arizona, and we began our life together on the ranch. Here our first child was born in 1954. We determined this ranch was not large enough to support three families, so we purchased a farm in the Palo Verde Valley,

California.

We have been active in the Church. Some of my calls were elder’s quorum president, Stake High Councilor, second counselor to President G. Thomas Choules of the

Yuma Arizona Stake, Sunday school president, high priest group leader, a coordinator of welfare projects for the three Albuquerque stakes, and Welfare Service Regional

Agent of the Orem South and Orem West regions. Rae has served as Relief Society president, stake Relief Society president, and stake Relief Society secretary. Other callings have been genealogy class leader, meeting house librarian, homemaking leader, and several other different callings.

We sold our holdings in Blythe and moved to Utah where we went into the oil well business. We extended the oil well business and Rae and I moved to Albuquerque,

New Mexico. We are the parents of six children:

1. ROBERT VEARLE MORTENSEN, b. 23 August 1954 in Mesa, Arizona, md.

LORI KAY BRAZELL 30 July 1976 in the St. George Temple. She was b. 9

April 1957 in Safford, Arizona.

The family moved to Blythe, California, where he grew up. His father baptized him and ordained him to all the different offices in the priesthood. He attended Blythe public schools. He was called to serve a mission to Birmingham,

England, and left 3 November 1973.

“I have been grateful for the mission experience as life takes on a new dimension and one feels more qualified to face life’s many problems. After my mission, I went back to Dixie College where I met Lori Kay Brazell in the library. After a short courtship, Lori and I were married. Lori comes from a family of seven, she being the oldest. Her roots are quite similar to mine, in that her forefathers pioneered in Old Mexico where they lived during the same time my forefathers were there. She is a good wife and mother who can do almost anything and do it well. She has held many positions in the Church as a teacher and as a leader. She gives her best efforts to her calling with enthusiasm and dependability.”

Robert has served as Executive Secretary to a bishop, an elder’s quorum president, counselor in an elder’s quorum five times, taught Valiant A class in

Primary, and a high councilor. He entered the family business and managed one of the Oilwell plants in Albuquerque. He moved to Gallup and is manager of the

Oilwell plants there.

Four children:

1. Christopher Bartley Mortensen , b. 19 September 1978 in Fontana,

California, bpt. 27 September 1986.

2. Dustin Bevan Mortensen , b. 11 August 1981 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, bpt. 12 August 1989.

3. Robert Neil Mortensen , b. 25 November 1986 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, bpt.. 25 November 1994.

4. Katie Jane Mortensen, b. 21 May 1994 in Gallup, New Mexico.

269


2. KEITH RAY MORTENSEN, b. 25 September 1956 in Blythe, California, md.

LORIE KAY MASTERS 15 July 1982 in the Seattle Temple. She was b. 16 March

1960 in Tacoma, Washington.

I graduated from Palo Verde High

School in 1974. I always felt my parents love for me and never once felt as though I was unwanted or that I as a financial burden to them. My father was worthy to exercise his priesthood properly and baptize me, and he was able to ordain me to my priesthood offices. President Spencer W. Kimball called me to be a missionary to serve in the Peru Lima Mission from 1975 to

1977. I returned to BYU and graduated in 1980 with a B.S. degree in Finance.

Then I attended the University of New

Mexico and graduated with a Masters of Business Administration degree.

While at BYU I met and married Lorie

Kay Masters. Lorie is a wonderful wife and mother, a fantastic seamstress and cook, and a great homemaker. She loves children and has a testimony of the gospel and works hard to fulfill her church callings.

Keith Ray and Lori Kay Masters Mortensen

I have been blessed in my church activity with callings that have helped me grow. At BYU I served as second counselor in a ward elders quorum, as a counselor to the president of a ward and stake Sunday School presidency and of course, as a home teacher. Since we have been married I have served as priest quorum advisor, explorer advisor, and as second counselor in our ward elders quorum presidency.

My employment is comprised almost exclusively of working for family businesses, from a youth chopping cotton, at the feedlot as a cowboy, to my current status as a manager of one of the Oilwells owned by the family. Five children:

1. Haley Mortensen, b. 24 February 1984 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 27

February 1992.

2. Alexa Mortensen, b. 31 March 1987 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 5 May 1995.

3. Thomas Taylor Mortensen , b. 19 August 1989 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

4. Kathryn Rae Mortensen, b. 2 July 1992 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

5. McKay Mortensen, b. 20 September 1996 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

270


3. MARJORIE MORTENSEN , b. 12 June 1959 in Blythe, California, md.

HAROLD EDWIN RHODES 16 March 1985 in the Provo Temple [divorced]. He was b. 17 July 1961 in Hempstead, New York.

After graduating from Palo Verde High School in 1977, I attended BYU. In

April 1982 I graduated with a B.S. degree in Recreation Therapy. I went to work for a private care facility for mentally retarded women. I also worked for the

State Training School in American Fork, Utah. I was a recreation therapist at both facilities. I returned to school, this time to the University of Utah to earn a

Special Education Teaching Certificate, now to teach Severely Multiply

Handicapped students.

Harold served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana Mission. He has served as a Scoutmaster, advisor to priests and teachers quorums. He has been a stake missionary, teaching prospective missionaries. I have served as a

Primary pianist and teacher, an assistant homemaking leader and as Relief

Society president.

I am grateful for the close family ties of the Mortensen family and for my parents who have guided me through the various stages of my life, giving me the courage to see a project through, even though the challenge was sometimes distasteful as well as difficult.

Three children:

1. Harold Bevan Rhodes , b. 29 June 1987 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt.

30 July 1995.

2. Daniel Martin Rhodes, b. 19 March 1995 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

3. Jay Bradley Rhodes, b. 19 October 1997 Albuquerque, New Mexico.

4. MAUREEN MORTENSEN, b. 12 September 1961 in Blythe, California, md.

CORY WENDELL OTTESEN 5 May 1984 in the Provo Temple. He was b. 23 April

1958 in Stockton, California.

There was a closeness of the Mortensen family. Once I got a little older, there was always something to do at the farm or feed yard. It was also nice living next door to Uncle Jerry and Aunt Phyllis’s family because there was always someone to play with, and we had a regulation swimming pool between the two homes, where we spent some of our free time.

I helped Dad put in a leach line and irrigation system for the yard, trim trees and occasionally went on short trips with him. Mom always sewed for me and took a lot of time to teach me how to do many things. I have many good memories of the Mortensen family gatherings. They are something I still enjoy. My parents and the rest of the Mortensen family have always been a good example to watch and learn from, especially where the Church is concerned.

I have always been taught to take my callings seriously and carry out the responsibilities that are given me. I have been involved in Relief Society as a homemaking counselor and a teacher, in Primary as a pianist and a teacher.

I graduated from the Palo Verde High School in May 1979. I went to BYU that fall, and graduated in April 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics

Education.

271


Cory Wendell Ottesen served a mission in the Denver, Colorado Mission from

July 1977 to July 1979. He returned to BYU and we met through a mutual friend in 1982 and dated 18 months.. He graduated from BYU in April 1984 with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. We were married two weeks later,. We moved to Livermore, California, where Cory went to work for

Sandia National Laboratories.

Maureen and Cory are both busy in the youth programs of the church and have four children:

1. Evan Andrew Ottesen, b. 23 April 1986 in Walnut Creek, California.

Bpt. 30 April 1994.

2. Mitchell Cory Ottesen, b. 20 February 1989 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

3. Casey Ray Ottesen, b. 18 September 1991 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

4. Max Robert Ottesen, b. 28 September 1994 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

5. ARLENE MORTENSEN, b. 4 March 1965 in Blythe, California, md. JACE

BLAIN LARSEN 17 April 1987. He was b. 15 December 1963. Arlene loved to dance and has taken dance classes off and on through the years. She attended

Palo Verde Valley schools through the 8th grade then moved with her parents to

Albuquerque where she graduated in 1983. She attended BYU and Utah

Technical College studying business and fashion merchandising. Two children:

1. Taylor Blain Larsen, b. 11 March 1990 in Edmond, Oklahoma.

2. Chelsea Larsen, b. 13 September 1992 in Edmond, Oklahoma.

6. GREGORY BEVAN MORTENSEN , b. 30 June1966 in Blythe, California, md.

CATHERINE LEIGH MARTINES 7 June 1991 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 29 March 1968 at Hill AFB Utah. He attended Palo Verde Valley schools through the 7th grade then moved with his parents. He graduated from

Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah. He developed an interest in public speaking and participated in several speech tournaments. Greg served a mission to the California San Jose Mission in 1985. One child:

1. Emily Ray Mortensen, b. 3 December 1997.

2. JERRY DEAN MORTENSEN, b. 1 July 1931 in the small town of Virden, New

Mexico, md. PHYLLIS JOY HAYNIE 9 April 1952. in the Arizona Mesa Temple. She was b. 18 September 1931 in Van Nuys, California.

During my early years I was taught the value of work by virtue of the Depression years and the fact that both my father and mother believed in the blessings that come from hard work. These work lessons became an integral part of my life in that I not only practiced and preached hard work, but according to my children, engaged everyone close at hand in the same.

My parents also taught me many great social and spiritual principles, (i.e. honesty,

272

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S promptness, integrity, dependability, quality work, love for fellow men, service, high performance, love for the Lord, compassion, prayer, tithing, etc.) If I ever did anything improper, the sins are my own and could never be on the heads of my parents.

Jerry and Phyllis

Mortensen family,

1999

Basketball and track were the only sports I engaged in during my high school years. I took up both sports my second year at Thatcher, Arizona “Gila” College (now Eastern

Arizona Junior College). I met Phyllis Haynie while at Thatcher. It was imperative that I remain in school as my age group had been deferred from military service until college had been completed. Because of the Korean War, missionaries were not being called from New Mexico. However, this ruling was not in effect until after I had received my mission call to the Great Lakes Mission which I was unable to accept because we were not deferred for missions. This was one of life’s greatest disappointments to me.

Without a mission I always felt handicapped in my church callings.

During my junior year at Arizona State University, in 1952, Phyllis Joy Haynie and I were married. In my senior year second semester I left school and started working with

Dad to support my family which was soon to be three. I regret that I never finished college, I lacked 12 credits, seven required and five electives for a degree in Agronomy.

Phyllis grew up in Pima, Arizona. Her college education included two years at Eastern

Arizona Junior College. She has many talents and characteristics worthy of emulation.

She was willing to support and sustain me in righteousness to the point of being content when she and the children were left on their own for meals, Home Evening, family prayer, and special occasions that had been carefully planned ahead, only to be celebrated without my presence “for an emergency had arisen in my realm of responsibility.”

I am most appreciative of Phyllis for her dedicated and cheerful support, not only in my priesthood callings but in any inconvenience that may arise in my responsibilities in the family business. Her attitude has set an unselfish example for our children.

I would never have been called, nor could I have served efficiently as a bishop or stake president, nor could I have functioned as well in my business responsibilities had

Phyllis not been an unselfish, sustaining wife. Truly she has honored the priesthood in our home over the years. We have seven children:

273


1. KATHLEEN MORTENSEN , b. 16 June 1953 in Mesa, Arizona, md. LARRY

DEE ARNETT 5 September 1974 in the Los Angeles Temple. He was b. in

Safford, Arizona.

My earliest memories are of growing up on a farm in Blythe, California, and having plenty of space to explore and play. Activity in the Church was a way of life in my home as I was growing up. My dad was in leadership from the time I was very young. He spent many hours in service to the Lord. My mom was also involved in service and leadership. They were living examples of dedication. I love and appreciate my parents for instilling within me a desire to gain a testimony and to serve the Lord.

I graduated from Palo Verde High in June 1971. I then went to BYU in Provo,

Utah. In June 1973 I went on a semester abroad with a BYU group to Madrid,

Spain. I graduated from BYU in August 1982, eleven years, one marriage and three children after high school.

Larry works for the Church in the international department of Finance and

Records. I have served as education counselor in the Relief Society, as a teacher and chorister, Young Women’s advisor and Relief Society counselor, secretary and cultural refinement teacher.

We have five children:

1. Dana Joy Arnett, b. 31 July 1975 in Provo, Utah.

2. Devry Gale Arnett , b. 13 May 1978 in Tucson, Arizona.

3. Cameron Dee Arnett , b. 27 February 1980 in Provo, Utah.

4. Stacey Dion Arnett, b. 11 October 1983 in Orem, Utah.

5. Malory Kathleen Arnett, b. 26 September 1988 in Guatemala City,

Guatemala.

2. ROGER JERRY MORTENSEN, b. 1 October 1954 Mesa, Arizona, d. 21 July

1955 in Long Beach, California.

3. TERRIL DEAN MORTENSEN, b. 16 August 1956 in Blythe, California, md.

KRISTINE KEARSLEY 19 April 1980. in the Idaho Falls Temple. She was b.

29 October 1960 in Logan, Utah, to Horace and Freda Kearsley.

Growing up in the Palo Verde Valley was a lot of work and a lot of fun. My whole family worked in an operation of farming and cattle feeding. There was always something that had to be done, from “chopping cotton” to precisely leveling hundreds of acres of irrigation farmland with the help of a laser beam.

I received all my ordination at the hand of my father. I was called to serve in the

Chile Concepcion Mission in August 1976. A college education blessed my life considerably for, while studying at BYU after my mission, I met a beautiful coed,

Kristina Kearsley. After a six-month engagement we were married in the Idaho

Falls Temple. I quit school in the spring of 1981 to work for the Church on a newly acquired church farm in Blythe, California. After two years of farming,

274


Kristine and I decided to accept an invitation to join the family venture in Utah in April 1983 to learn the automobile quick-lubrication business and to become part of Oil Well Inc.

I have had many opportunities to serve the Lord; Sunday School counselor, elder’s quorum instructor, Sunday School teacher, deacons quorum advisor and

Scoutmaster, priest advisor and Young Men’s president, Primary teacher, and assistant Varsity Scout coach. We have five children:

1. Mary Elizabeth Mortensen, b. Jan 13, 1981 in Provo, Utah.

2. Roger Kearsley Mortensen, b. September 23, 1982 in Blythe, California.

3. Richard Dean Mortensen, b. November 22, 1983 in Provo, Utah.

4. Erin Kristene Mortensen, b. September 4, 1985 in Provo, Utah.

5. Jacob Terril Mortensen, b. April; 21. 1990 in Mesa. Arizona.

4. JOYCE ELLEN MORTENSEN , b. 17 March 1958 in Blythe California, bpt.

31 March 1966, md. ALFRED DeWAYNE ERDMANN 18 February 1983 in the

Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 4 April 1955 in Bitburg, Germany.

My father was an outstanding farmer which gave me pride in his special ability in management. One year he was named Outstanding Farmer of the Year. I also had the opportunity to learn how to work. I remember the early mornings in the cotton fields with my sister and cousins walking up and down rows of cotton with our hoes chopping weeds during the summer months.

Church was and has been a great part of my life from Primary parties to M.I.A. dances, road shows, stake dances, dance festivals, summer camps and others.

My parents were always a great support to us children, always having their car ready and willing to take us to these functions when many other parents would never volunteer their time. Mother would also make me a new dress for all the important dances, which I was proud to wear as she was an excellent seamstress.

I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints at the age of eight by my father. I have had many opportunities to serve in different church callings such as M.I.A. class presidencies, Seminary vice-president, visiting teacher and supervisor, Relief Society president, and Primary teacher.

I graduated from Palo Verde High School in May 1976 then attended Utah

Technical College in Provo/Orem, Utah, graduating with an associate secretarial degree in May 1978. I attended Brigham Young University for one year, then started working. I met Alfred DeWayne Erdmann Jr. in a BYU student ward in

January 1982. We were married a year later on 18 February 1983.

DeWayne was born in Germany, as his father was in the Air Force at the time of his birth. He served a two-year mission in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended BYU graduating in April 1984 with a bachelor degree in Industrial Arts Education. He teaches woodshop at Woods Cross High in Bountiful, Utah.

275


We have four children.

1. Jaris DeWayne Erdmann , b. 17 August 1985 in Provo, Utah.

2. Tava Joy Erdmann, b. March 1989 in American Fork, Utah.

3. Tyson Dean Erdmann, b. February 1992 in Orem, Utah.

4. Brynn McCray Erdmann, b. 31 May 1995 in Payson, Utah.

5. DIANE MORTENSEN , b. 22 February 1960 in Blythe, California, md. JOHN-

NY TERRELL McCOY 20 September 1986. He was b. 7 August 1960 in

Jacksonville, Florida.

I graduated from Palo Verde High

School in 1978. I then attended

Provo Technical College in Provo,

Utah, where I took one year in the dental assisting program and graduated in 1979. I took my first job as a dental assistant in

January 1980. In July 1984 I passed the board exam to be a

Registered Dental Assistant.

During the summer months of my college years I returned home where I worked in the melon sheds during melon season. The hours were long and the work difficult but the wages were extremely high, a real boost to a college student.

Johnny and Diane Mortensen McCoy family

I had a love for horses. My father bought me a thoroughbred horse which I named Traveler. With him I participated in a couple of horse shows and was in the County Fair parade.

With church positions come responsibilities. While in M.I.A. I held positions as counselors, in college there was always visiting teaching. I feel very blessed to have come from a family that is strong in the Church and live each day the principles of the Gospel, always striving to set good examples to those they may come in contact with. I can see the wisdom that my parents had and still have in setting down the particular rules for us to abide, and I plan to use these examples and teachings for the family I will be raising.

Johnny is Scoutmaster. He continues to run our flooring store. I am secretary in the Relief Society. We have three children:

1. Haydon Terrell McCoy, b. 31 March 1988 in Huntington Beach,

California. He plays drums and piano. He earned his Eagle Scout Award at age 13.

2. Korinn Michelle McCoy, b. 3 February 1991 in Poway, California. She is

276

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S full of song and dance and enjoys gymnastics.

3. Addison Grant McCoy, b.13 July 1995 in American Fork, Utah. A spit fire of a child.

6. MARY MORTENSEN, b. 10 July 1962 in Blythe, California, bpt. 1 August

1970, md. MAURICE R. MASON 27 August 1982 in the St. George Temple. He was b. 30 January 1959 in Richfield, Utah, to Eldon R. and Ruby Olcott Mason.

I grew up in Blythe, California and graduated from Palo Verde High School in

1980 where I had been involved in many church, school and community activities which included softball, basketball and volleyball and being in the high school band for a time.

My relatives, and especially my parents, have been wonderful examples in showing me how to live. They helped me appreciate the Church and all it has to offer.

I remember feeling very proud when my father, Jerry Dean Mortensen, was able to baptize me a member of the Church. I was taught that being a member of the

Church meant fulfilling responsibilities which I am still striving to do. So far I have been able to be in two Relief Society presidencies, an education counselor and secretary. Maurice and I were able to be nursery teachers, and I have been a ward librarian.

After high school I attended Brigham Young University where I earned a B.S. degree in Community Health education. During my first semester at BYU I met my husband-to-be, Maurice R. Mason. We dated two years and then were married. He served in the Japan Nagoya Mission from 1978 to 1980. He returned to

BYU where we met in a class. We both continued our schooling after marriage.

We have two children:

1. Shayla Mason, b. 18 January 1985 in Provo, Utah.

2. Alissa Mason , b. 4 June 1986 in Provo, Utah.

7. GRANT MORTENSEN, b. 5 January 1968 in Blythe, California.

3. TERRIL LEE MORTENSEN, b. 17 June 1933 and d. 22 May 1942 in Virden, New

Mexico. From infancy a special bond of love developed between grandmother Mamie

Mortensen and Terril with his sunny disposition and quiet nature. He missed this association after her death which was just prior to his sixth birthday. He enjoyed school never wanting to miss a day. He had a perfect attendance for a three-year period. In

May 1942 the children were happy to be out of school. The children went for a swim in the canal after the evening chores were done. The next morning when they were to return to school for their report cards, Terril said he did not feel well, that his knee hurt. The doctor diagnosed it as a strep infection and osteomyelitis, an inflammation of the bone and bone marrow.

4. CECIL DALE MORTENSEN, b. 5 June 1935 in Virden, New Mexico, md. BETTIE

LOUISE ADAMS in the Arizona Temple 15 September 1961. She was b. 15 November

1939 in Tacna, Arizona, to Frank P. and Alma Greer Adams. Dale died of a massive heart attack 1 January 1992 on his first day of retirement.

277


I was always proud my father was in leadership positions. I learned early in life that the test of dedicated leadership comes only through a great love of humanity and a willingness to serve unselfishly with the strongest faith and full cooperation of all family members. Our parents were well organized and ambitious.

By the age of three I had developed asthma which plagued me with vicious attacks during my early childhood. When I was thirteen, a Dr. McClellan of Mesa gave me a series of treatments (chiropractic) which was the turning point in alleviating, to a degree, my health problem.

I spent considerable time with Mother’s relatives near Silver City, New Mexico, and other relatives who opened their homes to me, and were most kind, generous and understanding of my health problems and homesickness. By high school I attended three-and-one-half years in school in Virden on a regular basis.

In January 1952 the family began the moving years to find a suitable location with sufficient land and water where Dad and his sons could own and operate an agricultural project. In the spring of 1955 after investigating farm land on the Colorado River, we purchased a section of land and moved to Blythe.

I was called on a mission to Argentina in the Fall of 1955. While serving my mission I had an appendicitis attack and after three weeks my appendix was removed. I had other health problems. Though my mission had many interruptions, I shall always be grateful for the experience which has been a great asset throughout my life.

I entered Brigham Young University in January 1958, but remained only one quarter. I attended Woodbury Business College in Los Angeles. I found a job with the Bank of

America as an auto messenger which I held until I graduated in August 1969 with a bachelors degree in Business Administration.

Soon after returning from my mission, I met a very attractive young lady, Bettie Louise

Adams, at Mutual. I thought she was walking into the wrong class as she looked about

13, but she was 18. After a three-and-a-half-year courtship we were married. We lived and worked in Los Angeles for six months then moved to work in the family business, the first of several moves.

Bettie has many varied interests and is artistically inclined, sews well and does beautiful handiwork, and quilt making. She is not one who must have undue attention but can be happy to be found in the background giving service to others on her own or accomplishing assigned duties. She has held the following Church positions; Primary teacher and secretary, Mia Maid leader, Relief Society mother education teacher,

Sunday School organist, and Spanish Name Extraction worker.

Bettie has supported me one hundred percent over the years in my Church, business and home activities. We have had our disappointments with the loss of five babies, but we have two sons who lived to maturity.

278


I worked for the Bank of America as assistant Manager and became Assistant Manager of the United California Bank, then Manager. During this time I was able to attend

South West Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist College and graduated in August 1973 with a graduate degree in Money and Banking. In December 1973 I resigned my position with the bank to return to the family business which had gone through a great expansion.

I was the first to move to Provo to be on the alert for business opportunities in Utah.

We joined our business with Jiffy Lube International and it has been very good to us.

Our first Oilwell plant was formally opened 28 November 1981. We have expanded and all four brothers moved to Orem, Utah.

After Dale’s death Bettie served a mission for the Church from June 1996 to December

1997 in the Canada Vancouver Mission. Since that time she takes care of her mother.

Dale and Bettie have seven children:

1. RONNY MORTENSEN [twin], b. 30 March and d. 1 April 1962 in Blythe,

California.

March 30 and d. 31 March 2. JOHNNY MORTENSEN [twin], b. 30

1962 in Blythe, California.

3. DALE ANDREW MORTENSEN, b. 9

December1963 in Blythe, California, md.

STACY MAURINE SNOW 11 June 1988 in

Ferron, Utah. They were sealed 20

June 1992 in the Jordan River Temple. She was b. 8 August 1967 in Price, Utah.

I attended school in the Palo Verde School system until high school, then the family moved to Provo, Utah, where I graduated from Timpview High 27 May 1982. I went to

Weber State College on a track scholarship, then to Utah Technical College.

Three children:

1. Christopher Dale Mortensen , b. 15

July 1990 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Tanner R. Mortensen, b. 19

October 1992 in Sandy, Utah.

3. Janice MaKayla Mortensen, b. 29

June 1994 in Sandy, Utah.

Dale Andrew and Stacy M. Snow

Mortensen

4. EDWARD LEE MORTENSEN, b. 10

December 1964 in El Centro, California, md. ELAYNE COLYAR 14 June 1985 in the Provo Temple. She was b. 18 June 1965 in Provo, Utah.

279


My family moved to Blythe shortly after my birth. When I was 9 years old, my father decided to teach us the value of work. He began taking my brother

Andrew and me to work with him to the family-owned feed yard. There was plenty of work for us to do weekends and summers. The first paycheck we received was at the end of the summer. My father called us into his office and handed us both a sizeable check. We thought we were the richest kids in the world. My father said we were to pay our tithing and then buy our school clothes that year.

In high school I became one of the top three sprinters in the state. I had hamstring problems, so I took it easy in practice, but I managed to get third in state my senior year.

All my priesthood ordinations have been done by my father. I am proud and grateful for this. I received my mission call to the Columbus, Ohio Mission and entered the Mission Training Center 27 January 1984. I was unable to complete my mission and returned home 4 April 1984. I am grateful for this brief period of my life being spent in the mission field, for I gained a firmer testimony of the gospel.

I attended Utah Technical College after my mission. I met Elayne Colyar through our ward and we started dating. After a nine-month engagement we were married. We joined the family business, Jiffy Lube International. Lee manages a Jiffy

Lube store in Salt Lake City.

Three children:

1. Amberlee Mortensen, b. 13 March 1986 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 9 April

1994.

2. Alyssa Mortensen, b.29 July 1987 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 5 August 1995.

3. Justin Lee Mortensen, b. 27 August 1990 in Orem, Utah.

5. JERI LYNN MORTENSEN [twin], b. 20 November and d. 22 November


6. TERI LYNN MORTENSEN [twin], b. and d. 20 November 1967 in Blythe,

California.

7. CHERRIL ANN MORTENSEN, b. 8 October and d. 9 October 1968 in Blythe,

California

5. CAROLINE JANE MORTENSEN , b.11 May 1937 in Virden, New Mexico, the only daughter of Robert and Jane Mortensen. Caroline md. LAVELL FLOWERS HANCOCK 6

December 1968 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 27 December 1927 West Weber,

Utah. Carolyn and Lavell were killed 7 June 1977 in a private plane crash near

Riverside, California.

My early life was spent on the family farm in Virden, New Mexico. With six brothers, life was never dull but on occasions I felt it was a bit too “boy oriented.” I was baptized

280

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S by my father in the irrigation canal near our home. I have been grateful for the parental training received in my home, including my religious training. Our lives revolved around Church service and activities. I earned the honor of a Golden Gleaner.

My first Church calling came at about the age of 13 as assistant pianist for M.I.A. I have not been without a Church calling since that time. I have participated in ward and stake music and dance festivals, and road shows.

In 1948 Steven and Ferneth Brown came to make their home with us. Their mother,

Aunt Mina, passed away in 1947 and their father Uncle Floyd Brown died in 1948.

They were sixteen and fourteen years old when they came into our home and remained until college years. They fit well into our family and it was pleasing to have another girl in the home.

After moving to find an operation large enough for a father-and-sons operation we settled in Blythe, California in June 1955.

I attended Palo Verde Jr. College in Blythe one year then transferred to BYU where I graduated with a major in Education, specializing in kindergarten work. I taught kindergarten for eight years in California, Utah and Arizona.

LaVell was widowed with five children, two still at home when we married. Our only child, David Robert, was b. 21 February 1970. Due to physical complications, he was to be our only child. We adopted two girls, Deborah and Kimberly. It is regrettable these children could not have moved into our home much earlier in life. The trauma for them and for us would have been much less. Through love and patience we have hopes for their future stability.

Caroline and LaVell lost their lives in a private plane crash en route home from a New

York Life Insurance special event honoring LaVell’s outstanding achievements for the year. Three of Carolyn’s brothers have been appointed, one for each child, as guardians.

Three children:

1. DEBORAH JANE HANCOCK, b. 25 April 1966 in Riverside, California [adopted], md. GARY LYNN HARR, 23 January 1986 Sandy, Utah, sealed in the Manti

Temple 23 January 1992. He was b. 12 April 1962 in Murray, Utah. Two children:

1. Aric Lynn Harr was b. 23 June 1987 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Breauna Leigh Harr was b. 3 June 1991 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dale and Bettie Mortensen were appointed her guardian after her parents passed on. Debbie attended school at Timpview High School where she ran track. She graduated in June 1985 from Spanish Fork High School. Deborah is a member of the Utah Army National Guard.

2. KIMBERLY SUE HANCOCK, b. 25 January 1968 in San Diego, California

[adopted]. Jerry and Phyllis Mortensen are her guardians.

281


3. DAVID ROBERT HANCOCK, b. 21

February 1970 in Blythe, California, to

LaVell and Carolyn Mortensen Hancock.

David md. LARUE F. COLYAR in 1992.

When his mother and father were killed he went into the family of his Uncle

Taylor. He has grown to be six feet seven inches tall and played on the high school basketball team. One child.

1. Wayne Hancock, b. 18 June 1995 in Provo, Utah.

6. TAYLOR MITCHELL MORTENSEN, b. 23

January 1939 in Virden, New Mexico, md. DAR-

LENE FAY MINARD 27 August 1964 in the Salt

Lake Temple. She was b. 11 June 1942.

David R. and Larue Colyar Hancock

I had fun times playing basketball on our outside dirt court, hunting, playing marbles, making flippers, etc. I always enjoyed getting the newspaper and mail that was delivered each day to the mailbox a short distance from our home. On stormy summer days, I liked to watch the local canyon swell from bank to bank with muddy water crashing its way down to the Gila River. At night we listened to the radio, or Mom read stories to us. Usually there was popcorn to eat. During the summer, we sometimes had camping trips in the mountains with our Morten-sen relatives as well as the trip to the McDonald Brothers’ ranches near Silver City, New

Mexico.

Living on a small farm I learned from an early age the value of work, honesty, thrift, integrity, service to others, and a love for the Gospel. These important values were taught me by my loving parents. I also learned the value of a small community and school. It seemed everyone knew each other and everyone was concerned about one another’s welfare. It was like an extended family.

There were no paved roads and few automobiles, no electricity or telephones. We did have a battery-powered radio we would listen to in the evenings. In the fields you could see draft horses working. Outdoor plumbing was still in vogue. Morning and evening chores were as regular as our family prayers. It was a very simple life for a young farm boy.

My world took a dramatic change in October of 1947. We moved to Lehi, Arizona, to live on a forty-acre dairy farm. I was in the third grade and meeting new friends was an awkward experience for me. Our family moved several times the next several years. In all our moving we remained in agriculture. We returned to Virden in August of 1948.

Little did I realize moving would be my plight while growing up and attending schools.

In the fall of 1948 two cousins, Steven and Ferneth Brown, came to live with us. Their parents had passed away leaving six children. We were blessed to have these two teenage cousins and I grew to love them as a brother and a sister.

282


In January of 1952 we moved back to Mesa, Arizona. We made several moves. Then in

1955 we moved to Blythe, California (Palo Verde Valley), where we bought a section of land and leased other acreage. Our first few summers in Blythe were perhaps the most difficult. There was always plenty of work for everyone. Funds were scarce and we did very little hiring of help. My work assignments were irrigating, tractor work, hoeing, and haying.

I completed high school in Blythe. I was on the student council, was in two school plays, played basketball and ran track.

At the conclusion of high school, I attended BYU for two years then served a mission in

New England in October 1959. I served six months in New England then was transferred to the Western States Mission. Upon completion of my mission I continued my studies at BYU where I worked on an accounting degree. My last year at BYU, 1963, I served in a bishopric in our University Ward, and was ordained a high priest by Elder

Spencer W. Kimball. My position in the bishopric put me in charge of the M.I.A. program. The activity counselor for the Young Women was an outstanding lady named

Darlene Fay Minard. She was a senior majoring in elementary education. We had many fun times together taking care of our ward duties. We were married 15 May 1998.

We took what little we had and moved to Mesa, Arizona, where Darlene taught elementary school as I completed my degree in Accounting at ASU in Tempe. Upon my completion of college, Darlene and I moved to Blythe. I was employed by Colorado River

Feed Yard, a commercial enterprise. While living in Blythe I was able to join my two brothers, Bevan and Jerry in a business called Mortensen Enterprises, which consisted of farming, a commercial feed yard and a cattle company. My brother Dale joined our company later. This was a wonderful time in my life, I loved being around family.

Blythe was good to us spiritually and temporally. Darlene and I had eleven children while living in Blythe. Three months after our eighth child, Jane Marie was stillborn, in

June 1977, David, a seven-year-old nephew, became a member of our family. David’s

283

Taylor Mortensen family

July 1995

Back row: Alicia, David, Carol,

Taylor, Darlene, Kevin, Jay

Front row: Dale, Spencer,

Marilyn, Brian, Ron, Steve


Taylor Mortensen family parents, Carolyn (my sister) and her husband, LaVell Hancock, were killed in a single-engine plane crash in Riverside, California, in 1994. See David Hancock, p. 000.

Some of my Church callings while living in Blythe were Young Men’s president, Young Married’s leader,

Young Men’s basketball coach, high counselor (Yuma Stake), bishop and Scoutmaster. I also served as a board member of the Palo Verde Valley Irrigation District. These were busy times for both Darlene and me.

When our oldest child was fifteen and our youngest was three months old, we sold our holdings in Blythe and moved to Orem, Utah, in July 1981. I was forty-two years old.

This was a major change for me and our family.

In 1980 my brother Dale, living in Provo, Utah, discovered the quick lube business.

Later, through his efforts, we started a family business called OilWell, Inc. This independent, family-held company included my three brothers, Bevan, Jerry, Dale and me.

In 1988 we became a franchisee of Jiffy Lube International. From that time forward we expanded our holdings in Utah and New Mexico. In 1997 we divided the company,

Bevan and his partners took the New Mexico holdings. Jerry and I, with our partners, took the Utah holdings. My brother Dale passed away 1 January 1992 and his partnership was settled during the division.

While living in Orem from 1981 to the present, some of my civic duties have included

Orem Planning Commission, board member Kits On the Move, board member Jiffy

Lube Association of Franchisees (JLAF).

My Church service included high council (Suncrest Stake), stake presidency, basketball coach, branch president at the Mission Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah. At the present Darlene and I are serving a full time mission at the MTC. We serve as co-ordinators of the International Department. We work with other couples providing help for missionaries who do not speak English and need interpretation. It is a wonderful work and a joy to serve.

Taylor and Darlene have eleven children:

284


1. SPENCER RAY MORTENSEN, b. 24 December 1965 in Blythe,

California, md. ANNETTE BAR-

TON 5 March 1988. She was b.

19 May 1964 in Provo, Utah.

Our family moved to Orem, Utah, in July 1981. I played football and tennis, was involved in track and field activities, and served as student body president my senior year at Mountain View

High School. I graduated May

1984. I served in the Cordoba

Argentina Mission from February

1985 to March 1987. I began studies at Brigham Young

University in the summer of

1987, and married in 1988. Our first two children were born while

I attended BYU. I graduated from

BYU with a B.S. degree in Zoology and a minor in Spanish April

1992.

Back, Annette and Spencer

Front, l. to r., McKay, Megan and

Becky Mortensen

Summer 1999

While at the “Y” I worked for Environmental Labs Inc. (ELI), a contract research laboratory. Due to the nature of the work at ELI (i.e., large avian field studies to test insecticides), we spent 3-6 months during the spring and summer in

Kansas, Nebraska, Florida, and Illinois. I enjoyed the research so much, I decided to pursue graduate studies in toxicology. Three days after graduating from

BYU, we moved to Pendleton, South Carolina, where I attended Clemson

University.

We moved in 1994 to Raleigh, North Carolina, where I continued graduate studies at the U.S. EPA in Research Triangle Park. Our daughter Megan Marie was born in 1995.

We moved to Mercerville, New Jersey, June 1997 where I worked for American

Cyanamid (recently purchased by BASF), an ag-chemical company. I graduated from Clemson University with a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology August 1997.

In August 1998, I began working with my current employer, Dow AgroSciences, the agchemical subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company in Westfield, Indiana. I am an Environmental Toxicologist. My principle responsibilities include testing new and existing pesticides to determine whether they are safe in the environment, working with our Latin American Regulatory Managers to resolve any toxicology issues that may arise, working with avian advocacy groups as an industry science advisor, publishing peer-reviewed journal articles, and directing the research of a graduate student.

285


I am now (2001) the first counselor in a bishopric and Annette is the second counselor in the YW presidency.

Three children:

1. Rebecca Ann Mortensen, b. 7 October 1989 in Provo, Utah.

2. Spencer McKay Mortensen, b. 24 July 1991 in Provo, Utah.

3. Megan Marie Mortensen, b. 3 December 1995 in Raleigh, North

Carolina.

2. CAROL LEE MORTENSEN, b. 4 February 1967 in Blythe, California, md.

ROBIN DONALD McCULLOCH 26 March 1988. He was b. 28 November 1959 in

Donpierre, France. Three children:

1. Austin Robin McCulloch, b. 11 November 1990 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Zachery Donald McCulloch, b. 15 May 1994 in Provo, Utah.

3. Jarrett Taylor McCulloch, b. 9 March 1998 in Sandy, Utah.

3. RONALD MORTENSEN, b. 16 June 1968 in Blythe, California, md. JILL

ROXANNA JENSEN 26 April 1991 in the Jordan River Temple.She was b.

14 November 1966 in Centerville, Utah.

The family moved to Orem, Utah, when he was thirteen years old. Early memories include seven wonderful brothers and three fantastic sisters; hours of jumping on the trampoline; cousin, David Hancock coming to live with us;

Mohammad Ali and the Horse (wrestling matches); working many hours in the garden/yard but knowing Dad would play some type of sports with us after the job was complete; camping with the family, John Wayne movies; Big Wheels; hoeing weeds; river rafting down the Colorado river; plenty of friends/family to play with—not many dull moments.

Ron served a mission in Melbourne, Australia, from July 1987 to August 1989.

He met Jill Roxanna Jensen while she was teaching and training senior missionaries at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. (Jill was also a teacher/ trainer).

Both Ron and Jill graduated from BYU in April 1993, Ron with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Jill graduated with a B.S. in Clinical

Dietetics and has worked part-time at WIC, home health, and hospice as a dietitian. Ron went to work as a manager for K-Mart Corporation for 16 months. At that point, Ron decided to return to school for a master’s degree. He attended

Utah State University and graduated in June 1996 with his MSS degree in

Human Resource Management.

Ron accepted a position with the Las Vegas, Nevada Deseret Industries in

September 1996 as Rehabilitation Manager, and currently works at that unit. He serves as second counselor in the bishopric in the Hidden Canyon Ward. He enjoys playing basketball, golfing, fishing, camping with the Scouts, but most importantly spending time with his family.

286


Jill went on a mission to San Diego, California, from February 1987 to August

1989. She attended BYU and worked at the MTC, met Ron and was completely smitten with his good looks, charm and witty personality. Jill is currently a fulltime homemaker, wife and mother of three highly active boys. Jill is currently serving in her ward as the Cub Scout Committee Chairperson and plays the piano in Relief Society which she really enjoys. Some of Jill’s hobbies and interests include swimming, reading, attending plays, playing the piano, camping, exercising, biking with the boys, and seeing new places.

Ron and Jill have three boys and a child due on or before 15 January 2001.

1. Daniel Taylor Mortensen, b. 23 August 1993 in Provo, Utah. Daniel is very inquisitive, energetic, and loves to talk with people.

2. Joshua David Mortensen, b. 7 August 1995 in Logan, Utah. Joshua enjoys singing, playing the piano, and riding his bike with Dad. Joshua has a great smile and is fun to have around.

3. Tyler James Mortensen, b. 29 March 1998 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the only blonde in the family.

4. BRIAN MITCHELL MORTENSEN, b. 19 June 1970 in Blythe, California, md.

MINDY LYNN DENNEY 23 May 1992. She was b. 19 June 1971 in Murray, Utah.

One child.

1. Jocelyn McCray Mortensen , b. 17 June 1997 in Gulfport, Mississippi.

5. MARILYN MORTENSEN, b. 14 October 1971 in Blythe, California, md.

MATTHEW JAMES KEARNS 13 April 1996. He was b. 29 December1971 in

Provo, Utah. One child:

1. Lindsay Taylor Kearns, b. 1 August 1998 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

6. DALE LEMAR MORTENSEN , b. 7 February 1973 in Blythe, California, md.

TAMARA HYER 9 November 1995. She was b. 16 June 1972 in Salt Lake City,

Utah. Two children:

1. Taylor James Mortensen, b. 2 May 1997 in Brigham City, Utah.

2. Kendall Charles Mortensen, b.7

November 1998 in Logan, Utah.

7. KEVAN JAMES MORTENSEN, b. 20 April

1974 in Blythe, California, md. JACQUELINE

RICHARDSON 15 May 1998 in the Timpanogos Temple. She was b. 19 September 1974 in

Salt Lake City, Utah.

8. JANE MARIE MORTENSEN, b. and d. 1

March 1977 in Mesa, Arizona.

9. JAY RANDALL MORTENSEN, b. 11 March


Kevan and Jacqueline R. Mortensen

287


10. STEVEN THOMAS MORTENSEN, b.

31 August 1979 in Blythe, California.

11. ALICIA MORTENSEN, b. 25 April 1981 in Blythe, California.

7. DWIGHT MORTENSEN, b. 3 April 1946 in

Safford, Arizona; d. 8 Sep 1982.

Dwight was a Down’s syndrome baby. He was quite a healthy child after his first year and a half of life. A brother gave him a black cocker spaniel dog which was Dwight’s pride and joy. When

Dwight made a fast get away, we’d call Lady and find both boy and dog. Nonetheless, many times they were found too far afield for safety.

Steven Thomas and Katie Lynne

Mortensen

As the years passed, Dwight’s parents wanted for him all that was available for his special education and training. In mid-June, 1953, he entered the Arizona Children’s

Colony. He had many trips home to spend with the family.

Dwight has always been very neat, clean and tidy in his personal appearance and surroundings throughout his life. He expected those around him to be likewise. These traits remained with him. In February 1982 when the family moved to Utah, Dwight was transferred to Orem. Here he lived in a small group home in Orem near his brother and mother, commuting daily to American Fork where he was again employed in a woodwork shop. Dwight passed away in his mother’s home after a month’s illness due to kidney failure.

1A7-3 LUCINDA MORTENSEN , b. 2 May 1899, in Diaz, Mexico, md.

THOMAS ROY CRUM 22 January 1922 .in Thatcher, Arizona [divorced].

Lucinda was the third of fourteen children and the oldest girl. Our home was a two-story brick house with a breeze-way between the main house and the family-owned grocery store. She started school when six years of age. She and

Kate traded off years going to school and years staying home to help out. One chore she did was milk five cows.

Some games we played were stink base, which is a form of steal the bacon; hopscotch, marbles, jump rope, and running races. On the 4th of July, we would go down to the river for picnics. We had three-legged races, played ball and just enjoyed a day of play. We braided the May Pole every year in Mexico.

I sang soprano in a quartet with Madge Richardson, Robert Mortensen, and Joseph Scott. Annie Richardson Johnson organized the group and we sang

288

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S for everything.

Dad was gone a lot on his freighting trips. Mother would often check the livestock at night if she heard unfamiliar noises. She was checking around outside one night and called to me to come help her. She came around the house to see where I was. I had answered her but apparently I was not fully awake and walked out the door without any stairs and fell two stories. My hip was bruised but I didn’t know really what damage was done until later in life.

The community of Colonia Diaz had a signal of ringing the bell at the

Church when trouble might be brewing. All the men would come and get instructions for their families. On Sunday morning of 26 July 1912, the bell rang very early. Two men from Juarez came to tell all of us to leave because of continued violence and bad feelings toward the Mormons. We were to take enough provisions to last a few days, and go to the U.S. border and stay near

Hachita until things settled down. We left about 10:00 a.m. and traveled all day.

I was thirteen when I left Mexico and have never been back. The Mexicans burned the homes and community buildings were destroyed.

For about three years they found what work they could to sustain their families. In 1915 twenty-one men from Mexico bought the Gila Ranch at

Richmond, New Mexico. The Mortensens moved the first year.

I helped out in the fields hoeing, planting, picking rocks, raking hay, piling and hauling hay. We worked until we thought we would drop, but at the end of the day we would go to the house and take a hot bath and then get ready to go to a dance.

At first all the work on the farm was with horses. My dad was the first one to have a tractor.

We began doing missionary work. We went to York to hold meetings. As we came out of one meeting we saw a young man, Tom Crum, who was visiting there. After Church the truck wouldn’t start. Tom and his brother came over to see if they could help and he fixed it up.

Tom asked if we ever had dances in Virden and when. Kate, my sister, wrote to Tom and told him we were having a dance. They came and had a good time. This was the beginning of our relationship. After three months he asked me to marry him. Papa said no, he didn’t think so. Tom went to Miami to work.

After about nine months he came back and asked me again and so we got married in Thatcher..

Papa took me to Miami to live with Tom who had already gone back to

289

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S work. One morning Tom hadn’t come home. When checking with a neighbor, I found out there had been a cave-in and some of the men were trapped and he had stayed to help get them out. It was where he was supposed to be working.

Lu went to Virden when Kathryn was born and lived with her parents.

Tom farmed with his Grandad Crum in Cactus, then farmed a year in Virden.

After Roy was born they moved to California. When the census was taken, and because Lou had been married in 1922 she was allowed to become an American citizen.

Tom worked a lot in cement work, cementing leaky basements in San

Pedro, while the family lived in an auto camp.

The three children had scarlatina while the family lived in San Pedro. The doctor told Lucinda what to do for them. He said she was the best nurse he had ever seen in a long time to help her kids get over scarlatina. Lu knew the Lord was with her during this time in her life when she was on her own and so far from family. We moved around a lot for Tom’s work. We moved back to Virden valley where he worked at several jobs.

Lucinda and the children moved to her brother Arvin’s house on her brother’s farm. She helped on the farm picking up potatoes, driving trucks with

Roy to El Paso, raising turkeys and chickens

“In 1940 I began working in the Virden School Cafeteria. Living here was hard because we didn’t have a car and we depended on others for a ride wherever we wanted to go. We walked to Robert’s house to catch the bus for school.

A few years after I started working at the school we moved to the house on the hill by the school.

“In 1948 I became very ill and went to live with Kathryn. I wound up having surgery in El Paso, Texas. When I was able to work again, I went to work in

Orson Merrill’s store, the Virden Farmer’s Exchange. While living in the house on the hill, a summer thunder storm came and during it, lightning struck our home. It knocked me out and burned Kathryn’s forehead.

“Laurence Romney and Kathryn had been married 25 June 1942 in Mesa,

Arizona Temple. I took out my endowments at the same time.”

Lu lost three children in two-and-a-half years: Mary Lou in November

1955, Kathryn in May 1956, and Roy in 1959. Right after this Lucinda went to work in the Arizona Temple Cafeteria where she met Gilbert Udall.

“In June 1964 Gilbert Udall and I went to England on a mission. We

290

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S returned in February 1966. It is beautiful there but so wet and cold. I especially enjoyed it when we went to the London Temple.

“In 1972 Herb and Lucinda went to Nauvoo, Illinois, on a mission. We were at the Heber C. Kimball home. It was a lot of work. We came home early because Herb was having health problems. During my lifetime I have known the full meaning of work. Most of the time it was a necessity but even now, I still do what I can because I want to. I have done lots of handiwork: quilts, crocheting, knitting, tatting, and quilted pictures. I like to share my talents with others.”

Lucinda Mortensen married second GILBERT UDALL 5 March 1959

[divorced]. He died 10 October 1981.

Lucinda Mortensen married third HERB MORRIS [divorced]. She passed from this life in November 1993 at Silver City, New Mexico.

Lucinda and Tom had six children.

1. KATHRYN McCRAY CRUM, b. 10 May 1923 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 13 May

1931, md. LAURENCE ROMNEY 25 Jun 1942 in the Arizona Temple.

The year after her brother, Thomas Roy, was born the family moved to California as

Tom, her father, had employment there in the shipyards. Being the oldest child, she got the job of being the baby sitter for the younger children Her mother always said that

Kathryn was the best baby sitter she ever used. She started baby sitting when she was

8 years old.

Kathryn had scarlatina while the family lived in San Pedro, California. The doctor wanted to take her to Los Angeles and isolate her. Her mother did not feel good about it so asked him to tell her everything to do, which was mainly bathing several times a day.

The family moved around a lot. Kathryn loved sports and music and dancing. She was very good in volleyball and tennis. She attended high school in Duncan and started dating Laurence Romney. Her parents moved to Morenci where her father could work in the mine. Then her parents moved to Virden when she was a senior. She finished out her school years at Virden High School She had a lot of good friends and they formed a club called the Termites. They had a lot of fun in this club.

She and Laurence continued dating. Kathryn lived three miles east of Virden on Uncle

Robert’s farm. Laurence would come up there to get Kathryn on a date in his little car and he had a horn that played music. All the kids liked to see him come. Kathryn was good on the piano as she could play by ear. She just needed to hear the song and she could pick up on it. She used to play during the lunch hour and kids would dance up on the stage.

291


Laurence worked for the family business, Romney Produce Company, Kathryn and

Laurence, after they were married, lived in an upstairs apartment above a garage in

Duncan at his parents’ home. Laurence was drafted into the Army about 1944 and was stationed in Camp Roberts, California for most of the time so Kathryn and the children went out there to live.

During this time, her father, Tom, left home and her parents divorced. Kathryn was always very good to her mother, Lu, and helped her out any way she could. When

Laurence got out of the Army, they came back to Duncan and he went back to work for

Romney Produce Company.

Lawrence and Kathryn decided to remodel their kitchen, so they moved to Virden to live with her mother and Elizabeth and Raymond. While they were staying there, Martin accidently drank some kerosene that caused him to go into convulsions and he died.

This was a traumatic experience that Kathryn never got over. She grieved until her death.

They moved to Flagstaff to open the Romney Produce Company up there. Kathryn indoctrinated Betty Kathryn on what to do in case she had a seizure. Betty was only 11 or 12 at the time so that was quite a responsibility for her.

About 10 days after Susan was born, Kathryn started having seizures (the problems that were never diagnosed) at times and couldn’t care for the baby so they asked

Charles and Elizabeth to take care of her until Kathryn was ready to take over. They kept her for about two months. Kathryn seemed to recover from her seizures somewhat. Kathryn had one of her spells and died 28 May 1956. Her mother was with her at the time.

Kathryn and Laurence have five children:

1. BETTY KATHRYN ROMNEY, b. 25 March 1943 in Safford, Arizona, md.

REED ASHBY WADE 31 May 1963 in the Arizona Temple. Five children:

1. Russell Romney Wade , b. 29 July 1965 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Stephanie Wade , b. 1 May 1967 in Murray, Utah.

3. Donalyn Wade, b. 11 February 1971 in Murray, Utah.

4. Gordon Romney Wade , b. 20 June 1972 in Murray, Utah.

5. Richard Romney Wade , b. 2 June 1981 in Murray, Utah.

2. LAURENCE KIMBALL ROMNEY, b. 13 November 1944 in Safford, Arizona, md. CAROL ANN BUSHMAN 24 January 1969 in the Arizona Temple. Three children, all b. in Tucson, Arizona.

1. Kathryn Romney, b. 4 October 1973.

2. Edward Kimball Romney, b. 1 October 1976.

3. MARTIN GLADE ROMNEY, b. 7 May 1950 in Safford, Arizona. While the family was staying with his grandmother Crum, he drank some coal oil and d. 5

September 1952.

292


4. JANET ROMNEY, b. 29 June 1951 in Safford, Arizona, md. GERALD WAYNE

ROBERTS 3 March 1972 in Tucson, Arizona. Three children, all b. in Tucson,

Arizona.

1. James Clairmont Roberts , b. Jan 16, 1978.

2. Charlotte Ann Roberts, b. March 4, 1979.

3. Laurence Kimball Roberts , b. Jan 15, 1981.

5. SUSAN ROMNEY , b. 27 September 1953 in Safford, Arizona, md. STEPHEN

WARD.

2. THOMAS ROY CRUM, b. 3 October 1924 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 3 October

1932, md. ELAINE RICHARDSON 4 June 1946 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 3

November 1927 in Virden, New Mexico. See p. 647 for Elaine Richardson .

Roy was a farmer in Animas, New Mexico. Roy had leukemia and d. 11 February 1959 in Silver City, New Mexico, of pneumonia after having had his immune system destroyed by treatments for leukemia. Five children:

1. ROBERT ROY “BOBBY” CRUM, b. 12 July 1947 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, md. BONNIE JEAN HARRIS 10 October 1969. They lived in Blanding, Utah, where he worked for the Highway Department driving a dump truck. Bonnie is an excellent seamstress and enjoys doing decoupage art. Bob enjoys anything to do with cars and trucks. They taught the four-year-old Primary class.

One child:

1. Michael Roy Crum, b. 30 April 1979 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

2. GAYLEE ANN CRUM, b. 31 October 1948, md. ROBERT JOSEPH BOND

14 March 1969 in the Arizona Temple. Bob works as a clerk in the post office.

Bob has served a stake mission. Gaylee has taught in the Primary and has been

Relief Society pianist. Five children:

1. Jonathan Robert Bond, b. 21 March 1973 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. Kristen Marie Bond, b. 18 August 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

3. Jared Dean Bond, b. 22 February 1979 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

4. Karen Katrina Bond, b. 7 September 1980 in Medford, Oregon.

5. Brian Marion Bond, b. 16 December 1982 in Silver City, New Mexico.

3. LINDA CRUM , b. 13 August 1950 in Safford, Arizona, md. GARY WAYNE

PENDER 29 December 1971 [divorced in 1990]. Linda and Gary have five children:

1. David James Pender, b. 5 December 1972 in Provo, Utah.

3. Audrie Elaine Pender , b. 9 May 1976 in Phoenix, Arizona.

4. Megan Cari (Maggie) Pender, b. 1 August 1980 in Sandy, Utah.

5. Gary Tyler Pender, b. in Utah.

Linda Crum md. second LARRY DUNLAP in 1994 in the Arizona Temple for time.

In 1998 they were sealed in the Atlanta Temple.

Linda lived in Animas, New Mexico the first eleven years of her life.

293


“My father baptized me when I was eight years old and passed away two months later from leukemia. My mother remarried three years later. She married Marion

Farnsworth of Kirtland, New Mexico. Marion had lost his wife to cancer and was left with six children. We moved to his home in Kirtland, New Mexico. Eleven children in one house was quite an experience.

“I graduated in 1968 from Kirtland Central High School. I attended cosmetology school at Provo, Utah, in 1969. I attended Ricks College for one year in 1970.

After we got married we moved to Provo, Utah, where we had one child, David

James. Gary graduated from BYU and we moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Gary served a stake mission. He worked for Fed-Mart Stores.

“I served as Relief Society chorister. We had two more children in Arizona, Jason

Daniel and Audrie Elaine. Gary was transferred to Salt Lake City. We lived in

Sandy, Utah, for seven years. We had two more children in Utah. Gary was transferred to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1986. We lived in Springdale, a suburb of

Cincinnati.”

After divorcing in 1990 Linda lived in Kirtland, New Mexico.

Linda and Larry were married in 1994. Larry has four daughters. “Larry is an owner and manager of The Farm Center and Pawn Shop here in Kirtland and I work there also as a secretary and pawn shop employee. Tyler is the only child left at home.”

We enjoy being active in the Church. We are both serving in the Toadlena

Branch. Larry is on the High Council and an advisor to the Branch and I am his companion.

4. RICHARD DENNIS CRUM, b. 22 January 1954 in Lordsburg, New Mexico, md. VALERIE SHERWOOD 22 June 1973. He has worked as a Farmington City policeman. He enjoys genealogy work and all sports, especially basketball.

Valerie is a pre-primary worker and enjoys bowling. Four children.

1. Boric R. Crum, b. 18 February 1975 in Provo, Utah.

2. Justin Marc Crum , b. 26 April 1977 in Farmington, New Mexico.

3. Vanessa Crum, b. 3 February 1981 in Farmington, New Mexico.

4. Dax Mitchell Crum, b. 3 October1984 in Farmington, New Mexico.

5. JAY NELSON CRUM, b.14 September 1957 in Silver City, New Mexico, md.

CATHERINE PETERSEN 25 January 1980. Jay served a mission to the Leeds

Mission in England. Two children:

1. Ryan Jay Crum, b. 29 December 1980.

2. Amy Lanae Crum, b. 24 August 1982.

3. MARION LaRUE CRUM, b. 22 November1926 in San Pedro, California, bpt. 5 July

1935, md. ANNETTA “NETTA” WALKER [twin] 18 May 1948 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 8 December 1928 in Kirtland, New Mexico.

The family was living in an auto camp when she was born. LaRue, who had come to

294


Kirtland to help his uncle on his farm. started to date Netta. After high school she attended business college in Albuquerque on a scholarship. She got so homesick that she quit at Christmas time. The following May she and LaRue were married.

They moved to Animas, New Mexico, where LaRue had purchased 100 acres of virgin farmland. They were among the first LDS people in the valley. Through the years Netta served as a Primary counselor and teacher, Relief Society secretary, Sunday School teacher, ward librarian, Young Women’s teacher. After 25 years, in 1973 they moved to a ranch in Silver City, New Mexico, where LaRue was a ranch caretaker. Netta worked for H&R Block Tax for five years. She then worked as a secretary for the juvenile office.

Two children:

1. KERRY LYN CRUM, b. 10 November 1949 in Farmington, New Mexico, bpt.

2 May 1958, md. HERMAN BORTH 26 February 1968. They were sealed 14

August 1976 in the Arizona Temple.

Kerry Lyn’s mother was visiting with her parents when she was born. Each summer for a week, we attended the Mortensen reunion in the mountains. Her father built a water tank and stocked it with fish. A favorite thing to do was to go out and float on an inner tube and watch the fish swim around.

I went to school in Animas, New Mexico, in a two-room building. We lived in

Cotton City, twelve miles from the school. On Wednesdays the bus stopped at the Church for us to go to

Primary.

In two or three years we had a new school building. Each room held two grades and one teacher. In high school the bus picked us up at 7:00 a.m. at the Church after we had attended Seminary. I was on the volleyball team, a cheerleader and salutatorian of my class. The honor of Salutatorian meant that you not only had to give a speech at graduation but also at the next Stake Conference. That was a very hard thing to do.

I attended New Mexico State in Las Cruces. While there, I

Herman Albert and Kerry Lyn Crum Borth

295

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S met Herman Albert Borth. We met in October 1967, started dating and in

November on my birthday we became engaged. In February we met Herman’s parents at the ski resort in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. After the first night we decided to get married. We ended up in El Paso and the only minister at home was a young Baptist preacher.(there was a ministerial meeting that night).

After one week of marriage Herman had to report for duty at Pensacola, Florida, and I stayed to finish school, but I flew to Pensacola before I finished my test.

We moved to Milton, Florida, where they had a car pool to go back and forth.

They always stopped at a bar before coming home for the day. I could smell the beer on his breath before he stepped through the door. I wouldn’t talk to him. He said they already had it ordered for him. And I said you could refuse to drink it.

He decided he’d rather have peace in the house and me talking to him than have the beer. Never had any more problem with it.

When we met, Herman had never heard of the Church, but he attended Church with me in Las Cruces. He started taking the missionary lessons before leaving for the Navy. One of the first men he met in Florida was Mike McCauley, a member of the Church. When I arrived there he had started with the missionary lessons again. You find out in a hurry that the church is the same no matter where you are. I either played the piano and/or led the music.

Herman went through seven sets of missionaries before joining the Church, but that was because of all the moving around. Herman was sent to Corpus Christi,

Texas, where he finished up his training as a student and was kept on as an instructor. Here we met Jim and Linda Sitton. Jim took Herman to priesthood meeting and started the lessons again. He wanted to be baptized but didn’t know how to tell his parents. Jim said he had gone ahead and was baptized and then he called his parents. So Herman did the same. On 14 July 1969 he became a member of the Church. Our first child, Shawna Lyn was born 6 October 1969.

We lived through Hurricane Celia which almost destroyed our home which was very stressful. We had the only phone that worked in our circle.

Herman’s father died, was winding down, the Navy was cutting back and then we had to deal with the hurricane, so Herman put in for an early out because he was the only child and was needed at home to help his mom run the farm. We moved back to the farm in Dalhart June 1970 with the help of my mom and dad.

We moved into the home where Herman was raised and his mom moved into town to live with his grandmother. Bryon was born in May 1971 about nine months from the time of the hurricane. The Corpus Christi newspaper ran an article about how many babies were born nine months from the time of the hurricane.

Here in Dalhart we went through a flood and a blizzard. Then women started boycotting beef so the price dropped. We were thinking maybe we should have

296

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S stayed in the Navy. But the farm was a great place to raise a family. Trenton joined the family 27 October 1972.

In December 1986 we were returning from Dumas to the baptism of Shawna’s boyfriend. On the way home we talked to Grandma on the two-way radio and could smell smoke. There was fire in the living room, in our bedroom and more than we could handle. I went to the neighbors more than a mile away. We found the Greens’ house and ours were both on fire.

We spent the night in the bunkhouse. A few months before Bryon had decided he wanted to move his bedroom to the bunkhouse so we had a bed to sleep in. It was like reliving the hurricane again. Our friend had no one living in his farm house down the road so he let us live there.

The community was helpful with a fund raiser BBQ for the Greens and us. The school kids’ teachers took up a collection and took the kids shopping for clothes and underwear.

We started to build a new house in October 1987 and moved in June 1988 before it was completed on the inside. It is just three miles down the road from where the old house still sits.

We learned that we are survivors and a lot stronger than we thought and as long as we have family, friends and the Lord on our side we can get through anything. We have three children:

1. Shawna Lyn Borth, b. 6 October

1969 in Corpus Christi, Texas, bpt.

7 October 1977, md. BRYAN EARL

BLAIR 22 October 1988 in Dalhart,

Texas [divorced]. She graduated from Dalhart High School. She

Shawna Lyn Borth attended a tech school in Amarillo with classes in computer training. After her marriage, they moved to Denver, Colorado, where she worked in downtown Denver. She moved back to Amarillo and got a job there after the divorce. Shawna divides her time between the farm where she helps do some of the tractor driving and Amarillo where she loves to visit friends and go dancing.

297


Bryon Christopher Borth

Bryon and Mary Gayle Peterson Borth

2. Bryon Christopher Borth , b. 15 May 1971 in Dalhart, Texas. Bpt 18

May 1979, md. MARY GAYLE PETERSON 24 October 1995 in Honolulu,

Hawaii. She was b. 10 October 1971 in Burlington, Iowa. Bryon graduated from Stratford High in 1989, then reported for duty in the Navy at Great

Lakes, Illinois. He then went to Groton, Connecticut, for submarine school. He then chose to go to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Here Bryon met Mary who was visiting her sister Rhonda whose husband was stationed there in the Army. Mary is from LaHarpe, Illinois. They stayed here for about a year then moved to Lubbock after spending eight years in the Navy. They now live in Bloomington, Illinois.Two children:

1. Molly Grace Borth , b. 28 July 1999 in Lubbock, Texas.

2. Shane Bryon Borth, b. 30 April 2001 in Bloomington, Illinois

298


3. Trenton Don Borth, b. 27 October 1972 in Amarillo, Texas, bpt. 1

November 1980, md. LEAHANNA MARIE PETERSON 28 October 2000 in

Carthage, Illinois. She was b. 19 June 1969. He was the salutatorian of his high school class. He attended Texas Tech after graduating from

Stratford High School in 1991, where he met Leahanna Peterson, sister to

Bryon’s wife. She was attending Texas Tech working on her doctorate.

When Byron and Mary moved to Lubbock, Trenton and Leahanna became well acquainted and they were married 28 October 2000 in Carthage,

Illinois. They live in Plainview, Texas, where he works for Pioneer Seed Co.

as their senior corn agronomist.

Far left, Trenton and

Leahanna Borth

October 28, 2000

Carthage, Illinois

Left,

Trenton Don Borth, 1991

2. DELBERT LARUE CRUM

[adopted] , b. 27 September 1967 in

Mesa, Arizona. He was sealed to his parents 24 March 1973, bpt. 27

September 1976. Delbert md.

RAMONA LISA ACOSTA 25 June

1992 in Silver City, New Mexico. She was b.15 January 1973 in Silver City,

New Mexico. One child:

1. Benjamin Lucas Crum, b.

30 August 1991 in Silver City,

New Mexico.

299

Delbert LaRue and Ramona Acosta Crum

25 June 1992


4. MARY LOU CRUM, b. 12 July 1928 in South Gate, California, bpt. 12 September

1936, md. ERWIN CHARLES RICHARDSON 23 February 1945 in the Arizona Temple.

He was b. 27 October 1925 in Miami, Arizona, and d. 12 February 1962. Mary Lou d.

19 November 1956 in Silver City, New Mexico. Mary Lue d. at childbirth in November

1956. See p. 641 for Erwin Charles and Mary Lou Richardson’s seven children.

Mary Lou sewed a lot. She had a testimony of the gospel. The story is told that she needed to go to Relief Society and there were no other vehicles around so she drove the tractor to the Church! This story was even told in Salt Lake City, Utah! While she was expecting, she would have to stay in bed a lot so she made quilt blocks, either by embroidering them or painting them with stencils. She also worked on genealogy a lot.

She liked to perform. Once, while we were up in the mountain, she had on a red stocking and one green one, and she came out of or from behind the outhouse and began her reading. She was always doing crazy stuff. She could even play chopsticks with her toes!

5. ELIZABETH CRUM , b. 27 September 1931 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt.28

September 1939, md. CHARLES McKAY CLOUSE 26 May 1953 in the Arizona Temple.

He was b. 15 August 1928 in Virden, New Mexico.

Elizabeth was born in a little two-room house in Virden, New Mexico. While young we moved to Duncan, then to Morenci, Arizona. My father was sick a lot of the time while I was growing up and was gone from home much of the time so I don’t remember much about him. He was working in the mines at Morenci.

My mother, Lucinda, worked hard all of her life and did the best she could for all us kids but it wasn’t enough so her brother, Uncle Robert Mortensen, came to Morenci and moved us to Virden into a four-room adobe house on his farm at the head of the valley. I know we were poor, but I can recall only the good times that we had, living on a farm and living near our cousins and the Sunset Canal. We swam a lot and had good shade trees for swings. We had fun with cousins and we got to work a lot of the time.

Uncle Robert provided our family with ways to grow food, chickens, turkeys, keep a cow, etc. so we never went hungry.

I always had a yearning to play the piano even though we didn’t have a piano. My mother’s sister, Dorothy Jones, came to Aunt Jane’s house and gave piano lessons.

Aunt Jane said I could practice an hour each day at her house. Of course I did! I took right to the piano and have enjoyed it all of my life. I have played for all of the Church organizations at one time or another and also for school Glee Club and choir. I did give some piano lessons to a few students. I also love to sing.

I started the fourth grade in Virden and graduated high school in 1949 as Salutatorian.

We had only seven in the class but we had fun all those years. I went to Gila Jr. College in Thatcher, Arizona, for one year. It is now known as Eastern Arizona College. I lived with my sister Kathryn in Duncan at the time because the college provided a bus for those in Virden and Duncan who wanted to come down there. We left early in the morning and got home in the late evening. It was a hard way to get an education. The

300

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S next year I accepted a job with the Duncan Valley Electric Co-op instead of going back to college. This was a lot better than sorting potatoes at the potato shed in the summer.

Elizabeth lived with her Aunt Dorothy when her mother got sick and needed surgery in

1948.

I started dating Charles McKay Clouse after he returned from a mission to Northern

California. Then he was drafted into the Army. He spent most of his time in Louisiana but did go for a few months to Japan. When he returned in January 1953, we soon became engaged and were married by President Arwell L. Pierce.

We lived in Virden, right in the middle of town where we had all our children. We didn’t waste any time in having a family, and for this we are truly grateful. Our family is our biggest pride and joy. We had five children in six years so our years were busy taking care of children and working on the farm. After farming for a few years, Charles became the Rural Mail Carrier for the mail route going from the Duncan Post Office, through Virden, on across the river to Franklin and back to the Duncan Post Office.

This raised our standard of living by quite a bit.

In 1964 we bought the Orson Merrill home across Windham Canyon, which was a much bigger and better house. In 1967 I also went to work at the Duncan Post Office. I started working only on Saturday as a clerk and eventually in 1980 I was made the Postmaster.

Our children had many good friends as we did also. Virden was such a good place to raise a family. When Charles and I both retired, we decided to let our son, Kent, take over the farm and the house and we bought a home in Mesa, Arizona. I had started having heart problems and eventually had to have a pacemaker. I was closer to the doctors and also was able to work in the temple. Our daughter, Jeanie, with her husband and family live in Mesa. Max Germaine is a doctor and has helped us find the right doctors for our special needs

Through the years, I have had a lot of medical problems of one kind or another but nothing serious enough to make me quit working for very long at a time. Charles has been a wonderful companion and has been right by my side to help me. One granddaughter wrote about my problems for a paper for school and told all about my surgeries or whatever and finished it with “Grandma still has her tonsils and her sense of humor.” Thank goodness for the sense of humor!

Charles and I have worked at the temple for six years and have enjoyed it so much. We have been blessed immensely and tried to lived the way our parents taught us. We found that you can never just sit back and relax and do nothing. Life goes on no matter what. We both have a great heritage and hope that we have been able to pass it on to our five children, twenty-five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Our five children are:

1. MELANIE CLOUSE , b. 14 March 1954 in Silver City, New Mexico, md. JAMES

“W” PRICE 5 August 1977 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 6 November1948 in

Coalville, Utah.

I am the oldest of five children b. to Charles and Elizabeth Clouse. We lived in Virden, New Mexico all of my life. I had a very happy childhood growing

301

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S up in Virden. I had wonderful friends that I am still close to today. I started school in Duncan, Arizona, where I graduated 26 May 1972, the day of my parents’ wedding anniversary. After graduation I attended Eastern Arizona College for two years. Then I went to Provo, Utah, to attend BYU and work. My hobbies and interests include 4-H, sewing and cooking. We had some good leaders and enjoyed entering things in the county fair. We had a very good group of friends we had fun with. I loved to dance.

I met my future husband, James “W” Price in Provo at one of the BYU-

Arizona stomps. We dated for more than two years and finally got married. We have the same anniversary as Grandpa and Grandma Clouse. He was from

Pleasant Grove, Utah, where we lived for the first year after our marriage. On our first anniversary, we packed up and moved to Vida, Montana. Jim had a job on a Hereford cattle ranch. We lived 30 miles from the nearest town. The first year up there was a hard one for me. We had no children yet, no telephone, no television, and had the worst winter in 30 years. We were snowed in for two weeks at one time. Our neighbors were wonderful people and helped make the winter bearable.

Our first baby was born in Wolf Point, Montana. We moved to Honeyville,

Utah, after five years in Montana. Jim and I both started working at La-Z-Boy

Chair Company on 13 October 1983. I worked in the office as a secretary and

Jim worked in the Woodroom area. We are all active in the Honeyville Third

Ward. I am the Relief Society Homemaking Enrichment leader and Jim is first counselor in the Sunday School. We have two children:

1. Amanda Price, b. 1 November 1980 in Wolf Point, Montana. She graduated from Tremonton High School in 1999. She now attends Dixie College in St. George, Utah.

2. Ty Clayton Price, b. 16 October 1986 in Tremonton, Utah. He is working on his Eagle Project hoping to have it done by his 14th birthday.

2. NYLA CLOUSE, b. 2 May 1955 in Silver City, New Mexico, md. JOHN PAYNE

22 January 1974 in the Arizona Temple. I was b. on my Grandmother, Lucinda

Mortensen Crum’s birthday and reared in Virden, New Mexico. When I was about three years old, some of our city cousins came to visit. They were telling us about all of the animals they saw at the zoo, to which I replied, “Well, we see’d a jackrabbit!” Being raised in the country richly influences my life. After visiting the city for a while, I’m always glad to come home to less traffic and a quieter life.

My dad was a farmer and delivered the mail. Later on, my mother also worked for the Post Office in Duncan. We often played back and forth with the neighbors. The swimming pool in Duncan was a favorite place to go on a hot summer day. When it was freshly filled it felt as cold as pump water. But after a week or two the water would be green and much warmer.

We helped out on the farm when needed by moving cattle, move tubes, drive tractor, burn ditches, brand cattle, pick up rocks, and hoe cotton. We also helped with the housework, especially when my mother began working. We would divide up the work and get the house cleaned while she was at work.

Summertime was not only a time for work, but some fun also. We had a lot of fun camping in the mountains with a few other families. One of our

302

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S favorite places to go was “Tone’s Ranch” (Thygerson’s Ranch), up at Mule Creek where we could ride horses, swim in the big watering trough, play in the tree house, and hunt for pottery.

The 4-H organization greatly influenced my life. We had many dedicated leaders who gave a lot of their time to teach us. I spent many years learning how to sew and cook. Now my children are involved in 4-H and I have served as a 4-

H leader for the past five years, teaching sewing and cooking.

By the time I was old enough to attend school, the Virden schools were closed and I began kindergarten in Duncan in 1960 and graduated from high school in 1973 as the Valedictorian. In high school I participated in volleyball and tennis after school. I had always loved volleyball, playing outside on our lawn for hours with my sister, Jeanie. In Mutual we also participated in Young

Women Sports. We played softball, volleyball, and competed in swim meets.

I took many business classes in high school. My teacher, H. T. Clothier was the Clerk for the Town of Duncan and needed help in keeping the town’s books and typing up the budget. He hired me part time.

When I was a senior in high school, a returned missionary by the name of

John Payne came to Virden to work for Gila Ranches during the summer. I babysat for his brother, Lloyd, so it was natural for Lloyd to set us up. We dated some and I also conveniently hauled hay for my dad to Gila Ranches for John to unload. John and I both attended BYU in the fall and began dating steadily. We were engaged and then married in 1974.

John got his degree from BYU in Secondary Teaching in 1978. He taught for two years in Manila, Utah. Then we got a teaching position in Duncan in

1980 and we have been here ever since. He eventually got his administrator’s degree and became the Elementary/Junior High Assistant Principal for three years, then high school principal for one year. Now he’s been the Superintendent at Duncan, Arizona for two years.

To supplement a school teacher’s salary, I found different little jobs to do at home so I could stay home with the kids. At different times I baby-sat children, did typing, cleaned house for my Mom, and ran a preschool at my home.

Now, I’m enjoying just staying home. I find plenty to do. Quilting is one thing I enjoy doing in my spare time.

The Church is very important in our lives as we raise our family. We are grateful to our pioneer ancestors for this wonderful legacy. We have six wonderful children;

1. Jennifer Dawn Payne, b. 1 November 1974 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, md. Christopher Kartchner. They have three children.

2. Marsha Lynn Payne, b.12 October 1975 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico. Served a mission in the California, Arcadia Spanish speaking mission.

3. Amy Lara Payne, b. 27 June 1977 in Provo, Utah., md. Steven Lunt.

One child.

4. Camille Elizabeth Payne, b. 4 February 1980 in Vernal, Utah.

5. Allison Leigh Payne, b. 21 April 1986 in Safford, Arizona.

6. Michael John Payne , b. in 1988 in Safford, Arizona.

3. KATHRYN JEAN CLOUSE, b. 30 August 1956 in Duncan, Arizona, md.

303


ALLEN MAX GERMAINE Jr. 19 November 1977 in the Mesa Arizona Temple.

It isn’t easy to be the 3rd girl b. in a family. I got lots of hand-me-downs.

Dr. J. J. Lovett delivered me. I was born at 7:00 a.m. and we went home at 7:00 p.m. that night. My Grandma Crum tended me that night. My mom says that I was a really good baby. I was named after my mother’s oldest sister Kathryn, who died in May the year I was born.

My brother and sisters were pretty close in age so we had lots of fun together. We lived in the middle of the town of Virden and had a lot of good friends to play with. Some of my best friends were Karin and Sharif Mortensen and Erleen Richardson.

I started school in Duncan, Arizona. We rode the bus every day. In 1965 we moved across the canyon to the Orson Merrell home. We thought we had left civilization. It took us a few years to realize that we lived right next to the cemetery. Then we thought that was pretty spooky.

I always helped my dad a lot on the farm, moving cattle, branding or doctoring cattle, irrigating, etc. Sometimes I drove a tractor for him. We also got in on hoeing cotton. We would go up to the field for a couple of hours in the morning and then go back for a couple of hours in the evening when it was cooler.

I was baptized on my birthday 30 August 1964. In school I loved sports of any kind, volleyball and tennis mostly. In high school I was on the varsity volleyball team and tennis team. One of my favorite things to do was dance. When I was a junior, I was selected to go to Washington D.C. on a trip. This was really enjoyable.

After graduating from high school, Sharin and Karin Mortensen and I enrolled at BYU for the summer session. I continued at BYU until I graduated and got a degree in Elementary Education. This is where I met my future husband, and we both taught school in Duncan, Arizona. After a few years he was accepted into a foreign medical school and we went to Guadalajara, Mexico, for a while, then transferred to El Paso, Texas, then to Florida. He finally got accepted into an American medical school in Chicago. All during this time I taught school to help support us. After he graduated from medical school we moved to Mesa,

Arizona, where he works at the Clinic of Physicians and Surgeons.

We have enjoyed our children so much. They are all interested in sports.

We have kept busy in the Church at all times. At the present time Jeanie is in the Stake Relief Society Presidency and Max is the Scoutmaster.

We have four children:

1. Max McKay Germaine b. 21 June 1986 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

2. Matthew Allen Germaine, b. 26 March 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

3. Lynsee Leigh Germaine, b. 5 June 1990 in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was the only girl.

4. Mark Bradley Germaine , b.. 27 May 1993.

4. CHARLES KENT CLOUSE , b. 22 September 1957 in Silver City, New Mexico, md. LORI WATSON 5 January 1982 in the Arizona Temple [divorced].

My parents, Charles McKay Clouse and Elizabeth Crum lived in Virden,

New Mexico, and already had three girls so I, their first son, was a welcome addition to their family. My parents decided to go to a doctor in Lordsburg but my mom didn’t like him. When it came close to time for me to be born, my dad

304

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S kept insisting that Mom ask the doctor to start labor. He just laughed and said,

“When the apple is ripe it will fall.” Mom went to Dr. Watts in Silver City. He started labor for her. After a few hours I was finally born. Dr. Watts’ comment afterward was, “Well, that was one hunch you played right. If you had waited many hours longer, you would have hemorrhaged to death and the baby would have drowned in the blood. Your placenta had started to tear.” My dad was certainly listening to the promptings of the Lord. This is a very special and spiritual miracle in its own way.

I grew up on a farm in the small town of Virden, new Mexico. I had good parents who lived the Gospel and insisted that we grow up to be good members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had good sisters and friends who were fine examples to me.

While growing up, I enjoyed guns and hunting. My dad took me deer hunting with him and I learned to shoot a gun really well. I loved to ride horses and help with the cows.

I attended school in Duncan, Arizona, riding the school bus seven miles each morning and afternoon. I attended seminary all four years of high school. I enjoyed FFA and received the Green Hand Award in Tucson, Arizona, at a special banquet.

When I was about 12 years old, I was helping my dad and grandpa and

Uncle Merlin up at the farm. We were moving some fence wire from the Mexican

Town Wash. Uncle Merlin was on the tractor and my dad and I were each holding some of the wire away from the wheels of the tractor. Grandpa Clouse was walking along behind. As Merlin came up out of the wash, the end loader hit the electrical lines and the current went down through the wire and into my dad and myself. It knocked us both down, and I was unconscious. My dad could see that

I was in trouble and pulled me away from the wire. By this time Merlin slapped the gear and got the bucket of the tractor off of the high line. Grandpa Clouse really thought I was dead but he gave me a priesthood blessing and I eventually started coming around. Aunt Norma Clouse was right there and being a good registered nurse, knew what to do for me. This was another miracle in my life.

After graduating from high school, I attended Eastern Arizona College in

Thatcher, Arizona for one year. Then I received a mission call to Buenos Aires

North, Argentina. My mother worked at the post office at this time and when my call came in she brought it up to the farm where I was working. She asked me where I would like to go, and I told her, “Anywhere that I would learn to speak

Spanish.” I got my wish. I have used my Spanish a lot on the farm with my employees.

After returning from my mission I attended Eastern Arizona College again and met and married Lori Watson. We moved over to Las Cruces so I could finish college. We had five children and we love them very much. After graduating from college we moved back to Virden so I could farm. I bought the farm from my father. We bought the Punkin Patch by the State Line. I live in Virden. Lori and I eventually got a divorce and she moved over to Las Cruces with our five children.

When I married Shelley, she already had two boys. Then we had four children together.

Over the years we have grown cotton, cattle, chili and watermelons. Our

305

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S watermelons are quite famous around the country. We built a small convenience store at the State Line since there wasn’t any store in Virden anymore. I have served on the Sunset Ditch Board and the Town Council.

I have served a few years as a high councilman and was in the Virden

Ward Bishopric for six years as a counselor to Keith Hansen.

Charles Kent Clouse and Lori Watson have five children:

1. Brooke Clouse, b. 27 November 1982 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 1

December 1990.

2. Karen Kimberly Clouse, b. 22 February 1984 in Safford, Arizona, Bpt.

29 February 1992.

3. Calie Diane Clouse [twin], b. 22 April 1986 in Safford, Arizona, bpt.

30 April 1994.

4. Shannon Elizabeth Clouse [twin], b. 22 April 1986 in Safford, Arizona.

Bpt. 30 April 1994.

5. Jacob Kent Clouse, b. 17 October 1988 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.

30 November1996.

Charles Kent Clouse md. second SHELLEY DAWN WHITE 6 November 1992 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 27 November 1962 in Safford, Arizona. Four children:

1. Kyle Anderson Clouse, b. 16 September 1994 in Silver City, New

Mexico.

2. Emily Kathryn Clouse , b. 17 July 1997 in Silver City, New Mexico.

3. Colt Elam Clouse , b. 17 March1984, bpt. 25 March 1992.

4. Zachary Elam Clouse, b. 28 October 1987, bpt. 16 September 1995.

5. CAROLE CLOUSE , b. 18 March 1960 in Silver City, New Mexico, md. MARK

NICHOLAS 20 November 1979 in the Mesa Temple.

When I was about two years old I had infectious mononucleosis. There was a lump under my arm that had to be lanced. I was tested for leukemia at this same time but tested negative.

We lived by the Virden Church for the first four years of my life. We then moved across town to the old Orson Merrell home. I thought we had moved to the other side of the world! It was so far to the little store and to my friend’s houses in town.

I had such a happy childhood and had so much fun growing up. It was such a safe and secure place to raise a family. Some of my favorite memories include swimming at the Duncan pool. My mom was so good to take us there every day so we could learn to swim. We also spent a lot of time in the Gila River or Sunset Ditch dodging those floating things!! Hayrack rides with the Virden

Ward youth, going to the flats and playing games was always a highlight of the summer. It didn’t seem like fun back then when we moved the cows up and down the road but we have a lot of fond memories now. Hoeing cotton was a chore I didn’t cherish but we learned to help on the farm and often did it as a family.

I have always been afraid of the dark. My mom tells stories of me sleeping at the foot of their bed when all of my sisters had left home. She would have to sleep with me until I fell asleep. Loud noises still scare me. I never liked guns or fire-

306

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S crackers.

I graduated from Duncan High School in 1978. I think I enjoyed sports the most. I was on the volleyball and tennis teams for four years. My most memorable experience in high school was when our volleyball team won the state championship title my senior year. I have always enjoyed playing volleyball and continue to play a little. I have played on a women’s team the last few years in

Brigham City and am presently coaching the Bear River Freshmen volleyball team. I always appreciated the support my parents gave all of us kids. They were the best spectators anyone could have. I could always hear them in the stands cheering us on and doing their job—sideline coaching!

After high school I attended BYU for a summer and winter semester. It was way too far from home and way too cold for me so I transferred to EAC in

Thatcher, Arizona. The following summer I worked for the Duncan Schools helping at a summer program for kids. That is the summer I met Mark Nicholas from

Honeyville, Utah. He came down to Virden to work for Gila Ranches. We had a lot of fun going to dances and moving cows from pasture to pasture. Then came marriage.

We lived in Logan, Utah, after we were married because he was a student at Utah State University. A month after we were married he had to have his gall bladder removed. He had to quit school the next semester to recover. In

February 1980 he got a job with La-Z-Boy in Tremonton, Utah, and that is where he stayed. He has been employed there for twenty years now.

We moved back to Honeyville to live in Mark’s grandfather’s house after a few months in Logan. I was working as a secretary at Utah State so I drove to

Logan everyday. I didn’t have to do that for very long because our first baby arrived.

In 1981 we purchased our first home in Tremonton, Utah, and moved when Katie was four months old. We lived there for twelve years. We were blessed with three more daughters during that time.

In 1991 I took a part time job helping a friend at her pre-school. I continued to do this for about five years and really enjoyed it. I worked at two different pre-schools.

In December 1992 we sold our home in Tremonton and moved back to

Honeyville. We bought Mark’s parents’ home and continue to live there. Mark really enjoys being able to have a few cows and horses to run. It is a nice place to raise a family although we spend quite a bit of time running to town.

In 1996 I decided to give up my pre-school job and was hired by the Box

Elder School District as a cook! I work four hours a day so it makes it nice for me as a mom. I’m sure the work is a lot different than when my Grandma Crum worked in the Virden Cafeteria! We have such nice equipment to work with now.

In December 1999 we had a house fire which gave us a big scare. Mark was home and called the fire department so we only had minor damage. We were out of our house for ten days while a wall was replaced and smoke damage to the entire house cleaned up. We were back in our home two days before

Christmas. It took about three months to get back to normal. We felt very blessed to still have a home.

Turning 40 is not as bad as I thought it would be! I am so grateful for the heritage that I have, for those who have gone before me and the lives they lived.

307


I truly enjoy reading about my ancestors and the struggles they went through. It makes me appreciate even more what I have been blessed with. I am so grateful to have been born to the parents that I have for their love and example they gave to me. Four children:

1. Katie Elizabeth Nicholas, b. 15 November 1980 in Brigham City,

Utah. Named after her Grandma! She attends Utah Valley State College in

Orem, Utah. She has always been a delight to be around. She has a desire to always do what is right.

2. Shara Lyn Nicholas, b. 26 October 1982 in Brigham City, Utah.

Katie and Shara have always been best friends and have a special sister relationship. They were both on the high school tennis team. Shara was at one time the No. l ranked singles player.

3. Tawnya Kay Nicholas, b. 5 March 1986 in Brigham City, Utah.

She enjoys singing. She is a good student and will be on the tennis team.

4. Jessica Dawn Nicholas, b. 23 May 1989 in Brigham City, Utah.

Jessica has always loved to be outdoors and help her dad. She loves sports and is very good in basketball.

6. RAYMOND DEAN CRUM, born 8 September 1935 in Franklin, Arizona, bpt. 5

October 1943. When his mother became ill Raymond went to live with his sister Mary

Lou in Animas. He md. CARRIE JEAN WILLIAMS 20 August 1955 in the Arizona

Temple. She was born 25 March 1936 in Phoenix, Arizona. Four children:

1. JEANINE CRUM, b. 30 January 1957 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 30 January

1965. Two children:

1. Shaelynn Crum born 9 November 1979 in Mesa, Arizona. Bpt 9

November 1987. Michael Angel Escomillas is father to her child.

1. Michael Angel Escamillas Jr., born 2 October 1998.

2. Shane Eric Crum, born 31 March 1982 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 31

March 1990.

2. RAYMOND DEAN CRUM JR. , b. 30 December 1957 in Mesa, Arizona.

Bpt. 30 December 1965, md. Patricia Pullins 5 December 1992 in Safford,

Arizona, and sealed 12 March 1994 in the Arizona Temple. She was born 21

February 1952 in Phoenix, Arizona, and bpt. 7 June 1973 Two children:

1. Travis Edward Pullins, b. 3 April 1974 in Phoenix, Arizona and bpt.

May 1982, md. Shannon Price 10 January 1997 in the Arizona Temple

[divorced in 2001]. Two children:

1. Savannah Lynn Pullins, b. 16 January 1997 in Maricopa Co.,

Arizona.

2. Ashley Nicole Pullins, b. 10 July 1998 in Maricopa Co., Arizona.

2. Mandie Alyse Crum, b. 14 August 1994 in Safford, Arizona.

3. RANDALL KEITH CRUM, b. 30 April 1964 in Morenci, Arizona, bpt. 30 April

1972, md. PAMELA LARSON 4 June 1986 in the Arizona Temple. She was b.

2 September 1962 in American Fork, Utah, and bpt. in 1970. Three children:

308


1. Justin Keith Crum, b. 14 August 1987 in Chandler, Arizona, bpt. 26

August 1995.

2. Bradley Garrett Crum, b. 17 January 1990 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 17

August 1998.

3. Katelyn Vianna Crum, b. 6 August 1993 in Douglas, Arizona, bpt. 19

August 2001.

4. JULIE CRUM , b. 25 December 1969 in Lordsburg, New Mexico, bpt. 25

December 1977, md. JOSE ANGEL BEJARANO 21 March 1998 in Mesa,

Arizona.

1A7-4 CATHERINE MORTENSEN , b. 1 February 1901 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, md. VERN CLARK MERRELL 11 July 1918 in Thatcher, Arizona, by President

Andrew Kimball. Sealed 12 September 1926 [di-vorced]. He was b. 4 July 1896 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, and d. 22 February 1971 in West Los Angeles,

California. Kate d. at the age of ninety, 15 July 1991 in Orem, Utah.

She was the fourth child of Peter Mortensen and Mary Catherine “Mamie”

Anderson. Both of Kate’s parents had gone to Mexico as children in polygamist families. A few months after Kate’s birth, she was traveling. with her mother and father, sleeping in a bed behind the spring seat of the wagon. Her mother was with her on the bed and raised up to get something when the wagon hit a rut, which caused baby Kate to roll off the wagon. The wheel went over her right arm, badly crushing it, and she was knocked unconscious. Her parents traveled on to the nearest settlement, not knowing whether their baby would live. The arm had to be lanced, and the result was a scar and an enlarged arm. Later in life her parents would not talk to her about the incident.

One of Kate’s fondest memories of her early childhood was singing together as a family. Her parents were both good singers and taught their children to develop their voices. Her father also played several musical instruments. The family often sang together for various functions, and Kate recalled that the songs were usually sad. She remembered being depressed by the subjects of the melancholy music.

When she was a youngster, Kate loved raw vegetables and fruits. When her father came home from a long trip, he sometimes brought candy. Though he didn’t have much education, he was a hard worker and provided well for the large family that eventually numbered thirteen. Three of Kate’s thirteen siblings died in childhood.

The family lived on a large town lot where they had livestock, a garden and a small pasture for the cattle. On the lot was a barn that was usually about two-thirds full of hay. A rope was tied to a rafter making it easy to swing out

309

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S over the hay and drop onto the stack. That provided many hours of diversion for the children. She enjoyed lying on the hay watching her older brothers milk the cows. Her father once brought two Chinese men home and let them stay in the shed on the side of the barn.

Kate and her brothers and sisters liked to sit atop the haystack and watch the men eat with chopsticks.

The Mortensen children had to work hard to help with the family living. Even the girls worked on the farm. Because Kate had fair skin and sunburned so easily, she was her mother’s helper in the house.

When Kate was just ten years old her little brother Martin Hammer died at the age of fifteen

Kate Mortensen months. She had become so attached to ‘her baby’ that she was heartbroken.

She went up into the room where she had tended him for so many nights and cried until there were no more tears left.

The summer of 1912 they left Diaz because of the Mexican revolution.

They were allowed to take their dolls with them, and a toy sewing machine that belonged to all of the girls.

On their way to Hachita, New Mexico, they stopped for several days at

Dog Springs. A man living there had a pond full of fish, which he allowed the refugees to catch and eat if they would clean the pond. Kate described it as manna from heaven for the Mortensen family.

In Hachita Kate’s father’s family lived in a tent city by the railroad tracks, and cooked over a camp fire. Eleven members of the family stayed in the camp for about five months.

Catherine Mortensen Merrell

The Mortensen family went to

Thatcher, Arizona, to spend Christmas with

Kate’s Uncle Martin Mortensen. He was loving and kind. There were cousins to play with, and they sang together and had a joyous time.

Kate attended the elementary school in Diaz. In the spring of 1913 the family

310

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S moved to Deming, New Mexico, where Kate’s maternal grandparents along with her aunts and uncles of the Andersen family had moved. Her father and two older brothers began hauling freight. The children went to school, where they learned that two of the worst things that could befall a child were to be a

Mormon and to be poor. They were both.

While in Deming, Kate’s mother took six of the children to a circus. They sat near the front on hard benches. A clown carried a bucket of ‘water’ and went through the motions of throwing it on Kate’s mother. They were sprinkled with torn scraps of paper. They laughed all the way home.

By 1916 Kate’s father and his family had moved to Virden, New Mexico, then known as Richmond. The farm her father received when the drawing took place had a home and several sheds for cattle. Because of the large family, now numbering an even dozen they cleaned out some of the sheds to use for bedrooms. The children walked three miles to school.

Early in 1917 her father bought an eighty-acre farm closer to town. They enlarged the house by adding a sleeping porch on the back. When they first moved to Virden there were very few boys for her to date, most of whom she considered to be ‘Jack Mormons.’ A year later there was a large group of young people Kate’s age and slightly older with whom to socialize. That was a good change for her.

Kate finished eighth grade before going to Deming to stay with her grandparents. This was her first experience being away from home. She worked for a family named Clark, helping with the housework and being a companion to the children. She learned a little about worldly things when some soldiers tried to

‘pick her up’ as she and a friend returned from a movie. The men gave up when she took a swing at one of them to convince them she wanted no part of their plans for the evening.

Then there were the Merrell brothers, Vern and Douglas. Kate had gone out with Douglas while Vern dated her sister Lou. When Vern came home from

Globe, Arizona, where he had been working, he asked Kate to go out with him.

They married and went to Morenci, Arizona, for a two-day honeymoon, and then settled down in Virden, living in part of a house on Vern’s brother Orson’s farm.

There brother Ernest and his wife Verna and two children lived in the same small house.

Six weeks later, Vern was called into the service because of World War I.

While he was gone, Kate lived in Safford, Arizona, and worked as a nurse taking care of a Mrs. Pace. Her salary was $25 a week, which was good money at that time for a seventeen-year-old young lady.

311


When Vern returned they went to Las Vegas, New Mexico, where Vern worked for his brother-in-law Manrique Gonzalez until he went back to Mexico.

Vern and Kate moved back to Virden where her first child Florine was born in

1921.

Vern got a farm of his own about 1921, where he built a large adobe room with a flat dirt roof. During the first good storm they had to stand under the door frame to keep from getting soaked with mud. Things on the farm didn’t work out. Vent went back to Globe to work and Kate went to El Paso, Texas, to enroll in a stenographic course.

Kate found a job keeping books at Woolworth’s in Miami, Arizona. Kate and Vern lived there for a number of years. As her second child was about due,

Kate returned to Virden and stayed with her sister Lou, who had moved there with her husband Tom Crum. Vern Carl was born 15 April 1923.

Their second son Charles Burdell was born in Miami, followed by three more children Nelda Jean, Dan Keith, and Melvin Joseph. Their stay in Miami was a busy and happy one. The family went on picnics, played tennis together, hiked, and took part in the community, Church, and school activities. Kate learned to swim to be able to protect her children while they learned to swim.

Florine played the violin and participated in many music festivals. Kate took the children to the performances so often that someone once asked her if she were one of the teachers. Kate directed the music in Church auxiliaries, served as ward chorister, and taught the young people basic dance steps. In the many plays and programs Vern and Kate sang or acted together.

In 1936 Vern and Kate went to Detroit to take delivery of a new car. When they returned to Arizona they took the family to the Grand Canyon, which was a highlight in their young lives.

In 1941 Vern went to Alaska to work where their nephew Parley said pay was better than in the States. At that tine Alaska was still a territory. When

Florine moved to Phoenix, Kate, with Vern’s concurrence, sold the house in

Miami and bought a house in Phoenix. In 1942, Vern, who had returned from

Alaska, went to Virden to find work. Kate rented the house in Phoenix and joined him in Virden, where Barbara Ann was born 7 January 1943. About this time Kate and Vern were divorced. Their boys worked for Kate’s brother Marion on his farm, and Kate helped out by cutting seed potatoes and other projects.

Vern went to El Paso to work, and soon went back to Alaska.

In January 1947 they received word that their sister Elmina was sick and

312

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S needed help in Kirtland, New Mexico. She had cancer of the liver. Kate went, taking Barbara and leaving Dan and Mel to work for her brother Marion. Six weeks later Elmina passed away.

Kate moved four of her children and some furniture to Kirtland to live nearby the Browns so she could help take care of the Brown children. Three of

Kate’s children and three of Elmina’s children were the same ages and got along well. Her brother Richard and his wife Corilla were also living in Kirtland.

Kate went to work at the school lunchroom, and managed to help the

Brown children whenever they needed. Eventually Floyd was in the hospital and he passed away. The children stayed in pairs with aunts and uncles in

Virden, where they had lived before moving to Kirtland. She was then free to do what was in her best interest and that of her family.

Carl, who had returned from serving in the Armed Forces during World

War II, wanted Kate to move to Provo where they could pool their resources.

They moved to Provo in 1949. The children all found jobs. The family moved into a place with an acre of land where they had fruit trees, a barn and chicken coop, and space for a garden.

Nelda’s employer suggested that Kate volunteer to go across the street from her home and help feed the polio patients at the Utah Valley hospital. After they saw her in action, the hospital administrator hired her as a nurse’s aide working with the same polio patients.

In 1952 she enrolled in the Licensed Practical Nursing course at Trade

Tech. Kate could do this and remain on the job. A year later she had earned her license. While working as a nurse, she left the hospital one day and took Barbara to a ‘cookout’ in Provo Canyon. When they arrived at the picnic a crowd had gathered in one spot, indicating some sort of crisis. Because Kate was still dressed in her nurse’s uniform, the onlookers parted to let her into the center of the group. A child had gravel in its throat and nobody was brave enough to attempt to remove it. Kate quickly took over and cleaned out the child’s throat and started her breathing again. Her happiest times while working at the hospital were spent serving in Pediatrics, and anything she could do for a child was rewarding.

During the time she was working as a nurse she had roomers and boarders. She would fix their breakfast before seven in the morning, go to work, and return in time to get the evening meal ready by five.

While her children were growing up, Kate was busily involved with getting them through their studies and various activities. Then between November 1950 and June 1952, three of her children, Carl, Burdell and Nelda, were married

313

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S leaving only Dan, Melvin and Barbara at home.

During her years in Provo, music was one of her favorite hobbies. Besides that, she made many quilts and crocheted various items for her children and grandchildren. In 1955-57 Kate directed a chorus that participated in the All-

Church Music Festival in Salt Lake City. During 1958 she enjoyed a trip to

Washington, D.C., to visit Burdell and his family.

In December 1958, Carl’s first wife Berniece died giving birth to their first son Ken. Besides the baby, he had two daughters, Shawna, age three, and

Tana, 23 months old. Carl moved in with Kate and she quit her job to care for his children. A year later when he married Barbara Dean Brooks and took the children to their new home, it nearly broke Kate’s heart to be separated from baby Ken, whom she had grown to love like a son.

Kate went hack to work at the hospital until she was called on a mission for her Church in May 1966. She spent eighteen months in Texas, where she had many wonderful experiences.

Upon her return home she visited her children, spending Christmas in

Fresno, California, with Nelda and her family. She drove on to Livermore,

California, to visit Melvin and Marilyn for New Year’s. Marilyn had been suffering with some sort of trouble in her lymph nodes, as far as Kate knew, and seemed well on the surface except the swelling caused by taking cortisone. But before she had been there long, Kate realized her daughter-in-law was very sick.

Kate had promised Nelda she would go back to Fresno to stay with the children while Nelda went with her husband on a business-pleasure trip. While

Kate was in Fresno, Marilyn was taken to the hospital. Then Kate learned that her daughter-in-law had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease some years earlier while Mel was in the service, but they decided to pretend nothing was wrong. Marilyn passed away 20 March 1968. Kate stayed for fifteen months with Melvin and his daughters. After Melvin remarried, Kate returned to Provo.

She sold her home and bought a home closer to town and moved into it in a cast. She had pulled a ligament or cartilage from the back of her knee and then tripped and cracked her knee cap. She enjoyed visiting with her children who lived away from her in California, Colorado, and Washington, D. C.

In May 1978 she broke her hip. While she was hospitalized her children cleaned and repainted her home. In March 1979 she had a cataract removed and a month later went to Hawaii with her sister Dorothy Jones. Kate’s children had given her the trip as a Mother’s Day gift.

314


Back row: Melvin J. Merrell, Dan K. Merrell, Gaylen Harmon,

Charles B. Merrell, Vern C. Merrell, Rex A. Whiting;

Front row: Barbara Stevensen, Marilyn M. Merrell, LaRay K. Merrell, Nelda Jean M. Harmon,

Nyal A. Merrill, Kate Mortensen Merrell, Barbara B. Merrell,Florine M. Whiting

For six years between 1976 and 1982 she worked in the Provo Temple, which she enjoyed immensely.

At her funeral, the congregation sang the hymn “Called to Serve,” a fitting benediction to her long life of helping others. Kate and Vern have seven children:

1. FLORINE MERRELL, b. 8 March 1921 in Virden, New Mexico, md. REX WHITING in

Phoenix, Arizona, and sealed 1 April 1942 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 15 March

1918 in Mapleton, Utah.

I, Florine, was delivered by my maternal grandmother, and my great-grandfather

Andersen, whom I adored, was present for my birth. Most of my uncles and aunts lived at Virden and I got to know them pretty well because we made lots of trips to Virden after moving from Virden to Miami, Arizona, when I was about four. Dad worked for the post office. A few times I accompanied dad on his mail route and I really enjoyed that.

Most of my brothers and sisters were born there and we grew up happy. We enjoyed many activities together such as swimming, tennis, picnics and camping in the mountains. How I loved sleeping under the stars.

Mother’s brother, Chester, was only a year older than I, and we were always close. One day we were sent down to clean the chicken coop. When we tried to shoo the hens off the nests, one flew off and laid an egg high in the air. I never forgot that!

I was quite close to Grandma Mortensen and was broken-hearted when she died during my senior year in high school. Grandpa was quite deaf and I don’t remember ever having a conversation with him. He also died while I was in high school as did my

315

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S great-grandparents. I consider myself most fortunate to have had all those grandparents for so long.

Grandmother Merrell lived in a small house south of the Mesa Temple, so when we did baptisms for the dead I was usually able to see her. Her husband Charles died when dad was five years old.

Because of the copper mines in the area, the schools seemed to have enough funds to provide many opportunities. We had a grade school orchestra, and because of mother and dad’s generosity in providing me with violin lessons, I was able to play in the orchestra through grade school. The orchestra teacher in high school talked me into playing the viola, which I enjoyed very much. Wish it had belonged to me. I also enjoyed sports and played on the varsity tennis team for four years. Mother and I were very close friends and I enjoyed learning from her.

After graduation I had a scholarship to Henager Business College in Salt Lake

City, Utah. In Salt Lake City I lived with dad’s half-sister Rhoda Jones and her daughter Ruth. Ruth had polio as a child and when grown had surgery to shorten her good leg so she wouldn’t be so crippled. She lost that good leg with gangrene. She was such a wonderful person. She had a Ph.D. in children’s literature and was on the staff of the

University of Utah. Aunt Rhoda taught school with educated and cultured people. It was a very refining time in my life. After finishing her courses she accepted employment in Phoenix Arizona.

I met Rex Whiting, son of Albert Milton and Sarah Jane Nielson Whiting in the

Wilshire Ward in Los Angeles. I was living with Carmel Jensen and her married sister,

Berta Jensen Ward, and working as private secretary to the business manager of Mode

O’Day Corporation in Los Angles. Rex was in his senior year at the University of

Southern California as a dental student. Rex didn’t have much money, but gasoline for his little Model A. Ford sport roadster was only eleven cents a gallon, and we rode all over those beautiful hills surrounding Los Angeles.

Our most historical date transpired on 7 December 1941. Carmel and I had dates with Rex and his roommate, Tom Bullock, also a dental student, in the afternoon. In the morning, Carmel and I went to a Youth Conference and suddenly without warning, an announcement was made from the stand for all servicemen to return to base. There was no explanation and the audience sat in wonderment during the rest of the morning. On our way home we heard the radio announcement that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. What shocking, terrible news! We went to Griffith Park with our dates in the afternoon, and during that time Rex told us he would have to go in the service as soon as he graduated.

While Rex’s father, Bert Whiting, was on his mission in Baltimore, he met a group of dental students and was determined to attend dental school after his mission.

However, soon after he returned from his mission, his father died, and he had to give up his dream for he was the eldest son and had to take over much of the responsibility for a large family. He managed to buy more farm land and get them on their feet before marrying Sarah Jane (Sadie) Nielson. Rex thinks his father’s dream of being a dentist had some influence on his choice of a profession.

After two years of pre-dental education at BYU, Rex went to dental school. He had talented hands and was very good in prosthetics and has been an excellent dentist. We became engaged, and were married during his spring break, We took a brief honeymoon to Utah so I could meet his parents and then we went back to Los Angles.

so he could finish school.

316


As soon as Rex graduated, he received his commission as dental surgeon in the

Navy with the rank of Lieutenant, and after practicing for several months, received his orders to proceed to Mare Island, a ship repairing base about an hour from San

Francisco. There were many opportunities at Mare Island for socializing, and we made friends among the others dentists and their wives. It was really fun, but the war was like a cloud over our heads.

After five months, Rex was transferred to a naval flight training station at

Livermore, California, where he spent three months doing dental work on the pilots.

Not only was I very sad when he received overseas orders, but the pilots complained because “he was such a gentle dentist.” We were never able to find an apartment in

Livermore, but a divorcée had a bedroom with kitchen privileges that she rented to us.

I can’t remember doing much cooking there.

Rex had been told he would have two weeks’ leave before sailing to the South

Pacific, but we only had five days to travel to Utah and tell his parents goodbye. I took the bus with him back to San Francisco; and after a tearful parting, I returned to

Mapleton and lived with his parents for the next two years. They were very good to me and dad Whiting and I sat at the piano in the evenings (I played) and sang songs. He had tried to make a musician of all his children without success, so he enjoyed me and

I loved him and mom.

Rex very much wanted us to have a child when he returned, and very soon, I discovered he was going to have his wish. His came in bunches. His personal history includes a lot of interesting experiences in the South Pacific.

I returned to live with Bert and Sadie Whiting,. Carol was born in the Utah

Valley hospital, and placed in a box in the hall, because there were so many babies being born in the hospital. Doctors complained that there had been too many

Christmas furloughs the year before. Her birth was 1 October 1942. I think she loved growing up on the farm with the chickens and the lambs.

I took violin lessons from professor Leroy Robertson at BYU while Rex was gone and I practiced two or more hours a day.

After being released from the Navy, Rex and I started looking over small Utah towns for a place to live and for him to practice. When we drove into Heber, he fell in love with it. Heber had been without a dentist for some time. One had gone in the

Army and the other one had died, so Rex’s practice was not as pleasant as it might have been. Too many patients with too many problems. Doing his own prosthetics kept him busy every evening while I was with our two children—our son Kirk was born in

August of 1944 and in time we added two darling little girls, Anne and Kay, to our family. Our children are our best accomplishment.

Both Rex and I have kept very busy with Church work and community service where we often had leadership rolls—Rex in a bishopric, on the high council, city council, as teacher, in service clubs, and in his quiet, unassuming way, he was able to accomplish some major improvements in this community.

In the large workshop behind Rex’s office, he has built some little vehicles just the right size for our grandchildren. He also built, for the Centennial, a 3/4 size horseless carriage which we rode, dressed in 18th century style, to the Centennial Dinner

Dance in Midway, three miles away. We were escorted front and back by two Highway

Patrol cars for our safety. After all, the engine is a Briggs and Stratton lawn mower engine. SLOW. It has also appeared in county parades and for photo sessions.

My service was often as music director in all the different stake organizations,

317

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S but I did have the chance to be the cultural refinement and spiritual living teacher in

Relief Society, Primary president, and Sunday School teacher, state officer of PTA, county DUP president, and I played in a small group that entertained for senior citizens, at rest homes, for dances, for Church gatherings, and reunions. We played without music and played the old songs so loved by senior citizens. I often wondered if I would still be playing my violin when I was a little old lady. Well, I am there, and I am.

At the present, I am involved with a string quartet, and a string ensemble.

During the Centennial celebration of 1996, we were privileged to ride a very luxurious train made up especially to run from Green River, Utah, to Salt Lake City. At several small towns, the train stopped at the depot where school children entertained us and waved flags. Along the highway cars stopped and waved to us also. When we arrived in Provo, there was a large crowd and more entertainment. Salt Lake City gave us a magnificent VIP red-carpet reception with numerous dignitaries to greet us and great entertainment and lots of food to eat at 1896 prices. We were taken to our hotels in buses, and we celebrated that

Rex and Florine Merrell Whiting in the horseless carriage he built

Centennial for two wonderful, exciting days. Delivery of a telegram, with information that Statehood had been granted, was reenacted, special parades, and a historic program that had been held in the tabernacle was also reenacted, with a giant flag, the original I believe, covering most of the ceiling. I would love to live it over again, but I don’t believe we’ll be around for the 200-year celebration.

Our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are very precious to us, as is The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints. We have been performing sealings in the Provo Temple for more than 20 years and each of us still has a Church calling, and hope to be going strong for a while yet.

We have four children:

318


1. CAROL WHITING , b. 1 October 1944 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 9 November 1952, md. JERRY LYNN TORBENSEN 16 August 1968 in Heber City, Utah. Sealed to spouse 24 October 969 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 14 July 1946 in

Logan, Utah, and bpt. 31 July 1954. Carol is a fine organist and plays an organ concert on Christmas Eve from 11:30 to 12 in the stake center. Five children:

Jason and Robyn Ludwig Torbensen

1. Jason Torbensen, b. 15 May 1971 at Ft. Dix, New Jersey.

2. Andrea Christine Torbensen, b. 16

Andrea Torbensen and

Jared Gunnerson and child

September 1974 in Biloxi, Miss.

3. Kristin Marchie Torbensen , b. 13

December 1977 in Fairfield,

California.

4. Justin Christian Torbensen, b. 11

October 1979 in Fairfield, California.

5. Bethany Kristina Torbensen, b. 19

December 1983 in Fairfield, California.

2. KIRK ALBERT WHITING , b. 21 August

1946 in Heber City, Utah, bpt. September

1954, md. KAYLIN BARKER 19 March 1970 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was b. 20

February 1948 in Malad, Idaho, bpt. 6

March 1956. Five children, all b. in Ogden,

Utah.

1. Koree Jo Whiting, b. 27 October

1970.

2. Justin Albert Whiting, b. 16

Justin and Zoe Whiting Family left to right: Sebastian Albert Whiting,

Kaelea Whiting, Zoe Lheron Whiting,,

Justiin Whiting, and

Alexandra Whiting

319


December 1972.

3. Ashley Marchie Whiting, b. 9 April 1975.

4. Brett Allan Whiting, b. 11 January 1978.

5. Brian Michael Whiting, b. 25 April 1983.

3. ANNE WHITING , b. 20 May 1951 in

Heber City, Utah, md. JAMES XAVIER

WARGER 6 July 1978 [divorced May 1984].

He was b. 28 January 1954 in New York

City, New York. Anne Whiting md. second

JAMES RICHARDSON in San Jose,

California. One child:

1. James Richardson.

Ann and James Richardson

4. KAY WHITING , b.

5 April 1953 in

Heber City, Utah, bpt. 6 May 1961, md. LEX L. HARRI-

SON 7 February

1975 in the Salt

Lake Temple. He was b. 7 September

1951 in Pocatello,

Idaho, and bpt. 3

October 1959. Four children:

1. Naguel

Anne Harrison, b. 7

February

1977 in

Pocatello,

Idaho.

Les “L” and Kaylin Whiting Harrison family left to right: Lex, Lacy, Chase Lew, Kallie and Kay

2. Lacy K. Harrison, b. 21 May 1979 in Pocatello, Idaho.

3. Kallie Marchie Harrison , b. 25 September 1981 in Pocatello, Idaho.

4. Chase Lew Harrison, b. 8 June 1988.

320


2. VERN CARL MERRELL , b. 15 April 1925 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 15 April 1933, md. first BERNICE ZEEMAN 30 November 1950 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 23

September 1925 in Payson, Utah, bpt. 1 October 1933. She d. 15 December 1958 in


I, Vern Carl, was born 15 April 1925 in Virden, Hidalgo, New Mexico. We lived in

Miami, Arizona, and Mother was visiting her mother at the time. After grammar school,

I spent two years in Miami High School. While living in Miami we lived in six different homes. My junior year of high school was at North Phoenix High. For my senior year I attended Virden High School in Virden, New Mexico.

On 13 March 1943 I enlisted in the U.S. Navy at El Paso Texas, and was sworn in 15 March 1943. I served in the Navy for two years, seven months, twenty-one days.

After ten months in San Diego, California, we were sent to Shoemaker, California, where I was placed aboard a ship, the USS Jenkins , a destroyer fighting in the South

Pacific. This tour was for eighteen months. I was In the following battles: Marshall

Islands, Solomons, New Guinea, Philippines, During the invasion of Borneo we struck a mine making an eight-by-nine-foot hole in the bottom of our ship. My locker was flooded with oil and sea water. Our ship was put into dry dock and because my locker was filled with water I was placed on an Australian cruiser while my ship was being fixed.

After our ship was repaired we went back to the States. We left the USA on 12

January 1944 and returned 8 November 1945 to Terminal Island, California, where I was discharged from the service.

I returned home and on 3 January 1946 received my call to serve an LDS

Mission in the Northern California Mission. Prior to my mission call I worked in Mesa,

Arizona, during January and attended the Temple at night. I entered the Mission Home on 4 February 1946.

After completing the two-year mission I was released 25 February 1948. I entered BYU 29 March 1948.

I helped my mother fix up her home at 997 North 500 West, Provo. In April I started working as a carpenter in Provo until 26 September 1950. While serving as the

Second Assistant in the Stake Sunday School I met Berniece Zeeman of Payson, Utah, who on 18 August promised in the Manti Temple to be my wife. While working in Salt

Lake City I traveled to Payson on five week-ends to see my beloved, staying at mother’s at night. Then on 30 November 1950 Elder Spencer Kimball united Berniece and I for time and all eternity. We were privileged to go through the session as the witnesses before we were married.

We lived in several different apartments and homes during the next three years.

On 4 December 1953 I was laid off work and because of our debt I sold my trumpet and bought a 1941 Chevrolet club coupe and went to California (North Hollywood) to work. Berniece came down for Christmas and left before the New Year 1954. She quit her job and came to Ontario, California, where I was working on 6 January 1954.

Shawna Jan was born in Bellflower, California. 17 May 1955. We lived several places in

California, where I did construction and finish work.

Tana Gayle was b. 17 January 1957.

I have served in the following positions in the Church: first counselor in the

Mutual Presidency, Aaronic Priesthood Coordinator & Explorer supervisor,

Superintendent of Mutual, and elders quorum president. Berniece worked in Primary

321

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S and Sunday School.

In June 1957 we returned to Utah, and I worked in Salt Lake City while living in Provo. We parked our thirty-three-foot trailer on the north side of mother’s home there. On 3 October 1957 we traded our trailer on a home at 743 North 400 East in

Orem. On 15 December Ken was born and Berniece died as the result of her uterus rupturing where she had infections scraped out. She was buried in the Payson

Cemetery on 19 December 1958.

I met Barbara Dean Brooks through a cousin Ruth Anderson who was a missionary companion of Barbara’s. She was born 27 February 1929. I went back to BYU to finish a degree. Barbara and I were married on 24 December 1959 She taught school in Nephi. She stayed there until school was out and we spent time there when I had time. Mother was helping with the three children. We bought a home at 355 North 700

East in June 1959. and lived there until I graduated in August 1961 with a B.S.

degree. We moved to Tooele where I taught junior high for three years.

Winnifred and Don Carl were born there. I then taught at Olympus Junior High for one year commuting from Provo. I then taught at West Jordan Junior High. While there I got my master’s degree. I moved to Albion Middle School in Sandy until I retired. Meanwhile Katheryn and Maureen were born.

Here my Church service included Explorers, high priests group leader, bishop, and I worked at the Missionary Training Center. I also served in the temple, and was bishop at DI for the transients,

We adopted Julie as our own when Tana went on a mission. Bobby had cancer for 16 months with time in 2001 to go to Nauvoo with Winnifred’s husband to install the chandelier hoists. The cancer came back in full power and chemo would no longer help. Barbara died 26 October 2001. She was buried at East Lawn in Provo, Utah.

I met Betty Dodge Harrison (b. 1 November 1928), whom I had known for 42 years, at Dr. Glen Thomas’s viewing and we spent quite a while visiting. We became aware that there were not many left in the mortuary, so we went out side and continued our visiting. I gave her a book that my son Ken had written “The Land Lord.” Three days later she called to let me know how well she liked it. We talked for a while and hung up. While trying to decide if I would go to dinner and the show at BYU the Spirit told me to call Betty and ask her. She said she would go with me.

It was the worst show I had seen at BYU so we left at the intermission. When we were in the car I asked her if she had seen the “Other Side of Heaven.” She replied that she hadn’t and neither had I, so we went to the Provo Mall where I had seen it advertised. This was on Friday, 29 March 2002. We arrived at ten minutes before nine, so I bought tickets and enjoyed watching while holding hands like many enjoy at a younger age.

That was the beginning of a great love between us. She had been single for 46 years. Forty-two years before we went to the show, Betty had told Barbara to marry me. Now it was her time.

We spent a lot of time together and she finally told me she would marry me on 3 July 2002. Now after four months of marriage it seems like we have been married for years. It is marvelous that the Lord still directs us here on earth.

My patriarchal blessing said I would have a priesthood holder. Betty and I had her son Harold Brent sealed to us on

Saturday, 2 November in the Provo Temple, and that fulfills the

Vern Carl and

Betty Dodge Harrison

Merrell

322

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S blessing. I have a son from each wife. The count is ten children, forty-four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Carl and Bernice have three children:

1. SHAWNA JAN MERRELL , b. 17 May 1955 in Bellflower, California, bpt. 6

July 1963, md. JEFF CROFT KOCHERHANS 20 July 1977 in the Provo Temple

[divorced]. He was b. 4 September 1955 in Lovell, Wyoming, bpt. September

1963.

I graduated from Provo High School and went on to major in English at

Brigham Young University. I served as a student body officer from 1976 to

1977, then graduated in December 1977.

After 15 years of marriage and five children my husband left us. I was single for three years and went back to BYU to finish my teaching certificate in secondary English.

Shawna Jan Merrell md. second ROBERT G. BAIRD 20 June 1995 in the

Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 5 September 1950 in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Bpt. 6 September 1958.

Between the two of us we have eleven children. We live in Sandy, Utah, with five of the children. The configuration changes constantly. Bob and I hope to serve a mission together someday. Meanwhile we are active in the Church.

Bob teaches the Gospel Doctrine class and I work in the Primary with the music.

We have both held numerous callings and are happy to serve whenever and wherever we can.

Parenting this many children who have been through divorces is no small task. We have been so grateful for family and friends who have supported us in such great challenges. Part of our goals include helping others in the same circumstances. We know how difficult it is to be single, divorced and trying to keep a family together. We also know it is hard to be a step-parent.

Shawna and Jeff had five children:

1. Joseph Merrell Kocherhans, b. 5 January 1980 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 30

January 1988. He programs computers in Salt Lake City. He lives on his own and is working on a degree off and on at the University of Utah.

2. Heidi Kocherhans, b. 6 April 1981 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 8 April 1989.

She lives in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and works as a nanny. She plans to return home to pursue her education.

3. Timothy Ryan Kocherhans, b. 28 March 1984 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bpt. 28 March 1992. Timothy is a sophomore at Jordan High School. He maintains a good GPA and is on the football team. He performs with a musical theatre group in his spare time.

4. Heather Kocherhans, b. 5 June 1988 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 6

July 1996. Heather, is active in soccer and also performs with a group that sings and dances.

5. Wendi Kocherhans, b. 22 September 1990 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Wendi has Down’s syndrome and struggles with her challenges. She is

Shawna and Bob have one child:

1. Rebecca Baird, b. 22 May 1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Loves to help mom and play with her friends at Joy School.

323


2. TANA GAYLE MERRELL , b. 30 January 1956 in El Centro, California, bpt.

30 January 1965, md. BRIAN CUMMINS CLARK 9 October 1980 in the Provo

Temple. He was b. 29 February 1956 in Logan, Utah, and bpt. 29 February

1964. Nine children:

1. William Keith Clark, b. 24 August 1981 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 2

September 1989.

2. Rachel Ann Clark, b. 11 February 1983 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 27

February 1991.

3. Charity Clark, b. 1 January 1985 in Logan, Utah, bpt. 2 January 1993.

4. Wesley Vern Clark , b. 28 January 1987 in Logan, Utah, bpt. 2 February

1995.

5. Spencer Roy Clark, b. 2 March 1989 in Paradise, Utah, bpt. 12 April

1997.

6. Marchian Clark, b. 31 March 1991 in Paradise, Utah.

7. Nathan Justus Clark, b. 26 November1993 in Paradise, Utah.

8. Joann Clark, b. 19 October 1995 in Paradise, Utah.

9. Elise Clark, b. 8 January 1998 in Logan, Utah.

3. KEN DARVEY MERRELL , b. 15 December 1958 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt.

7 January 1967, md. MARY EVELYN MURPHY 22 August 1981 in the Salt

Lake Temple. She was b. 30 October 1959 in Seattle, Washington, and bpt. 4

May 1967. Six children, all b. in Provo, Utah:

1. Aaron Jake Merrell, b. 2 August 1982, bpt. 4 August 1990.

2. Daniel Seth Merrell, b. 7 July 1984, bpt. 1 August 1992.

3. Christine Marie Merrell [twin], b. 6 November 1986, bpt. 3 December

1994.

4. Austin Lee Merrell [twin], b. 6 November 1986, bpt. 3 December 1994.

5. Kayshia Dawn Merrell, b. 14 April 1996.

6. Kinley Merrell, b. 29 June 1997.

Vern Carl Merrell md. second BARBARA DEAN BROOKS 24 December 1959 in the

Manti Utah Temple. She was b. 27 February 1929 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Five children:

1. JULIE ANNA MERRELL , b. 23 October 1959 in Green Bay, Wisconsin [adopted]. Julie Clare Demeny was adopted by Barbara Dean Brooks and Vern Carl

Merrell on 9 November 1978 and bpt. 7 October 1972. She md. HERBERT

YOSHITO GALBRAITH 11 September 1980 [civil marriage]. Four children:

1. Karl Reo Galbraith, b. 31 July 1981 in Payson, Utah.

2. Jon Evan Galbraith, b. 17 August 1982 in Provo, Utah.

3. Christopher Merrell Galbraith , b. 21 February 1984 in Salt Lake City,

Utah.

4. Nicholas Patrick Galbraith, b. 9 September 1986 in Murray, Utah.

Julie Anna Merrell md. second JESSE MARSHALL TEAGUE. He was b. 22 June

1956 in Texas. One child:

1. Emilie Elise Teague, b. 3 January 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

324


Julie Anna Merrell md. third BRIAN JOHN HARVEY 26 May 1989 in Las Vegas,

Nevada [divorced]. One child:

1. Charles Brian Harvey III, b. 8 April 1990 in American Fork, Utah.

Julie Anna Merrell md. fourth RENE OSWALDO GUZMAN 28 June 1996 in

Green Bay, Wisconsin. He was b. 23 October 1963 in San Francisco, El

Salvador.

2. WINIFRED MERRELL , b. 3 February 1962 in Tooele, Utah, bpt. 28 March

1970, md. CHARLES LEO EADS 9 July 1981 in the Provo Temple. He was b.

31 August 1959 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and bpt. 27 October 1967. Four chil dren:

1. Samuel Legrand Eads, b. 28 July 1982 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 4 August

1990.

2. Charlotte Eads, b. 2 May 2, 1984 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 2 May 1992.

3. Suzanne Eads, b. 19 June 1985 in Murray, Utah, bpt. 19 June 1993.

4. Janeal Eads, b. 4 September 1989 in Murray, Utah, bpt. 6 September

1997.

3. DON CARL MERRELL , b. 23 March 1963 in Tooele, Utah, bpt. 27 March

1971, md. TAMMIE CATHERINE COX 18 August 1988 in the Manti Temple. She was b. 18 December 1968 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and bpt. 5 February 1977. Two children:

1. Jacob Marshall Merrell, b. 28 February 1990 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

28 February 1998.

2. Hannah Elise Merrell, b. 14 April 1994 in Phoenix, Arizona.

4. KATHERYN MERRELL , b. 24 April 1966 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 4 May 1974, md. ALAN DUDLEY HAMBERLIN 17 August 1991 in the St. George Utah

Temple. He was b. 22 September 1966 in Flagstaff, Arizona, and bpt. 17 April

1988. Three children, all b. in Mesa, Arizona:

1. Tessalin Hamberlin, b. 26 February 1993.

2. Joshua Clarence Hamberlin, b. 10 May 1994.

3. Megan Elise Hamberlin, b. 7 August 1996.

5. MAUREEN MERRELL , b. 24 August 1967 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 6 September

1975, md. MICHAEL GLEN WRIGHT 27 December 1991 in the Manti Temple.

He was b. 9 November 1964 in Murray, Utah. One child:

1. Creighton Merrell Wright, b. 15 August 1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Vern Carl Merrell md. third BETTY DODGE HARRISON 3 July 2002. Sealed in the Provo Temple.

3. CHARLES BURDELL MERRELL , b. 5 March 1926 in Miami, Arizona., bpt. 5 March

1936, md. NYAL ANDRUS 16 March 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 5

August 1926 in Lewisville, Idaho, bpt. 5 August 1934. Eight children:

325


1. DURK BURDELL MERRELL, b. 6 December 1951 at Fort George G Meade,

Maryland, bpt. 6 December 1959, md. JOAN MARNE LAYTON 25 August 1976 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 27 April 1956 in Provo, Utah and bpt. 10

June 1964. Durk and Joan have five children:

1. Bethany Lynn Merrell, b.30 October 1978 in Pensacola, Florida, bpt. 1

November 1986.

2. Jenny Marie Merrell, b. 19 November 1980 at Camp Pendleton,

California, bpt. 3 December 1988.

3. Evan Durk Merrell, b. 7 April 1982 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 15 April 1990.

4. Drew Burdell Merrell, b. 31 May 1984 in Chatan-Cho, Japan, bpt. 7

June 1992.

5. Glen Robert Merrell, b. 1 April 1988 in American Fork, Utah, bpt. 7

April 1996.

2. JACQUELYN MERRELL , b. 5 December 1953 at Camp Truscott, Austria, bpt.

8 December 1961, md. CHAD B. NEIBAUR 28 December 1978 Kensington,

Maryland in the Washington D.C. Temple. He was b. 21 July 1953 in Rexburg,

Idaho, and bpt. 5 August 1961. Three children:

1. Launi Neibaur , b. 22 October 1979 in Driggs, Idaho, bpt. 31 October

1987, md. Neal Landon Johnson 18 December 1999 in the Logan

Temple. He was b. 24 May 1977 in Logan, Utah, and bpt. 1 June 1985.

2. Chad Brigg Neibaur, b. 28 September 1981 in Logan, Utah, bpt. 7

October 1989.

3. Sydney Neibaur, b. 17 March 1989 in Soda Springs, Idaho, bpt. 29

March 1997.

3. KENDRA MERRELL , b. 9 July 1955 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 12 July 1963, md.

RALPH WILLIAM SCORESBY 20 June 1981 in the Provo Temple. He was b.

18 September 1952 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and bpt. 2 October 1960. Three children:

1. Janalle Scoresby, b. 29 May 1984 in Pocatello, Idaho, bpt. 6 June

1992.

2. Jarred Ralph Scoresby, b. 19 September 1987 in Pocatello, Idaho, bpt.

7 October 1995.

3. Shayann Scoresby, b. 30 December 1992 in South Jordan, Utah.

4. BLAIR ANDRE MERRELL , b. 10 March 1957 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 3 April

1965, md. ELIZABETH ADELE ROBISON 19 August 1989 in the Provo Temple.

She was b. 15 May 1958 in Hamilton, Montana, bpt. 4 June 1966. Four children:

1. Amy Elizabeth Merrell b. 20 September 1985 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 9 October 1993.

2. Ruth Merrell b. 14 October 1988 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 14 October 1996.

3. Matthew Blair Merrell, b. 25 May 1991 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 5 June

1999.

b. 14 September 1992 in Provo, Utah.

5. KEVIN REED MERRELL , b. 27 August 1958 in Washington, D.C., bpt. 18

August 1966, md. KAROL MAILE GEE 17 March 1984 in the Oakland, California

326


Temple [divorced]. She was b. 12 August 1964 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and bpt. 2

September 1972. He drowned 26 August 1999 in Wasatch County, Utah. Three children:

1. Cali Denise Merrell, b. 27 June 1985 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 14 August

1993.

2. Alyssa Brooke Merrell, b. September 1987 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt.

February 1996.

3. Macy Brin Merrell, b. 23 August 1990 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 10 October

1998.

Kevin Reed Merrell md. second KATHERYN EILEEN HASLAM 17 September

1993 [divorced].

Kevin Reed Merrell md. third CHERYL ROBINSON 6 December 1997.

6. STUART LEON MERRELL, b. 4 October 1962 in San Salvador, El Salvador, bpt . 30 October 1970.

7. QUINN WESLEY MERRELL , b. 2 August 1965 in Alexandria, Virginia, bpt. 4

August 1973, md. LACHELL CAE SCHROEDER 23 April 1988 in the Provo

Temple. She was b. 1 July 1961 in Bay City, Michigan, bpt. 1 July 1969. Three children:

1. Michael Quinn Merrell, b. 21 November 1989 in Orem, Utah, bpt.

28 November 1997.

2. Chelsea Anne Merrell, b. 14 December 1991 in Portland, Oregon, bpt.

8 January 2000.

3. Christian Stuart Merrell, b. 25 September 1994 in Portland, Oregon.

8. BARRY McKAY MERRELL , b. 18 January 1967 in La Paz, Bolivia, bpt.

8 February 1975, md. ANNETTE MARIE SPACKMAN 24 June 1989 in the Salt

Lake Temple. She was b. 18 April 1969 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 30 April 1977. Two children:

1. Robert McKay Merrell, b. 5 September 1994 in Orem, Utah.

2. James Brian Merrell, b. 8 October 1996 in Orem, Utah.

4. NELDA JEAN MERRELL , b. 27 December 1930 in Miami, Arizona, bpt. 4 February

1939, md. GAYLEN TOLMAN HARMON 1 June 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 13 May 1927 in Fairview, Wyoming., bpt. 5 July 1935. Nelda died 22 March 2002 in

Provo, Utah.

I lived in Miami until the age of 12. In 1943 we moved to Virden, New Mexico, where I enjoyed going to school with lots of cousins. During the summer of 1946, my older sister Florine needed someone to help her with her second baby. I was chosen to go. It was hard to leave, but I went where I was needed. This gave me a chance to get more acquainted with her since she is 12 years older than I and left home when I was only 11. I lived with them for three years, then moved back with my family in 1950.

I went to BYU with my brothers Burdell and Carl when mother moved from Kirtland to

Provo after caring for Aunt Mina’s family after she died and Uncle Floyd Brown died a year after.

327


I met my future husband Gaylen Harmon when I was with Burdell on the way to BYU one morning. He and his roommate gave us a ride in their car. Burdell and

Gaylen were missionary companions in the Central

States Mission and in my senior year I sent a picture to

Burdell. When he showed it to Elder Harmon, Gaylen had a very strong feeling that the girl in the picture would be his wife one day.

Gaylen graduated from BYU in 1955 (Nelda only had one-and-a-half years of college) in Elementary

Education. We had three children by then, so he worked part time selling World Book Encyclopedias and discovered he was a good salesman. After teaching for two years, we decided to go full time in the sales business, and climbing up the sales and managerial ladder took us to Salt Lake City and Chicago for training, then Gaylen and Nelda Merrell

Harmon to Fresno, California for fourteen years. Two children were born in Fresno. Now there were nine children, four boys and five girls.

Gaylen took an early retirement from the stress of selling and finally ended up in

Green River, Wyoming, in 1979 to help his brothers in construction to pre-sell lots and homes. Things went well and we enjoyed living by a lot of Harmon brothers and sisters and cousins. In 1983 the real estate business hit rock bottom and the mines laid off so many people, we lost thousands of dollars on our big home. We moved to Orem with only $2000, rented a home and both of us started selling World Book. After two years we were transferred to Kaysville, Utah, to be Division and District managers and both won company cars. After five years, in 1992, we retired again and moved back to Orem to be with four families, plus mothers, brothers and sisters.

We tried helping a son with a new business which didn’t make it, then in 1996

World Book asked Gaylen to come back to be a school and library specialist for 780 schools and libraries in Utah and Nevada, and just a month ago, the company added

275 schools in Idaho, So he is really traveling a lot.

We’ve served in many church positions, Gaylen in leadership positions, the highlight being a counselor in the stake presidency in Fresno. Because of my musical abilities, I often served as organist, chorister, or choir director. Gaylen has a beautiful tenor voice, and has sung solos plus duets with me in and out of church meetings. While attending BYU, he joined the Delta Phi Chorus for returned missionaries and was their

Irish tenor. He also sang with the Madrigal Singers. We had lots of great experiences attending those concerts. One was the Christmas program for the General Authorities when Pres. David 0. McKay was the prophet. All of our five daughters and two sons have beautiful voices and sing for the public.

Right now we are having the time of our lives serving in a BYU ward as high councilor and Relief Society Specialist for the Stake Relief Society presidency over the two Relief Societies in the ward We enjoy those choice, respectful students so much

We are also enjoying having a close family (some living close by physically, and some far away) and tending our grandchildren who are around here.

We’ve had our share of trials in our life and was asked to share some of them and how we coped. When I was about six years old, I was swinging in a box made into

328

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S an airplane and it was put up quite high. It broke with me in it and I struck the back of my head, knocking my atlas off my axis. So I’ve had a lot of back problems in my life and in other problems relating to impingements in my vertebrae; hand rashes, sinus, athlete’s foot, the result of stresses of married life and child rearing. Good chiropractors helped me to eliminate many of the problems.

Our oldest daughter suffered a chemical imbalance when her third child was a preemie baby. Each time, her husband sent her from Kentucky to us in California because he knew I was into alternative health. We balanced her out, but when she went back to her husband, she had a problem again. This happened a second time, a third, then a fourth and he divorced her the last time and took the children to live with his parents. She has lived with us since 1978 off and on until 1981 when she was divorced. This has been a real trial, for her to get through life without her boys. They were seven, five, and two years old when they were left without their mother.

Gaylen was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1980, given a blessing that it would be contained within the colon, had eighteen inches taken out, no chemo or radiation were needed, and has been clean of cancer ever since. He changed his diet considerably.

In 1992 when we retired from World Book, I developed a lot of health problems, including a yeast infection in my blood and diverticulosis. I learned a technique called bio-magnetic testing with magnets. After three years of testing and building my body with excellent food supplements, I regained seventeen pounds and enjoyed good health.

I use what I have learned to help others who can’t get help from orthodox medicine. We’ve always trusted in the Lord and continually prayed for His help in blessing us to know what to do, then trusting Him to help conquer our problems.

Whatever trials and refining fire we experienced, we made it through with the help of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and keeping the commandments and we have been blessed tremendously. They never let us down and answered many supplications.

Nelda and Gaylen have nine children:

1. BEVERLY HARMON , b. 20 March 1952 in

Provo, Utah, bpt. 9 April 1960, md. LINDLE

GAYLE HATTON 29 December 1971 in the

Oakland Temple [divorced]. Three children:

1. Justin Lindle Hatton, b. 6

December 1972 in Lexington,

Kentucky, bpt. January 1981.

2. Mark Ryan Hatton, b. 10 May

1975 in Austin, Texas, bpt. 13 June

1983.

3. Brandon Lorin Hatton, b. 31

August 1976 in Austin, Texas, bpt.

31 August 1984.

2. MICHAEL GAYLEN HARMON , b. 24 May

1953 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 1 July 1961, md.

DALYNNE MADSEN 31 May 1975 in the

Oakland Temple. She was b. 9 November

329

Beverly Harmon Hatton


1953 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 2 December 1961.

Three children:

1. Britten Amber Harmon, b. 1 May 1976 in

Provo, Utah, bpt. 2 June 1984, md. ANDREW

CLIFFORD JOHNSON 25 July 1997 in the San

Diego Temple. One child:

1. Kayla DaLynne Johnson, b. 11 March

1999 in Boise Idaho.

2. Bradley Michael Harmon, b. 21 September

1979 in Portland, Oregon, bpt. 31 October

1987.

3. Breena Rae Harmon, b. 26 April 1983 in

Fresno, California, bpt. 1 June 1991.

Mike and DeeDee Harmon

3. JON McKAY HARMON , b. 25 July 1954 in

Provo, Utah, bpt. 1 September 1962, md. TERI ANN

HARDING 18 August 1977 in the Salt Lake Temple

[divorced]. She was b. 18 November 1955 in Logan,

Utah, bpt. 29 November 1963. Five children:

1. Joshua Jon Harmon, b. 11 May 1978 in

Provo, Utah, bpt. 31 May 1986, md. Jennifer

L. Harvey 5 June 1999 in Boise, Idaho.

2. Jefferson McKay Harmon, b. 5 September

1979 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 25 September 1987.

3. Ashlee Ann Harmon, b. 7 December 1982 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 12 January 1991.

4. Abbey Diane Harmon , b. 10 November 1987 in Whittier, California, bpt. 2 December 1995.

5. Ali Kristina Harmon, b. 30 December 1989 inWhittier, California, bpt. 7 March 1998

Jon McKay Harmon md. second TONIA RONALDSON

25 July 1998 in Boise, Idaho. Two children:

1. Coulton Jon Harmon, b. 17 May 1997 in Boise, Idaho.

2. McKayla Harmon, b. 8 January 1999 in Boise, Idaho.

4. JANE ANN HARMON , b. 12 February 1957 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 10 April 1965, md.

MITCHELL LUTHER CLARKSON 8 May 1976 in the Oakland Temple. He was b. 4 March 1954 in

Fresno, California. Four children:

1. Jason Luther Clarkson, b. 6 October

1978 in Logan, Utah, bpt. 11 October

1996, md. Lisa Michelle Hall 1 June

1998 in Layton, Utah. She was b. 6

330

Back, l. to r.: Jefferson,

Ashlee, Joshua Harmon

Front, l. to r.,

Ali and Abbey Harmon

Jane Harmon and

Mitch Clarkson family


June 1980. One child:

1. Halle Michelle Clarkson, b. 29 April 1999 in Layton, Utah.

2. Travis Alden Clarkson, b. 2 June 1981 in Logan, Utah, bpt. 5 June

1989.

3. Charisse Clarkson, b. 4 May 1984 in Layton, Utah, bpt. 9 July 1992.

4. Erica Clarkson, b. 6 April 1990 in Everett, Washington, bpt. 2 May

1998.

5. DAN ROGER HARMON , b. 5 December 1959 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 6

January 1968, md. DONNELL JEAN THOMPSON 29 August 1980 in Green

River, Wyoming [divorced].She was b. 21 June 1961. Two children:

1. Brook Erin Harmon, b. 30 March 1981 in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

2. Jacob Daniel Harmon, b. 11 March 1982 in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Dan Roger Harmon md. second ROBIN GAY

PREVEDEL 6 September 1986 in Rock Springs,

Wyoming. She was b. 10 November 1959. Two children:

1. Zachery Dean Harmon, b. 17 December 1987 in Ft. Collins, Colorado.

2. Colton Scott Harmon, b. 23 February

1990 in Ft. Collins, Colorado.

Dan and Robin P. Harmon family

6. GAYLYNN HARMON , b. 13 December 1962 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 2

January 19971, md. MICHAEL ROSS BUYS 4

April 1986 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 27

February 1955 in Payson, Utah, bpt. 31 March


1. Preston Michael Buys , b. 27 February

1987 in Orem, Utah, bpt. 4 March 1995.

2. Sara Lynn Buys, b. 30 December 1988 in Payson, Utah, bpt. 4 January 1997.

3. Amy Marchie Buys, b. 18 May 1990 in

Payson, Utah, bpt. 13 June 1998.

4. Spencer Harmon Buys, b. 2 November

1993 in Payson, Utah.

Gaylynn H. and Michael Buys family

331


7. JIM DUANE HARMON , b. 25 March 1964 in Salt

Lake City, Utah, bpt. 25 March 1972, md. TANYA DEE

WHITING 28 December 1987 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Tanya was b. 17 August 1964 in Davenport, Iowa.

Four children:

1. Trenton James Harmon, b. 28 September

1988 at Ft. Ord, California.

2. Trevor Dayne Harmon , b. 10 April 1991 in

American Fork, Utah, bpt. 17 April 1999.

3. Jessica Dianne Harmon, b. 15 June 1993 in

Gilbert, Arizona.

4. Jennafer Marchen Harmon, b. 13 April 1998 in Mesa, Arizona.

Jim and Tanya W.

Harmon family

8. VALERIE HARMON , b. 17 November 1968 in Fresno,

California, bpt. 1 January 1977, md. TROY BRENT

GUNDERSEN 3 May 1991 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 26 April 1968 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Three children:

1. Jordan Troy Gundersen, b. 9 September1992 in American Fork, Utah.

2. Shelby Lynn Gundersen, b. 30 December 1994 in Gilbert, Arizona.

3. Chase Thomas Gundersen, b. 8 June 1998 in

American Fork, Utah.

Valerie H. and Troy

Gundersen family

9. LISA MARIE HARMON , b. 30 January 1971 in

Fresno, California, bpt. 3 February 1979, md. BRENT

RICHARD HARRIS 21 September 1990 in the Provo

Temple. He was b. 30 October 1968 in Orem, Utah.

Three children:

1. Jessica Laurin Harris, b. 9 June 1992 in

Provo, Utah.

2. Hailey Morgan Harris, b. 29 January 1995 in

Orem, Utah.

3. Chandler Brent Harris , b. 20 February 1998 in

American Fork, Utah.

Lisa H. and

Brent Harris family

332


5. DAN KEITH MERRELL , b. 25 February 1933 in Miami, Arizona, bpt. 1 May 1941, md. LA RAY LUTHY KOCKERHANS 25 June 1957. She was b. 21 June 1939 in Salt

Lake City, Utah, bpt. 26 March 1950. Dan d. 28 September 1993 at home surrounded by his family.

Dan was the fifth child and third son of Vern

Clark and Catherine Mortensen Merrell. They lived in

Van Winkle Canyon and were members of the Miami

Ward in the St. Joseph Stake of The Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1934 the family moved to a home near a county airport where Dan’s younger brother, Melvin J. Merrell, was born. The two boys were raised almost as twins. As a man, Dan often said, “If I had to go over a cliff, on a rope, I would want Melvin to be holding the other end!”

Catherine Merrell moved her family to Provo in order to improve their opportunities to obtain higher education. Dan attended Provo High School and subsequently enrolled at BYU before his call came to serve a mission in Holland. He remembered fondly riding his bicycle full tilt over cobbled streets to visit people that he loved dearly. After his mission he toured Europe with a companion. When he was released, he went to

Yellowstone Park to work, where he met his future wife,

LaRay Kocherhans.

Dan Keith Merrell

Dan and his brother Melvin were drafted into the

Army in the winter of 1956 and went under the “Buddy System” where they hoped to serve together. But they were soon separated and served in different fields. But the boys were both married on the same day, 21 June 1957, in the Salt Lake Temple in a double ceremony.

Dan was stationed in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where he trained as a radar repairman before being sent to Heidelberg, Germany. The Russian government had blocked supplies to East Germany and Dan was involved in radar surveillance as the

U.S. government airlifted supplies into Berlin. After his release from the military, he returned to Provo Utah, where he earned his degree in Electrical Engineering.

After marrying, he was employed by Hewlett Packard in Loveland, Colorado. He helped design computer components. We later learned that this work by Hewlett

Packard was on the forefront of technology in the design of personal computers. At the time, not even those involved in the design and production had any idea how their work would influence the “age of information” which followed.

Dan received an accidental shock of high voltage electricity which made him just slightly hesitant to work with it. He changed his career to industrial engineering and took an offer from Eastman Kodak, to work in Rochester, New York. There he designed light locks to protect film and did storage and retrieval and materials handling work, and he was also recognized for his contribution to the C Span project.

The family returned to Loveland, Colorado, when Kodak built its new facility in

Windsor and Dan rejoiced in the leadership roll he was able to play there because he had the freedom to create his own “job description.” He roamed the company looking

333


Upper left: Dan as Boy Scout leader;

Upper right: the Dan and LaRay Merrell family

Lower left: LaRay and Dan Merrell for things that needed to be done and instigated them. He was instrumental in bringing computers into Kodak long before they were popular.

Dan held positions of leadership in the Church all his life, far too many to mention here. When the family moved to Loveland they had a dependent branch of the Church. When they left Loveland, there was a chapel and three wards meeting in it. Even as he was dying of cancer he was still singing in the choir and working with the Boy Scouts. He was a counselor in two bishoprics, served on several high councils and devoted the best of himself to the youth of the Church in scouting and seminary.

Their children remember wrestling with their dad, cutting wood and gardening.

They remember regular family home evenings and outings and vacations and appreciate that their father believed in “absolutes” and taught them self-discipline and obedience to Gospel principles. He refused to take executive positions at Kodak because he wanted to leave his work at work and go home at five p.m. to enjoy his family.

He developed “metastatic bladder cancer” in November of 1991. Dan and LaRay relocated to Provo, Utah, to be with their children who were in school and were gathering there to live and be with their mother when he died.

Dan and LaRay had five children.

1. KAREN KAE MERRELL, b.13 September 1958 in Heidelberg, Germany, bpt.

5 November 1966.

2. NANETTE MERRELL, b. 19 May 1960 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 28 June 1968.

334


3. RONALD SCOTT MERRELL, b. 14 November 1961 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 19

December 1969.

4. DONALD WAYNE MERRELL, b. 13 July 1965 in Fort Collins, Colorado, bpt.

21 July 1973.

5. BRYAN KEITH MERRELL, b. 26 May 1972 in Loveland, Colorado, bpt. 5 July

1980.

6. MELVIN JOSEPH MERRELL , b. 10 February 1935 in Miami, Arizona, bpt. 3 April

1943, md. MARILYN MYRUP 25 June 1957 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 8 April

1935 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and d. 20 March 1968 in Oakland, California. She was bpt. 3 November 1963. Melvin died 17 April 2001 in China. Melvin and Marilyn had three children:

1. KARLA JO MERRELL , b. 30 March 1959 in Tacoma, California, bpt. 1 April

1967, md. STEVE MICHAEL WILLIAMS 14 March 1979 in the Salt Lake Temple.

He was b. 22 October 1954. Six children:

1, Erin Michelle Williams, b. 4 December 1980.

2. Jeni Elsie Williams, b. 6 April 1982.

3 .Ian Michael Williams , b. 6 December 1983.

4. Leah Jenelle Williams, b. 6 August 1986.

5. Nicole Danielle Williams, b. 7 December 1987.

6. Kara Elizabeth Williams, b. 12 November 1989.

2. JULIA MERRELL , b. 13 March 1961 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 29 March 1969, md. MICHAEL JACKSON 23 August 1984 in Heber City, Utah. He was b. 23

March 1960. Two children:

1. Ariel Elizabeth Jackson, b. 26 March 1989.

2. Caitlin Rose Jackson, b. 28 April 1992.

3. ELISE MERRELL , b. 2 August 1965 in Walnut Creek, California, bpt. 4 May

1973, md. ADAM TOLLMAN. He was b. 30 December 1964. Four children:

1. Alexander Quinn Tollman, b. 17 September 1987.

2. Blade Addison Tollman, b. 12 October 1990.

3. Chance Azzar Tollman, b. 19 February 1994.

4. Dallin Lee Tollman, b. 15 March 1999.

335


Melvin Joseph Merrell md. second DENADENE CLARKE 3 June 1969 in the Arizona

Temple. She was b. 25 February 1939, bpt. 1 March 1947. Six children:

1. MELODEE LYNN MERRELL , b. 3 March 1970 in Walnut Creek, California, bpt. 4 March 1978. She md. MILES JEFFERY ROWLEY 22 September 1990 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 23 December 1968. Two children:

1. Joclynn Dee Rowley, b. 16 January 1993.

2. Miles Jeffery Rowley Jr.

, b. 2 May 1995.

Melodee Lynn Merrell and Miles Jeffrey Rowley

2. JASON BURDELL MERRELL, b. 18 September 1971 in Murray, Utah, bpt.

29 September 1979.

3. JODEE COLLEEN MERRELL , b. 16 September 1972 in Murray, Utah, bpt.

27 September 1980, md. CURTIS WILLIAM CARROLL. He was b. 21 February

1974.

4. DENI BROOKE MERRELL , b. 2 May 1974 in Murray, Utah, bpt. 5 June

1982, md. MICHAEL DAN MEMMOTT Jr. He was b. 4 December 1970. One child:

1. Hunter Jonathan Memmott, b. 9 June 1996.

5. RACHEL ELAINE MERRELL , b. 2 April 1976 in Murray, Utah, md. AZRAEL

MIAZOE CLARKE.

6. LIESL JANINE MERRELL , b. 10 January 1980 in Murray, Utah, md. CODY

DUFFIN. He was b. 20 December 1976.

336


7. BARBARA ANN MERRELL, b. 7 January 1943 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 28

January 1951, md. WILLIAM BLAIR MITCHELL [divorced]. He was b. 8 October 1942 in

Provo, Utah.

Barbara Ann Merrell md. second CRAIG STEPHENSON 17 August 1962. Sealed 8 June

1973 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b. 12 July 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 30

July 1954. Five children:

1. ANNETTE STEPHENSON , b. 27 May 1963 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 29

May 1971, md. JOSE FERNANDO RUBIO 22 December 1983 in Salt Lake City,

Utah.

2. JAMES CRAIG STEPHENSON, b. 23 March 1968 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 27 March 1976.

3. JEFFREY DALE STEPHENSON, b. 7 January 1970 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 7 January 1978.

4. DEREK CLARK STEPHENSON, b. 19 October 1973 in Salt Lake City, Utah. bpt. 31 October 1981.

5. MATTHEW AARON STEPHENSON, b. 4 October 1975 in Salt Lake City,

Utah, bpt. 5 November 1983.

1A7-5 ELMINA MORTENSEN, b. 1 September 1902 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, bpt. 1 September 1910, md. FLOYD BROWN 9 September 1926 in Virden, New

Mexico, sealed 22 September 1926 in the Logan Temple. He was b. 17 February

1903 in Thatcher, Arizona. Bpt 5 August 1911.

Mina was the fifth child and the third daughter of fourteen children born to Peter and Mary Catherine Andersen Mortensen. By 1912, when Elmina was nearly ten years old, her family left Mexico because of the Mexican civil war.

They lived several places, then in 1915, Peter Mortensen’s family settled in

Richmond, later renamed Virden, New Mexico, which was composed mostly of

Mormon families from Old Mexico. A self-made community social structure, while working the land, building their homes, and actively engaged in Church and school activities, brought good times during the harshness of frontier life.

When Mt. Graham Stake was formed in Arizona, it included Virden and

Lordsburg, New Mexico. Spencer Kimball was the first Stake President.

President Kimball left Arizona in the early forties when he was made an apostle, and later President of the church. Years later he would speak of Mina and her mother Mamie’s beautiful voices and the exceptional singing that came from the small ward in Virden.

When Mina was twenty two, the Stephen Brown family moved to Virden

337

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S from Luna, New

Mexico. Lon, as he was called, had broken his hip and was disabled.

Floyd, their oldest son, was called home early from a mission in the

Eastern States to move the family to the warmer climate of Virden. Floyd had a good tenor voice and was asked in time to sing with Mina.

Their friendship, then courtship, led to marriage

Floyd was first a freighter, then farmer and ditch boss for the Elmina and Floyd Brown

Sunset Ditch

Company during their early years of marriage. Mina’s worked hard in support of her family as she maintained their home, made her children’s clothes, gardened, canned, and made bread and cheese. She was a good cook. Floyd served as a ward clerk for many years, and Mina was active as a vocalist, singing with the Relief Society

Singing Mothers and ward choir. She was also involved in numerous other musical activities that fed her spirit.

In 1943, they sold their twenty-acre farm and moved to Kirtland, New

Mexico, to a sixty-acre farm they had bought. They flourished in their new community, as Mina contributed her gifts of music and Floyd became a counselor in the bishopric to Bishop Cloyde Beckstead. Years later, Cleah Beckstead, wife of

Bishop Beckstead, responded to my request in July 1979 for recollections of first-hand experiences with the Brown family during this time period.

Clyde says he never knew a finer man than Floyd, or one that he respected more. He was always willing to do more than his share and was so pleasant to work with. Mina was always willing to help out. She did a fine job leading the

338

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S singing and working in the auxiliaries, contributing to their success.

From Gertrude Foutz, “Mina was my counselor in YWMIA. We worked together and were very special friends. Mina was so goodnatured and fun to be with as we spent many hours together. There were no stores to run to, so we had to make everything, but it was so enjoyable. Mina loved to play the piano and sing with her children and as a family would often perform at ward entertainments. Mina and Floyd were a very happy couple and both had a good sense of humor.

Left to right, rear: Cameron, Dewaine, and Steven

Front: Ferneth and Colleen Brown

“I loved to be with their family in the evenings when they lighted the

339

Back row, left to right:

Steven,

Dewaine, and

Cameron

Brown

Front row:

Colleen,

Ferneth and

Rita Brown

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S kerosene lamps, read and sang together, and ate popcorn, Duane Winn told

Cleah, “They were a united family. The boys always respected their sisters.

“They were the finest people, always in church, loved their family. They were hardworking and raised beautiful crops of potatoes, onions and carrots.

When your father was ill he told Cloyde and others that his desire was that the children stay at their home and be kept together. He thought Dewaine, with the help of the ward, could handle the responsibility, and the people of the ward supported his wish. You children have a wonderful heritage built on love and sacrifice.”

With that background of ward support, Mina began losing weight and not feeling well the latter part of 1946. She was finally diagnosed with cancer and underwent a mastectomy. A great outpouring of love came from the Kirtland ward. Women of the Relief Society made dresses for the girls and shirts for the boys, and meals were brought, as they nurtured and cared for the family during those difficult months. Mina passed away from cancer 18 February 1947 in

Kirtland, New Mexico. Kate Merrell, Mina’s sister, came with her children to help the six motherless children. Twenty-one months later Floyd himself died as the result of adhesions of the intestines, Gangrene had set in following the operation and he died a few days later, 1 November 1948 in Farmington, New

Mexico. The children returned to Virden, except for Dewaine, to live with Mina’s brothers, Rob and Marion, and her sister, Dorothy.

Mina and Floyd became the parents of four girls and four boys:

1. ILEANE “ILEEN” BROWN, b. 14 September 1927 in Virden, New Mexico. Bpt 14

September 1935. Ileen d. of typhoid fever 31 October 1937.

2. DEWITT FLOYD BROWN, b. 2 January 1929 in Virden, New Mexico. Dewitt d. from drowning 17 April 1931.

3. DEWAINE MARTIN BROWN , b. 18 July 1930 in Virden, New Mexico. Bpt 31 July

1938, md. JUDITH RAE FREHNER 3 March 1954 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 31

May 1934 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt. 26 July 1942.

Dewaine was b. to Floyd Alonzo and Mina (Elmina) Mortensen Brown. We first lived in the Houlihan house above the ditch next to Grandpa John’s, and not far from

Grandpa and Grandma Brown, just north of Grandpa John’s. I lived in this home until

I started grade school, riding the new bus from the east end of the valley.

We moved several times in the next eight years. Shortly after I entered the eighth grade we moved from Virden. I had enjoyed my short life in Virden, where I had good friends to be an example to me. Many relatives lived nearby also.

Moving to our new farm and home in Kirtland, New Mexico, was an exciting experience. I had never been more than 150 miles from home before. Had we not lived next to the Arizona border, I probably would have been in only one state up to the thir-

340

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S teenth year of my life.

Kirtland was a new place with new types of people. I especially enjoyed seeing the Navajo people as they rode in the wagons and on their horses past our farm. The next year as harvest time came we employed them in harvesting potatoes and onions.

While in high school, I gained new friends with fellow students and new teachers. I was small for my age and until Eldon Angle moved into our neighborhood, I was the smallest boy in class. My scholastic ability was not something to publish in print.

My sports activity never reached any newspaper. However I can say a ten-yard gain in football can be accounted to me for the opposing Albuquerque B team. I saw only ten guys on the field during a kickoff and rather loudly told Coach Miller. He sent a new man in and of course that made twelve, resulting in the yards to my credit. This enamored me to Coach Miller for sure.

I do look back to my high school years with fond recollections of good neighbors and friends. I gained good experiences for a good foundation for life. I feel I was blessed with great teachers in school and leaders in the community.

During my junior year in high school, my mother passed away from cancer, and my father passed away a few months after my high school graduation. My brothers and

Left to right, standing: Elmina Ann Brown Christensen, Cheryl Rae Brown Parks,

Shawn Frehner Brown, Gary Dewaine Brown, Johnny Morris, Thomas Dean Brown,

Barry Jonathon Brown, David Floyd Brown, Marie LaVoun Brown Catlett.

Seated: Judith Rae Frehner Brown and Dewaine Martin Brown

341


Left to right, Michael (twin), Marc, Jennifer, Matthew (twin),

Gary Dewaine, Betty, Roland (on ground), Scott sisters were taken into homes of aunts and uncles who cared for them through their high school years. I went to live with my dear grandmother Brown. After a year at BYU,

I served a mission for the Church to the Northwestern States.

At home I found employment at a shopping center in Las Vegas, Nevada, as their frozen food manager. I then opened a frozen-food brokerage for the local stores that went very well until the national grocery chains bought out the larger markets.

Judy Frehner came home from BYU for the summer and met Dewaine Brown.

“He was definitely more mature in the things that really mattered, such as his knowledge and understanding of the Gospel. He taught me the greatness of the atonement.

He bought a brand new home in Hyde Park subdivision in Las Vegas. He called me at

BYU to pick out the colors. We were not engaged yet, and I just thought it was nice he was buying a house. The house payment was going to be $62.00 a month.

“Following our marriage we soon outgrew this three-bedroom house after the birth of six of our children. Additionally, Dewaine’s sister Rita came to live with us to attend high school.”

Judy has been a stay and guide in my life and a wonderful mother to our children. She is unique in that children do not get on her nerves and she always let the friends of our children know they were welcome in our home. Our home was like a circus during our children’s teenage years. Many times they would bring their friends

342

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S home for lunch during school, and Judy enjoyed listening to their humorous banter and hearing news of the school day activities.

We very seldom worried about our children. Judy would say at family home evenings or just at the dinner table, “We do not want anyone missing at our table in heaven. We want all of you there.” She was very game at what others might consider heavy involvement. We took our entire family with us to Scout summer camp. They learned to love the outdoors at those summer camps. This sometimes served as our vacations.

In 1961 we bought a new house at 4529 Mayflower Lane where we lived for 34 years. At the same time we bought a new car and went to a convention in Hawaii, came home and moved into this new house. David and Marie were born later.

When our oldest, Gary, was nine and one-half, our youngest Marie was born.

Even though it was scary at times with so many so close, it worked for us. They are all close. Our house was always filled with laughter as they brought their friends into our home.

Following brief years in the frozen food brokerage, Dewaine then sold life insurance for New York Life, and later formed his own life insurance brokerage firm. He remained in this business until he retired.

Community service was mainly with the Boy Scouts of America, and the training of Scout Leaders on a council and somewhat limited Area Council Staff basis. This included Adult Leadership Training as well as Woodbadge Course training with my last year as Woodbadge Course Director. My involvement in Scouting lasted some thirty plus years. In 1979 I received the Silver Beaver Award for this service. Additionally I served on the PTA board of our grade school and eventually as the PTA President of that school.

In the church I served in various positions, most of them related to youth, missionary work and eventually as the bishop of the Las Vegas 50th Young Adult Ward for nearly six years. I found working with the youth a very rewarding area. It kept us close to our children, and we grew with them.

In working in the Young Adult Ward, Judy and I watched about 120 couples marry. This brought a great deal of joy and we still see many of them as they come to work in the Temple.

After building a home on a half acre, Judy and I went on a mission to Tokyo,

Japan, from October 1995 until April of 1997. As a result of our call, we both found we had medical problems, which took a little time to correct. Mine was a little more serious, in that my blood test showed a high incidence of PSA. Long story short. I had prostrate cancer and had my prostrate removed prior to going on a mission. I was fortunate in that the cancer had not exited into my body and I have no trace of cancer today, some five years later.

I am grateful for my mission call and the joy that came to us as we taught the

English-speaking people in downtown Tokyo, who were employed by embassies and international corporations, as well as English-speaking students attending the universities in Tokyo. Additionally, it brought a blood test at a proper time to have the cancer extracted in time to preserve my health.

For ten years Judy and I sang with the Desert Chorale and have sung with them in Mexico. In Mexico City we sang with the Mexico National Symphony, as well as at the Juanajuato Music Festival two years later. Additionally we sang in Washington,

D.C. at the Kennedy Center, as well as at a cathedral. We later went to New York and

343

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S attended several operas that we enjoyed.

In 1995 we completed a home in the northwest end of town where it is very quiet. It is on a half-acre lot, so we have a garden and trees as well as a large back lawn for grandkids when they come. Life has been very good to us, along with a little adversity to spice it up and stretch us.

I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and for our ancestors who embraced it that we might be strengthened by it when adversity comes our way.

Judy and I worked at the Las Vegas Temple recommend desk for four years. We then worked for two years in the Las Vegas Temple as ordinance workers, and were released from that assignment as we accepted a mission call to work in the LDS

Employment Center.

Judy and I enjoy relatively good health today, and enjoy our children and grandchildren. Our eight children are:

1. GARY DEWAINE BROWN , b. 15 December 1954 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt. 5

January 1963, md. BETTY ELLEN ANDERSON 27 December 1977 in the St,

George Temple. She was b. 20 December 1954 in Cedar City, Utah, bpt. 28

January 1963.

Gary Dewaine Brown. son of Dewaine Martín Brown and Judith Rae Frehner, was born 15 December 1954 a( the Las Vegas Clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the eldest of eight children.

During the rapid growth for which Las Vegas is famous, he attended four different elementary schools by third grade, finishing sixth grade at E. W.

Griffith Elementary School. There he came into contact with science as taught by Mr. Rose, one of his two sixth-grade teachers, which was to play a big part in his life.

At Hyde Park Junior High School he took 2-1/2 years of shop (wood, metal, plastics and electricity), plus all the science and math they would allow. He set the school push-up record of 112 in two minutes (fairly easy since he was all of 70 pounds) that stood for a number of years as reported by his younger brothers. He attempted to build a telephone for his eighth-grade science project, which was unsuccessful, but earned an “A” for the effort. In this year he became seriously involved with model rockets and a tunnel system dug in the desert, both of which seemed to use all of his paper route money. The next year the city road department took care of the tunnel system by putting Valley View Blvd. right over it. Gary discovered girls, and he started growing and could muster only 36 push-ups by the ninth grade.

At Western High School in his sophomore year. Gary met his best friend, Nathan

Coe, in Geometry class, and hopelessly pined after girls. The only things, of course, that could take their minds off girls were the motorcycles they rode in the desert, which, averaging one broken mirror a week, took all the money Gary earned as a janitor for the Heers-Roder building.

He took more math and science classes his junior year and was asked by his

Algebra 2 teacher to take a “computer science” class. Having no idea what this

344

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S was, but consumed by curiosity, he and Nathan took this class from Mrs. Tracy and after one semester knew everything she knew about Computer Science plus a little more. This was also the year when Gary could do more than pine after girls as he hit age 16 and could date. His first date, the Junior Prom, required invitations to four girls before one said “yes,” which was a harbinger of things to come.

In their senior year, Gary and Nathan used Mrs. Tracy as an advisor and taught themselves more computer science the whole year by learning PL/l, Cobol and

Fortran and writing matrix manipulation programs. During this time they created a computer dating service for the high school (1,014 people in the homemade database) and subsequently had their 15 minutes of fame in the yearbook. They also broke the record for the school chemistry class year-end project of distilling rum by 1,100 percent, leaving the school to wonder how two Mormons could know how to brew so much alcohol in such a short time (don’t worry, it was wood alcohol). By the end of his senior year. Gary could finally count the number of girls he had dated on two hands, but just barely.

The summer between high school and college, Gary had his first full-time programming job working for the Clark County Classroom Teachers Association and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas computer center. He also earned his Eagle

Scout award by doing the last five merit badges in three days and tutoring UNLV college students in computer science techniques during the summer.

Gary and Nathan became roommates at Brigham Young University in 1972.

Gary quickly became involved in the fledgling Computer Science Department at

BYU (the 17 entering freshmen raised the department total to 64). He also discovered that he could be a new, social person at BYU and participated in the

Folkdance Club and dated lots. He was called as the MIA President of the

BYU 95th Branch and had a great lime producing all those weekly activities.

Between his freshman and sophomore years, Gary worked for Mr. Ice, an icesmaking plant, and operated an overhead crane that lifted two tons of ice blocks at a time. Of the 30 young men that started the summer at the plant, Gary and one other LDS young man persevered to the end (thank you, Dad, for not letting me quit!). In the fall of 1973, Gary returned for one semester at BYU to complete his social transformation by taking 12 girls on a date at the same time before he went on his mission.

Gary served in the Central German, named Germany Duesseldorf Mission, after his call and before entering the Language Training Mission or LTM (precursor to the MTC), from February 1974 to February 1976. He was able to visit Switzerland with a Swiss missionary released at the same time and visited the towns of

Appenzell and Herisau, from whence his mother’s ancestors emigrated.

Upon his return home, he worked for MS Concrete and developed a great tan and enviable physique, both of which were never to be his again. He attended another semester at BYU in 1976, worked for the Financial Services System in the Computer Services Department at BYU, and then went to work in 1977 for

345

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S the BDM Corporation at Nellis Air Force Base as a data entry clerk and later a computer programmer. He was assigned as the only full-time programmer to the

Analysis group for the ACEVAL-AIMVAL project, a $55-million joint project by the U.S. Navy and Air Force departments, that tested and evaluated air-to-air combat tactics and advanced air-to-air, heat-seeking missile heads. This project was so leading-edge for the time that the only system besides the one at the

Nellis Gunnery Range was the original owned by the manufacturer, the Cubic

Corporation of San Diego. It was so impressive that it was used to make a madefor-TV movie called “Operation Red Flag,” which in reality did not use the system at all.

During this time Gary became acquainted with Betty Ellen Anderson, a pretty young woman who was teaching home economics and typing at Beaver High

School in Beaver, Utah. They met in January 1977 on a sand dune in the Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada. They became engaged on Halloween and were married for time and all eternity in the St. George temple on December 27,

1977. Gary moved to Beaver, Utah, where Betty finished her teaching contract.

He kept busy during their first five months with a job installing barbed wire and net fencing for 34 miles of Interstate 15.

In the summer of 1978, Gary and Betty moved into married student housing at

BYU where Gary finished his Computer Science degree over the next two years.

He became a teaching assistant for the advanced Fortran and advanced Cobol programming language classes, both of which he enrolled in and for which he awarded himself two “A” grades. Gary and Betty’s first child, Jennifer Alice

Brown, was born September 27, 1978 (yes, that is nine months to the day!), a day Gary will remember forever “when suddenly there were three of us!” Their second child, Gary Scott Brown, was born May 9, 1980. Gary graduated from

BYU in August 1980 and went straight into full-time employment, moving from

Provo to Orem, Utah.

Gary worked for more than five years for a company named Wicat Systems, Inc. that was in the forefront of the computer-assisted training industry, which now is called computer-based training. He worked in the adult education software division and within one year became its Technical Director, which position he held for the next three years. During this time, Gary worked with videodisc players, touch-panels, 3D-simulators, rules-based simulations, speech recognition systems, etc., many of which were precursors to things common to computers today, such as multi-media instruction, 3D-graphics and simulations, etc.

During his last year at Wicat Systems, Gary became a member of the Operating

Systems Software group, which created the software that ran the computers the company manufactured and sold worldwide.

During this time, Gary and Betty had three more children, Marc Nathaniel

Brown, born on June 23, 1982, and Michael Dewaine and Matthew David born on April 10, 1985. He was also made the Scoutmaster, a calling in which he served for three years and which started a 15-year association with the Boy

Scouts organization.

346


In July 1985, Gary left Wicat Systems for a small company named NACT, which has since been renamed NACT Telecommunications. Gary started as a software engineer and saw the company grow to 37 employees, shrink to six people during a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, then grow again and become a public company with more than 100 employees and three offices in the United States and one in

London, England. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Vice-

President of Research and Development. During this time he has conceived and built two telephone switches, with the latest generation product able to handle

14,400 simultaneous calls. The switches are sold worldwide and are very well known in the prepaid calling card industry, where they handled about 30 percent of all prepaid calls in the United States in 1999. Gary was asked to train the FBI with regard to prepaid calling technology and has been asked to assist with tracing prepaid calls during kidnaps-in-progress and as part of the

Oklahoma City bombing investigation.

During this time, Gary and Betty’s last child, Roland Merle Brown, was born on

August 17, 1988. Gary is currently serving as the 2nd counselor in the Orem,

Utah Timpview 9th Ward bishopric and Betty is its Relief Society president.

Jennifer married Eric Alan Mason on July 22, 2000, in the Mt. Timpanogos temple and they currently attend the University of Utah. Scott Brown completed his mission to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on October 17, 2001. Marc Brown entered the Sao Paulo, Brazil MTC on August 22, 2001, to learn the Portuguese language preparatory to servíng in the Brazil Brasilia mission. The twins, Michael and

Matthew, are l6-year-old juniors at Timpanogos High School and Roland is a 13year-old eighth grade student at Orem Junior High School.

Gary and Betty’s six children are:

1. Jennifer Alice Brown , b. 27 September 1978 in American Fork, Utah, bpt. 4 October 1986.

2. Gary Scott Brown, b. 9 May 1980 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 11 June 1988.

3. Marc Nathaniel Brown, b. 23 June 1982 in American Fork, Utah, bpt.

30 June 1990.

4. Michael Dewaine Brown [twin], b. 10 April 1985 in American Fork,

Utah, bpt. 10 April 1993.

5. Matthew David Brown [twin], b. 10 April 1985 in American Fork, Utah, bpt. 10 April 1993.

6. Roland Merle Brown, b. 17 August 1988 in American Fork, Utah, bpt.

25 August 1996.

2. CHERYL RAE BROWN , b. 16 January 1956 in Los Vegas, Nevada, bpt. 1

February 1964, md. BRIAN THOMAS PARKS 28 December 1979 in the St.

George Temple. He was b. 24 November 1954 in San Diego, California.

Cheryl was b. to Dewaine and Judith Brown the second child of eight born in ten years. They lived on Baxter Lane in Las Vegas, in a tiny cinder-block house that had terrific trees in the backyard in which to play and Circle Park down the street with swing sets and slide.

When Cheryl was around age five, the family moved to Mayflower Lane having out-grown the Baxter house when Ann, a sister arrived. In this new housing division it was a delight to run down the block via the backyards from

347

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S one end of the street to the other. School was difficult, particularly reading, up until fourth grade at which time she asked a question of her teacher, Mrs.

Shiffman, who responded with “That’s a good question, Cheryl.” It was one of those rare days that is life altering. She felt so good she continued to ask questions and her grades rose quickly to the top. Mr. Rose, a sixth grade teacher, chose her as one of his students for a special science class in which she got to dissect a baby pig, photograph a subject of her choice and then develop the film which was then made into a “book.”

She attended Hyde Park Junior High with her brother, Tom, who was ten months younger than she and in the same grade. Teenage angst definitely rose its ugly head for the next several years with feelings of being all teeth and legs; seeming to always say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Having Tom alongside her, however, became a delight as he was so funny, a marvelous dancer and made life easier by being an instant peer. Braces in tenth grade were met with glee as she’d inherited big teeth (is that a Mortensen trait?) and an overbite. She had a group of friends that was continually in flux amongst themselves but always one true friend, Karen.

Seminary came and went with eyes half-mast at six in the morning as well as the high school years at Western High School. Her senior year was a fun time as she was picked to be a flag twirler, which was a “big deal,” one level lower than a cheerleader. She also had her first boyfriend and found it to be quite nice!

BYU came next, attending it with Tom, while Gary was on a mission in

Germany. Instant homesickness seemed to lodge itself in her heart for the next several years. She got to room with Karen and ended up attending the Y for six and a half years. Dating was pretty sporadic. Deciding on a major was difficult but she finally ended up in Elementary Education.

Four years into college she met a tall, slender young man named Brian from San Diego, who was in her ward. She had a typewriter. He needed one. One day she told him “My dad bought two typewriters so you can keep this one at your house if you want.” He answered with “Then I won’t have a reason to come and see you.” It took her a minute to grasp the situation.

They dated on and off, the “off” being primarily Cheryl’s fear of commitment in making the “big decision.” Brian was patient and eventually they were engaged and married. (Out of the eight Brown children, four were married on

December 27 or 28. Bet that shot a lot of Christmases! And let’s not forget the four siblings whose birthdays are in December also.)

Brian grew up in El Cajon, California. Much of his recreational time was spent at the beach or in various extended family outings. They fished from deep sea charters, from coastal rocks, and from piers. They had a dune buggy and the camper which they frequently took on trips up and down the coast of Baja

California.

Brian had his first logger job working on a fishing pier which paid the airplane rental while his brother Glen taught him to fly. Learning to fly in his senior year of high school was the first time that he had set a large goal and worked to achieve it. Brian served a mission in Venezuela. He loved being a missionary but would never want to live there.

After he served a mission he learned to study independently in the service

348

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S of a goal in spite of the occasional boring class. After returning to the states from his mission in 1976, he started working for his brother Glen in his floor- covering business. He attended community college, then transferred to BYU to study to become a social worker. Not long after that he met and married Cheryl.

Brian graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Relations (the title has surely changed by now) while Cheryl finished up her degree and received a teaching certificate. She graduated in August of

1981 but missed out on the festivities having given birth, by cesarean section, to a beautiful baby girl named Erica, five days before graduation.

Brian continued on and finished two master’s degrees, one in Social Work as well as another in Marriage and Family Therapy. BYU developed the program that combined both degrees by requiring two years of school without a break other than holidays. It was tough sometimes but exciting with Brian attending school, Cheryl teaching fifth grade in Sandy, Utah, while little Erica was cared for by a neighbor for one dollar an hour.

In 1984 Brian graduated and they moved to Kirkland, Washington, in order to get his practice up and running while Cheryl finished teaching her second year and gave birth to their second child, Jessica. Three weeks later, with all of their earthly belongings in a U-Haul truck (not much stuff to speak of) and two babies they made their way to Washington

Setting up a practice was exciting but very stressful. Brian persevered while Cheryl took care of the home front and also babysat, did medical dictation, tutored or did secretarial work in order to fill in the holes. His practice slowly grew over four years at which point they were able to buy their home, moving in three months after their third child was born. Erica had started first grade and

Jessie had started, at age three, riding a yellow bus to attend a special program in the school district that helped speed up some areas of her development, primarily speech.

Cheryl has now lived in the Seattle area for the past seventeen years, never really totally getting used to the short winter days and lack of sunshine.

She is currently enjoying having only one job, that of a homemaker, having worked part time for six years as a substitute teacher. Brian closed his practice and has been working for Boeing for the past five years using basically the same people skills he gained as a therapist.

Cheryl has learned much over the years from dealing with depression as well as overeating (hey—she’s Mormon, she doesn’t drink, she doesn’t do drugs so what else is left?? FOOD!!) . The twelve-step groups that she attended for a decade opened her eyes not only to herself, her emotions and unhealthy ways of coping with life but to the fact that there is truth in many places and many wonderful and varied children of her Heavenly Father. It is where she gained her testimony of Christ after questioning her faith and coming out in one piece in the end.

She is sure there is a pioneer gene passed down that helps progeny hold on to that faith that brought the first Mortensens to the United States. She is very grateful for that and hopes to pass it on to her children. She looks forward to meeting Elmina Mortensen eventually, never having known her grand mother in this life and thank her for that tenacious faith.

Three children:

349


1. Erica Corenne Parks, b. 17 August 1981 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 7 October

1989. Left home after finishing two years at the local community college to attend U.C. Berkeley. She’s a beautiful, fun, dark-haired and intense young woman

2. Jessica Marie Parks, b. 15 June 1984 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 26

September 1992. Jessica is tall, slender and a freckled red head, She’s a rather unique child being an “animal” person, enamored of anything

Japanese and a blossoming writer whose use of words is rather unique due to the way words are processed in her mind.

3. Connor Thomas Parks, b. 4 October 1987 in Washington, bpt. 4

November 1995. Connor is a very handsome, athletic, intelligent and playful young man who has been breaking hearts since kindergarten, unbeknownst to him. He has the ability to talk and relate to almost anyone regardless of age and has a very compassionate heart. He has recently discovered skateboards (oh, boy!).

3. THOMAS DEAN BROWN , b. 27 December 1956 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt.

2 January 1965, md. DIANE LEE KONOLD 18 June 1981 in the St. George

Temple. She was b. 4 April 1961 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 3 May 1969. They live in

Pahrump, Nevada. Seven children.

1 . Summer Lee Brown , b. 11 April 1982 in Panguitch, Utah bpt. 11 April

1990.

2. Daniel Thomas Brown, b. 4 May 1983 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 4 May

1991.

3. Sierra Rae Brown, b. 2 December 1984 in Provo, Utah and d. 29

January 1985.

4. Jonathan Rudy Brown, b. 6 June 1986, bpt. 6 June 1994.

5. Andrew Dewaine Brown, b. 5 July 1988, bpt. 5 July 1996.

6. Philip James Brown, b. 15 March 1990, bpt. 15 March 1998.

7. Cheyenne LaVoun Brown , b. 28 January 1992 and d. 17 March 1992.

Thomas Dean Brown family

Left to right:

Daniel, Jonathon,

Diane, Summer Lee

Top: Phillip, Tom,

Andrew

350


4. BARRY JONATHAN BROWN , b. 12 March 1958 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt.

26 March 1966, md. WENDY VILATE HASSELFELD 21 October 1983 in the St.

George Temple. She was b. 13 June 1961 and bpt. 28 June 1969.

Barry attended E.W. Griffith Elementary school which was right down the street from his home. When he was a Blazer in Primary, he had a crush on a very pretty, sweet girl in his ward, and some boys in his class tried to make him kiss her. He was so extremely embarrassed that as soon as he could get free, he took off running for home. After that experience, he became more shy and withdrawn and had a very hard time talking to girls.

He went to Hyde Park Jr. High and graduated from Western High School in 1977. Barry had a difficult time with school. Reading books and writing were very difficult and he later found out that he has dyslexia. He played the cello in elementary school for two years. He played the alto saxophone in junior high for three years. He participated in the marching band at Western High School in tenth grade. He took woodshop in high school and built many things including shelves and a book case.

He really started building things in fifth grade with his mom’s coat hangers and masking tape. He made a motorized three-wheel car and a motorized helicopter. That was the start of many hobbies such as slot cars, N-gauge trains, rockets, plastic model airplanes, radio-controlled airplanes, weight lifting, and cross-country bicycling. To pay for all these hobbies he had a paper route from the age of nine to thirteen.

From age thirteen to fifteen he worked summers for the county cleaning vacant lots and roadways. Various odd jobs through high school helped to pay for flying lessons in his senior year of high school.

In his senior year, he started dating a pretty girl who was deaf, and learned sign language so that he could communicate with her. They dated three years and were engaged for almost a year. He was ready to go on a mission when he graduated but because he was so shy, he was encouraged to go to Ricks

College for a semester to learn to socialize. After one semester, he came home and got a job working for WMK concrete cleaning gravel pit tunnels and the inside of cement truck barrels. This was accomplished with a 90-pound jack hammer which was two-thirds of his weight at the time. He saved money and bought a truck which he later sold to pay for his mission. He quit WMK to devote time to bicycle up to 100 miles a day to prepare for a three-day cross country trip from St. George, Utah, up over Cedar Breaks down through Zion

National Park and back to St. George.

When he was 20, he mowed lawns for Becker Built homes. He spent the money from this job on a plane ticket to go to the island of Lanai in Hawaii to work on a pineapple plantation. As a result of the repetition of picking pineapples, six months later he had surgery on both wrists for carpal tunnel. He used the money he made working in Hawaii to pay for the surgery.

Back at home he tried to attend Community College, struggled, and gave up. He started working at Valley Times newspaper as a layout photographer.

During this time he met a gorgeous blonde named Wendy Vilate Hasselfeld.

They met at the Young Adult 50th Ward. They dated for nine months and through much fasting and prayer he finally felt at peace and decided to go on a mission at the age of 23. He was called to a two-year mission to Boise, Idaho.

351


During his mission, the church decided to shorten missions to one-and-a-half years. He still feels a little cheated by that.

He had several great experiences while on his mission which helped him grow in confidence. He learned how to memorize which he could not do previously. For six months he could not memorize anything. He learned to memorize by writing on a chalkboard. Sister Carmack, his mission president’s wife, taught him this technique to help him overcome his dyslexia. Within two months, he had memorized all seven discussions and 400 verses of scripture and could retain them.

When he came home from his mission, Wendy was engaged to someone else. His mom said, “She’s taken—hands off” but after a trip to the St. George

Temple with his dad, his dad said, “Love is war.” And so, he won. Before they got married, Barry finally realized his dream and got his pilot’s license and Wendy got her associate degree in nursing from UNLV.

Barry went to work for Houston Lumber. Wendy worked in a dermatology office. Barry was called to teach the deacons and Wendy was called to teach the

Star A class, four-year-olds, in Primary. They were in a ward with several friends from the Young Adult 50th Ward. Five months later, Barry went to work for a man named Doug Cornwall as an apprentice carpenter. He worked for Doug

Cornwall for eight years building multi-million dollar homes. He learned to be a craftsman in finish carpentry and cabinet making. Doug Cornwall expected perfect work and was willing to teach perfect work.

Meanwhile, Wendy changed jobs and worked in an Ob/Gyn office for six doctors and two midwives. They bought their first home and prepared for parenthood. Barry bought a table saw and built a crib and dresser out of oak for their first child, a daughter, born in April 1986.

Two years later, Caitlin was born. Wendy quit working and was able to stay at home with their two daughters. Barry was called to be the Scoutmaster and was just beginning to get excited about it when they released him. Wendy was homemaking leader. During this time, the Las Vegas Temple was built and

Wendy worked as a tour guide of handicapped people during the open house.

Barry helped build the temporary visitors center for the open house. Wendy was called as Activities chairperson and the new bishop wanted an activity every month so that was a whole new challenge.

Then Barry and Wendy decided to try to build a home. They sold their house and bought a cheap 14x70 foot trailer and remodeled it. They were going to buy property to build on when Doug Cornwall died. Doug’s death was a huge loss and shock for Barry as he had such a great respect for him.

It was time to search for another job and make new plans. His new job did not pay as well so plans to build a home were put off. They lived in the trailer for two years behind Wendy’s parents’ home. While working for Doug

Cornwall, Barry met a great carpenter named Mike Gramly. After Doug’s death,

Mike and Barry went to work for someone else, and together they pushed for better pay. A year later, Mike and Barry went to work for Crisci Custom Builders and Barry did cabinet shop work.

During this time Barry and Wendy bought a home close to the Las Vegas

Temple where they still live. Barry quit working for Crisci and went to work for

Tom Horito building a huge multi-million dollar house. From there he worked for

352

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S a few other companies and then went to work as an assistant superintendent with Mike Gramly building another multi-million dollar home. Their third daughter, McKenna Christine Brown, was born in December 1994.

Barry went to work for a couple of other companies and finally joined the carpenter’s union and worked on the Shah of Bernei’s palace when that job came to a halt. He then worked building the Mandalay Bay casino for several months. He hated working at the casino and worked only long enough to keep his insurance so it would pay for their fourth daughter, Shannon who was born in June 1999. Barry quit the union and went to work for Mike Gramly, who now owned his own company, doing custom finish carpentry.

He is serving in the elders quorum presidency as first counselor. He has had many callings but his favorite calling of all was nursery leader. He also loved teaching the nine- and ten-year-old boys in Primary. His hobbies are flying and building remote-control airplanes. He loves everything to do with airplanes and flying. He probably should have been an airline pilot.

Four children:

1. Lieren Vilate Brown , b. 16 April 1986, bpt. 30 April 1994. She is very obedient, hard-working, bubbly. A cheerleader in her sophomore year of high school. She loves seminary and has a strong testimony of the Gospel.

She plays the piano. Last year she played volleyball and ran the one- and two-mile in track. She is a great example to all her friends of a good LDS girl. She served as the Mia Maid class president.

2. Caitlin Sarah Brown , b. 21 March 1988, bpt. 13 April 1996. She is often told she should be a model. She is very athletic. She was a cheer leader and thought it was boring so wants to make the girls’ basketball team and be cheered for. In eighth grade, she took two high school credit classes working toward a scholarship. She also plays the piano. She is very tenderhearted, loves animals, loves her family, and has a strong testimony of the Gospel. She is also a good example to her friends. She served as the Beehive class president.

3. McKenna Christine Brown , b. 18 December 1994. She is a computer whiz. Her favorite thing is to play with her doll.

4. S hannon Skye Brown, b. 30 June 1999.

5. SHAWN FREHNER BROWN , b. 23 October 1959 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt.

6 November 1967, md. TAMMY LEANN BARRETT 27 December 1984 in the St.

George Temple. She was b. 19 June 1961 to Carmen Hunt and Ralph Leon

Barrett in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Shawn was the fifth of eight children born to Dewaine Martin and Judith

Rae Frehner Brown. He graduated from Western High School in Las Vegas,

Nevada, in June 1978. He attended one year at Brigham Young University before leaving on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He served a two-year mission in the Canada Halifax Mission in eastern Canada from 1980 to 1982.. He finished as a Zone Leader in Charlottetown, Prince

Edward Island.

Upon returning home he worked to get himself back to BYU and attended there for two more years. While home working in the summer of 1984 a coworker tried to set him up on a blind date with a friend who had just returned from

353

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S her mission. Although the blind date was never set up he did meet her at a Church dance.

Shortly after Tammy’s birth, her parents divorced. Tammy and her older brother and sister were raised solely by their mother, who had a large supportive family. Growing up in

Las Vegas she graduated from Rancho High

School in June 1979. She attended

Cosmetology schools in Provo, Utah and

Las Vegas, Nevada, and earned her cosmetology license in both Utah and Nevada. In

December 1982 she left for her mission to the Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission. Soon after returning from her mission she met

Shawn at that Church dance. After dating all that summer, Shawn headed back to

BYU in late August 1984. They continued seeing each other almost every weekend as

Shawn would go home to Las Vegas for a weekend or Tammy would come up to Provo and stay with a former mission companion for a weekend. On the week of October General

Conference 1984, Tammy came up to Provo to visit Shawn and to attend a mission reunion.

Shawn attended the Saturday night

General Priesthood meeting where the first talk was on temple marriage. Later that evening, while cooking dinner for

Shawn Frehner and

Tammy Barrett Brown

Tammy, he proposed. Tammy’s response to his marriage proposal was, ‘I think I can.’ Shawn took this as a ‘yes.’ They married and lived in Las Vegas to work and save money for Shawn’s schooling. In the Fall of 1985 they moved to Provo,

Utah, for Shawn to continue his college work at BYU.

On February 10, 1987, Tammy gave birth to their first child, Chelsie. In

June of 1988 Shawn graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelors of Science in Design Engineering Technology. With Tammy in her eighth month of pregnancy, Shawn received a job offer from the Boeing Company in Seattle,

Washington. They quickly accepted the job from Boeing and headed to Seattle.

Tammy and Chelsie flew to Seattle and stayed with Shawn’s sister Cheryl while Shawn drove the family car from Provo with their few belongings. They were put up by Boeing in the Nendal’s Monarch Inn in Renton, Washington, while looking for an apartment. Ten days after the family moved to Washington and before leaving the Monarch Inn, Tammy gave birth to their second child,

Dane. The maids told Tammy they considered Dane ‘their baby’ and mentioned that they had never heard of a baby being born to someone while staying in their hotel. They moved to an apartment where they lived for two years.

Shawn and Tammy purchased their first home in the Twin Lakes area of

Federal Way, Washington. While living there Tammy gave birth to their two

354

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S remaining children, Whitney Michelle and Jacob Shawn Brown.

Shawn’s employment at Boeing has put him on some interesting aerospace programs. Upon first arriving in the Seattle area in July of 1988 Shawn was put on a ‘black program’ within the Military Aircraft Division of Boeing. For almost a year he could not tell anyone, including family, what it was he was working on. After about one year the program ‘went white.’ This allowed him to tell others that the program he was working on was the B-2 Stealth bomber.

Parents Tammy LeAnn Barrett and Shawn Frehner Brown

Children left to right, Dane, Jacob, Whitney, and Chelsea

Shawn worked on the B-2 program designing tooling used to assemble the aft center section (bomb bay area). One of the tools he worked on was the size of a large two-story house.

After three-and-a-half years Shawn was moved to the Commercial Aircraft

Division at the start of the Boeing 777A wide body airplane. He designed large tooling used to build and assemble the composite empennage (vertical and horizontal tail). At the end of the design phase of the 777A Shawn went to help out on the U.S. Marine’s V-22 Osprey. This aircraft takes off like a helicopter, then rotates its engines and rotors forward and flies like an airplane. Shawn spent one year there before returning to the 777B for one more year.

At the end of the 777B program Shawn asked to return to the Military

Aircraft Division to work on the, then new, Air Force F-22 Raptor. His request was granted and he spent one-and-one-half years designing tooling used to assemble the aft center section (engine bays). At this time a new program had just won its proposal stage and was staffing up.

This new program was the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The JSF is a fighter aircraft that, with slight modifications, encompasses the fighter requirements for

355

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S each of the three military divisions; the Air Force, Marines and Navy. The three aircraft are supposed to be similar enough that they can all be produced on the same assembly line. Shawn was asked to interview for a new job on the JSF program that required the employee to conceive and coordinate a new technique of assembling a fighter wing. Shawn interviewed and was given the job.

Working on the JSF X-32 wing Shawn’s responsibilities included conceptualizing the tooling used to assemble it, creating and assigning the engineering requirements of all the internal parts and coordinating the fabrication efforts of more than 160 individual parts sent out to twelve different fabrication companies across the country. Near the end of the design phase of this program Boeing decided to assemble their two prototype aircraft in Palmdale, California, instead of Seattle, Washington. Shawn was given the opportunity to spend seven months in Palmdale as part of a small group of Seattle engineers who would support the assembly of these two aircraft.

Boeing offered to move the entire family; however the timing would have the kids in and out of different schools in too short of a time. With Tammy’s blessing Shawn accepted and left without his family for Palmdale in October

1998. This proved to be much more difficult for Shawn emotionally than he had thought it would be.

Upon arriving in Palmdale, Shawn found out where the closest LDS

Church was and attended there his first Sunday. During the Sacrament meeting the ward chorister sang a song in a beautiful tenor voice. Shawn noticed in the bulletin that his name was Mike Mortensen, spelled with an ‘e’ not an ‘o.’ This got Shawn’s curiosity up knowing that his grandmother was Elmina Mortensen.

As soon as the meeting was over Shawn introduced himself to Mike and mentioned that he had Mortensens in his ancestry. He asked Mike were it was that he grew up, Mike responded, “in southeastern Arizona.” This is where Shawn’s family came from. After much discussion Shawn and Mike realized that they were related. Mike’s grandfather, Arvin Mortensen was Shawn’s grandmother’s

(Elmina Mortensen) oldest brother.

Shawn has thought, “Of all the wards in the Palmdale area I picked the one with relatives in it—what a blessing.” Over the next couple of months Shawn spent several enjoyable Sunday dinners with Mike and his family.

During his stay in Palmdale, Shawn was able to come home every third weekend to see Tammy and the kids. After five months Boeing asked Shawn if he would stay an additional six months. Shawn’s response was, “If you move my family down to Palmdale over the summer, then yes, if not, no way,” Boeing accepted. So in early June 1999 Shawn went up to Seattle and helped the family pack.

This summer proved very enjoyable for the whole family. Many Saturdays were spent at the beach and Tammy and the kids got to spend several weeks in close-by Las Vegas with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. In early

September Tammy and the kids returned to Seattle, sporting their new tans, so the kids could start school. In late October Shawn returned and the family was reunited. The entire family agreed that if the opportunity arose to have Shawn work out of town again the answer would be, NO! However, if they all could go then the answer would be, maybe.

Four children:

1. Chelsie Leann Brown, b. 10 February 1987 in Provo, Utah.

356


2. Dane Frehner Brown , b. 31 July 1988 in Bellevue, Washington.

3. Whitney Michelle Brown , b. 16 October 1991 in Federal Way,

Washington.

4. Jacob Shawn Brown, b. 20 August 1993 in Federal Way, Washington.

6. ELMINA ANN BROWN , b. 20 December 1960 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt. 4

January 1969, md. ERIC W. CHRISTENSEN 27 December 1983 in the St. George

Temple. He was b. 1 August 1959 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt. August 1957.

Ann’s childhood was light and cheerful. Summer days were spent selling

Kool-aid or homemade root beer on the sidewalk, playing nightly neighborhood games, tree climbing, afternoon TV watching, etc. She had her chores as did everyone, hated washing the dishes, and loved to clean the bathroom cabinets best. Her blond hair grew long and quickly.

They deemed Ann as the “loving” child. She loved writing and cutting out notes to siblings and parents. One particular Christmas, her mom made a pink felt tree with eight pockets to encourage all of the children to write nice notes to each other. Mom took the tree down after the initial interest faded, for she couldn’t bear to see Ann’s disappointment every time she checked her pocket and found it empty.

School work came easily for Ann; she was an A student. Her favorite teachers were Mrs. Cerroni in the first grade who let her make artful bulletin boards, and fifth grade’s funny man, Mr. Roundy, who allowed the kids to carve, paint and fire several ceramic projects. Ann’s love for art has came naturally.

Her mom taught almost all of the kids how to oil paint. This was wonderful to her! She also loved making her own paper dolls with “huge” full dresses. She won a couple of county art awards in her early years.

At age seven Ann began to take piano lessons. At first her mom said she memorized everything, and learned very quickly. She quit after three years of lessons but, fortunately, was able to teach herself much after that.

“Bussing” the sixth graders to the west side schools began in 1972, Ann’s class being the first. She loved it. Her “core” teacher was Mrs. Gasho whose husband was a POW of the Vietnam war; Mrs. Gasho wore his POW bracelet all year. When he returned home, the class got to meet him all dressed up in uniform.

Ann experienced her first “leadership” role by winning secretary of the school with the winning campaign slogan: “Vote for Ann. Ann Can!”

Junior high school brought new friends. She made cheerleader both in eighth and ninth grades. She had a lot of LDS girlfriends, and come age 14, she welcomed stake dances. Pam Myers, her Pennsylvania friend from fourth grade, became her best friend for life after they were the two oldest girls in their Mia

Maid class and could go to Youth Conference together.. Their testimonies began to grow, and they enjoyed singing in youth choirs.

In high school, she and her friends kept going to dances and made lots of friends from several schools. She especially loved her senior year where she went to morning seminary with her ward members, and afternoon seminary with other school kids. She rarely dated, but her cheerleading and song leading years kept her out in front. She was always nice to everyone, but never felt popular, for all those years she chose to stay with her LDS friends and not party with the

357

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S popular kids. To her great astonishment, she was voted Homecoming Queen her senior year.

Ann could hardly wait to go to BYU. During four years there she tried her hand in art, English writing, and design technology; and, although she had enough credits, she never finished with a degree. (She was always looking for that special guy.) Her freshman year she learned to watercolor and found it difficult as you had do it right the first time, or it just got worse. (As compared to oils, where, “If you mess up, just paint over it!”)

Her greatest love (and trial) was the BYU International Folk Dance team.

She did not make it her freshman year, but worked hard the next two years. It was her greatest desire to make the top team and dance abroad. When things looked impossible and school became more challenging, she approached the leader, Mary Bee Jensen, to tell her she needed out if she was never going to move up. To her great astonishment, Mary Bee confessed that for those past three years, she had held a grudge toward her because of an innocent act of someone else! Ann was shocked, but so happy to learn it wasn’t because she wasn’t good.

Soon they moved her up to the California tour, and the next year Ann was blessed, with her sister Marie, to tour for six-and-a-half weeks with the 1983

China tour performing in Hawaii, Japan, Korea, and in four cities in mainland

China (with the dear Elder Howard W. Hunter as our guide), Hong Kong and the

Philippines.

After returning from tour that summer, Ann met Eric W. Christensen, of the Las Vegas Ninth ward, at a young adult activity playing, “Do you love your neighbor?” Burned out on guys, (being unsuccessful for four years at BYU), she decided to relax and not worry about them anymore. Eric and she began dating, and Ann was surprised how easy it was to be around him. At the end of the summer, Eric left for Arizona State in Tempe, and Ann left for a week of Folk

Dance Camp before BYU started up.

At camp she sprained her ankle and had to sit out. During one practice she looked over to the side, and there stood Eric. He’d driven up for the weekend, and before the weekend was over, they were engaged.

Ann quickly withdrew from school to head home, work, and save some money for their new life. After a four-month engagement and flights back and forth to Arizona, they were married 27 December 1983. After three weeks in Las

Vegas they flew to London, England, where Eric studied architecture for a semester. It was wonderful to see so much of Great Britain and visit the families

Eric had baptized on his mission. While in Europe and with backpacks on their backs, they took advantage of Eurail passes and visited France, Italy,

Switzerland (where they skied “the Matterhorn”), Austria and Greece. What a wonder!

When they got home, they learned that Ann had contracted mononucleosis (she was tired a great deal of their trip). That prolonged illness affected her whole life, as she never did regain the same vitality she once had. She worked and took some accounting and design technology classes while Eric finished up his last year at Arizona State and graduated from Architecture school May 1985.

On June 28, 1985 they became parents of Lindsey Ann Christensen.

Ann loved being a mother, but she had to learn how to handle a colicky

358

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S baby. It would be their first of four!

Eric’s first job was in Phoenix, so they moved to the bigger city. They loved doing award video and a hilarious road show. (Ann’s tutelage under the talented Sister George brought out the best in her.) Eric, eager to experience life in different places before getting his architecture license, moved their little family across the country to McLean, Virginia. They spent two wonderful years there, with the greatest part being the addition to their family, Spencer Eric, who was born 29 May 1987. It was fun to have a boy!

The arts have always been with Ann and Eric, and there they helped do the set and design for the stake production of “Hello Dolly.” Ann helped earn money by teaching piano to about ten students.

In 1988 they moved back to Las Vegas where Eric set up his own architecture business. They soon bought their first home which saw the births of

Marcus Dewaine, Zona Marie and Katie Judith. Ann loved serving in the Primary for ten years. As president she put on two talent shows (including a colorful

Disney review) with all the children, but her favorite calling was leading the music in Primary.

In 1994, Eric and Ann took on an adventure and moved into his grand parents’ old home. Eric designed a 1450-square-foot addition. He worked like a dog, building, cleaning, tiling, etc. Ann helped as well, but mostly tried to keep white carpeting clean for showings. Not an easy, task with ten little dirty feet running everywhere! These two years were a great trial of faith for the whole family as the sale of the house drained them for fourteen months.

During the project Eric changed employment, ending his business and started work with Welles-Pugsley Architects. It was a time of tremendous blessings and growth. It was also a time where Ann learned how to get her artwork published on greeting cards.

In September of 1996, their family moved to 7009 Alamosa Way. With her improving skill in water color, Ann began painting for a new LDS card company,

Lighthouse. After being their sales representative for a year, she branched out on her own and started Ann Christensen Publishing Co. She has successfully marketed more than 100 cards, bookmarks and postcards. Her light, fun style led her to publish her first book, “The ABCs of Missionary Life.” Someday she hopes to be able to publish children’s books!

Ann has served in many callings, including Relief Society president at

BYU and in 1997-99. She loved being activities director and working in the

Young Women. Eric has served many times in various elders quorums, as a ward clerk and as ward mission leader.

This last calling led him to meet Irina Vineyard who was baptized in 1999.

She was from Russia and was married to Doug Vineyard of the old 28th ward. In

May 2001, the four of them took blankets, clothing, toys, etc., made by women and young women of the Red Rock Stake, over to Izhevsk, Russia, Irina’s home

-town. There they marveled on their journey, carved out by Heavenly Father, in delivering these goods in this humanitarian effort. The Spirit bore witness to them continually that there was more to be done. They are currently setting up a nonprofit organization in Izhevsk where couple missionaries could serve and help open up this Russian region to the gospel The mission president is guiding their efforts, and this is currently a big project for Eric and Ann.

359


Eric and Ann feel very blessed to have grown up with two wonderful families, with the gospel entrenched in their lives and a free country to live it. Thank you to their Mortensen heritage and for this chance to be a part of its history!

Eric and Ann have five children:

1. Lindsey Ann Christensen , b. 28 June 1985, bpt. 3 July 1993. Lindsey has a keen mind, is very creative, loves to read and swim.

2. Spencer Eric Christensen, b. 29 May 1987, bpt. 3 June 1995. Spencer is obedient, thoughtful, loves playing the alto saxophone in jazz band and school, and is working towards his Eagle Scout award.

3. Marcus Dewaine Christensen , b. 2 May 1989, bpt. 3 May 1997. Marcus is compassionate. He is playing the tenor saxophone, has great rhythm.

4. Zona Marie Christensen, b. 20 June 1991, bpt. 3 July 1999. Marie is learning to play the piano. She has a lovely voice.

5. Katie Judith Christensen , b. 25 April 1994. She is learning to play the piano.

7. DAVID FLOYD BROWN , b. 1 December 1962 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt.

5 December 1970, md. DARCI KRISTIN HEMSLEY 5 August 1995 in the Manti

Temple. She was b. 2 April 1964 in Fremont, California, bpt. 20 July 1972.

As the fifth son and seventh child of Dewaine and Judy Brown, his entire childhood was spent growing up at 4529 Mayflower Lane. He spent the sixth grade (1974-75) being bused to Matt Kelly sixth grade center, which centers were created by desegregation rulings integrating the elementary schools. He followed his siblings to Western High School as a Warrior, where he was the Honor

Society President. He spent a memorable summer after his sophomore year in San

Leandro, California, living with lifelong friend, Terry

Bickmore and his family.

After one semester at BYU, he returned to Las Vegas to work and save for his mission. He was ordained an elder by his father,

Dewaine, and later endowed 27 March 1982 and received a call to serve in the Japan, Tokyo North

David, Elizabeth, Bridgette and Darci Brown

360

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S mission. It was a two-year call, but before he entered the MTC 22 April 1982, it was announced at April Conference that missions were reduced to 18 months. In

Japan he saw his sisters Ann and Marie traveling with the BYU Folk Dancers, and tried to translate for Ann who spoke at a fireside at the ward house. David saw relative success in the difficult Japan mission and attributed it to the blessings of always trying to live by the mission rules.

David returned from Japan to Las Vegas in October 1983, missing his brother Barry’s wedding to Wendy Hasselfeld by eight days. He worked for the

Howard Hughes company, the Summa Corporation and attended night school at

UNLV through December 1984.

He went back to BYU and worked straight through December 1987, earning a B.A. with dual majors in Japanese and Asian Studies. As part of his Asian

Studies work, he spent the summer of 1985 in Taiwan studying Mandarin. Upon returning from Taiwan, he secured work at the Missionary Training Center teaching Japanese and even lived in the facility for six months as a dorm monitor (much to the detriment of his social life due to the non-visitor rule.)

After graduation, David returned to Las Vegas to work and save money for law school. He worked his favorite job ever, roofing on the LDS Las Vegas Temple from freezing cold January to roasting hot August of 1988. He had a number of spiritual experiences. In August he was back at BYU beginning his first year in law school. After his second year of legal studies, he began a Master of Public

Administration program. He was employed as a research assistant for several professors in the MPA. program.

During his last year of the joint JD/MPA program, he began work as a graduate assistant to a Vice President of University Relations which work took him past graduation to the end of the 1992 summer. He graduated with a JD and MPA in April of 1992.

The significance of his graduate assistant position was that it kept him in

Provo after the April graduation which was long enough to meet Darci Hemsley from Tustin, California. While studying for the Utah bar examination, he came home one day for lunch. His roommate’s home teacher Darci was visiting. David and Darci began to talk and found that they had many friends in common.

Despite twelve to thirteen years in Provo (off and on) (Darci had started BYU in

1982, served a mission in 1988-89, returned for a Masters in Educational

Psychology), David and Darci had never seen each other.

Marriage wasn’t immediate for David and Darci. In 1993, David returned to Las Vegas where he worked as a law clerk for two district court judges and saved. He went to Japan in September of 1994, not knowing where he would stay the night he arrived, but determined to stay and work for awhile. His most memorable experience was hitchhiking to Kobe from Tokyo after the devastating

1995 Kobe earthquake that took more than 5,000 lives. He walked kilometer after kilometer through what looked like a war zone and had a most humbling experience. He was impressed with the resilient nature of mankind as they worked their way through their losses.

David could not stay away from Darci long, and he brought her over to

Tokyo for a visit in May 1995. Before she left, they had a wedding date. David and Darci were marriage slow-pokes at 32 and 30 years of age respectively.

Darci: “At the age of three, I would hide large dogs that I found wandering

361

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S the neighborhood in my bedroom closet. Once my mother found me in her bathroom, trying to brush the teeth of several cats I had found.

“At the age of 12 we moved to Tustin, California. The day we moved into our new home I ran through a plate glass window, which I thought was an open door. I received more than 80 stitches in my face and more than 100 stitches on my left hand. The doctors told me it was an absolute miracle that I could see, given that the deepest and most serious injury was on my right temple. They said they could actually see three inches into the brain. The surgery lasted more than eight hours, but the scars healed nicely, and six years later the scars were hardly noticeable.

“In the seventh and eighth grades I made the cheerleading squad and ended up doing all the choreography for our cheerleading routines. In high school I was on the cheerleading squad. During my senior year, our varsity cheerleading squad, six girls and six male stunt squad members, competed in the state cheerleading championships with a routine that I choreographed. We won the sweepstakes trophy, number one in every category.

“I participated in early morning seminary. I took two college prep courses every semester for three years.

“I attended Brigham Young University the fall of 1982. In January of 1983 while skiing with my family one weekend, I was hit head-on by a very large man who was out of control. I flew about five feet into the air and then landed on my neck with feet in the air. For three days I was paralyzed from the neck down.

“The doctors told me I would never walk again, that the nerve damage was too extensive. My father was not active in the Church at the time, so my uncle

Paul Sheffield gave me a priesthood blessing with his bishop. He told me the

Lord had missions for me to fulfill in this life that would require the full use of my body. He then commanded in the name of Jesus Christ my limbs to move and function normally. I felt a wave of incredible warmth rush over me from my head to my toes, and immediately I could feel my arms and legs again. My mom and I started to cry. The doctors were in utter amazement and unable to explain it, but I knew and I knew that God knew that I had been given a very special miracle. It became the foundation of a very strong testimony of the power of the priesthood of God.

“The following year in November while skiing at Snowbird I was invited to be on the BYU ski team by a coach. I started the team ranked dead last after our first time trials, by the end of the season, I was ranked third fastest on the team and seventh in the league. I was named most-improved athlete of the year.

“I made the BYU Ballroom Dance Company. The team traveled and performed all over the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. While on tours, we also gave firesides everywhere we went, and shared our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had many wonderful missionary experiences. On our tour of five Asian countries, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, of the Quorum of the

Twelve, and his wife accompanied us. He called me “his star.” I opened our twohour show each night with a solo routine (me and four men) entitled “Funny

Girl.” One night after a show, Elder Wirthlin said he needed to talk with me and that it was important. Although I don’t remember the entire conversation word for word, this I do remember. He said, ‘Darci, all the glitter, and applause, and worldly titles and honors and excitement are yours for the taking, if you want

362

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S them. But these can only bring you fleeting joy. The Lord would have you anchor your life in the things that will bring you eternal joy.’

‘I was on my way to a very successful career as a professional ballroom dancer. I started fasting and praying for answers, and asked Heavenly Father what He would have me do. I heard and felt a powerful answer, that I was to serve a full-time mission. I quit the Ballroom Team and told my partner that I needed to graduate in the spring of 1988 so I could go on a mission. Everyone was very angry with me and I was under extreme pressure not to serve this mission. But, I could not deny that it was the Lord’s will.”

After graduation in 1988, she chose to serve a mission and did so in

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, going from glamorous gowns and spotlights to no running water and machetes. Her mission resulted in the reactivation of her father. “I had incredible mission experiences and witnessed many miracles during my mission. I lived through two hurricanes, Hugo and Gilbert, while on the island. I loved my mission and being a missionary and I never wanted to come home. I did return in November 1989.”

She returned to BYU in 1990 and earned a Master’s in Educational

Psychology or Counseling Psychology. She graduated number one in her class, with a 3.96 GPA. Working subsequently as a high school counselor at three different schools. she worked as a drug and alcohol counselor for 500 teenage addicts. Then in 1994 she taught and counseled at Utah Valley State College which was the “perfect” job for three years and was nominated Teacher of the

Year.

Darci relinquished her rewarding position to become a full-time mother when David and Darci moved to San Diego in June of 1997, and Darci gave birth to Elizabeth Alexandra Brown July 28, 1997. Two months later, they were packing again for new work in Henderson, Nevada (since the San Diego law firm effectively fell apart). The move to Henderson was good for the Browns who were able to buy their first home.

David entrenched himself in work at Peel, Brimley, Spangler & Brown

(though it was just Peel and Brown in 1987), and Darci poured herself into

Elizabeth. The Browns sank their roots and maintained this as the status quo until December of 1999. Darci surprised David on Christmas by wrapping a positive pregnancy test. About the time Darci became pregnant, David decided to run for public office, for the Nevada State Assembly.

The year 2000 was marked by a long, painful pregnancy and a longer political campaign. In the end, Darci gave birth to Bridgette Sariah Brown on

16 August 2000, and David won the Assembly seat for District 22 on 7

November 2000. This precipitated David’s attendance at many receptions and dinners. Darci meanwhile endured many long hours at home with two great, challenging daughters.

David, Darci and the children rented a small home in Carson City and moved up on 1 February 2001 for the four-month legislative session. The legislative process is intriguing and often disgusting, but the real dirty play has not yet revealed itself. The year 2001 is a census year and the legislature will reapportion the state, which will be politics at its worst.

The most interesting thing for David has been what is emerging as a national energy crisis and hearing closed door briefings. It appears to be a prob-

363

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S lem that has the ability to stagger this nation.

During the session, Darci came to suspect that Bridgette had a hearing problem. Simple tests seemed to confirm this. Bridgette responded to no sound, not even a startle reaction. Our Carson City bishop and David gave her a blessing and we began testing. While we were waiting for the results, and a few days after the blessing, in a miraculous way, Bridgette could hear.. We felt the Lord worked a big miracle for our little daughter. My family is my greatest joy, and I truly have found those things that have anchored my life to eternal joy.

Two children:

1. Elizabeth Alexandra Brown, b. 28 July 1997 in San Diego, California.

2. Bridgette Sariah Brown, b.16 August 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

8. MARIE LAVON BROWN , b. 2 August 1964 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt.

5 August 1972, md. JOSEPH NEWTON CATLETT, Jr. 2 May 1986 in a temple.

Joe was b. 24 July 1963 in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Joseph’s parents are Jean Crumpler and Joseph Newton Catlett, Sr. from

North Carolina. Joe’s great-grandmother was the first person to join the Church

Front row, Christene (twin), Joseph Newton Catlett III, Brady

Back row, Cory (twin), Joseph, Marie and Sean Catlett

364

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S in the family when the missionaries came to their little town of Piney Green,

North Carolina. The missionaries weren’t there too long, I think they were gone during the war and so his great-grandmother and her kids attended the Baptist church across the street. The missionaries eventually came back and Joe’s

Grandmother Grumpler was married with children by then. The missionaries taught the children and Joe’s mother, Jean, was baptized when she was seventeen. She and her sister Barbara were great basketball players.

Joe’s grandfather, Rolen Crumpler, was not a member and was a pretty rough man. One day, Elder Ezra Taft Benson came to North Carolina and ate supper at Rolen and Ruth Crumpler’s home. Elder Benson rode on the tractor with Rolen and told him that one day he would lead the small group of members there. Sure enough, he did get baptized and became the branch president.

Their daughter Jean Crumpler met a new coach in the area named Joe

Catlett. They dated for several years and were finally married in the Baptist

Church by the LDS Bishop. That caused a ruckus in the community. After many years and several sets of missionaries, Joe Catlett, Sr. was finally baptized. He had been going to Church and paying tithing for quite some time.

Joe and Jean were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple with their seven-year- old son, Joseph Jr. and three-year-old daughter, Melody. They lived in

Fayetteville, N.C. where he became a principal and she was a teacher assistant.

They were part of the backbone of the LDS church here in Fayetteville. Their son, Joseph Catlett, Jr., was the first in their whole family to serve a mission.

Joe was called to serve in Kobe, Japan, He left for the MTC in September

1982. He was an effective missionary and helped to open new areas. He was able to fly down to Okinawa (which was a part of their mission at the time) several times with the mission president to train elders. He loved his mission and would go back there in a minute if he could.

Joe had attended the University of North Carolina his freshman year before his mission. He was not going to go to that “BYU.” Well, his mission buddies changed his mind. They asked him to come out and visit. Joe had returned to UNC-Chapel Hill where there were seven LDS college students; three were girls, I believe. So he went out to the “Y” and decided to stay once he saw all the girls there. I know that was difficult for his parents to have him go so far away.

Joe and I met and a year later we were married in 1986.

We have been able to have some neat experiences working in the Church here in North Carolina. In 1999, after Joe had been called into the Stake

Presidency and had just been called as the Stake Music Chairman, we were to have the Raleigh Temple dedication on December 18. Guess who got to lead the choir for that dedication with President Hinckley there? Me!

Joe had been asked to give the closing prayer and had been given a ticket for his wife, but since I had my own, we were able to take our son Sean with us into the Celestial Room. Joe’s grandmother, and both of his parents also had tickets from their respective branch and ward. Only about three tickets were given out in each unit for the Celestial Room. So we were able to have four generations in the Celestial Room together with President Hinckley.

We were the first dedication also and it was the most marvelous morning.

Sean remembers how funny Pres. Hinckley was, Joe and I remember how nervous we were, but how smoothly everything went. The choir sang beautifully. It

365

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S was so fun, I didn’t even mind that Pres. Hinckley was sitting just a few feet from me.

Everyone stood close together in the celestial room. The choir had to walk in for each song and stand behind Pres. Hinckley and Elder Ballard. When we sang the closing song, the “Hallelujah Anthem” (a big and difficult song) and the congregation joined in for “The Spirit of God” section I had to turn around and lead the congregation while the choir sang the descant. I could hardly catch my breath and sing, but I did. I smiled while everyone was singing with tears running down their cheeks. The Spirit was so strong.

My husband then had to get up and give the closing prayer. Now for those who do not know my husband, he is an excellent speaker. He had prayed for weeks for help to know what he should say. I wish I could tell you and remember all the things that were said in that prayer. It was so powerful and so beautiful.

Joe was able to turn right around when he was finished and shake Pres.

Hinckley’s hand. Pres. Hinckley just held his hand and said, “Wonderful

President, wonderful, wonderful prayer.” Joe felt so good at that moment. We all had to sit and wait while the leaders were led out, but Pres. Hinckley turned around and pointed to me and said, “Thank you for the music.” I smile when I think about that. It was a tremendous day.

Each Easter our Stake Choir puts on an Easter cantata. Last year we did

“The Garden” by Michael McLean. Michael McLean’s son was serving a mission here, so he got permission to go around to the stakes and perform this cantata with the different stake choirs. He has a beautiful voice and he sang the part of the Gardener (who represents the prophets). A little missionary sang the part of the Landlord (who represents Satan) and I remember thinking that how in the world is someone going to sing this part as well as the man on the CD. He has a tremendous voice. Well, this missionary was amazing. He nailed this part down and was not afraid to sing out when needed. Oh, how he and Elder McLean brought chills to the audience. It was a great performance and fun to be a part of.

Marie and Joseph live in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Five children:

1. Sean Joseph Catlett, b. 20 December 1990, bpt. 20 December 1998.

2. Christine Marie Catlett [twin], b. 27 April 1992, bpt. 30 April 2000.

3. Cory LaVon Catlett [twin], b. 27 April 1992, bpt.30 April 2000.

4. Brady James Catlett, b. 6 November 1994 in Fayetteville, North

Carolina.

5. Joseph Newton Catlett III , b. 12 October 1997 in Fayetteville, North

Carolina.

366


4. STEVEN LAVERE BROWN , b. 8 June 1932 in Virden, New Mexico, the fourth child of Floyd Alonzo and Elmina Mortensen Brown, bpt. 8 June 1940, md. GLENNA

WRIGHT 16 July 1956 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 22 April 1933 in

Farmington, New Mexico, and bpt. 14 July 1941.

Virden is a small farming community on the Gila River in southwestern New

Mexico. At that time there was one grocery store, a small post office, and school. The

LDS church was not only the center of our religious life but our social life.

I was baptized by my father in the big canal just west of Uncle Robert’s home. It was an exciting day for me with many Brown, Mortensen, and Jones relative attending.

As a family we worked on Dad’s farm raising cotton, potatoes, alfalfa, corn, and vegetables. Summer days were long as we weeded the crops, hauled hay, and did our daily chores—feeding pigs, chickens, livestock, and milking cows. Swimming in the Gila

River was a real bonus.

A big event in my early life was going to live with Uncle Bartley and Aunt

Maybeth McDonald at their cattle ranch near Silver City during the summer of 1941.

Cousins (Pete and his sisters) were good to me, however, after three months I was homesick and went back to Virden.

In the fall of 1943 when I was eleven years old, our family moved to Kirtland,

New Mexico, on the San Juan River where Dad had bought a great farm. During the next five years we worked hard on that farm. There was still the bonus of swimming again, this time in the San Juan River. Many new friendships were formed. There are fond memories of Mother teaching us how to sing and dance in our home.

A great loss came in our lives when mother passed away from breast cancer 18

February 1947. I was fifteen years old and it was hard for me to understand how God needed our mother more than our Brown family did. Those good days before her death are never to be forgotten where, in our home, “Love was spoken there.”

Time following Mother’s death were lonely for Dad. He worked hard to take care of us six children and keep us happy in our daily struggles. For sometime Dad’s stomach had given him a lot of pain and on 1 November 1948 he passed away at the hospital in Farmington, New Mexico, at only 45 years of age. It was decided by the Mortensen uncles and aunts in Virden to split our family up to live with Robert Mortensen,

Marion Mortensen, and Parley Jones. It was a very difficult time. I went to live with

Uncle Robert and Aunt Jane Mortensen in Virden while I finished my high school days.

At Virden High I sang in the choir and quartets. My junior and senior years I played varsity basketball.

In September of 1951, Cam and I moved to Safford, Arizona, and started college at Eastern Arizona Junior College. I worked part time at J.C. Penney starting at $.85

an hour and was up to $1.25 by the time I graduated in May of 1953. It was a happy two years.

I was ordained an elder 9 September 1951. On 5 September 1953 1 received my endowment in the Mesa Temple and began my mission in the Western States Mission

18 October 1953. The last eight-and-a-half months I was the special assistant to

Mission President A. Lewis Elggren. Prior to being special assistant I had been district leader in Roswell, New Mexico. My release came 18 October 1955.

On my way home I went to Salt Lake City to see Glenna Wright, our mission

Primary president’s daughter. Uncle Sam was waiting for me and allowed me only one month before I was drafted into the Army and sent to Fort Ord, California, for boot

367

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S camp. After this “special” experience I received further training in Fort Lewis,

Washington.

On a two-week leave Glenna and I were married. After returning to Fort Lewis I was shipped out to Anchorage, Alaska. Three months later Glenna joined me and we spent the next year in “America’s Last Frontier.” Glenna worked for the Army Audit

Agency. Alaska was beautiful in the summer and dark in the winter. Church activities in our Branch and movies on the base kept us busy. In the summer we did all the sight-seeing we possibly could and we still long to go back again.

When my service time was completed, we drove (five days—sixteen hours a day) down the Alaska Highway to Tacoma, Washington, where I was discharged 13

September 1957. Our next destination was Provo, Utah, to attend Brigham Young

University. We loved Provo and attending school. Once again I worked part time at J.C.

Penney. Glenna was secretary to the Director of Libraries. In May 1959, I graduated from BYU.

Standing,, left to right: Dane Richard

Van Pelt, Aubrey

Anne Van Pelt,

Steven Glen Brown,

Glenna Brown,

Steven LaVere

Brown

Seated, Rachel

Marie Van Pelt,

Cindy Brown Van

Pelt, Ryan Dane

Van Pelt

We lived mostly in the Provo Second Ward where on 14 April 1963, I was ordained a high priest and became a counselor in the bishopric with Bishop Leon Nielsen. On 13

August 1967 I was ordained the bishop of our ward by Elder John H Vandenburg. Our biggest challenge during this assignment was to raise $8500 in a very limited time for the new Provo Temple. Our ward membership responded to our prayers and we raised

$10,000 for the temple.

Here, in Provo, the most important events of our lives happened, the birth of our three beautiful children.

After graduation I worked for the JC Penney Company in Provo and Salt Lake as a member of the management team. In 1973, I changed companies and moved to

Denver, Colorado, where I worked as the District Manager over the Colorado Fashion

Fabric Stores. We lived in the Denver Sixteenth Ward where Elder Paul H. Dunn set me apart as bishop 16 February 1974.

368


By the spring of 1975 Fashion Fabrics started having serious financial problems.

I resigned and went to work as a merchandise buyer for the Skaggs Drug Company/

American Stores in Salt Lake City. Our family bought a home in Bountiful and we became members of the Bountiful 39th Ward. Over the next twenty-one years what began as Skaggs became the object of many buyouts, takeovers, and name changes. I retired in July of 1997. Glenna worked for Dr. Gudmundson, until his retirement, then for Dr. Smith, as their Office Manager until her retirement in 1998.

As a family we have enjoyed traveling, camping, and seeing the parks and sights throughout the West. Over the last ten years we have added four-wheeling adventures to our travels and have had the opportunity of enjoying remote places of southern Utah and southern Colorado. It is a beautiful land. We had the “trip of a lifetime” in Mexico and Belize with Glen about a year after he returned from his mission. Every minute was an adventure.

After being blessed to serve in many church positions over the years, I am now a temple ordinance worker and ward mission leader. During my life I have truly been blessed with my dear eternal companion, Glenna, choice children and grandchildren, a wonderful family, and many dear friends. Children and grandchildren are true treasures.

Three children:

1. CINDY BROWN , b. 12 May 1958 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 4 June 1966, md.

DANE RICHARD VAN PELT 25 April 1980 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b.31

October 1955 in Berwick, Pennsylvania, bpt. 30 November 1963. Cindy graduated from BYU. She majored in Spanish, spent six months in Spain with BYU’s

Study Abroad program, and taught high school in the Salt Lake City area.

They have three children:

1. Aubrey Anne Van Pelt, b. 11 November1982 in Bountiful, Utah, bpt.

24 November 1990.

2. Rachel Marie Van Pelt, b. 4 April 1986 in Bountiful, Utah, bpt. 7 May

1994.

3. Ryan Dane Van Pelt, b. 7 March 1993 in Bountiful, Utah, bpt. 7 April

2001.

2. STEVEN GLEN BROWN , b. 22 May 1961 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 31 May 1969, md. JENNIFER CHIPPING 20 November 1998 in the Salt Lake Temple [divorced].

Glen graduated from BYU and received his degree in accounting, then a master’s in organizational behavior, and somewhere in between served a mission in

Honduras. He is a cost accountant consultant for the Regency Blue Cross Blue

Shield group.

3. JONATHAN PAUL BROWN, b. 11 June 1964 and died 13 June 1964 in

Provo, Utah.

369


5. CAMERON LAVON BROWN , b. 6 July 1933 in Virden, New Mexico, fifth child of

Floyd Alonzo and Elmina Mortensen Brown, bpt. 11 July 1941, md. DONNA GAY JOHN

9 October 1952 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 13 October 1935 in Glenbar,

Arizona, bpt. 2 December 1943.

My babyhood memories are of a mother always at home to laugh and play with me and have me kneel at her knee at night and say my prayers and then have her rock me to sleep to her angelic voice singing “Lullaby and goodnight.” She finally had to tell me I was too big to be rocked to sleep.

Happy happy times it was when I was old enough to go with Dad to flush the sand trap out up by the barn. It was such fun-filled freedom and utter joy to be with my Dad.

Dad bought a farm just east of Virden. The river (Gila) was just a whoop and a holler from our fence. So many days were spent fishing, swimming and racing thru the river bottom with my brothers. We went as a family in the evening, made a fire from driftwood, roasted marshmallows, swam and sat around the fire and listened to Dad tell us stories of his boyhood. Mom would sing “Danny Boy” for us and we would pitch in and sing songs together. I am so grateful there was no TV, no videos, and not even a radio—just a river, trees, mud and brothers, sisters and friends to enjoy it all with.

Our family moved to Kirtland, New Mexico, in 1942 when I was nine years old.

Dad had bought about 100 acres of land with a one-bedroom house, garage and store rooms, a producing orchard (Mom loved that). Again there were hills to the north of us and the San Juan below the farm and an Indian reservation across the river. We worked hard all week weeding, harvesting, milking the cows. Saturday morning we pulled onions and carrots, cleaning and bunching then. Then all of the family went to

Farmington to sell our produce. Dad always allowed us boys at least a big banana split as our reward for our hard work. No treat ever tasted so good for 25 cents.

Going to church regularly was a very important part of my life as a member of the Floyd and Mina Brown family. If you were too sick to go to Church you were to sick to do anything on Sunday afternoon. Saturday afternoon was our real fun day. We rode

Blue and Burt all over the hills to the north and the river bottom to the south and went up to old man Hill’s pond to trap muskrats. We made quite a bit of spending money from our furs. I learned from and was set such a good example of honesty from my

Dad.

My brothers and I brought

Front row, left to right: Pamela,

Donna, Roxsanna, Mitchell

Back row, Cameron Lavon,

Cameron Alonzo, Shannon D.,

Roland Samuel, Randall Lee, and Floyd Daniel Brown

370

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S a mink home that we found in a trap (not our trap). It was worth close to $30.00 Dad took one look at it and knew we didn’t trap mink. Needless to say we took that mink back and put it in the government trapper’s trap we had taken it out of.

One day we were in the field harvesting potatoes. A trucker came down into the field and wanted to buy a truckload of potatoes. Dad told him he had “contracted all of his potatoes for a $1.35 a 106-lb. bag. The trucker said “I’ll give you $ l.75 a 100-lb.

bag, Nobody will know about it. My Dad put his hand on my shoulder and looking me in the eye replied, “We will know.” How I loved my Dad. How I loved my mom for sustaining my dad’s honesty. My mother never knew in-door plumbing, a bathtub with running hot-and-cold water. She could have gone to Carnegie Hall with her angelic voice but she loved my dad and he loved her and they took life as it came and they loved us kids.

My mom died from cancer when I was 13; my dad died when I was 15. My dad’s dying words were to keep us together as a family. I was separated from my family days after my father was buried in Virden, New Mexico. I went to live with my Uncle Marion and Aunt Peg Mortensen, my mother’s brother and his wife. Words cannot express the feelings I felt the next three years of my life. I loved school but had to stop playing basketball because of deformed feet. I was a cheerleader for the volleyball team and basketball team. I graduated from Virden High School in 1951. I experienced long, hard hours of work as well as wonderful dances with sweet girls. Opal Smith was my

“buddy” and a delightful neighbor girl who lived on the way to school and Church so was a constant companion for a time and season. I’ll always appreciate her goodness and encouragement in a very trying time of my life.

Uncle Marion had a tremendous orchestra. How I wished I’d known how to communicate to him my intense desire to learn to play my saxophone. In the early spring of my junior year in high school I met a non-member girl from Duncan, Arizona. I feel it necessary to mention her in my life history because of the impact she had in my life.

Mildred Ann Brawley was fifteen with beautiful, long, black hair, blue eyes and attractively willowy in stature, but I fell in love with her because when she was with me she was heart and soul with me. At that time in my life I so desperately needed the feelings of self-confidence and self-worth which she filled my heart and soul with. She became my very reason to live and hope and dream. I used to sing to her the song “We’ll build a nest way out here in the West and let the rest of the world go by.” To me she was my queen, the very epitome of lady-like behavior and I wanted to be her prince in shining armor.

Our first date I took her to a dance at Duncan High and we danced every set together. I could only take the Pontiac twice a month so if I picked up Mildred Ann in

Duncan and brought her to a dance or Marion’s place (which I loved to do) and then took her home it counted as my two allowed trips for the month. I was devastated when in the fall of that year she moved to Globe, Arizona, and I had no means to continue dating her.

I worked for Uncle Marion the summer I graduated from high school and then attended Gila Junior College in Thatcher, Arizona, where I majored in business administration. I went to work by Christmas that year for Safford Auto Supply. I started dating Donna Gay John the fall of that first year of college. She was a very lovely young lady orphaned in her childhood by the loss of her mother in giving birth to twins. Her dad chose to let her sisters and Grandma and Grandpa Curtis raise her. Thus we bonded from a similar background in growing up.

371


We were together almost every night for months before we got married. In July of

1952 Mildred Ann Brawley came to see me in Safford. We drove out into the hills north of town and she asked me to marry her when I returned from my Church mission. I promised her I would. I went to Elder Lee of the Apostles and begged to be allowed to go on a mission even though I had only just turned 18. He said no.

I prayed according to how we are taught in the Book of Mormon and committed to following the answer. The Spirit told me Donna was my mission. I have tried to meet that commitment. We owned our first home in Safford out on the Bowie Highway. We loved it and were sorry to leave Safford and sell it. We loved working in the Church with the wonderful saints in Safford.

When I was about 21, I was hit in the back of the head by a shaft used to lift the head gate in the main canal getting water for the Church farm. I suffered a serious concussion but totally ignored it, not even telling Donna until 1985 after suffering an aneurism.

The Cameron LaVon Brown Family

I have worked as a clerk, construction worker, salesman, service station lessee, farmer, and rancher. I laid a 24” to 48” concrete water line in Safford and Luke Airfield in Glendale Arizona. I laid clay, concrete and JM sewer lines in Avondale, Scottsdale, and Winslow, Arizona. One inspector told my boss I laid the straightest line he had ever seen. My lines were always on grade. I also laid the complete sewer line in New

Hazelton, B.C. The boss said I saved them $50,000 with my expertise. I worked with a

We moved to Roseburg, Oregon, in 1963 to lease and manage a 6140-acre ranch.

I wasn’t paid any wages but lived rent free. I had to go to work to support the family as

I had no money to purchase cattle or sheep. I had lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, from

1961 to spring of 1963 working for Reeco. I had not done any physical work while there being an equipment records clerk. I went to work in a plywood mill in Roseburg only to get to the point I could not walk because of painful feet. We had to leave the ranch and

Roseburg.

We moved to Lewisburg (Corvallis) where I rented land, raised cattle, sold milk, raised kids and finally graduated from Oregon State University in 1968.

372


I went one more year and finally realized my feet would not hold me up to be a vocational agriculture teacher. In 1963 we started with a Jersey cow named Joni. When we left Corvallis in 1971, I had 125 head of cattle. I sold them at auction and barely got enough to pay the bank loan. We loved ranching in Corvallis. We were there seven wonderful years. We had to learn the hard way some lessons of life I wish we hadn’t had to experience.

We finally bought 132 acres for $32.00 (total taxes) of beautiful forested land in the valley floor. Snow-capped mountains, crystal clear creeks, emerald lakes were all within minutes of our mountain home that we as a family, with the wonderful help of neighbors, built in 1974-75. We moved in without electricity or running water. We still use rainwater for kitchen and bathroom use. We drilled a well after getting electricity

Christmas of 1977.

I was injured two months after taking a job running a skidder logging in the mountains. I suffered rotational whiplash to my spine when struck on the sacrum and wrapped backwards around a whipping pine tree (80 feet tall) that was being pushed by a large 55 Clark skidder. I thought I was going straight to heaven till I came down on a stump on my knees. I was setting choker that day. I have been unable to do sustained labor since.

Our family did contract cleaning at a local mill for twelve years to make a living.

Donna and the kids got up every morning at 3.00 a.m. and went to the mill, sometimes at 40 degrees centigrade. It was a difficult time for all of us. I managed to have a hot breakfast for them when they got home at seven or so. I spent three years of those twelve years away from home with treatments, doctor visits, etc. and $20,000 of my family’s hard-earned income trying to overcome the effects of that horrible logging accident. I can never repay Donna or my delightful kids for the sacrifice they made for me in our family lifetime.

I finally won my fight with WCB but the accident has forever impacted our lives and certainly altered my understanding and convictions about sacrifice, suffering, truth, faith, fiction, facts, power, control, obligation, commitment, bigotry, mind control, mind slavery and commandments of God vs. commandments of men and who benefits, who suffers and who is really responsible for the cause and effects in our lives; and the cumulative effect of generational observance of law, tradition, creation and the process of being governed familially, politically and spiritually.

I love my dear wife Donna, my wonderful children and my grandchildren, my heritage, and my life on this beautiful earth. tI can see, walk, feel and have all the necessities to enjoy life as my Father in heaven intended for it to be enjoyed. I have endured enough hell on this earth to have a healthy desire not to spend eternity there.

I have heard a great deal about heaven but have yet to hear an actual street address or telephone number. Everybody is planning on going to heaven which means it may be awfully crowded and I feel like I have lived in heaven for quite a spell so am content to remain here for a good while yet. Heaven to me is sitting at our kitchen table laden with Mon’s home-cooked, farm-raised delicious food and the laughter of children and grandchildren. I appreciate Mom and Dad Brown for raising me close to animals, land and family and blessing me with the joy and ecstasy of shaking a gallon of fresh cream and watching it suddenly turn into a golden lump of homemade butter.

Cameron and Donna are parents of nine children:

373


1. KENDALL LAVON BROWN , b. 5 November 1953 in Safford, Arizona., d.10

January 1954 of pneumonia.

2. CAMERON ALONZO BROWN , b. 16 December 1954 in Safford, Arizona, bpt.

5 January 1963, md. MARGARET ANNA GEORG 29 April 1977 in the Idaho

Falls Temple. She was b. 24 January 1957 in Accident, Maryland, bpt. 3

January 1970. Seven children:

1. Andrew Alonzo Brown, b. 6 February 1978 in Hazelton, British

Columbia, Canada.

2. Anna Maria Gay Brown, b. 21 January 1979 in Hazelton, British

Columbia, Canada.

3. Clarissa Eileen Brown, b. 5 June 1980 in Hazelton, British Columbia,

Canada.

4. Natalie Janelle Brown, b. 31 December 1981 in Hazelton, British

Columbia, Canada.

5. Elizabeth Renae Brown , b. Feb 24, 1985 in Rexburg, Idaho.

6. Wyatt Cameron Brown, b. Oct 30, 1990.

7. Camille Kathleen Brown, b. August 3, 1992.

3. ROXANNE BROWN , b. 4 August1956 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 5 September

1964, md. DANIEL BURNHAM RYAN 15 August 1978 in a temple. He was b.

19 August 1955 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, bpt. 23 April 1965.

Twelve children:

1. Justin Wayne Ryan, b. 16 July 1979.

2. Caleb Lavon Ryan , b. 17 October 1981.

3. Joseph Daniel Ryan, b. 3 March 1984.

4. Shannaray Ryan , b. 24 August 1985.

5. Neuman Edward Ryan , b. 6 July 1987.

6. Jake Patrick Ryan, b.27 January 1989.

7. Karlyann Ryan, b. 13 September 1994.

8. Donna Marie Ryan , b. 3 October 1992.

9. Darcylyn Ryan , b. 28 September 1994.

10. Jody Kay Ryan [twin], stillborn 11 April 1997.

11. Jesseriah Ryan [twin], stillborn 11 April 1997.

12. Jubal Teancum Ryan, b. 29 April 1999.

4. SHANNON D. BROWN , b. 29 October 1958 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 29

October 1966, md. WENDY CORAY 4 December 1981 in the Salt Lake Temple.

She was b. 21 October 1960 in Payson, Utah. Six children:

1. Natasha Mina Brown [twin], b. 19 September 1982 in Rexburg, Idaho.

2. Tashina Ann Brown [ twin], b. 19 September 1982 in Rexburg, Idaho.

3. Shannon Lavon Brown, b. 10 January 1984 in Spanish Fork, Utah.

4. Lea Dawn Brown, b. 9 September 1987.

5. Shaleece Lottie Brown , b. 8 April 1990.

6. Sheldon “D” Brown, b. 9 April 1993.

374


5. ROLAND SAMUEL BROWN , b. 2 September 1960 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

5 October 1968, md. SANDY HU 16 April 1994. She was b. 20 April 1962. Two children:

1. Cassidy Donna Brown , b. 24 February 1995.

2. Kadyn Cameron Brown , b. 30 September 1998.

6. RANDALL LEE BROWN , b. 18 December 1961 in Las Vegas, Nevada, bpt.

3 January 1970, md. KIMBERLY FRASER 11 September 1987. She was b. 3

September 1965. Four children:

1. Kaytlyn Lee Brown , b. June 14, 1989 and died Nov 24, 1989.

2. Shantae Kimberly Brown, b. April 16, 1992.

3. Shaylyn Sandra Brown, b. Oct 9, 1993.

4. Randall John Brown, b. December 18, 1995 and died July 11, 1996.

7. PAMELA SUE BROWN , b. 26 March 1964 in Corvallis, Oregon, bpt. 22

August 1972, md. JAMES LEON SLAUGHTER 23 November 1983 in the Idaho

Falls Temple. He was b. 29 December 1962 in Ukiah, California. Four children:

See p. 1566 for James Leon Slaughter and their children.

8. FLOYD DANIEL BROWN , b. 14 March 1968 in Corvallis, Oregon, bpt. 27

March 1976, md. LAURA NORRAINE SMITH 14 April 1990. Four children:

1. Courtland Floyd Brown, b. January 11, 1991.

2. Neuman Fredrick Brown , b. June 25, 1992.

3. Tyrel Kendall Brown, b. March 15, 1995.

4. Maryalice Lynn Brown, b. April 3, 1997.

9. MITCHELL WAYNE BROWN , b. 34 December 1972 in Hazelton, British

Columbia, Canada, bpt. 25 January 1981, the youngest of nine children.

He md. MELISSA MAYBIN 30 May 1996 in the Jordan River Temple. She was b.

19 August 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 6 September 1986.

My first memories are of playing on the farm, eight miles out of New

Hazelton. I loved my brothers and sisters. I remember pulling my sled up to

Lawrence’s to meet my brothers when they were walking home from school, hoping that one of them would pull me back home. Sometimes they did and sometimes they didn’t.

I loved school and sometimes Mom would talk me into staying home to help can peaches or some other work she wanted done around the house. I graduated from high school. in 1991.

I loved to fish and never went as much as I wanted to, until I started catching the “big ones” and then Mom wanted me to go so she could have fresh salmon to eat and can.

Dad always had work for us to do. Getting the year’s firewood and building the endless cow fences filled every summer.

I went on my mission to Oakland, California, in May 1992. I learned to speak Vietnamese and worked with these people. I translated in the hospitals and once in court. Sometimes we spent twenty hours a week translating in hospitals. It was an excellent service project and taught us patience, humility and how to be Christlike to those around us. I love the people and their food was

375

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S great too.

In 1994 after my mission, I worked logging, running skidder and bucking.

I worked with my life-long friend, Taylor Georke. It was hard work, but it paid well. I moved to the States in 1995.

Going to school never worked out in the States and I worked odd jobs gaining residency. In 1996, I gained dual citizenship. This is when I met Melissa

Maughan. One day I went to see her at their farm, twelve miles north of Paul,

Idaho, and she was hoeing beets. At that time I figured she would be my wife.

Melissa Maybin writes the following: “I started baby-sitting for Shannon and Wendy Brown when I was in seventh or eighth grade. In ninth grade, I was

Shannon’s aide in shop class. One day, I asked if he had a younger brother I could write to. His answer was ‘My youngest brother is on a mission and he is too old for you!’

“Four years later, in 1995, between my junior and senior year of high school, I met Mitch. He and his mom were on their way home from a Floyd

Brown Reunion in Soda Springs. They stopped at Shannon and Wendy’s house for the weekend. Shannon was being put into the bishopric in our ward.

“Mitch asked Shannon if there was anyone he could take on a date.

Shannon said “Well, there is one girl, she is a little young for you!” Mitchell was

22 and I was 16, going on 17. Mitchell called me and we went out every night he was there.

“Mitch went home to Canada for one month then came back to Idaho and stayed. After dating for nine months we were married in the Jordan River

Temple. All of our family were there, except my older brother Mike—he was on his mission.

“We lived in Burley, Idaho, for two years. Mitch worked at the Burley

Albertson’s store. I babysat a six-week-old.

“In 1997 we learned we were going to be parents. The baby was due in

April. I got toxemia when six-and-a-half months pregnant and my blood pressure was 179 over 119. I was life-flown to the LDS Hospital, on 6 February. On the seventh Lillian Rose Brown was born by C-section. Because she was ten weeks early, Lillian weighed only two pounds. She needed a little help breathing.

Nine weeks after she was born, we took our baby home.

“In 1999 we bought our first home on 2.5 acres, one mile northeast of

Castleford, Idaho. Mitch currently manages a meat department for Albertson’s.

He thoroughly enjoy the challenge of it every day. Life is fun and he loves accomplishing goals that we set for ourselves.

“We now live in Buhl, Idaho, and Mitch works in the Twin Falls

Albertson’s store and is the meat manager.”

1. Lillian Rose Brown, b. 7 February 1998 in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Csection, a 2-lb. preemie.

376


6. FERNETH BROWN , b. 2 September 1934 in Virden, New Mexico, the sixth child of

Floyd Alonzo and Elmina Mortensen Brown, bpt. 2 September 1942, md. IVAN COURT-

RIGHT 2 February 1963 in the LDS Institute of USC in Los Angeles, sealed 5 July 1963 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. He was b. 19 March 1936 in Santa Monica, California, bpt. 7 July 1962.

Our mother and father were blessed with beautiful voices, carried on through their children. They were great comfort and joy during the early years of our family. My father was a freighter, then farmer and “ditch boss.” Mother was known for her remarkable soprano voice. It sustained her through the best and worst of times when each birth of her children brought the miracle of life, even as her two oldest children, and other loved ones were called home during that long, difficult decade of the Thirties.

In 1943 our family moved to Kirtland, a farming community in northern New Mexico. With the promise of more water, land, and an abundance of fruit from orchards aplenty, our parents set out to better their lives. Within five short years Mother’s death from cancer, and Dad’s from two operations to correct intestinal and stomach problems, brought the breakup of our family. Except for Dewaine, who returned to Kirtland to close our home and sell the farm with the goal of going on a mission, we returned to Virden to live with

Moms relatives. Robert and Jane Mortensen took Steven and me into their home. My senior year of high school was spent in Safford, Arizona, where I lived with my great-aunt Sylvia

Burrell. In the fall of 1952Ientered college at Arizona State in

Tempe, then transferred to Brigham Young University after

Ferneth Brown one year. After my junior year, I spent a year working in San Francisco, returning the fall of 1956 to graduate from BYU in 1957 with a BS degree in Business Education and

Office Management.

I moved to Los Angeles after graduation and worked eight years for General

Reinsurance Corp., Signal Oil & Gas Co., Computer Equipment Corp. and Planning

Research Corp. My experiences in the Wilshire Ward of Los Angeles opened the door to previously untapped leadership qualities. I was asked to be drama director, then YW

Mutual President in a ward where many young women, mostly from the western states, came to work. As drama director I was asked to organize and produce a summer play with a drama teacher as director. It was the first of three annual summer plays, and was part of the many activities provided by Wilshire Ward’s MIA, which continued when

I became Mutual president. I also sang in the Southern California Mormon Choir.

Early in 1961 I moved to Westwood, the ward near the Los Angeles Temple, working for the president of CEC. I met Ivan Courtright while waiting for an appointment at the UCLA Medical Center in January 1962. We shared interests in music, theater, and Young Republicans, as well as the drive for a better life than we had known.

Two roommates and I invited several young adults to have weekly meetings with the missionaries including Ivan who was the only one to join the Church. Our friendship and courtship led to our wedding,

377


From top,

Brad, Charlene,

Candra, Camela,

Ivan, Ferneth Courtright

October 1987

We designed and had built a beautiful contemporary-style home, as we looked forward to raising our children in a community we came to love. I declared I would never move again. It was not so. The years were active with our children, work,

Church, community and all the activities that contribute to an active family life. Silicon

Valley, the emerging hi-tech center of the state, even the country, brought enormous change to the area as commercial and housing tracts replaced farmlands and orchards, and hi-tech businesses led into the information Age. Ivan became a participator in the technology growth as he spent nearly five years co-founding a company that produced credit card verifying units utilizing lasers and holograms. The rapidly changing business world displaced the technology.

After sixteen years as an at-home mom, I went to work at IBM and Ivan returned to the business world, first with GTE Sylvania, and then XMR as manager of marketing and sales. In November 1987, I suffered a spine trauma. Tests revealed hemorrhaging on my spine and a brain aneurysm. Through tremendous support, prayers and blessings of the priesthood, Ivan’s devoted support for six weeks at the El Camino Hospital, and a superb neurosurgical team. I lived when they did not expect me to. Two sacred and spiritual events during my hospitalization were gifts from God that helped me survive the assault to my physical being, changing my life dramatically.

By 1990 the economic upheaval throughout the country brought downsizing and the restructuring of corporate America. Within five years, Ivan lost two jobs to downsizing, and my medical early retirement from IBM made it necessary for us to relocate to southern California for his work in Anaheim.

378


During years of change,, Treasured years for me in northern California were

Church callings as teacher and counselor in Primary and in Mutual (as it was called);

Relief Society as Social Relations teacher, twice, and Spiritual Living. These callings helped me withstand tremendous change and helped me to keep the Gospel as anchor in my life. I also spent several years in community involvement as a member of AAUW,

American Association of University Women. While there I chaired a committee for researching the effect of television on family life. The report we wrote was used statewide by the PTA in 1976.

At this time, I am working as a writer on books of poetry, short stories and essays, and a novel as well as family and extended family history. Ivan has been successfully treated for prostate cancer and is newly retired. He looks forward to time for photography, singing and geology interests. We both sing in ward choir and the

Anaheim Stake Chorale for Easter, 4th of July, and Christmas concerts. Music sustains us in times of ongoing change.

Four children:

1. CAMELA COURTRIGHT, b. 21 May 1965 in Los Angeles, California, bpt. 3

June 1973. Camela filled a mission to Helsinki, Finland, from 1986 to 1987. She graduated from BYU with honors and a master’s degree in sociology and works in Santa Rosa, California.

2. CHARLENE COURTRIGHT , b. 17 October 1966 in Los Angeles, California, bpt. 17 November 1974, md. MICHAEL SUMMERS 29 June 1991. Charlene filled a mission to New York from 1988 to 1989, then returned to college at BYU.

Two children:

1. Brandon Summers.

2. Brianna Summers.

3. BRADLEY BROWN COURTRIGHT , b. 5 January 1969 in Los Altos,

California, bpt. 5 February 1977. Brad filled a different kind of mission. He sang with Mainstreet Singers of Los Altos High all four years of high school, singing up and down the peninsula of northern California, as well as annual tours abroad. He now works for a law firm in San Francisco as manager of the computer networking systems.

4. CANDRA COURTRIGHT, b. 24 May 1974 in Los Altos, California. In grade school years Candra’s activities included soccer, softball, basketball and tennis.

She became very ill during junior high and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome that altered her life. After years of struggle, she now works in a home for young people in crisis.

7. COLLEEN BROWN , b.6 June 1937 in Virden, New Mexico, the seventh of eight children b. to Floyd Alonzo and Mina Mortensen Brown, bpt.8 June 1945, md. MERRILL

BURT 10 June 1960 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 10 September1936 in Murray,

Utah, bpt. 17 December 1944.

I, Colleen, had just begun the first grade when my parents bought a farm in

Kirtland, New Mexico. Life was exciting in this new valley, and swimming in the ditch and San Juan River were enjoyable, even though the water was cold from melting snow

379

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S in the mountains only fifty miles away. Finally in late July and early August the water was more pleasant.

When I was in the fourth grade, my mother, Mina, passed away from cancer, and twenty-one months later my father passed away from adhesions of the intestines, caused by an auto accident some ten years earlier.

Following my father’s death I and my younger sister Rita went to live with our

Uncle Parley and Aunt Dorothy Jones. After graduating from high school in Virden, I went to my brother’s home (Dewaine and Judy’s) in Las Vegas for the summer. I got a job as a secretary, which didn’t last all summer so I got a temporary job walking the streets updating the Polk Directory. I gave Dewaine and Judy a few gray hairs as I was naive and trusting of everyone.

The next two years I attended Brigham Young University, working in San

Francisco in the summer with my older sister, Ferneth. To live in such a huge city was a growing experience for me. I couldn’t believe the many streets of houses built side by side with no space in between and a little tiny yard in back. But that was a wonderful fun summer with Ferneth as we were active in the ward and there were lots of young adults.

During my sophomore year I met a young man by the name of Merrill Burt from

Washington state. I had gone to the Church welfare farm on a Saturday to top beets and he was coming down a row I was coming up. We started talking and he gave me a ride home That was the beginning of our courtship. Then in the Spring he quit dating me, then called the last week of school and told me he was going on a mission in the

Fall and didn’t want to leave a girlfriend behind but would like us to write.

That summer Ferneth and I went to Los Angeles to find work. We didn’t know anybody and didn’t have a car so we rode the bus or train. We found a hotel that wasn’t expensive so it wasn’t the greatest (our mother would have been scared for us!).

Ferneth got really sick and I was very scared. I really prayed that she would get better quick. Well, she did, and we both got jobs, got an apartment, and I lived there for a year and a summer. I figured if I went back to school, I would be graduated when

Merrill got back from his mission: and we wouldn’t have an opportunity to get to know each other better.

I enjoyed the time in Los Angeles living with Ferneth. She was a good sister to me. We participated in some plays put on by Wilshire Ward, Good News and Plain &

Fancy (1957-58). In the fall of 1958, I returned to BYU for my junior year. I looked forward to letters from Merrill and was glad to see his testimony grow. He served in the

Eastern Canadian Mission around Toronto. Meanwhile I was enjoying my junior year at

BYU. My freshman year I participated in a calypso performing group. Another year I joined the Kia Ora Club and learned Maori dances and songs. I sang in the University

Chorus with Crawford Gates as director.

After my junior year I returned to Los Angeles and worked for Swett & Crawford for the summer. The next fall Merrill returned from his mission. At BYU we started dating. We got engaged at Christmas time and were married in June. I graduated from

BYU in August and started teaching in Orem High School. This lasted only three months as I got pregnant.

This started my wonderful career as a mother! Merrill was going to school and working at Geneva Steel. Shaunna was born in April and how excited we were to have a new baby. After Merrill graduated from BYU as a chemist, we moved to Richland,

Washington, where he got a job with General Electric, the contractor for the Hanford

380


Project where they made the first atomic bomb.

We lived in Richland for ten years where we bought a ranch house had four more children and had a good life. Merrill remodeled our ranch house adding a family room and an extra bath on our bedroom. He was so handy. Our family was involved in a couple of Church plays in those years in Richland. Shaunna even produced a little

Christmas play in our home one year involving the neighbor kids.

I loved working with the youth in the Mutual program in our ward. The only problem was getting out of the house to get to the meetings on time. The year I was

Mutual president I got three speeding tickets in one year. Back then they didn’t reflect on your insurance! Merrill was so good to take care of the kids so I could go.

As our family grew, we bought one-and-a-third acres in Kennewick a few miles away and built a home. Merrill did all the plumbing, wiring, and helped frame the house. We both put the siding on. We were happy to have so much room inside and outside. We had Bruce the next summer and our family was complete.

We raised chickens, ducks, and several calves on our acre which created some interesting experiences.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer but with radiation and chemotherapy, it went into remission. Then Merrill was diagnosed with stomach cancer in June and passed away 30 November 1997. We were fortunate he did not suffer a long time. All. the kids were home for Thanksgiving when he passed away.

I am grateful for family and the support they have given me. I am also grateful for the ward family I have for they have been wonderful in helping me when I needed it with this huge yard and for moral support. Most of all I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me the strength to get through this ordeal. He has truly been there for me.

In August 1998 while on a trip visiting relatives in New Mexico, Colleen detected a sign of breast cancer again. She returned home and had a mastectomy. She had earlier determined to participate in a marathon in

Ireland, and had been training to do that with her two daughters. This marathon was to call attention to the need of research for the prevention of breast cancer.

Colleen lived her life to the fullest. A few weeks following her mastectomy she and her two daughters went to

Ireland and walked briskly the marathon in approximately eight hours. They took a picture of the three of them crossing the finish line, all smiles.

The cancer, however, had not been contained and one year later Colleen passed away. She was loved by

Left side: Kris, Craig and Michael

Second from left, Brian and Jordan

Middle left, Shannon, Shari, Courtney,

Middle right, Sherrie, Merrill

Second from right, Bruce, Colleen

Right side, Shelly, Kevin, Cody

381

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S many and had served many. As her health permitted, she continued to attended the

Temple as an ordinance worker, served in the Stake Relief Society Presidency as a counselor, made care packages for the people in Kosovo as well as made bandages for those who have leprosy. Her service to others continued until her health no longer made it possible. Her example will ever be with us.

Six children, five of whom completed missions for the Church:

1. SHAUNNA BURT, b.18 April 1961 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 3 May 1969. Shaunna has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BYU.

2. BRIAN FLOYD BURT, b. 9 December 1962 in Richland, Washington, bpt.

2 January 1971. Brian graduated from BYU.

3. ALAN CRAIG BURT, b. 20 December 1964 in

Richland, Washington, bpt. 1 January 1973. Craig graduated from Eastern Washington University.

Alan Craig and Kris Burt

4. KEVIN MERRILL BURT, b. 17 June 1966 in Richland, Washington, bpt. 7

July 1974. Kevin graduated from BYU.

5. SHERRIE BURT, b. 27 November1970 in Richland, Washington, bpt. 3

December 1978. Sherrie graduated from Ricks College.

6. BRUCE IRVIN BURT, b. 23 August 1972 in Richland, Washington, bpt.

30 August 1980. Bruce has been working for a boat building company.

382


8. RITA BROWN , b. 20 April 1943 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 20 April 1951, md.

JAMES LEROY CHATTERLEY 27 January 1967 in the St. George Temple [divorced]. He was b. 31 July 1944 in Tremonton, Utah.

Rita lived with her Uncle Parley and Aunt Dorothy Jones after her parents passed on. She served a mission in England where she met James Leroy Chatterley.

They were married and lived in California.

Rita Brown married second DOUGLAS CHEEVER 29 December 1996 and sealed

29 May 1999 in the American Fork Temple.

Rita and James have six children:

1. JARON FLOYD CHATTERLEY , b. 26 February 1968 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 16 March 1976, md. JANICE

POLSON 22 June 1990 in the Salt Lake Temple.

She was b. 28 June 1966 in Bremerton,

Washington. Three children:

1. Seth Chatterley, b. 17 June 1991 in

Provo, Utah.

2. Tanner Chatterley, b. 25 August

1994.

3. Meagan Chatterley, b. 20

November1998.

Janice Polson and

Jaron F. Chatterley

22 June 1990

2. CLARK BROWN CHATTERLEY , b. 2 March 1970 in West Lafayette,

Indiana, bpt. 4 May 1978, md. JILL AYLISH SMITH 7 August 1993 in the

Los Angeles Temple. She was b. 7 July 1972 in Inglewood, California, bpt.

July 1980. Two children:

1. Connor Jay Chatterley [twin], b. 28 February 2000 in Concord,

California.

2. Aylish Ann Chatterley [twin], b. 28 February 2000 in Concord,

California.

383


3. CLARICE CHATTERLEY , b. 31 July 1973 in Portland, Oregon, bpt. 1 August

1981, md. CLAYTON CHARLES SEAGLE 24 March 2001 in the Oakland Temple.

He was b. 28 May 1977.

Clarice Chatterley and Clayton Seagle

4. ROCHELLE CHATTERLEY , b. 9 October 1975 in Portland, Oregon, md.

HEBER JAMES ANDERSON 9 August 1997 in the Manti Temple. He was b. 25 June 1973 in Provo, Utah. One child:

1. Logan Paul Anderson, b. 9 June 2000 in Orem, Utah.

5. ANGELA CHATTERLEY , b. 23 March 1979 in Portland, Oregon, md. MAR-

VEN ANTHONY MONSON 26 August 2000 in American Fork, Utah, in the Mount

Timpanogos Temple. He was b. 24 September 1978 in Murray, Utah.

6. NICOLE CHATTERLEY , b. 24 December 1980 in Portland, Oregon, md.

DARYL WAYNE ANDERSON 27 July 2002 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b.

8 September 1979 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Two children:

1. Clark Brown Chatterley.

2. Rochelle Chatterley Anderson.

384


1A7-6 DOROTHY LILLIAN MORTENSEN , b. 27 September 1904 in Colonia

Diaz, Mexico. Bpt. 27 September 1912, md. PARLEY PENROSE JONES 8 May

1926 in Virden, New Mexico, sealed 22 September 1926 in the Logan Temple.

He was b. 25 October 1903 in Colonia Dublan, Mexico, bpt. 25 October 1911.

Dorothy d. 3 November 2000 in Tempe, Arizona. Parley d. 14 July 1975 in

Virden, New Mexico.

Parley was eight years old and Dorothy seven at the time of the Mormon exodus from Mexico. The records of the Colonia Diaz Ward document the baptism of Dorothy on her eighth birthday, though this took place in Hachita, New

Mexico after the Exodus.

Many families who had lived in Mexico moved to the Gila River Valley in southwest New Mexico. Here they built a community and a Branch and then a

Ward of the Church were organized so the children growing up would have the advantages of the full program of the Church.

In this setting Parley looked down the street one day shortly after arriving in Virden, as the community came to be known, and saw a group of young people coming towards him. In this group was a young lady only eleven years old, but she caught the eye and captured the heart of Parley and as he said many times, he began then to get acquainted with and in time courted and married Dorothy

Mortensen, the girl of his dreams.

Dorothy was born into a family richly endowed with musical talent and ability. At a very early age she desired to play the piano and

Dorothy Mortensen and Parley Jones was given permission to practice on a neighbor’s organ until such time as there were means enough to have a piano in her own home. There were few instructors available and she was self taught. She played for the silent movies to help pay her way through school at St. Joseph Academy, now known as Eastern

Arizona Jr. College.

Her son Fred remembers her going to Safford for about a week to take lessons from the Salt Lake Tabernacle organist who was sent out by the Church to help local talent improve so that our meetings would be better served. Up to

385

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S this time she had had few formal lessons, but remarked many times, how much she enjoyed and appreciated this opportunity.

Dorothy along with several other family members, mostly brothers, played for dances for years. At a dance in Safford one evening when the group was playing, a group of older women sat near the orchestra enjoying the music.

Instead of playing one song the men sang the song in parts while Dorothy accompanied them. At the conclusion of this number the women remarked that now they could go home as this was what they had come to hear. The music endeared the orchestra members to their audiences and kept them in demand.

One Sunday in Sacrament meeting in Virden nine of the fourteen children of Peter and Mamie Mortensen were in attendance. Several were visiting. Uncle

Robert was the bishop and these family members were requested to sing a special number. They had not had opportunity to practice but Uncle Robert joined in and sang with the group. Within the four sons were represented the four parts of a quartet, and within the five sisters were represented all parts. Mother sang as well as accompanied the group. She like Uncle Robert did not sing so often because she was always at the piano or organ.

Their young lives were filled with fond memories of association, courtship, and marriage. They made a trip to Logan, Utah, where they were sealed. They

Back, left to right: Delwin, Fred, Lillian, Marvin

Front, Colleen Brown, Rita Brown, Dorothy Mortensen Jones,

Chester Reed Jones and Parley Penrose Jones

1949

386

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S made a life for themselves and the family soon followed. They each, as time went on, served in the various organizations of both ward, stake and community. Their abilities to lead were recognized and each served as president of the various organizations in the ward to which they belonged.

Dorothy served as president of the Relief Society for about fifteen years.

And when Parley was called as bishop, their executive meetings were held many times as pillow talk, after having attended the meetings of the day.

After she was called as president of the ward Relief Society a young mother had passed away at childbirth. The custom in those days was to care for and prepare the bodies for burial. Dorothy had called one of her counselors particularly because she felt this lady had had experience in caring for the dead, only to find that her counselor had no experience in this area. Dorothy then “girded up her loins and fresh courage took,” and went and did the thing that needed to be done with some help of course. She says that great inner strength and inspiration were given on that and many similar occasions. Having learned that strength comes, “After the trial of our faith,” she was better prepared to meet the succeeding challenges.

After seeing their first three sons complete missions and later marry in the Temple, and their daughter marry in the temple, they served a two-and-ahalf-year mission in what began as the Spanish American Mission. They followed their youngest son, Chester, into the mission field by only a few weeks so all three served at the same time.

President Melvin

Brooks, their mission president, let them serve as missionaries for a few months before calling

Parley as his counselor in the Mission presidency and Dorothy was called as counselor in the Mission Relief

Society presidency. In addition to these responsibilities they were sent to the Lower Rio Grande

River Valley to closely supervise that area of the mission.

Parley and Dorothy Mortensen Jones

387


About midway through their mission the Spanish American Mission was closed and all of the memberships were transferred into the Texas Mission.

Parley and Dorothy supervised the work among the Spanish people during this period of transition, as they both understood the people and the language.

They supervised the combining of all the members of the Church in a town into one branch, thus providing enough students to support a seminary.

Most of the Spanish children spoke English very well. This growth pattern continued after their release and only a very few years later a stake was organized to better serve the needs of the members.

After returning from their mission, Parley enjoyed going to the farm and assisting Marvin and his boys with the work there. On 14 July 1975 Parley was on a wagon helping to load hay when he gasped and passed away immediately.

Dorothy moved to Provo where she saw many of their grandchildren educated and married in the temple. After ten years she returned to Virden. She spent the last few years of her life in a nursing home. Dorothy passed away 3

November 2000.

Adult children of Parley and Dorothy Jones, August 1998

Left to right, back: Patricia, Maurine, Lillian, LaFlorence, Mary

Front: Chester, Delwin, Devan, Marvin, Fred

Dorothy and Parley had six children:

388


1. FREDRICK PARLEY JONES , b. 21 April 1927 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 21 April

1935, md. MARY MOORE 4 April 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 4

November 4, 1926 in Payson, Utah, bpt. November 4, 1934.

I, Fred, like Nephi of old, was born of goodly parents and taught somewhat in all of their learning. I was privileged to be born to parents whose lives had been molded by adversity sufficient to help them learn the difference between need and want.

They were very loving and kind but forthright enough to expose us to life’s experiences so that we too could learn by our own experiences.

An example of this was the day Daddy was plowing a waste water ditch. There being little natural fall in elevation to help the water exit the farm, the ditch had to be kept clean and open. In doing this one of the horses pulling the plow had to stand on the steep ditch bank being supported by his teammate who leaned his body against the other to help him stay on the side of the bank. This caused the plow beam to rise so the plow would not “take the ground.” I was instructed to stand on the double trees behind the horses and take hold of their tails and lean backwards enough to be able to ride on the double tree

Fred Jones, age 2 and hold the plow down so it would plow. By following Dad’s instructions I was able to retain my balance and push the plow down. All went well until the plow hooked into a stump. Everything stopped but me. Pushing on horses’ tails gives little support so I fell into the ditch behind the feet of one of the horses. Dad spoke to the horses and they stood very still until I, covered from head to foot with mud and water, got up out of the way. Then I heard him say, “Get back up on there, son.”

I knew from the tone of voice that I was expected to again get back on the double tree. I did, but I was thinking what a mean dad I had. We finished the ditch work and

Dad helped me get cleaned up. Years later talking with Mother of this incident I said to her, “Dad was not plowing a ditch that day, but was training a man.”

389


We boys went to the farm with Dad from the time we could graduate from threecornered pants. There were horses to ride while Dad cultivated or plowed. There was a drink for Dad to be fetched from a fresh bucket of water. There were many learning experiences gained while we “played” near by. This gave Mother more time to do other things than look after us.

Years later I had a similar experience with two of my sons riding in a precarious position on a plow to clean a ditch. We encountered a large rock that did not move. The boys found themselves high in the air, unhurt but wide-eyed.

Schooling was in a small country school, in most cases, two grades to a room with one teacher. We were well taught and those who went through this school and later went on to higher learning were well equipped to compete with fellow classmates.

The sport was basket ball as there were not enough students to play any other sport. I graduated with a class of seven seniors in 1945.

I enlisted in the Air Corps prior to graduation from high school to become a pilot. Shortly after graduation I reported for duty as did most everyone at that time.

Victory in Europe was in May 1945. World War II was soon over and the war effort quickly shut down. I was a replacement in Europe for those who had served and were returning home. I started but did not finish many schooling opportunities. In my last assignment in Europe, my immediate superior was a Colonel Haight. I looked after his airplane. He was a gentleman in every respect of the word.

Fred in Air Corps, 1945 Fred as missionary, 1947

This assignment brought me in contact with a German family that joined the church after I requested that the missionaries in Germany contact them while I was serving on my mission to the Central States.

After the service came my mission: street meetings, country tracking, and for me, learning the gospel principles so I could discuss them intelligently. We never converted anyone from street meetings, but we did find war brides who had moved from home. Seeing peoples’ lives change for the better through living the gospel principles, provided a foundation upon which to base my life. The last act of my mission was to

390

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S perform a marriage. The couple shortly after went to the temple and were sealed.

After a year at a junior college in Thatcher, Arizona, I went to BYU. During the year in Arizona the institute director and I, at his direction, started a program with the young men soon to be in the mission field, which gave them training in public speaking, leading the music in meetings and teaching others.

The first week at BYU, a former missionary companion, president of the Young

Men’s Mutual in a ward, invited me to a party in Provo Canyon. I kept noticing this blonde young lady, Mary Moore, who had completed her bachelor’s degree and was working at Geneva Steel in their accounting department. She was having fun with all who were there and mixed well with the group. She was not “attached” to any one fellow. A short time later at a ward-sponsored roller skating party, I got courage enough to ask her to skate with me. This was the beginning of what is and has been a beautiful marriage relationship. We were married the day President George Albert Smith passed away. We attended the solemn assembly Monda,y April 9, when President David

O. McKay was sustained ninth president of the Church. Life is and has been very good to us.

Mary graduated from BYU in 1949 with a BS in

Accounting. Through the years Mary has served in the following positions: Sunday School teacher, Gleaner class officer in the ward and stake for MIA, Young Women president and teacher, Primary teacher and president, Relief Society teacher and counselor, Cub Scout Leader. Taught early morning

Seminary two years. Ward librarian and meeting house librarian. Compas-sionate service person. Ordinance worker in the temple.

Farming has been my life’s work. I like to see green things grow and compete with the weather, the bugs, and soil to make this happen profitably. In our early married life we bought a farm and built a home. Children kept showing up around the table faster than we could expand our farming operation so the day came when we sold out and returned to

BYU where I earned a BS degree in farm management.

I worked my way into management positions on large absentee-owner farming operations. To know everything

Fred and Mary about everything is not possible so I hired consultants in the areas where I was less trained. We have been involved in some rather large operations and leaned that soil and soil management in the growing of crops is really only a small part of being successful. Public relations and the ability to direct the activities of many employees and in many cases involve yourself in their personal and family lives is necessary and requires skill and lots of time and patience.

Most farm equipment must be modified to fit your needs. Sometimes one needs to build equipment and be inventive. All this is part of Farm Management. Mary used to say that, ”I didn’t want to go on vacation. I was having too much fun at my work.”

That was true most of the time.

Agriculture, having the greatest dollar investment per employee of all industries, is very limited. We have steered our children into other lines of work. My adult life, beginning shortly after returning from my mission, has been spent in the Scouting and

Aaronic Priesthood programs of the Church. Scouting has always been important to us.

391


Fred and Mary family, 1962

I have served as

Scoutmaster on more than one occasion and also advisor to each Aaronic

Priesthood quorum. Other positions held have been:

Sunday School teacher,

MIA teacher, in an elders quorum presidency, MIA president, on the High

Council, a president of a

Seventies quorum, Branch

President and in bishoprics. I have been a

Stake Patriarch in three stakes with Mary as my scribe. I am serving now as a Stake Patriarch. Mary and I are both ordinance workers in the Denver

Temple. I am also a sealer in the Denver Temple.

Fred and

Mary Jones family,

1983

Back, left to right:

Clifford,

Larry,

Robert,

Leonard,

Wendell,

Harold

Front:

LeeAnn,

Mary, Fred,

Nanette

Louise

Nine children:

392


1. FREDRICK WENDELL JONES , b.19 January 1952 in Safford, Arizona, bpt.

19 January 1960 while in Vermont, md. KATHY MAY CHRISTENSEN 26 April

1974 in the Idaho Falls Temple. She was b. 30 September 1953 in Blackfoot,

Idaho, and bpt. 6 October 1961.

I grew up in Virden, New Mexico until I was six. I enjoyed going to the farm with Dad. We had pigs in the corral which we rode occasionally. We would climb into the loft above the corrals and throw ears of corn down into the cow corral. While the pigs gathered to eat the corn, we jumped on the pig we selected. We did this from behind, then held on with our legs for all we were worth. Of course they would run and squeal around the corral and we thought this was a great thrill. Leading from the cow corral to the pig pen was a pass-through alley, boarded on the top half to keep the cows out, with the bottom half open to allow the pigs to pass into their pen. Once I got onto a pig that headed straight for the pig pen. Dad, working nearby, saw what was happening and yelled at me to fall off. I didn’t hear him and was so proud of myself that I was not about to fall off.

I was having a blast until I hit the fence which swept me off the back of the pig.

Needless to say anytime thereafter, when a pig even attempted to go toward the gate I immediately fell off his back.

When I was seven we moved to Vermont where dad managed a dairy farm with a group of other farmers. That year we went to the pageant in Palmyra and visited the Church History sights around Palmyra. I was extremely impressed with the pageant and was so affected by the presentation that I thought for sure

Heavenly Father had sent angels to perform.

After the performance, I went around picking up programs while Mom and

Dad talked to some people. I did not see them go to the car, so I was left alone, lost. A man saw me, realized I was separated from my parents, and helped me find Mom and Dad.

We moved back West. During the

Wendell and Kathy

Christensen Jones

393

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S fourth grade I got a Hereford steer straight off the range to fatten for a 4-H project. He was wild and jittery. We built a corral in our back yard. My first challenge was to feed him and get him so he would let me touch him. The day Dad took me out to halter-break the steer he dragged me around the corral several times before I learned how to control him. About a week later I took him out into the yard. I walked him around the block every day. We went the same way every day. One day I decided to take a different path. The steer spooked and got himself twisted up in the lead rope so I let go. I did not have him long enough to properly fatten him and get him fin-ished for show at the fair in Lordsburg, consequently he did not place very well. Although I didn’t win a ribbon for the steer, he was one of the best halter-broke steers in the show.

We moved to El Paso, Texas, when I was twelve and remained there until I was in college. My youngest brother, Robert, was just old enough to walk when

President Harold E. Turley, our stake president, ask us to milk his cow while they were on vacation. He had a cow which was about to freshen and I was asked to make sure the calf would nurse after birth. Shortly after the cow calved

I took Robert with me to check on the cow. I had him in my arms and was trying to get him to pet the cow. I set him down for a moment and he wandered a few steps away. The cow turned and charged him. I don’t know why, but the cow stopped only a few feet from him. I quickly grabbed him up and would not let him down again.

I was not in a Boy Scout troop until we moved to El Paso. I had a strong desire to earn my Eagle so stayed in the Scout troop longer than the boys my age, but still did a lot of Scouting on my own and with the help of my family I earned and received my Eagle award.

In high school I played the piano, trombone, and sports. I played the piano for priesthood meetings and seminary.

I served a mission in Mexico. My companion and I lived with the family of the bishop in the south of Mexico City. His family had been a member of the

Church since the beginning of the century. I mentioned to his wife that my great-grandfather Fredrick William (Will) Jones had been on a mission to Mexico about 1910. She found several pictures of grandpa dedicated to her father-in-law. These were the first I had ever seen of my grandpa. I was able to make copies of them.

When I returned from my mission, LeeAnn had saved a place for me on a dance team for the dance festival in the Rose Bowl. I went to BYU after the summer and lived with Harold, and cousins Marshall and Lyle in the basement apartment of Grandma Dorothy Jones’s house. Grandma rented her other house out to her granddaughters. In the corner house were two of Gloria Mortensen’s sisters, Kathy and Julie Christensen.

My first acquaintance with Kathy Christensen was with Uncle Devaun asking her what her plans were and she said she was going to get married next summer. I thought, how presumptuous she was that she would meet the guy

Gloria, her sister, wanted her to meet and get married in the summer, but I found out she was already engaged to another young man. However, we met, fell in love, and Kathy did get married “next summer”—to me. A better decision I could not have made. She has

394

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S been a wonderful companion, counselor, wife, mother, and friend.

Kathy was raised in Sterling, Idaho, on a family farm which borders the

Pocatello reservoir. While Kathy was in high school, she was helping her mother move all the cows from one pasture to another on the road between her brother’s and parent’s house. One bull was in a pasture with some milk cows and the other bull was in the roadway. The bull in the pasture jumped the fence and charged after the other bull. Kathy fell down between the two bulls as they approached to fight.

Her family is wonderful, and close knit. She is the fifth of eight children born to Carl Ray and Mary Jordan Christensen.

With marriage, life took upon it a new dimension and focus, as I learned to love, cherish, and live with a wonderful wife. Kathy has been a wonderful support, guide, and companion. She has also given life to nine wonderful children.

Wendell graduated from Brigham Young University August 1977 and at the same time he received his commission as Second Lieutenant in the Army. He served three years in Germany, then in Monterrey Bay, California, and then at

Fort Hood, Texas. When he got out of the Army he attended college and received a teaching degree in Spanish. He has taught around the Copperas Cove, Texas, area and is now teaching in Copperas Cove. He has also been a couch for soccer.

Our challenge has been to raise, teach, guide, and influence our children for good. I can’t say that all I have done has been without confrontation, but my intent was to raise children who are honest, trustworthy, well mannered, and to instill a wholesome work ethic. Any effort of my own would have been useless without a wife to complement my efforts and balance my perspective.

Marriage is a wonderful enterprise. Where I am weak, Kathy adds strengths to our home. Without our team working together, the family becomes dysfunctional. Each child has special experiences woven into the fabric of our home. During the years Wendell has served in the church as Sunday School teacher, counselor in elders quorum, Young Men's president, counselor to Stake

Young Men’s president, ward clerk, elders quorum president, counselor in a bishopric, stake executive secretary, high councilor, branch president, ward choir director and music chairman, and bishop.

Nine children:

1. Katrina Jones , b. 30 December 1975 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 30 December

1983. md. Jeremy Robert Reay 15 March 1996 in the Idaho Falls

Temple. He was b. 26 February 1974 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, bpt. 6 March

1982.

After Katrina’s junior year in high school, she served a two-week mission. She went to San Antonio and served with two wonderful sisters.

On her application she mentioned she had studied Spanish for two years.

She was assigned to a Spanish-speaking area. They were invited to eat in the home of a bishop. Before leaving for the appointment the sisters gave

Katrina some special instructions as to what to say when she had had enough to eat. When Katrina was well fed and satisfied and turned to the bishop’s wife who was serving them and said, as instructed “mas frijoles por favor” (more beans, please). The sister brought more food and Katrina was confused. She now wishes to study Spanish more. Katrina and Mary were on the scripture chase team of three to win. In seminary, Katrina,

395


Mary, Rachel, and Susannah were part of Gatesville scripture chase teams which won the Stake championships. Jeremy is in Air Force intelligence stationed in San Antonio.

Three children:

1. Wesley Robert Reay, b. 27

February 1997 in San Angelo,

Texas.

2. Shailey Reay, b 25 July 1999 in San Antonio, Texas.

3. Quincy Miles Reay, b. 7

December 2001 in San Antonio,

Texas.

Katrina Jones and

Jeremy Reay family

2. Mary Jones , b. 11 January 1977 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 11 January 1985, md. Jimmy Dale Gribble 1 August 1998 in Gatesville, Texas.

When Mary was in third grade, she was a cheerleader for a youth football team. One school day Katrina, Mary, and Rachel rode their bicycles about a half a mile to school. It was a rather cold day for central Texas, and they did not have gloves. About a third of the way to school they got so cold they refused to ride. Katrina and

Rachel sat down on the ground near a light pole, but Mary rode back home. Their mother delivered them to school and purchased gloves for them.

In seminary, Katrina, Mary, Rachel, and

Susannah were part of Gatesville scripture chase teams which won the Stake championships.

Jimmy is a foreman at a roofing firm in

McGregor, Texas..

One child.

1. Ashton Ary Gribble , b. 2 December

2001 in Waco, Texas.

Mary Jones , Jimmy Dale and Ashton Ary Gribble

396


3. Rachel Jones , b. 30 January 1978 in El Paso, Texas, bpt. 30 January

1986.

In seminary, Katrina, Mary, Rachel, and Susannah were part of

Gatesville, Texas, scripture chase teams which won the Stake championships. She graduated from high school after completing home study.

She loves children and has found work in that field. She lives in Arizona.

4. Susannah Jones , b. 21 January 1980 in Bitburg, Germany, bpt.

6 February 1988, md. Jessie Butikofer 30 December 2000 in Lehi,

Utah, and sealed 20 March 2001 in the Raleigh, North Carolina Temple.

Jessie was b. 30 September 1976 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, bpt. 3 November

1984.

Susannah was born while her father served in the Army. Susannah has always done well in school and some of that success can be attributed to a pre-kindergarten program where she learned to read before she entered kindergarten. In kindergarten she went to the library and checked out books which maintained her interest in school. Susannah was the person to beat in the individual scripture chase event in seminary. She graduated from Copperas Cove High School in 1998. She attended Ricks

College and received an associate degree.

One child.

1. Maxwell Butikofer, b. 4 February 2002 in Fort Bragg, North

Carolina.

Jessie, Susanna, and

Maxwell

Butikofer

397


5. Parley Penrose Jones , b. 2 November 1981 in El Paso, Texas, bpt.

4 November 1989. He went on his first camp-out when he was eight months old on the Monterey Peninsula in California. Traveling to and from school on the bus were some neighbors who would pick on Fred. For some reason, they didn’t bother Parley. One day Fred was being picked on and Parley went to his defense and hit one of the boys on the side of his head. Parley broke his hand defending his brother.

During Parley’s senior year in high school, he went on splits with the missionaries nearly once a week. One evening he returned home saying that he had been stopped by the police. They were returning to

Copperas Cove from Lampasas in the town of Kempner, traveling the same as the other traffic. The officer said they were traveling 65 in a 45, the vehicle registration was expired, and the insurance card in the pickup was old with an expired date. The total ticket value was over $500. He did not get ticketed because his record was spotless. We could not help but think the Lord was looking over a missionary and his companion. Parley earned his Eagle. Parley served in the Tempe South Mission from 2000 to

2002.

6. Fredrick William Jones, b. 18 August 1983 at Fort Ord, California, bpt.

August 1991. Named after his great-grandfather Jones. He is interested in computers and electronics. He is performing with a rock band on the electric bass.

7. David Wendell Jones, b. 25 February 1986 at Fort Hood, Texas, bpt.

25 February 1994. He plays tennis and is in 4-H.

8. Carl Ray Jones , b. 3 April 1988 at Fort Hood, Texas, bpt. 3 April 1996.

One evening Parley and Fred were cleaning the living room and found the

Swiss Army knife and threw it into a backpack. It happened to be Carl’s book bag. The next day Carl found the knife while at school (fifth grade) and showed it to some students, which got him into trouble. He was given a special assignment class for one day in school because he had a knife at school. The principal could have suspended him, but knew Carl would not intentionally do anything wrong. He is active in 4-H.

9. Grant Oro Jones , b. 30 September 1990 at Fort Hood, Texas, bpt.

30 September 1998.

2. LARRY REED JONES , b. 18 August 1953 in Lordsburg, New Mexico to

Fredrick Parley and Mary Moore Jones, bpt. 18 August 1972, md. VENITA BETH

ORMSBY 5 August 1975 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 23 October 1954 in

Vernal, Utah, bpt. 4 November 1962.

We lived in Virden, New Mexico. At the age of five weeks I, Larry, had major surgery for pyloric stenosis. I would have starved without surgery. I had the mumps when about three years old, and later determined I had lost the hearing in my right ear at that time. I attended kindergarten in Provo, Utah, while Dad attended BYU.

We lived in Rutland, Vermont, one year on the eastern shore of Lake

Champlain where Dad was helping to develop a dairy farm. We children had the measles and I had a relapse. When Mother checked with the local doctor she was sure it was not measles but because it was cold out, she would make a

398

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S house call. She was surprised to find Mother had diagnosed it correctly, and gave the necessary medication to help me get better.

We moved back

West to Virden, New

Mexico. Here I started piano lessons.

Dad was a loan officer in the bank at Dell

City, Texas, where we attended a small branch of the Church which met in the community building. Each Sunday the men and boys cleaned up the cigarette ashes and beer bottles in the building before having Church.

When we moved to

El Paso in 1962, I played the alto saxophone and then the baritone saxophone in the band. I attended seminary in the morning after delivering the morning paper. I earned my Eagle Scout

Larry and Venita Jones award only because my

Mother wanted me to. I graduated from Coronado High School in 1971. There were five LDS students in a class of 475 graduates. We had our own graduation party at the Church. I moved to Blythe, California, where the family had moved two months before.

I served a two-week mission in Phoenix, Arizona, then attended BYU a year and waited for a mission call in August to the Ontario Mission, Toronto,

Canada. I served under President Roy Spackman and M. Russell Ballard. I was district leader on Walpole Island and Manitoulin Island where we worked with the Lamanite people. Many lived in very humble circumstances. I returned from my mission in August 1974.

I returned to BYU January 1975 and lived with Grandma Jones because her basement was full. On April 21, 1975, I met Venita Beth Ormsby who lived a few houses down the street. We started to date about a month later. In two weeks we became engaged. She is the most beautiful lady in all the world.

We lived in Provo until I graduated from BYU August 1978 with a BS in

Electrical Engineering and accepted work with General Dynamics in Pomona,

California. I was transferred to Arkansas in April 1982 to help build some mis-

399

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S siles. I served as Branch President in Camden, Arkansas. During this time we built the first phase of a meeting house. It was a continuing challenge but we grew through it. I was released as branch president after five years.

In 1989 General Dynamics cut back and I was transferred to Fort Worth,

Texas. I was laid off in 1991 and returned to General Dynamics eight months later for more than five years. In 1996 I was transferred to Hill AFB near Ogden,

Utah, to work on the F-16. The family moved to Layton, Utah. We have always been blessed with wonderful neighbors and a very friendly ward. We love the

Lord and are grateful for the knowledge of His gospel.

I have served as Scoutmaster, and we served as stake missionaries, and as family history consultants.

Larry and Venita Jones family, 2003

Back, left to right: Samuel, Timothy, Stephen, Monica, Joshua, Michael

Front, Andrew, Larry, Venita, Tiffany holding Bekka, Jacob

Seven boys:

1. Samuel Nathan Jones, b. 15 June 1976 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 15 June

1984. He earned his Eagle award for the Boy Scouts with a Methodist troop in Camden, Arkansas. He served a mission for the Church in the

Utah Salt Lake City Mission from 1995 to 1997. He works for E-bay in

Draper, Utah.

2. Jacob Aaron Jones , b. 2 October 1977 in Provo, Utah, bpt.2 October

1977, md. Tiffany Dawn Gwilliam 21 September 2001 in the Mt.

400


Timpanogos Temple. She was b. 20 September 1974 in Hayward,

California. Jacob served a mission in the Philippines Manila Mission from

October 1996 to November 1998. Tiffany graduated from BYU in 1996.

She taught third grade. Two children.

3. Joshua Edward Jones , b. 21 February 1979 in Pomona, California.

Bpt. 21 February 1987. Joshua earned his Eagle Award. He served a mission in Brasil Recîfe Mission from March 1998 to March 2000. He is attending the University of Utah. Joshua married Monica Jo Dawn Atkin

25 October 2002 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Joshua and

Monica Atkin

Jones

4. Stephen Parley Jones, b. 20 September 1980 in Montclair, California.

Bpt. September 20. 1988. Stephen received his Eagle award. He served a mission in the California San Francisco Mission from October 1999 to

2001. He is now attending college.

5. Andrew Byron Jones , b. 28 September 1982 in Camden, Arkansas.

Bpt. 28 September 1990. His interests are in computers. He graduated from high school in 2000. He served a mission in Detroit, Michigan, 2001 to 2003.

6. Michael Allen Jones , b. 8 August 1984 in Camden, Arkansas, bpt.

8 August 1992.

7. Timothy Reed Jones, b. 16 June 1987 in Camden, Arkansas, bpt.

16 June 1995.

3. HAROLD CLIVE JONES , b. 2 January 1955 in Silver City, New Mexico, to

Fredrick Parley and Mary Moore Jones, bpt. 2 January 1963, md. SHARON KAY

REED on 5 August 1977 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 5 November 1954.

We lived in Virden, New Mexico at the time I was born. Just prior to my

401

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S birth my father was helping my grandfather change a tire so my grandfather could visit my Grandma Jones. She was in a hospital in Safford, Arizona, because of injuries from an auto accident that occurred January 1, 1955, after she had played the piano in a dance band for a New Year’s Eve dance. My mother, who had started into labor, encouraged Dad to hurry as she could tell it was time to get to the hospital 80 miles away. This eventful Sunday was celebrated

1,000 miles away in Rexburg, Idaho, as one Sharon Kay Reed, b. 3 November

1954, was given a name and a blessing by her father. In that blessing he stated that she would one day be married in the temple to a young man of her choosing, that was to be me.

I, like Larry, had pyloric stenosis and was operated on when three months old. The few years in Virden, New Mexico, were followed by years in Provo, Utah;

Shoreham, Vermont, and then back to Virden. I was baptized on my eighth birthday, January 2, 1963. It was a cold and windy day. The setting was a pool of water from an irrigation well, just feet away from the belching irrigation pump which pulled cool, crystal clear water from the depths of the earth. The cold and windy scene was warmed by the presence of family as well as friends from my

Sunday School class.

Virden was fun with lasting memories including winning a football uniform in a kick, pass, and punt competition. (Mom wanted me to win second

Sharon Reed and

Harold Jones

402

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S place and get a coat instead of the first place football uniform). We played kick the can at night, cuddled a “pet” bobcat, slept in a non-heated back bedroom with piles of quilts to keep warm, did chores, worked on the farm, took forced afternoon naps, and ran the two blocks home after Church with shoes, shirt and tie off by the time I entered the door to my home.

We moved to Del City, and El Paso, Texas, then to Blythe, California.

During these years I learned to play sports, make friends, study a bit, and observed the example of my parents and teachers.

I had great youth advisors, friends, and many wholesome activities. My life was full of building fund projects, Young Men activities, church sports,

Scouting, camp outs, welfare farm activities, reunions, cousins, dances, dance festivals, water skiing, father’s and son’s outings, a couple of Scouting outings at

Lake Powell and just a great life.

I earned my Eagle award at the age of 16. I was ordained an elder at the age of 19 and was called to serve in the Brazil, Sao Paulo North Mission; however I taught the gospel in Portuguese, Spanish and English in Chicago, Illinois, for eight months before going to Brazil for the final 13 months of my mission.

I met Sharon Kay Reed who graduated from BYU the year we were married. We lived in Provo for the next two years while I completed my degree in accounting. We enjoyed precious friends and role models as we started our life together. My Grandmother Jones lived in Provo and admittedly it took two years for my new wife to wean me from her care. I often would stop and talk to her after school, leaving an expectant wife waiting for me at our home.

We remember our first Christmas, our small apartment, the lumpy, bumpy bed, doing all the laundry to help my wife with morning sickness and discovering just what a water pump from a 1969 Mustang really looks like. We both worked, including jobs as midnight janitors, computer operators, house painter, babysitters, construction worker, substitute schoolteacher and cement laborer.

We moved to Aurora, Colorado, in July of 1979 with our family of three and soon-to-be four. Our first child Megan was one year old and we were expecting Christian who was born the following December. We have since had four more children, making us a family of eight. Our family is arranged in sets.

Megan and Christian are blondes, Darren and Rebecca are brunettes, and

Preston and Kaylene are redheads.

At the time of this writing, Megan and Christian have returned from serving missions, Darren has completed his first year of college and will leave for his mission, Preston is a sophomore in high school, Kaylene is in eighth grade, and

Rebecca is in sixth grade. We are looking forward to eight more years of early morning seminary, curfews, dating, Scouting and youth activities, teen-age drivers, service projects, friends, and family fun.

Our lives have been busy with music, Scouting, Young Men’s activities, camping, hiking, sports, the annual Bolder Bolder 10K run, gardens, home improvement projects, reunions, vacations to Church history sites, school projects, night games in the back yard, football, school volunteering, and the same employment for the last 20 years with Coughlin and Company, an investment banking firm.

We have been privileged to serve in our church in many capacities.

Sharon has served as a teacher, ward and stake music chairman, Young

403


Women’s president, ward and stake Relief Society president, and in regional and area Public Affairs, and as seminary teacher. I have served as Scoutmaster, high councilor, counselor in several bishoprics, bishop, and am presently serving as the second counselor in the Arapahoe Colorado stake presidency.

Six children:

1. Megan Kay Jones, b. 2 June 1978 in Provo, Utah. After high school

Megan attended BYU. She served an eighteen-month mission in Chili,

Santiago East mission June 1999 to November 30, 2000. Megan is attending the Brigham Young University majoring in English.

2. Christian Harold Jones , b. 4 December 1979 in Aurora, Colorado. After attending BYU Chris served in the California, San Fernando Mission

Spanish-speaking 1999 to 2001. He is also at BYU completing his education in film making.

3. Darren Reed Jones, b. 2 August 1982 in Aurora, Colorado. He has enjoyed playing the violin and riding mountain bikes. During his high school years he played in the Aurora Public Schools All-District String orchestra. He is served in the Las Palmas, Spain mission. (Canary Islands)

September 2001 to 2003.

4. Preston Reed Jones, b. 23 January 1986 in Aurora, Colorado, bpt.

5 February 1994. He is a sophomore in high school and will join his two brothers as Eagle Scouts.

5. Kaylene Jones, b. 17 November 1987 in Aurora, Colorado, bpt.

10 December 1995. She is in eighth grade and enjoys volleyball, running cross- country, swimming and fixing her hair.

6. Rebecca Lynn Jones, b. 14 June 1990 in Aurora, Colorado. She is in the sixth grade and enjoys riding her horse Snickers, activities at school, art and growing apple and cherry trees.

4. CLIFFORD PARLEY JONES , b. 18 February 1956 in Silver City, New Mexico, while my family resided in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 18 February 1964, md.

SHARON ELIZABETH SANDERSON 16 December 1978 in the Salt Lake Temple.

She was b. 16 December 1955 in Salt Lake City, Utah, bpt. 4 January 1964.

In the spring of 1960 when I was four years old, our family returned to

Virden, having lived in Utah and Vermont in the interim. My memories of Virden are the memories of a happy, loved child growing up in a wonderful world. I remember our pets, my friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, Primary, and the farm. When we visited with neighbors, we would knock, open the door, and go in. Everyone knew everyone, and I felt that everyone loved me.

While we lived in Virden, I attended kindergarten and the first grade in

Duncan, Arizona. We rode the bus to school. I loved school where I made new friends and excelled as a student.

During the summer after first grade, we moved to Dell City, Texas, where

Dad was vice president of a bank. In Dell City, my brothers and I collected soda pop bottles from the streets and redeemed them at the Mercantile for kites, knives, and other wonderful treasures. We were among a very small group of

Mormons in town. Our branch met in the Community Center. My dad baptized me on my eighth birthday in 1964, in an irrigation ditch. It was a cold, windy

404

larke

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S day, and I was felt warmer under the water than out of it. As soon as I came out of the water, I was whisked from the ditch, wrapped in a blanket, and deposited in our station wagon.

After a year in Dell City, we moved to El Paso, Texas, where we were members of the El Paso Fifth Ward. At first, our ward met at a preschool named

Fairyland. We had lots of wonderful building-fund projects and eventually built our new ward building. I began the third grade. My teacher was Sister Ada

MacDonald; she was a member of our ward. She taught us all to knit. I knitted myself a pair of slippers. One day the boys churned butter and the girls baked bread. Every morning she had us recite the Lord’s Prayer. For two years I belonged to the El Paso Boys Choir.

When about eleven years old I saw a ventriloquist dummy in a store window and enthusiastically looked at it every time we were in the mall. That

Christmas I received my dummy, Jerry. Jerry and I took a program to orphanages and old folks’ homes for my Eagle project. I passed my board of review in El

Paso and received my Eagle award in Blythe, California.

The years flew by quickly in El Paso. I was at times a model student and at times a discipline problem. In eighth grade, I served as student body president and also as president of our anti-drug club. I was a member of Mr. Jacobs’

English Club. We sponsored a talent show where I was M.C. with my dummy,

Jerry. I participated in track and football. (I did not excel in sports, but tried hard.)

We moved to

Blythe, California, during my freshman year. I had struggled in some honors courses in El Paso, but found school in

Blythe very easy. I sailed through the

Clifford and

Sharon Sanderson Jones

405

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S balance of high school with straight As. I also played on the Junior Varsity football team.

After graduating from high school in 1974. I attended Brigham Young

University for one year and then served in the Spain Madrid Mission. My mission was a tremendous challenge. I was District Leader in the Mission Training

Center, but I struggled to learn the discussions in Spanish. I served for over a year in Alcoy, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo before I saw anyone join the

Church, or even met anyone who had been baptized during my mission. In Vigo

I helped teach a man whom I baptized in the Atlantic Ocean. Soon I was called as Zone Leader in a newly organized zone in Madrid. I worked hard as a missionary. Eventually, about 10 people I taught were baptized. I learned to love the

Lord, my companions and the Spanish people.

After my mission, I resumed my schooling at BYU. A little more than a year after I returned home, I met Sharon Elizabeth Sanderson, who had just returned from the Spain Seville Mission. I felt very comfortable with her from the first day we met. In about six weeks we were engaged to be married. Seven weeks later, we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. This was easily the best choice I ever made. Our honeymoon included taking final exams and attending receptions in Fullerton and Blythe, California.

Clifford and Sharon Jones family

Back, left to right: Clifford, Benjamin, Sharon

Front, Ashley, Matthew, and Amanda

406


Before we returned from the honeymoon, Sharon was suffering from morning sickness. She dropped out of school due to the severity of the symptoms. I resumed my schooling and my work doing taxes and representing people in IRS audits. Our first son, Benjamin, was born on September 18, 1979. At the time, I was serving as a counselor in the BYU 92nd Ward Bishopric. During

Benjamin’s first few years, he had a lot of exposure to college students. Perhaps this explains why he has always acted somewhat mature for his age.

I received my BS in Accounting from BYU in the spring of 1980. That fall I began law school at BYU. Sharon received her BS in Political Science at the same time

I received my JD. During my second and third years of law school I participated in a research project. West Publishing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, funded this project. Upon graduation I was hired by West to continue working on the project in Minnesota. We enjoyed our time there, but chose to look for a position elsewhere when the project I was working on seemed to languish. I accepted a position with Holme, Roberts & Owen and we moved to Aurora, Colorado. I enjoyed my law practice and felt quite prestigious practicing with the largest firm in the city. I enjoyed living near my brother Harold and grew quite close to him and his family.

We had not been able to have any children since Benjamin was born. We had undergone testing and other procedures in Minnesota, but to no avail. In

Colorado we decided to adopt. We began the process in 1987. In April 1988 I accepted a position with a company in Massachusetts. In May while I was in

Massachusetts but the family was still in Colorado, our prayers were answered when we learned that we would be able to adopt Matthew, who was born May 5,

1988. I met Matt in the Logan Airport in Boston when he was about three weeks old. The entire family moved to Sharon, Massachusetts, in August 1988. Matt was sealed to us on December 16, 1988, in the Salt Lake Temple.

We lived in Massachusetts for about six years. I served as bishop of our ward for five of those years. I worked in Boston as a principal of a small upstart company. Unfortunately, another principal of our Company died a few months after we moved there and the project folded. I then worked in the staff of Mintz

Levin, a large Boston law firm. After about a year at Mintz Levin, I began my own consulting firm, The Capstone Group.

Sharon developed health problems in Massachusetts due to a lack of sufficient sunshine, so we moved to Arizona. We arrived in Mesa, Arizona, during the summer of 1994. About a year later, our daughters Ashley and Amanda joined our family. They were sealed to us on December 16, 1996, in the Salt

Lake Temple.

Sharon has served in the Church on various positions in the Relief

Society, Young Women and Primary. She taught early morning Seminary for four years. She has been involved with Young Women. She and I are now stake missionaries.

My consulting firm is still going strong after more than 10 years. I enjoy music and poetry. I have written lyrics for several songs. I love the gospel of

Jesus Christ. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know The Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s kingdom on the earth. I am trying to follow Jesus and the living Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley. I hope my family can enjoy an eternity together.

407


Four children:

1. Benjamin Jones, b. 18 September 1979 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 10 October

1987. He graduated from high school in 1998 and served in the Portugal

Lisbon North Mission. He is attending the University of Arizona at Tucson,

Arizona on a scholarship.

2. Ashley LeeAnn Jones , b. 7 October 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona [adopted].

Sealed to her parents 16 December 1996, bpt. 7 Apr 1996.

She loves piano and seminary. Is teaching beginning piano.

3. Amanda Rae Jones, b. 6 October 1986 in Phoenix, Arizona [adopted].

Sealed to her parents 16 December 1996, bpt. 7 Apr 1996. She attends

Young Women. She loves math and is learning to love reading.

4. Matthew Jones , b. 5 May 1988 in Denver, Colorado [adopted]. Sealed to his parents 16 December 1988.Bpt. 5 May 1996. He loves Scouts and soccer, and is doing well in school.

5. LEE ANN JONES , b. 24 December 1957 in Silver City, New Mexico, while her parents lived at Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 24 December 1965, md. CLARENCE

LYNN WHETTEN 31 May 1979 in the Arizona Temple. Clarence was b. 20

February 1953 in Grand Junction, Colorado. He was bpt. 4 March 1961. See p.

892 for Clarence Whetten and their children .

She is the first daughter after four boys. When she was seven weeks old her father went back to BYU. In 1960 they returned to Virden then moved to

Texas. She completed eight years of school in El Paso, Texas. The family moved to Blythe, California, where she went through high school. Her first job at the age of 16 was as a waitress in “Don Julian,” a Mexican restaurant.

One Sunday evening she along with her sister, Nanette, and a friend

Leann Gruwell were driving home from Church when they saw a small church with its door open and decided to go in. There were a few older people occupying the front of the chapel. They sat down in the back and very shortly the minister asked if they were a group of singers and would they sing for them. They sang

“There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today,” then left with a good feeling about themselves. She graduated from high school in 1976.

During the summer she did waitress work to put herself through collage at BYU. And also worked in the melon sheds which paid well seasonally. Before finishing her degree she met and married Clarence Whetten. LeeAnn continued with her schooling until 1981, when she had her second child a few days after completing her semester. She started to teach designer jeans in her home, which expanded to a store for those things people always forgot. After having six children she closed down her store.

When the girls started teaching clogging classes, LeeAnn designed all the costumes for them and is their support in all things. She has been the county woman delegate in the Republican Party.

LeeAnn loves the Gospel. She taught Primary while in high school as a coteacher with Carol Broadbent who was a school teacher by profession. She served as Laurel Class President in Mutual, and served in various callings through the years Her greatest service has been as a great mother and support to her children:

408


LeeAnn Jones and Clarence Lynn Whetten engagement picture

LeeAnn Jones and Clarence Whetten family

6. LOUISE JONES , b. 24 February 1959 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 4 March 1967.

Louise has always been willing to help when some one needed her help. She had piano lessons. She had her own Primary class when in high school and has always had control of her class and the children all loved her. After graduating from high school in 1977 she moved to Provo, Utah, where she secured work. In

1981 she served a mission to Chile Concepcion Mission.. She was able to teach

409

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S piano while on her mission because they were in need for the local members to play. She loved the people and the language. After her mission she returned to

Provo and worked at BYU Security office. In 1991 she moved to

Aurora, Colorado, where she has been employed. She has served in the Church as nursery leader,

YWMIA president, Primary teacher and Sunday School teacher, counselor in the Relief Society, Super

Saturday director, choir director and counselor in Primary. She loves arts and crafts. Louise has not yet married.

“Aunt Laura, Mom’s sister, also gave birth to a girl on February 24, 1959, in Provo, Utah. We were born about an hour and a half apart and both of us had red hair. I have always considered

Genie as my ‘twin.’

“One of my earliest memo-

Louise Jones ries is in Virden trying to get my hair to dry straight. It didn’t work and to this day I am still trying ways to straighten it.

“In El Paso I remember we had to raise money to build our church building. We met in Fairyland, a preschool, for Sacrament meeting and Primary. We were then driven to different homes for classes and returned back to Fairyland to meet up with my family to go home. One of the activities to raise money was a

Hawaiian Luau.

“The Primary girls were to learn a hula dance and perform it for the entertainment. The skirts were made of green crepe paper and we had bikini tops. We wore shorts under the skirts. Mom was not happy with our dress because it was not modest. She let us wear it anyway. We found out that the skirts didn’t last very long in the rain and somehow the bikini tops were just lost in the laundry.

“The evening I was baptized the baptismal clothes were put on a rack near the wall heater to dry. In the night Wendell woke up and found the clothes on fire. We were blessed that the house didn’t go up in flames. . . .

“I have not married. I made up my mind a long time ago that if I wasn’t going to marry here I wanted to be married to a Stripling Warrior in the Book of

Mormon. I think they are very good looking and I also would look very skinny standing next to one of them. . . .

“Life will continue to be sweet if I stay strong in the Church and keep the goal of the Celestial Kingdom my main focus.”

410


7. NANETTE JONES , b. 16 August 1960 in Silver City, New Mexico, the seventh of nine children of Fredrick Parley and Mary Moore Jones, bpt. 16 August 1968, md. ARTHUR BARRY CLARKE 11 April 1986 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was b.

22 March 1955 in St. George, Utah, bpt. 30 March 1963.

Nanette had pyloric stenosis and was operated on when three months old the third of the family to have it. She is the third daughter. She was raised in

Virden, New Mexico, El Paso, Texas and Blythe, California. She enjoyed participating in Church and serving in the presidency of her M.I.A. classes. She also enjoyed all sporting activities. After high school, she attended BYU in Provo,

Utah. She served as Relief Society President of the BYU 92nd ward.

Left: Nanette Jones and Arthur B. Clarke engagement picture

Right: Nanette and Art Clarke family

Back, l. to r., Christopher, Nathan, Elizabeth

Middle, Arthur, Nanette, McKenzie and Kathrine on Nanette’s lap

Nanette went to work for WordPerfect. She worked for eight years and became the first female executive in WordPerfect. While attending a BYU Ward in

Provo, she fell in love and married. Art was raised in Mesquite, Nevada. He is the second of eight children born to Michael James and Erma Bybee Clarke. After high school he attended Dixie College for a year then went on a mission to

Japan. He attended BYU and received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1981.

He was working for the Talley Corporation as a chemist when they met.

The newlyweds moved to Pleasant Grove and both continued to work in

Utah Valley. They had their first son, Christopher Arthur, in February 1987.

Arthur changed employment and began working as a fine artist. He managed a

Fine Art Gallery at Ruby’s Inn at Bryce Canyon during the summer months.

They moved to Orem, Utah, where their next two children, Nathan and

Elizabeth, were born. After three children Nanette was able to quit her job and stay home with the children:

Art again was working in chemistry. In 1993 the family moved to Las

411


Vegas, Nevada, where their fourth and fifth children, McKenzie Rose and

Katherine Marie, were born. Arthur served as bishop of their ward from 1996 to

2001, and is now on the high council. Nanette is serving as first counselor in the

Stake Relief Society Presidency. “We are grateful for all of the blessings given to us by our Father in Heaven..”

Five children:

1. Christopher Arthur Clarke , b. 2 February 1987 in Pleasant Grove,

Utah, bpt. 4 February 1995. He enjoys the piano, does well in school and loves Young Men and Scouts.

2. Nathan Thomas Clarke, b. 16 June 1989 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 22 June

1997. He enjoys Scouts. He still practices piano and is his dad’s righthand man when there are tools to be used.

3. Elizabeth Clarke, b. 12 November 1991 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 4

December 1999

4. McKenzie Rose Clarke, b. 24 March 1995 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

5. Katherine Marie Clarke, b. 2 March 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

8. LEONARD WILLIAM JONES , b. 7 December 1961 in Silver City, New Mexico, to Fredrick Parley and Mary Moore Jones, the eighth of nine children, md.

LESLIE McCLELLAN in the Los Angeles Temple 18 May 1984.

We were living in Virden New, Mexico, at the time of my birth. My family moved a few times during my youth, but I spent most of my growing up years in

Blythe, California.

We moved to Blythe when I was in third grade. In elementary school my sister Nanette and I sang in a choir that my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Nicholas directed. We would give a major performance each year. In my fourth grade year we even made a recording and sold records locally. Nanette has one. In the sixth grade I played first base on the school softball team. We played against the two other elementary schools and went undefeated. That year I also played on a

Little League team. I would take the bus home from school and then ride my bike seven miles back to town for practice.

In fourth grade I also started playing the

Leslie McClellan and Leonard W.

Jones enggement picture trombone in the band. While in junior high, I marched with the high school band because the band was so small. I continued to play in the band until the end of my sophomore year.

One year we marched in the Fiesta Bowl

Parade in Phoenix, Arizona.

I had planned to play football starting in ninth grade. Before the start of school that year I broke three toes at a family reunion. In the hospital my dad looked at me and let me know that football would probably be out for that year. I did play the other three years of high school, one year on the J.V. and two years on the Varsity teams. I think at one time or another, I played every down lineman posi-

412

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S tion. I graduated from high school in May 1980. During this time I was also involved in Boy Scouts of America. During my senior year I finished up and received my Eagle Award.

Most of my work experience was on the farm where my father worked. He worked for his cousin, Jerry Mortensen, who was good enough to let us work there too. I hoed cotton and onions when I was little. Sometimes we would get home on the bus and my dad would pick us up to work a few hours before dinner. When I was 12, I started driving tractors on a regular basis. I spent many hours cultivating cotton. That seems to be the job I remember most. I also learned to drive a CAT and land leveling equipment.

In the fall of 1980 I started attending BYU in Provo, Utah. It was there that I met my wife Leslie Reidhead. She was a roommate with my cousin Mary

Mortensen. We dated for that semester and then I went on my mission. I served from February 1981 to March 1983 in the Mission Argentina Cordoba. I was down there during the Falkland Island War. Also during my mission, the Church revised the time of a mission down to 18 months. I had a choice and stayed the full two years.

After my mission, Leslie had become Leslie McClellan because her stepfather had legally adopted her. After we married, we both finished up our bachelors degrees in the spring and summer of 1986, mine in AgEcon and hers in Travel and Tourism. While we were still in school, the first of our five children, Mitchell McClellan, was born.

We moved to Brawley, California, and worked as a farm manager for two years. I also started my own business there that was not as successful as we would have hoped. But during this time we learned many things that would help us later in life. During our time in Brawley, Chad William Jones was born in

Brawley and Katelynn Jones was born in La Jolla, California.

One of the most rewarding callings I had in the Church was that of counselor to the bishop. The last year we lived in Brawley, I started officiating high school basketball. With each move I would find the new group and get involved again. I have done mostly Varsity games and even regional play-off games. Also in Brawley, Leslie started teaching piano and continued for more than 10 years.

In the spring of 1990 I went to work for Asgrow Vegetable Seeds and moved to Tucson, Arizona. The new job was exciting but also brought a lot of travel. Most weeks, I would be gone from Monday until Thursday. This was very hard on the family. After only two years there, we transferred to Santa Maria,

California. The move was very good because it meant not traveling nearly as much. After being there a few weeks, Chad asked when I was going to go to work. When I told him that I had been working he didn’t understand how if I wasn’t gone overnight. We lived there for three years.

During 1994 Devery was born in Santa Maria, California. There, I also enjoyed many Church callings. Two callings that I learned a lot from and enjoyed were high councilor and Scoutmaster. In the stake, I was assigned to work with the Spanish branch. Because none of the stake presidency spoke

Spanish, I was given permission to act for them and give temple interviews for the branch members. I also worked for a time with the Scouts. I would have to say that it was the beginning of great enjoyment working with the Young Men.

Here I also started officiating volleyball in addition to basketball.

413


In the spring of 1995 we were again transferred with AsGrow to Salinas,

California. We moved to Hollister, a small town just north. This was a great place for our family. It was here that we bought our first house. The neighborhood, schools and Church were all very friendly towards us. While living here, Natalie

Jones was born in 1999. Here I worked with the Scouts and Young Men as deacons quorum adviser and later as Young Men’s president. We went on some great summer activities including two 50-mile hikes, and a canoe trip down the

Sacramento River. In the summer of 2000 the boys and I along with a friend hiked Mt. Whitney in the Sierras, the tallest point in the lower 48 states at

14,500 ft.

Leonard Jones family

While here we went as a family to Hawaii. Devery was just under four years old, but was the first to memorize the seven Hawaiian Islands. This was a

GREAT time. We also had two fantastic trips to Disneyland, each for three days.

In July of 2000 I started a new job with Georgia-Pacific Corporation and we moved to Mesa, Arizona. It was hard to leave Hollister but the new opportunities are very good. We now live close to my brother Cliff and his family along with other extended family.

I have continued to work with the Young Men as an advisor to the priests and now as Young Men’s president. This summer Mitch and I went scuba diving off Catalina Island in California. Now Leslie, Chad, Mitch and I want to get certified for scuba diving.

Five children:

1. Mitchell McClellan Jones , b. 8 May 1985 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 8 May

1993. Earned his Eagle Scout award in Hollister, California. He has

414

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S played football and basketball. In 2000 the family moved to Mesa, Arizona where he continued to played football.

2. Chad William Jones, b. 5 February 1987 in Brawley, California, bpt.

5 February 1995. Chad is a very accomplished pianist. He plays for

Priesthood and Mutual openings. He has also played volleyball and basketball in junior high.

3. Katelynn Jones, b. 3 June 1989 in La Jolla, California, bpt. 3 June

1997. Katelynn took ballet and jazz dance lessons. She enjoyed going to two girls camps in 2001.

4. Devery Jones, b. 17 August 1994 in Santa Maria, California, bpt.

17 August 2002. Devery is in dance, Scottish Highland. She loves taking piano lessons.

5. Natalie Jones , b. 9 December 1999 in Hollister, California. A joy to have around.

9. ROBERT DAVID JONES , b. 27 September 1968 in El Paso, Texas, bpt.

2 October 1976, md. KIMBERLY ANN EVANS 19 December 1992 in the Jordan

River Temple. She was b. 20 January 1968, bpt. 18 April 1982.

Robert grew up in the southwest. Most of his growing up was in Southern

California in Blythe and Brawley. He earned his Eagle award from the Boy

Scouts of America. At the graduation from Seminary he gave the talk summarizing the four years of Seminary and received many compliments.

I graduated from Brawley Union High School in June 1986. That summer

I worked with Dad growing Jojoba beans just north of Niland, California, and also in Hyder, Arizona, before I went to Ricks College.

At Ricks I remember feeling so far away from the comforts of home, especially when I had to eat my own cooking. I don’t think I gained any weight that year as all my expenses were paid for by myself. Also not being a studious one in high school, I was rather amazed that my GPA actually went up in college.

At the end of the school year, 1987, I returned home and worked while I made final preparations for my mission. The day I received the letter from the Prophet in the mail, Mom and Dad were out of town. I opened the letter to learn I would be speaking Spanish in the Puerto Rico, San Juan Mission. I first called Louise because she had an 800 number at her work. She told me where I would be going for the next two years.

At the end of the summer Mom and Dad took me on a weekend trip to

San Diego where we went to Sea World, the air museum at Balboa Park. It was the first, and last, time my parents did something like that with any of their children before their missions. I think they may have just done it to prove to everyone that they did in fact spoil their youngest.

I was in Puerto Rico during Hurricane “Hugo.” My mission affected the rest of my life When I was serving in the area of Coamo I met a sister missionary who would forever change my life a few years later. Her name was Ruth

Wilcox (now Jeffery), with whom I became very close friends.

After my mission I went to Utah and stayed with Nanette and Art for a few months to get situated. For that I am forever thankful. I got back in contact with

Ruth and found that she had a friend on a mission who would be home in

September 1990. I fell in love instantly but it would take Kimberly Ann Evans

415

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S another two years of a wonderful friendship to realize that she was supposed to be my wife. We were married in the Jordan River Temple

December 19, 1992. I married my best friend.

Kim was in her last year at

BYU getting her Special Education degree and was teaching at Payson

High School. We moved into the basement of a little farmhouse until the end of the year when we moved to Smithfield (near Logan), Utah, so

I could attend Utah State for one school year. It was apparent to us that my going to school was taking too much time and money to get that diploma, so the following summer, July 21, 1994, I joined the

U.S. Army. My job was to be a

Korean Lnguist.

After basic training at Fort

Jackson, South Carolina, I went to the Defense Language Institute

Robert and Kim Jones engagement photo

Foreign Language Center (DLI) at the Presidio of Monterey, California, for nearly two years. It was here that our first child Sarah Esther Jones was born

September 30, 1995. After a follow-on training at Goodfellow Air Force Base at

San Angelo, Texas, we were off to my first “real army” assignment in Hawaii.

In Hawaii I was assigned to the 125th Military Intelligence Battalion of the

25th Infantry Division. Our second child Evan Spencer Jones was born June 5,

1998 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

After three years in Hawaii, the Army sent me to Korea for one year on a

“Hardship Tour” meaning that they would not pay to have my family sent there.

Kim and I decided that she would join me there after two months. Korea was a very rewarding experience for all of us. We didn’t enjoy life there as we do now.

The very basics of going shopping were an ordeal. As Korea is a very unstable region of the world, and my assignment there was security intensive, I could not stay off post with my family whose very small (400 s.f.) home I could see from my barracks room. As I had an 11 p.m. curfew we saw each other for a few hours a night and on weekends. This was better than not seeing each other at all.

I got out of the Army January 5, 2001 after six and a half years. We now reside in Sugarland, Texas, where I work as a construction manager and Kim teaches school part time. Life is beautiful.

Two children:.

1. Sarah Esther Jones , b. 30 September 1995 in Seaside, California. She is 100 per cent girl.

2. Evan Spencer Jones , b. 5 June 1998 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is our ham, friendly to everyone, and extremely social.

416


2. HARRY LAVERN JONES, b. 10 February 1929 in Virden, New Mexico, d. 26 March

1929.

3. MARVIN LEE JONES, b. in Virden, New Mexico, 1 March 1930 in Virden, New

Mexico, bpt. 1 March 1938, md. LaFLORENCE BRAWLEY 26 March 1952 in the

Arizona Temple. She was b. 30 June 1932 in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, bpt. 24

September 1949.

Marvin was born in the home of his grandparents Peter and Mamie Mortensen.

Marvin always loved the farm and all that went on there. Early lessons were taught in handling the horses in various tasks, caring for cows, pigs and other farm animals.

With his boys close by, Parley give them opportunities and experiences of driving teams of horses, trucks, tractors and cars early in the life. Weeding and hoeing came early and this was topped off in the summer with a swim in the irrigation canal or the river which was not far away.

Athletics played an interesting and important roll in his growing up years.

Except for one game in a State Championship tournament in which the team just went flat and could do nothing right, they would have been State Champions. They did take the consolation trophy.

After a year at Eastern Arizona Junior College, at Thatcher, Arizona, Marvin served a mission to the Central Atlantic States Mission. He and LaFlorence Brawley had gone together since she was in the eighth grade. Marvin baptized LaFlorence shortly before he left on his mission. They corresponded and talked on the telephone often

(La Florence worked as a night long distance telephone operator for part of the time

Marvin was gone). LaFlorence sent out wedding announcements before she went with

Parley and Dorothy and their daughter Lillian to pick up Marvin from his mission. Four days after Marvin’s return from his mission they were married. For their honeymoon they went to Salt Lake City to attend April General Conference.

Marvin reported his mission while there and was advised by a General Authority to enroll in school at BYU immediately. The General Authority called the registration office at BYU and cleared the way for Marvin to enroll even though it was past the last date for enrolling. Because of this and other circumstances Marvin did not go in the

Army as he had anticipated he would do.

After the term at BYU they returned to Virden where Marvin joined the farming business which became Parley Jones and Sons. He along with Fred purchased a farm next to their father’s and hoped to be able to purchase additional land to make it a profitable operation. They added other enterprises to increase their financial base.

Marvin remained on the farm for many years.

A day in the life of a farmer was typified on a Sunday afternoon when Marvin and Fred had scattered a head of water on a grain field not far from Marvin’s house. A cool drink of water was in order so they went to the house to get one. Fred sat on a bench on the back porch in the shade to drink his water. On the other end of the bench was a small tarp. Fred thought he saw movement under the tarp and investigated the source of movement. He discovered to his surprise a skunk about half grown hiding under the tarp. A call to Marvin brought him to the scene. What do you do with a skunk on the back porch of your house? They can smell as bad as a full grown skunk.

417


The tarp was gently removed and both Fred and Marvin moved out in the yard away from the skunk hoping it would make it’s get away across the lawn and out into the field. No such luck. The well and pump that supplied water to the house was on the back of the porch and the skunk made for the well and down the pipes he went sliding. After a long and tedious try the skunk finally climbed off the pipe and on to a block of wood that had been lowered which was tied to a rope.

Carefully the skunk was raised back up the well and let out on the porch where it scurried out into the field without leaving its tell-tale aroma.

The well was pumped for a long time to clear out any contaminated water. As the sun was going down in the West the house pump was back in running order and the skunk was gone. It was time to check the water we had started hours earlier.

It became apparent that the farm could not be expanded fast enough so it was sold and Marvin in time became an employee of the Church and supervised the maintenance of many ward and stake buildings and properties in northern New Mexico and

Arizona.

His great love for teaching the gospel was met by stake missions and other assignments that gave opportunity to teach and help people grow in the gospel and receive their blessings in the temple.

After Marvin’s retirement, he and LaFlorence were called on a mission to

England. Marvin was again to oversee church properties, the missionaries’ automobiles, and apartments occupied by missionaries. Later they were assigned as proselyting missionaries. This brought many great rewards to them.

They are presently serving in the recently dedicated Albuquerque, New Mexico, temple as ordinance workers. This brings a new dimension to their lives which have been devoted to the service of others.

Their children have had before them all of their lives a living example of the principles of the gospel lived as they should be lived.

Seven children:

1. MICHAEL LEE JONES , b. 14 January 1953 in Deming, New Mexico, bpt.

14 January 1961, md. TERRY COLETTE McBRIDE 16 June 1975 in the Salt

Lake Temple. She was b. 17 April 1955 in Taber, Canada, bpt. 6 May 1963.

Mike served a mission to Brazil. Six children:

1. Brandon Lee Jones , b. 27 September

1977 in Payson, Utah, on his greatgrand-mother Jones’s birthday, bpt. 28

September 1985.

2. Shana Marie Jones, b. 30 June

1979 in El Paso, Texas, bpt. 4 July

1987.

3. Ashley Dawn Jones , b. 26 July 1981 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, bpt. 28

Jul y 1989.

4. Natalie Rose Jones, b. 6 March 1983 in Blair, Nebraska, bpt. 6 March 1991.

Brandon Lee Jones and

Stephanie Froyd

418


5. Cameron Miles Jones, b. 13 December

1984 in Blair, Nebraska, bpt. 13 December

1992.

6. Jennifer Brooke Jones, b. 12 December

1986 in Portales, New Mexico, bpt. 12

December 1984.

2. GERALYN JONES , b. 2 July 1954 in Deming,

New Mexico, bpt. 2 July 1962, md. HOWARD

KEITH POWERS 22 April 1975 in the Provo Temple.

He was b. 22 July 1951 in Richmond, Virginia, bpt.

5 November 1960. Two children:

1. Brett Warren Powers , b. 24 August 1981 in Provo, Utah [adopted], bpt. 24 August 1989.

2. Courtney Lane Powers, b. 20 February

1985 in Bountiful, Utah [adopted].

Cameron Miles Jones

3. MARSHALL WAYNE JONES , b. 30 July 1955 in Deming, New Mexico, bpt.

30 July 1963, md. THELMA LOU ANDERSON 22 April 1977 in the Arizona

Temple. She was b. 14 October 1952 in Cottonwood, Arizona, bpt. 2 April 1966.

Marshall and Thelma Anderson both served missions: Marshall to Scotland and

Thelma to the New England states. Five children:

1. Trevor Wayne Jones , stillborn, 25 January 1978 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

2. Lindsey Dawn Jones , b. 14 November 1978 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, bpt. 14 November 1986. Lindsey graduated from Gallup High

School May 1997.

3. Tracie Lynn Jones , b. 10 July 1980 in Gallup, New Mexico, bpt. 10

July 1988.

4. Camie Rae Jones, b. 8 February 1982 in Gallup, New Mexico, bpt. 8

February 1990.

5. Wesley Lamar Jones , b. 16 June 1983 in Gallup, New Mexico, bpt. 16

June 1991.

Left: Camie Rae Jones and Andrew Isaac Clark; Center: Lindsey Jones

Right: Mikelle Faye and Wesley Lamar Jones

419


4. TERRY ANN JONES , b. 29 June 1957 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt. 29

June 1965, md. DEAN WHITAKER GRIFFIN January 1978 in the Provo

Temple. He was b. 7 July 1954 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 4 August 1962. Four children:

1. Scott Dean Griffin , b. 29 January 1980 in Provo,

Utah, bpt. 30 January 1988.

2. Ryan Lee Griffin, b. 14 February 1982 in

Albuquerque, New Mexico, bpt. 14 February

1990.

3. Michelle Griffin, b. 28 December 1984 in

Farmington, New Mexico. Md. Steve

Robbins 30 December 2002.

4. Lisa Griffin , b. 11 November 1986 in

Gallup, New Mexico.

Michelle Griffin and Steve Robbins

5. PAMELA JONES , b. 6 December 6, 1958 in Deming, New Mexico, bpt. 6

December 1966, md. PAUL A. BURCH 26 September 1980 in the Provo Temple.

He was b. 22 February 1955 in Nampa, Idaho, bpt. 2 March 1963. Four children:

1. Tyler Clark Burch , b. 23 October 1981 in Blackfoot, Idaho, bpt.

October 1989.

2. Carli Burch , b. 23 July 1985 in Mesa, Arizona.

3. Hayley Burch [twin], b. 31 December 1988 in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

4. Kayloni Burch [twin], b. 31 December 1988 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Died

27 November 1993 Mesa, Arizona, in a freak accident.

6. RODNEY CRAIG JONES , b. 26 January 1960 in Deming, New Mexico, bpt.

26 January 1968, md. KATHRYN MARY HESS 18 December 1981 in the Boise

Idaho Temple. She was b. 30 April 1963 in Boise, Idaho, bpt. 1 May 1971. Five children:

1. Justin Craig Jones, b. 9 November 1982 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 9

November 1990.

2. Kevin Lee Jones, b. 21 January 1984 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 21

January 1992.

3. Clayton Wayne Jones , b. 21 February 1986 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 21

420


February 1986.

4. Kelsey Lynn Jones, b. 17 August 1988 in Gallup, New Mexico.

5. Jenna Marie Jones , b. 11 October 1990 in Gallup, New Mexico.

7. ALAN REED JONES , b. 23 February 1961 in Deming, New Mexico, bpt.23

February 1969, md. SHELLEY TIDWELL 4 August 1983 in the Idaho Temple.

She was b. 6 September 1962 in Caldwell, Idaho and bpt. 26 September 1970.

Five children:

1. Randy Alan Jones , b. 6 June 1985 in Gallup, New Mexico, bpt. 6 June

1993.

2. Jessica Jones, b. 23 September 1987 in Nampa, Idaho, bpt. 23

September 1995.

3. Tonya Lynn Jones , b. 21 November 1989 in Nampa, Idaho.

4. Andrea Jones, b. 26 August 1991 in Nampa, Idaho.

5. Kyle Lee Jones, b. 13 April 1993 in Nampa, Idaho.

4. LILLIAN JONES , b. 13 March 1933 in Virden, New Mexico, the fourth child of

Parley P. and Lillian Dorothy Mortensen Jones, bpt. 13 March 1941, md.

DARVEL DEVAUN RICHINS 6 September 1952 in the Arizona Temple. He was b.

28 March 1932 in Thatcher, Arizona and bpt. 28 March 1940.

I was named Lillian Jones for my mother. My older brothers were Fredrick

P. Jones, Harry L. Jones (died at six weeks of age) and Marvin L. Jones. Three years later another brother Delwin G. Jones was born and nine years later the last brother, Chester R. Jones was born.

I grew up in a family of boys, two brothers were older and two brothers were younger. Living in the small town of Virden was a happy, carefree experience. I had several girl cousins living nearby to play and associate with as well as many friends. My father was a farmer but we did not live on the farm, we lived in town. Most of the time I stayed at home to help my mother and the boys went with my father and worked on the farm. There was always plenty of work to do.

During World War II when the young men were serving in the Army, school was dismissed for part of each day for the older kids to pick cotton and help with the harvest. My mother went with my older brothers to pick cotton and I stayed at home and took care of my younger brothers. That was fun for me as the other girls of the same age and I would play and visit around the town. I remember going to Benna Dean

Fields’s home and her mother Mrs. Fields was holding my youngest brother on her lap.

My mother was a little embarrassed about that but it seemed normal to me.

I graduated from high school in 1950 and then attended two years of college at

BYU majoring in Accounting. Devaun Richins and I had dated in high school, and then he attended Gila College for part of one year and then began working on the farm in

Animas. After our marriage we moved to Animas, New Mexico, and lived in a home in the southeast area of the old “Richins Farm.”

When we were married the Animas Branch was quite small and was meeting in the old 4-H Building next to the Catholic Church. I immediately began leading the singing which was challenging because we did not have a piano in that building. We soon moved to Adair Merrell’s barn where we did have a piano and then I started playing the piano for meetings. Over the years the present building was completed and now

421

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S we have several pianos and a wonderful organ. For many years I have served as the ward organist. I served as the chorister for Junior Sunday School for many years. I was called to be the President of the Animas Ward Relief Society when I was 24 and nearly the youngest member. I served in that capacity for about ten years and on the day I was released from that position I was sustained as the ward Young Women president where I served for another ten years.

I have since served as a Stake Young Women Counselor, Stake Young Women

President and later as the Stake Relief Society President. I have loved all my callings including being a Primary Teacher and R. S. Teacher. We are now serving as temple workers, which is truly a special blessing.

About the most challenging calling I ever had was the nursery leader for the

Sunday Morning Animas Relief Society. This was for all the women who came early with their husbands during Priesthood. At the time I accepted that call I didn’t realize I would have all the children up to the age of 12 years. It was the older boys who were the challenge. I kept telling my husband all boys should attend Priesthood at the age of eight, or we should be having Junior Sunday School during that time. No one was happier when the Sunday block program was started. The Primary just took over all my worries and challenges.

Our children were all born while we lived in our first home. We moved to our new home on the highway in 1965. We now have 21 grandchildren and our family seems to be quite scattered with two missionary grandsons serving in Brazil and

England. We also have three great-grandchildren. Every summer we have a family reunion with our children and grandchildren, the highlight of the year.

We now keep in contact with our family via e-mail and yearly visits. We love all our family and the gospel is precious in our lives. Four children:

1. JOYCELYN RICHINS , b. 15 November 1953 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.

2 December 1961, md. BEN MURPHY ALLEN 25 August 1973 in the

Arizona Temple. He was b. 3 September 1951 in Santa Monica, California, and bpt. 13 September 1959.

I was named Joycelyn Richins after a name my parents found in the BYU

Banyan . I was the oldest of four children. I grew up in the community of

Animas, New Mexico. We lived on the farm with few neighbors surrounded by cotton fields. About one mile away lived three of my dad’s brothers and their families. I remember anticipating the birth of Janell since I was nearly nine years old then. I thought she was the most wonderful baby in the world.

I played mostly with my siblings, but sometimes we either walked or got a ride down to the “farm” where my cousins were. When I was nearly six, I began first grade and I rode the bus 12 miles to the school in Animas.

(Technically we lived in “Cotton City.”) I remember being very frightened, being shy and not knowing many of the children in my class. The first girl I made friends with was named Joyce Faris. She was with me in nearly every class for the next 12 years.

After graduating from Animas High School I attended Brigham Young

University in Provo, Utah. During my second year there I met my future husband, Ben Allen, on Thanksgiving Day at his house. I was at his home because my visiting teaching partner, Sheila Hardy, was invited to spend Thanksgiving

Day at the Allens’ home and Sheila asked, “Can I bring a friend?” That friend

422

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S was me. Ben and I soon began dating, attending many basketball games and were married 25 August 1973 in the Mesa Arizona Temple.

We spent the next five years in Provo finishing our education. I received my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and I was Valedictorian of my college class. Ben received his bachelor’s degree in Economics and went on to BYU

Law School. Ben was hired to clerk for Judge Vearle Payne in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, after graduating in 1978. We have lived in Albuquerque on the west side of town all but one year and we feel like we have pioneered there.

Our first two children were born in Provo while we were attending school.

Our next three were born in Albuquerque. I grew up in a girl-dominated home, but since becoming the mother of four boys, I have become very familiar with boys and the fun and challenges that they can bring.

Some of my Church callings have been Relief Society Counselor, Relief

Society President, Visiting Teaching Leader, Cub Scout Den Leader, Young

Women’s advisor, and Primary teacher.

At this time, four children have served or are serving missions. Five children:

1. Justin Ben Allen , b. 5 December 1974 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 1

January 1983. Justin served in the Italy Padova Mission, md.

Alexis Gabrielsen 25 July 1998 in the Boise, Idaho Temple. Two children:

1. Eden Allen , b 30 June 2000 in American Fork, Utah.

2. Benjamin Gabriel Allen , b 7 December 2001 in Orem,

Utah.

Justin Ben Allen and

Alexis Gabrielsen,

1998

423


2. Rachel Allen, b. 26 June 1976 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 30 June

1984. Rachel served in the Italy Milan Mission and is teaching math at Cabala High School,

3. Jeffrey Richins Allen , b. 29 August 1979 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, bpt. 29 August 1987. Jeffrey served in the Spain Bilbao mission and md. Emily Reese 17 November 2001 in the Salt Lake

Temple.

4. Charles Gordon Allen , b. 14 September 1982 in Albuquerque,

New Mexico, bpt. 15 September 1990. Charles is serving in the

London England Mission.

5. Steven Paul Allen, b. 10 September 1985 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, bpt. 11 September 1993. Steven is a sophomore at Cabala

High School.

2. LYLE DEVAUN RICHINS , b. 3 January 1955 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Bpt. 5 January 1963, md. LASTAR ERICKSON 18 June 1977 in the St. George

Temple. She was b. 27 March 1958 in Provo, Utah and bpt. 2 July 1966.

Having been born of goodly parents, Darvel Devaun Richins and

Lillian Jones, I, Lyle, am the only boy and second child born in the family of four. Being raised on the farm, I had many opportunities to play around in the mud and oil. On one warm day, when I was about five years old, I decided to go swimming in a barrel of used oil. When my father found me, he just picked me up and put me in the back of the pickup. I was so oily that he took me home to my mom to try to clean me up. Needless to say, my mother was not happy.

At the age of seven, Dad taught me how to milk a cow and thereafter I milked the cow by myself, no matter what the conditions were, until I was fifteen years old. Because of milking the cow, I began driving the pickup at the age of eight. I would drive the pickup down to milk the cow in evening or morning, depending on when it was my turn to milk. While living on the farm, my dad would pay me to hoe weeds (five cents per row), pick cotton in gunnysacks in the fall, and drive tractors.

During my high school years, I was very involved with school and athletics. I was on the Varsity basketball team in the 11th and 12th grades. I was

President of the Yearbook, active in FFA, and involved in 4-H for many years.

After school, I helped my dad with the farm work. I graduated from Animas High

School in May of 1972 as Valedictorian from a graduating class of only twelve students.

I attended Brigham Young University at Provo before serving an LDS

Mission in the Alaska-British Columbia mission, later named the Canada

Vancouver Mission (January 1974 – January 1976.) I had the opportunity to serve as District Leader and Zone Leader during my mission.

After I returned home from my mission, I went back to BYU and met my future wife, LaStar Erickson. We were married on June 18, 1977, in the St.

George Temple. It was a day I will never forget. We both graduated from BYU in

1979. I graduated as a chemical engineer and LaStar graduated as an elementary teacher. Our first child was born three weeks before we graduated. We had six other children born to us through the ensuing years to bring joy and happiness to our lives.

424


I accepted a job with Phelps Dodge as an engineer in the smelter and lived in Morenci, Arizona, for a year and a half. In 1981, we went self-employed (mainly working for my father-in-law, Einar Erickson, calling it Mineral Extractive

Services. We moved to Ely, Nevada, for the spring and summer and then to

Kingman, Arizona, in September 1982.

Lyle and

LaStar

Richins family

On 15 February 1983, we purchased the Radio Shack store in Kingman.

Through the years we have purchased a Radio Shack store in Lake Havasu City,

Arizona (1984); Bullhead City, Arizona (1989); Cedar City, Utah (1993); two in

St. George, Utah (1994); and one in Hurricane, Utah (1997). We have had the opportunity to travel many places throughout the world by winning Radio Shack trips and have won numerous awards. In 1988, we built a lovely home for our family, which consisted of six children at the time.

We moved to St. George, Utah, in 1996, and shortly afterwards built a beautiful home for our seven children. Four of our children have completed their high school years in St. George and have gone on to higher education.

I have had a handful of callings, mostly dealing with the youth. I have served three times as a Scoutmaster for more than 15 years (Morenci, Kingman, and St. George), Cubmaster, Webelos Leader, Young Men’s President (twice), bishop’s counselor (twice), bishop (five years) and as a High Councilman.

During the years as bishop, I had wonderful spiritual opportunities with the youth and adults. I was called as the bishop of the new Cerbat Ward in

Kingman, Arizona, during the years of 1989-1994, when the Las Vegas Temple was dedicated in our area and the LDS Church financial program was changed eliminating the budget funds program. I served with many wonderful people.

We have seven wonderful children and one grandchild at this time. Our children have been involved in numerous musical and sports programs. We credit all of our blessings to having the gospel in our lives and having a wonderful heritage.

Our seven children:

425


1. Kandelyn Richins, b. 29 March 1979 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 2 May 1987, md. Richard James Western 21 November 1998 in the St. George Temple.

Kandelyn graduated from BYU in 2001.

2. Leshell Richins , b. 2 July 1980 in Morenci, Arizona, bpt. 2 July

1988. LeShell graduated from BYU in 2002.

3. Trevan Devaun Richins , b. 7 January 1982 in Kingman, Arizona.

Bpt. 3 February 1990. Trevan served in the LDS Brazil Manaus mission.

4. Kayleena Richins , b. 6 December 1983 in Kingman, Arizona, bpt. 4

January 1992.

5. Raveny Richins, b. 4 October 1985 in Kingman, Arizona, bpt. 7

November 1993.

6. Shandelee Richins , b. 24 January 1987 in Kingman, Arizona, bpt. 4

February 1995.

7. Shybree Richins , b. 1 April 1991 in Kingman, Arizona, bpt. 1

May 1999.

Left: Kandelyn Richins and Richard James Western; Center: Trevan Devaun Richins and

Heather Anderson; Right: LeShell Richins and Jason Neil Murray

3. DOROTHY RICHINS , b. 24 January 1957 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.

24 January 1965, md. MELVIN ROBISON CRANE 2 June 1978 in the

Arizona Temple. He was b. 4 August 1950 in Montpelier, Idaho and bpt. 4

October 1958.

I have one older sister, Joycelyn, an older brother, Lyle, and a younger sister, Janell. I grew up in Cotton City, New Mexico, where my dad farmed cotton and grain. Three of my dad’s brothers also lived nearby and farmed in a partnership with my dad. This meant that there were lots of cousins to grow up with. It was a fun childhood. Some of my memories are wading in the ditches during the summer. It was fun to catch tadpoles and do lots of fun things that usually included mud. I liked to tag along with my older brother and sister and cousins.

It seems I was always the little sister, so I worked hard to show them I could do things just as well as they could.

426


While a young teenager my brother, Lyle, was working on his scouting merit badges. The bicycle merit badge required a final ride of 50 miles. Somehow

I agreed to go with Lyle on this final ride. I had not done all the shorter rides that help a Scout prepare for the final ride. I remember getting so tired but determined that I would not let Lyle leave me behind. Some other Scouts had previously completed the 50-mile ride in a certain amount of time and Lyle was determined to do it in a shorter amount of time. We did complete the goal. He received his merit badge and I got lots of sore muscles. We went to the Church that night to watch a movie and I couldn’t enjoy it because I hurt everywhere!

As a little girl I remember going with my cousins and brother and sister to pick cotton. We would pull a gunnysack behind us and put the cotton that we picked off the plants into it. I would get quite discouraged when they weighed my gunnysack as it never weighed as much as the other kids’ sacks. I also spent time during the hot summer days hoeing weeds in the fields. The hoeing part was hot and hard work, but it was fun to work alongside my cousins and family.

Singing was also an important part of my life. Thanks to my mom’s efforts, she helped my cousin, Shelley, and I learn songs and played the piano when we sang duets. We sang at programs, receptions, funerals, and even some competitions. Music continues to be an important part of my life.

My dad and uncles purchased a ranch in the Chiricahua

Mountains, about an hour’s drive from our home, when I was in junior high school. When I was younger, I was thrown from a horse and developed a fear of horses. I learned to trust horses again while helping on the ranch. Once I was riding horses with a friend. Her horse bucked her off and my horse got spooked and followed her horse at a fast gallop. No matter how hard I pulled on the reins, I couldn’t get the horse to stop We were approaching a deep ravine and I was fearful of being thrown off. I decided it would be better to jump off than be thrown off. I said one final prayer along with pulling on the reins before I was going to jump. My prayer was answered as the horse stopped.

I was pretty shaky and didn’t want to ride the horse home. My dad had broken his leg earlier and had a cast on it. I remember how funny it looked as my good dad rode my horse home while leading the other horse with his cast on his leg poking straight out.

I attended a small high school and had many chances to get involved and participate in activities. It was a fun time. I attended college at BYU. While a freshman, I was assigned a home teacher by the name of Melvin Crane. He was a very good home teacher and looked me up when I was a junior in college.

We live near Bennington, Idaho. We enjoy the many activities associated with living on a farm and raising livestock. Melvin is currently serving as the bishop of our ward. I am enjoying a second term as the Primary chorister. Other callings have included Young Women president, Primary president, Sunday

School and Primary teacher. I also work for the local school district as the business manager.

I have been blessed with good parents who have taught me good values and the importance of the Gospel. They continue to be wonderful grandparents.

They have worked at keeping our family close together and the grandchildren have bonded together as friends and cousins.

We have six children:

427


1. Peter Melvin Crane , b. 21 August 1979 in Montpelier, Idaho, bpt.

21 September 1987. Attends BYU.

2. Camie Dawn Crane , b. 29 January 1981 in Montpelier, Idaho.

Bpt. 4 February 1989, md. E. MORGAN JENSEN 24 August 2001 in the Logan Temple. They are both attending BYU-Idaho.

0

Camie Dawn Crane and

Morgan Jensen

3. Alisha Beth Crane, b. 21 April 1982 in Montpelier, Idaho, bpt. 6

May 1990. She is attending BYU-Idaho.

4. William Richins Crane, b. 18 February 1984 in Montpelier,

Idaho, bpt. 29 February 1992.

5. Tanya Faye Crane , b. 19 September 1987 in Montpelier, Idaho.

Bpt. 7 October 1995.

6. James Devaun Crane, b. 30 November 1989 in Montpelier,

Idaho, bpt. 30 November 1997.

4. JANELL RICHINS , b. 7 September 1962 in Silver City, New Mexico, to D.

Devaun Richins and Lillian Jones Richins, bpt. 7 September 1970, md.

STEVEN ROBERT PALMER 19 June 1985 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 27 September 1959 in Blythe, California, bpt. 30 September 1967.

I, Janell Richins Palmer, am the youngest of four children. I was raised in Animas, New Mexico. I have two sisters, Joycelyn and Dorothy and one brother, Lyle. I was raised around many cousins, as my father was in the farming business with three of his brothers.

Because I was quite a bit younger than my siblings, it was my cousins who I played with, and my childhood memories revolve around them. Jeff Richins and Carolyn Richins were around my age and I have many fond memories growing up with them. Jeff was never afraid of anything and had a big imagination. I was timid, so he was always getting me to do things that were fun, but not always the best choices. Carolyn on the other hand was always level-headed and had more years on her than

428

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S her age. She was a loyal friend to me and one whom I could always count on.

I remember playing in the cotton trailers with my cousins and building forts underneath all the cotton. We played for hours in the sunbaked cotton. It was warm and stickery from all the sticks from the fields.

While growing up my father and some of his brothers bought a ranch in the Chiricahua Mountains. We spent many days going to the ranch house and playing on the wonderful huge trees and swings. There were javelina hogs roaming around, along with rattlesnakes, so I always had a quick get-away plan, if I were to come face to face with a javelina. I thankfully never had to use my plan. However my father loved to make the hog sound and watch me squeal and run.

I learned how to ride horses while at the ranch. And we would round up cattle and move them from the Cinema valley up to the foothills of the ranch. It was a very long day to move the cattle. I wasn’t any help at all, more of a nuisance, I’m sure. I was not tough and spent most of my younger years in tears. But my dad sent me so I would learn about the ranch and cows and working outside.

Mr. Norris was working for my dad at the time on the ranch and he was in charge when we drove the cattle to the ranch. I was terrified of him. He was tall and a cowboy through and through. He had a handlebar mustache with a big cowboy hat and a gruff voice when he was mad. He would yell at my cousins Jeff and Scott Richins, but he never yelled at me. I think he knew I would cry, and he didn’t have time for sissy girls.

So instead Jeff and Scott got blamed for all my wrong turns.

My most prominent memory with my siblings was the ongoing

Monday night battle. This was before the LDS Church came out with

Monday night as Family Home Evening. But my brother Lyle wanted to watch football, and I wanted to watch the great TV show “Family Affair.”

He was not sympathetic to my wishes, nor I to his. I remember we had to write on the calendar a schedule and peace was once again in our home.

Little did I know that football would be an ongoing presence in my married life.

I graduated from Animas High early and went to BYU in January. I had finished a semester of college and than I came home and participated in the high school graduation ceremony. I felt very out of place as my small-town friends were crying and weeping after the ceremony. And I had already been out into “the world” and it wasn’t all that frightening. I returned later that summer to BYU.

I met my husband, Steven Robert Palmer, who LOVES watching football, while living in Provo, Utah. We married June 19, 1985, and graduated the following year. Steve got a job as a CPA in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, and we moved there and lived the luxurious life of double income, no kids.

He was then offered a job to work for Phelps Dodge and we took it,

I with hesitation, but something he wanted. We moved to Playas, New

Mexico. Two years later we were transferred to their headquarters in

Phoenix, Arizona. We had our daughter Morgan Ruth, while living in

429


Playas. We moved to Phoenix in 1989. Our son Dane Richins was a stillborn and we buried him in Cotton City, New Mexico, next to the LDS

Church in the Animas Valley.

Marnie Rae was born in Mesa, Arizona. We then moved to South

America with Steve’s job and lived in Copiapo, Chile, for four years. Steve was called to be the “Obispo” of our ward in Chile. We were in the

Chanaracillo Ward. I was serving in the Primary, first as the music everything, and teacher, and then as a counselor in the Stake Primary

Presidency. It was a great experience for us to help bring the Church into

Copiapo. We both struggled with the language and with our callings but were blessed immensely by the Spirit and the love of the people. They were always eager to learn more about implementing the Gospel in their lives and in the ward and stake.

I learned I could not teach as I did not have the language skills, but I could show them, and they would follow and fill in the blanks with the words that I did not know.

My girls loved living in Chile and were sad when we moved back to the United States. We returned to the Phoenix valley and now live in

Mesa, Arizona. The girls have readjusted and have learned how to go to school in English all day, with more rules and restrictions.

Three children:

1. Morgan Ruth Palmer , b. 13 August 1988 in Silver City, New

Mexico, bpt. 15 September 1996.

2. Dane Richins Palmer , Stillborn 25 March 1991 in Mesa,

Arizona.

3. Markie Rae Palmer, b. 14 October 1992 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt.

14 October 2000.

5. DELWIN GRANT JONES, b. 22 November 1936 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 22

November 1944, md. MAURINE TUFTS 6 July 1961 in the Alberta Canada

Temple. She was b. 4 May 1940 in Lethbridge, Canada, bpt. 6 July 1948.

I was born at the home of my parents, Parley Penrose and Dorothy Lillian

Mortensen Jones. Mother said she just liked the name Delwin and my middle name came from President Heber J. Grant, who was eighty years old the day I was born. My red hair came naturally since my mother’s hair was almost red and what hair my father had left was red too. All the older children had red hair.

Our home was located one block north of the church house. Grandmother

Jones’s house was next to ours. I thought it was really a big day when I entered school in the fall of 1942. I graduated from Virden High School and was the class valedictorian in 1956.I attended Brigham Young University for a year then served a mission in Uruguay, South America. I traveled by train to New York then sailed by boat to

Uruguay. I enjoyed very much the experiences I had on my mission.

Upon completing my mission I flew back to New York in August of 1959 where my family met me and we had the opportunity to visit some of the Church history sites and attended the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

I returned to BYU and graduated in Accounting May 1961. I met Maurine Tufts while I was attending BYU and we were married in July after I graduated.

430


Our first home was in El Paso, Texas, where I was employed with an accounting firm. I was deferred from service in the military while attending college and serving a mission for the Church. In October of 1961 I was drafted into the Army. After basic training we were stationed in Virginia for a short time then transferred to New Orleans,

Louisiana. I completed two years of service in the military, then we moved to Arizona. I continued my career in accounting and also enrolled at Arizona State University to complete a master’s degree. We lived in Phoenix a short time, then in Tempe.

Delwin and

Maurine Jones family, 2002

After being employed with American Express for several years I set up my own accounting business with two of our sons.

Our children have all been healthy and have strong testimonies of the Church of

Jesus Christ so I feel that the Lord has blessed us greatly. Our children all graduated from high school in Tempe. All our children served missions for the LDS Church.

Maurine and I have been blessed with six sons and one daughter. At the present time we have four children married and four grandchildren.

1. RANDALL GRANT JONES , b. 7 July 1962 in New Orleans, Louisiana, bpt.

8 August 1970, md. GAYLE LUCILLE BUELER 7 October 1988 in the

Arizona Temple. Gayle was b. 6 May 1960 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 1968.

Randall was born while his father was in the Army. Randall attained

Eagle Rank in the Boy Scouts of America. He graduated from Brigham Young

University. He went to work with his father in his accounting business in Tempe,

Arizona, and is now managing his own CPA Practice. Randall is serving as a bishop.

Three children:

1. Tyler Randall Jones, b. 1991. A great baseball player.

2. William Clark Jones , b. 18 April 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The fisherman of the family.

3. Caroline Jones, b. in 1998.

431


2. GORDON LYNN JONES , b. 17 January 1964 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

26 January 1972, md. RUTH MARION KAUL 9 November 1996 in the

Arizona Temple. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He works in the family CPA business. Ruth has a candle business and breeds puppies.

Beagles are her speciality. One child:

1. Joshua Jones , b. August 1999.

Gordon and Ruth Jones

3. CLARENCE CRAIG JONES , b. 7 October 1966 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt.

7 October 1974, md. COLENE WRIGHT in the Arizona Temple 2

September 1995.

I am the third of seven children consisting of six boys and one daughter. I must say I have lead a good and productive life in my first thirty-four years. As a young child I was always well behaved. I would go along with my mother anywhere and was just fine as long as my mother was nearby. It was said I could throw a tantrum if my mother left my side. Naturally with other siblings I had to learn to get along and take responsibility at a young age. I am certain at age four when Keith arrived I was a model older brother in most ways.

I vaguely remember starting school and being a timid child. I enjoyed school and always tried very hard. The report cards seldom ever expressed behavior problems mainly because at home behavioral problems were always addressed by both parents.

I played sports as a child although I was never the best player, I was a team player, if that counts for anything. One tragic day Mom received a call from the school regarding my music ability in attempting to play the trumpet. I was already taking piano lessons trying to blossom into a concert pianist. The school music teacher explained to Mom that as strange as it sounds I was tone deaf and needed to halt my trumpet classes. It was determined by the music teacher that I could continue on with piano lessons with no side affects. I accepted the news and continued my piano lessons until it was determined that I could play a few hymns. Somehow I was asked to play the songs in Priesthood Meeting. This

432

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S was a chore for me at age twelve. I struggled with the songs and the person leading the music was patient with me so I endured this process.

At age ten I started

Scouting with the lofty goal of following my older brothers to become an Eagle Scout. I really wanted the ten-speed bicycle that Dad had promised me.

Somehow with the encouragement from my mom I earned the rank of Eagle Scout at age thirteen. I was very proud of this accomplishment.

In high school I was involved in seminary and other activities. I enjoyed riding my bike to school and sometimes twice each day for football practice. I enjoyed being part of a team and learning to work hard for the things I was trying to

Clarence Craig and Colene Wright Jones conquer.

After high school I worked hard to earn money to serve a mission. That was possibly one of the greatest lessons taught to me by my parents was the habit of hard work. I would often work in the yard or around the house trying to keep things organized. Today I still enjoy these types of activities and the idea of having a well maintained yard. I served in the Illinois Peoria Mission from 1985-

1987. Nearing the conclusion of my mission I had the opportunity to serve and give tours in Nauvoo. I will always take special note of church history because of that experience.

I was a single returned missionary for a few years until I met Colene

Wright in 1994. She was employed as a nurse caring for Grandma Jones. Her willingness to serve and nurture other people was a bright quality that brought us together. She also had served a mission and was open to the idea of starting a courtship. We dated and enjoyed this time for what might be called a short time period. At age 28 I was ready to settle down. We currently reside in Tempe,

Arizona.

I serve as the cubmaster, sharing a true love of scouting. Colene works as a school nurse and loves it. One child:

1. Natalie Jones, b 10 April 2002 in Mesa, Arizona.

4. KEITH LAMAR JONES, b. 28 July 1970 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 5 August

1978. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Served a mission. Graduated from BYU and is living in Tucson, Arizona, working on a doctorate in Accounting at the University of Arizona. He has a realtor’s license.

433


5. COLLETTE JONES , b. 10 June 1973 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 20 June 1981.

She served a mission to the New York City Mission. She graduated from BYU and is working full time for the Arc of Tempe running a recreation program for individuals with disabilities.

6. DARRELL BRENT JONES , b. 13 January 1975 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt.

29 January 1983, md. AUBREY DAWN REEDER 21 August 1998 in the

Arizona Temple. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He served a mission.

Darrell works for American Express. Aubrey works at ASU in a lab and also at the Arc for Collette.

7. BRIAN PETER JONES, b. 25 March 1977 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 25 March

1985.

Left: Darrell Brent Jones and Aubrey Dawn Reeder

Below: Brian Peter Jones

6. CHESTER REED JONES, b. 6 January 1942 in the village of Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 6 January 1950, md. PATRICIA ANN SEYMOUR 5 March 1966 in the California

Oakland Temple. Pat was b. 26 October 1939 in Hanford, California, bpt. 3 April 1948.

My parents are Parley P. and Lillian Dorothy Mortensen Jones. I was raised and lived in Virden until I left for college. I was the youngest in the family of six. We lived in the town proper, but my father farmed 180 acres up the river from town. Some of this was land that my grandfather had obtained after their family was forced out of Mexico at the time of the Mexican Revolution and the balance was obtained by my father.

Quoting from a tape of my mother expressing her feelings at the event of my birth, she said, “Chester is our sixth child. We had five boys and one girl. When we first knew we were going to have him we were in hopes it would be a girl! It had been six years since our last baby was born and then the night he was born we were kind of

434

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S disappointed when he was a boy and I guess his sister Lillian was the most disappointed. I didn’t think she was even going to like him for a while. It had been a few years since my own mother had died and I hadn’t had a baby before when she wasn’t with me. So it seemed a little different, but Sister Mabel Lines, who was our neighbor and a very good midwife, came over to help and of course my mother-in-law, Grandma Jones, was close by and she came also.

“The doctor was Ross Johnson, he had been living here in Virden for quite a while and a very good doctor and liked by most of the community and so we were fortunate to have him here so close. I had a normal birth and he was a beautiful child. We were all very proud of him and loved him and it wasn’t long until we were not feeling badly he wasn’t a girl and everybody loved him and played with him. He was named after a brother of mine who was in the service at the time of his birth and who was very close to me.

“Our little Chester had a willing smile all the time and I never believe there was ever a child that had more love than he did in our family, because there were so many to love him. He was quite an ambitious little guy and always liked to be playing at the feet of his daddy and in fact, he wasn’t so many years old when his daddy would take him to the farm.”

The little community was a place surrounded by relatives, cousins, people with the same religion and goals, same circumstances and gifted with a cultural attitude that gave us all good direction for life. This community was a place of good education, with a family atmosphere and strong values. We had our own school here for many years and I finished grammar school here.

As soon as I was old enough, I started going with my dad and brothers to the farm and learned to help with the chores and other work at a young age. The family farm was the beginning of many learning experiences for me and many basic principles of life, work and skills.

I will quote my mother here: “He wasn’t too many years old when he started to be quite a help to his father. He could drive tractor down the rows, (he was about 6 years old) and also we had a big truck they used to haul the hay out of

Chet and Pat Jones,

Christmas 2000 the field. Chester was really proud when he could kneel on the seat and steer the truck down the hay field. They would set the gas throttle so he wouldn’t have to work that, and the truck went quite slow. Then they would load the truck as he went along and they would manage to keep up. His daddy would help him turn around at the end of the rows and go back down another row as they kept loading the hay.”

With this type of labor also came the risks and occasional accidents. One such experience happened when I was young helping with the potato harvest. We were finishing digging a field of potatoes and my job was to walk down the row ahead of the tractor and move some partially filled potato sacks out of the row so the tractor wheel would not run over any sacks and smash them. My brother Delwin was driving the

435

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S tractor pulling the potato digger behind him in the field. As I was dragging the sacks to one side I stumbled over something and fell face down into the row directly in front of the tractor. Delwin was looking back at the digger, making sure it was going right, and did not see me fall and the front wheels ran over me before Delwin could stop the tractor. Fortunately it was a small tire and I was not seriously hurt because of the soft dirt and fortunately the tractor wasn’t as powerful as are the tractors today. Also, the pulling of the digger took some of the weight off the front wheels so it lifted the wheel a little. But the tractor tire did leave a mark on my back and it scared everyone working in the fields that day.

After finishing grammar school the community found it would not be able to support their little school, so changes were made and the high school students were sent to the Duncan Unified School in Duncan, Arizona (seven miles from Virden). Here

I could be involved in basketball, tennis, and band (saxophone). I learned more of life outside my smaller town.

I also was able to be in FFA and our livestock judging team took first place in the Arizona State competition and qualified to go to National finals in

Kansas City. I was still doing chores, such as milking cows and helping Dad on the farm when I could. I graduated in the spring of 1960.

To list my several accidents in my life I will quote my mother once again:

“Chester has had several accidents in his life. Some could have been real serious ones, but they weren’t. One incident; he was just a little fellow about three years old. He was playing over to Aunt Emma Dee Payne’s and some how he fell and cut his forehead right between his eyebrows. He fell on a piece of glass and Unice Harris, who had been a nurse, happened to be over there. She picked him up and brought him home. He was just covered with blood and so was she. I thought he had a big gash on his head, but it turned out to be a small gash, but quite deep, so we had to take him to the doctor in

Duncan to be sewed up. Several times he has had to be sewed up.”

Another time I was on a load of hay and Delwin was driving the team of horses when he had to get off and help some others re-stack hay on another wagon. He tucked the lines under the wire of a bail of hay and went to help, but I stayed on the wagon. The horses were tired and instead of waiting started on. They started crossing the bridge over the Sunset ditch and I was yelling all the time for help. The hay wagon turned too sharp and the front wheel of the trailer went off the edge of the bridge.

Some of the bales of hay and I went into the canal. Had the horses not stopped the entire load of hay and probably the wagon would have come down on top of me in the canal.

Another time I was down in the trench silo helping pull a wagon when needed. It had a cement mixer on it and the others were fixing the wall because the cinder blocks were shifting and they were preparing better supports for the wall. When we started to move the trailer the entire block structure gave way, and a solid wall of cinder blocks fell right over, but the section of the wall that fell over me was not still held together.

Fred came running to lift the cinder blocks off of me, sure I had been seriously hurt.

But I got up and walked away. Of course there were bruises and pain, but I was all right.

Following my graduation from high school, my father retired from farming and moved to Provo, Utah. My brother Delwin and I lived with them that year. We were both enrolled at BYU. I finished my freshman year and then received my call from the

Church to go to the Eastern Canadian Mission where I served for two years, from 1961

436

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S to 1963. My first mission president was President Thomas S. Monson.

After my mission I came back to Virden, New Mexico, and stayed with my brother Marvin and family. My parents had been called on a mission a few months after I was gone and they hadn’t returned yet. I worked for my brother a while on the farm and then returned to studies at BYU where I met and married Patricia Ann Seymour from Sacramento, California. We didn’t go back to school at that time but worked for three months in Salt Lake City, Utah, then in the summer went to Virden to work and in the fall returned to BYU to finish up my last year.

I graduated in the spring of 1967, just a few months after our first child Gerlene was born. We lived in many places the first five years of marriage, but our second child and third children, Shauna and Michelle, were born in Silver City, New Mexico.

Following graduation from college many different moves were made and occupations tried. Farming (Virden and Salt Flat, Texas), banking (Tempe, Arizona), trucking

(my own business which took us to Virden and El Paso, Texas), feed lot assistance

(Blythe, California). We returned to Virden in 1975 and I was working for the Sunset

Canal for several years along with working with my Uncle Virgil Jones farming. We lived at the head of the Virden Valley for seven years on the Orson Richins farm.

In the winter of 1978, during the time Duncan was flooded, a member of the board for the Duncan Valley Electric Coop came to me and asked me if I would be interested in working for the Coop to repair flood damage to the electric system. After working with the line crew for about three months I was hired as the accountant for the Coop and this allowed me to use the degree I graduated with as a business major. I worked for this same organization as their Office Manager for 21 years. I worked with their computer system that controls the entire operation of the office bookkeeping/ accounting including a natural gas system and television organization, which covers parts of Greenlee County and Graham County, Arizona, and Hidalgo County, New

Mexico. I retired from the Coop in February of 2000 with a medical retirement.

Our family has traveled together to many places, enjoying the sights and learning more of our country. We have traveled to and from California, Texas, to

Illinois, Minnesota, and through all the states between. Church history sites were some of our favorite places such as the Sun Ranch, Nauvoo, and then Yellowstone National

Park where we have visited three times in seven years. Of course, “The Ranch” in the

Chiricahua Mountains would be counted as the highlight of our life. We’ve enjoyed 28 years of Thanksgivings at “The Ranch” with Lillian and Devaun Richins and the Delwin

Jones family. Devaun and Darrow Richins own this ranch.

The Church has given me many opportunities to serve in positions of responsibility which have taught me many great and valuable lessons including

Sunday School teacher, Scouts, elders quorum, bishops counselor, bishop, high

Councilor, and counselor in the Stake Presidency and now as Stake President for the past nine years. I have been given much.

My medical retirement was the result of a stroke suffered in June of 1999 has changed our life but not our purpose. Because of the faith, prayers and fasting of family, friends, community, general authorities and of the wonderful members in our Stake,

I am here and walking and able to go forward in whatever is needed of us. I was released as Stake President June 24, 2000, after serving for a little over nine years.

Three girls:

1. GERLENE JONES , b. 24 February 1967 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 1 March 1975.

437


She is at present living in Arlington, Virginia, where she works for IBM in their

Marketing Department.

2. SHAUNA JONES , b. 25 December 1969 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.

25 December 19771, md. JEFFERY LAURENCE JACOBSON 12 January

1990 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 4 December 1967 in Phoenix,

Arizona, bpt. 6 December 1975. They live in Mesa, Arizona. Four children, all b. in Mesa, Arizona:

1. Jarred Laurence Jacobson , b. 25 September 1990, bpt. 4 October

1998.

2. Shalane Leeann Jacobson , b. 23 May 1992.

3. Katie Nicole Jacobson, b. 27 April 1996.

4. Tanner Reed Jacobson , b. 24 March 24, 1999.

3. MICHELLE JONES , b. 27 December 1975 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Bpt.27 December1983, md. CLYDE LACEL PACE 12 August 1993 in

Duncan, Arizona. Sealed 3 June 1995 in the Arizona Temple. He was b.

27 April 1976 in Morenci, Arizona, bpt. 27 April 1984. They live in

Safford, Arizona, where their three children were born.

1. Clyde Reed Pace, b. 2 March 1994.

2. Kelly Renee Pace, b. 26 July 1996.

3. Hunter Ryan Pace, b. 7 June 1999.

1A7-7 ERMA MORTENSEN , b. 24 July 1907 in Diaz, Mexico, bpt. 16 February

1916, md. CLIFFORD BRIGHAM STEWART 12 November 1929 in the Arizona

Temple. He was b. 3 January 1887 in Kanab, Utah, bpt. 4 January 1898 and d.

10 April 1961 in Phoenix, Arizona, of cancer. Erma died 7 November 1968 in

Twentynine Palms, California.

1A7-7 Erma Mortensen married second HERBERT MORRIS about 1964.

Erma left Mexico with her family when the saints were driven out of Mexico.

She grew up in Virden, New Mexico, and as a young woman went to Safford,

Arizona, to work as a waitress where she met and married Cliff, who had two sons, Ted and Bob, through marriage to Irene Reed who had died several years earlier.

Erma had a beautiful voice and sang solos and in many choirs. She held many church callings, one of which was Stake Relief Society President for ten years under Spencer W. Kimball and other stake presidents in the late 30s and early

40s. Before Cliff’s death they were very active in the local square dance club and went to many national conventions where Erma often called dances.

One of the big challenges Erma faced was migraine headaches which in later life caused her much difficulty. Her official death was caused by a stroke while staying with her daughter, Jeannine.

438


Erma and Cliff had three children:

.

1. CLIFFORD STEWART JR.

, b. 10 April 1931 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 7 May 1939, md. ELMA JANICE McBRIDE 25 May 1951 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 7 April

1933 in Glenbar, Arizona, bpt. 30 April 1941. Clifford d. 6 December 1980 in Las

Vegas, Nevada. Four children:

1. CLIFFORD BRITT STEWART , b. 1955.

2. SCOTT E. STEWART , b. 1958

3. RODNEY KEE STEWART , b. 1961.

4. KEVIN LYN STEWART, b. 1963.

2. JEANNINE STEWART , b. 10 May 1935 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 6 June 1943, md. WALDEMAR EUGENE “GENE” HAUET 15 June 1960 in the Arizona Temple.

He was b. 25 February 1932 in Hartford, Connecticut, bpt. 30 June 1946.

Jeannine joined the 4-H Club at age 8 and loved to sew. Being 6l” tall made sewing a necessity. She grew up in the same home until she went away to Arizona

State College in 1954. She graduated in 1957 and moved to Pomona, California, to teach home economics at Pomona and Genesha High Schools. She taught basic skills

(math, English, history) and home economics in junior high at Barstow.

She met Waldemar Eugene (Buddy) Hauet in November 1958 and they married the next June. Gene was in the Marine Corps so there was some moving around during their early years: Barstow 1959-62; Washington, D.C.1962-65; Corona 1965-66;

Twentynine Palms 1966-70; Santee 1970-1973; and Lakeside 1973-2000.

One of the highlights in Jeannine’s life was singing in a 300-voice women’s choir at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. For the past five years she and her husband have been working as campground managers at Mount Whitney where thousands of people come to hike the highest mountain in the lower 48 states.

They served a mission in Wyoming at the sixth crossing of the Sweet River. Four children:

1. SUSANNE MARIE HAUET , b. 15 March 1961 in Quantico, Virginia, bpt.

29 March 1969, md. MICHAEL GROW in the Los Angeles Temple 19 June

1981. He was b. 19 August 1958.

I began attending school in Twentynine Palms, California, and graduated from El Capitan High School in Lakeside, California. I considered myself shy until gaining self-confidence while on the high school drill team. Performing with a team and dancing to the upbeat music was a thrill and fulfilled a dream of wanting to be a ballerina. I am the short one in the family at a height of 5’9”. I used to be uncomfortable being noticed for my reddish colored hair but now that it is browner I’m wishing it was more red!

In college I did take a ballet and jazz dancing class, which I thor-

439

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S oughly enjoyed and found out that ballerinas really should be considered athletes.

I had many opportunities to babysit as a pre-teen and made a good amount of spending money. My first real job was when I was about 16 working in a family-owned movie theater. I was responsible for ticket sales as well as working the snack counter. After graduating from high school I was hired at a furniture store as an office clerk and was promoted to office manager where I worked until the birth of our first child when I began my most important “job.”

Another of my childhood dreams was to marry and have a family. I met

Michael Grow in the Young Adult program of The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints. For a long time we were just good friends and co-workers with the young adults. Then he asked me for an official date to the movies. Three of our first four dates were to the mountains to go skiing. It’s no surprise we now live in the mountains. My church calling at that time was the nursery leader. I think I realized what a good man he was when he would come to my ward and help me in the nursery. He would get right down on the floor and play with the kids. He is a great dad and gets right in there with whatever our children are doing, like rock climbing!

We dated about two years, and I was a 21-year-old bride. Michael works in the electronics field and has worked for Motorola for about 18 years now.

As a family we have enjoyed many trips to the park, the zoo,

Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and such. We enjoy camping and have gone to Mt. Whitney for the past five or six summers to be with Grandma and Grampa Hauet. Now with all the children in school I have a part-time job working at the school as the health aide.

My testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me in my church career as I have held many callings. I believe my first calling was to be the

Junior Primary pianist, when Primary was still on weekdays. I was soon asked to teach the songs to the children as the chorister. After I was married and thought

I would only have music callings, I was called to the Primary presidency! Other callings have included homemaking leader, Young Women leader, and briefly a

Sunbeam teacher. I have attended Girls’ Camp with Melissa every summer for the past six years. I am now enjoying teaching the Laurel class in Young Women.

I enjoy working with my hands and have had many hobbies in my lifetime. My mother taught me basic knitting, crocheting and to sew. I’ve sewn clothes for myself as well as for friends and the children. I learned to play the piano, taking lesson for about three or four years. In high school I took a photo and a jewelry-making class that I enjoyed. I have enjoyed gardening. At our last home we had a flower garden as well as a very productive vegetable garden.

Unfortunately, in the mountains we just don’t have a long enough season for vegetable gardening.

I also enjoy cross-stitching, building simple wood projects, home decorating, quilting, tole painting, and scrapbooking.

Five children:

1. Melissa Renee Grow , b. 19 August 1983 in San Diego, California, on her daddy’s 25th birthday, bpt. 31 August 1991.

440


2. Daniel Stewart Grow , b. 25 February 1985 in San Diego,

California, on Grampy Hauet’s birthday.

3. Brian Joshua Grow, b. 6 June 1988.

4. Paul Thomas Grow , b. 13 October 1990 in El Cajon, California.

5. Allison Olivia Grow, b. 8 September 1992 in El Cajon, California.

2. AUDREY LEE HAUET , b. 20 March 1963 in Clinton, Maryland, bpt. 27

March 1971, md. ANTHONE GERARD DILL 20 March 1984 in Hawaii

[divorced]. Two children:

1. Ryan Anthony Dill, b. 19 August 1984 in El Cajon, California.

2. Alicia Marie Dill , b. 18 June 1986 in El Cajon, California.

3. DIANA LYNN HAUET , b. 20 November 1964 in Bethesda, Maryland, third daughter of Gene and Jeannine Hauet, bpt. 25 November 1972, md. RANDOLF

DALE REDDING 3 March 1984 in El Cajon, California [divorced].

I, Diana, am 36 years old now with two teenage sons. Taylor is 16 and Kelson is 13. We’ve lived here in Portland, Oregon, for about eight years now.

I happen to know that my parents would say that I was the most difficult child. I happen to know that I appreciate the growth I made through mistakes I made. I spent my entire childhood doing everything rebellious. If someone said do it like this, I’d do just the opposite. It was very important to me to get across to the world that I was different. Somewhere around the age of 17-

18, I decided to mellow and use my heart. I met Randy Redding while I was 18.

It was love at first sight.

I had my first child when I was 19 and adored being a mother. I spent my days cooking, cleaning, hanging cloth diapers on the clothesline, and breast feeding. The only thing I did for myself was take dance classes at the community college.

Randy and I both wanted two children. We had Kelson less than three years after Taylor. While Randy was working, earning the money, I was raising the babies and taking care of the house. I was also growing up. Randy was not,

Unfortunately, these differences changed our friendship into misery and we divorced.

We fought over custody of the boys and had some very tragic encounters; life was difficult. In the years that followed, I began teaching dance classes, found some talent, and began to really discover who I was.

I met Tim at the gym and we stood on the Stairmasters at the gym for many hours talking about our similarities before finally going out on a date. I was actually seeing someone else romantically and Tim and I were just friends for months. We discovered a deep bond between us and eventually married. He was a wonderful disciplinarian to the boys and we had some really good times.

But again, I hadn’t finished my own developing personality and we grew apart. I left a second marriage.

I’ve spent the last six or seven years being married (horrible as it sounds) to my job. This has truly been the most gratifying experience of my life besides my children. I teach dance. It’s that simple, and yet incredibly rewarding. I own a studio with nine employees and 300+ students. I feel like an artist

441

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S and a teacher. I get to use all the angles of my brain and have lots and lots of love to share.

My children are now in the phases of life that are most challenging and crucial. I am only there to support and encourage them. I will let them be who they want to be.

Taylor is growing up and trying to decide what he wants to be in the world. I am excited to see what the rest of our days hold for all of us. I can remember as an adolescent thinking, “ I will not want to be alive when I’m thirty” and now I think life is a beautiful and a thrilling adventure! What's next?

Two children:

1. Taylor Redding, b. 9 August 1984 in El Cajon, California. He is learning all about character, ethics, and love. He is quite the whiz with all things electronic or mathematical.

2. Kelson Redding, b. 25 March 1987 in El Cajon, California.

Kelson is obsessive about motorcycles, and loves to take things apart and put them back together.

Diana Lynne Hauet married second TIM PARKS [divorced].

4. GREGORY CLIFFORD HAUET , b. 15 August 1968 in Twentynine Palms,

California, bpt. 4 September 1976. Endowed in the Los Angeles Temple on 4

September 1987. Md. first DEBORAH KAY SMITH 28 December 1990, in the Los

Angeles Temple [divorced in 1997]. She was b. 24 April 1968 in Cleveland, Ohio.

He is the fourth child and first son born to Waldemar Eugene and Jeannine

Stewart Hauet. The middle name of Clifford came from both sides of the family; first from the maiden name of Greg’s father’s mother, Olive Irene Clifford, and second from Greg’s mother’s father, Clifford Bingham Stewart, and brother

Clifford Stewart, Jr. Greg’s upbringing took place in Lakeside, California.

Greg joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just after his eighth birthday He also received the Aaronic priesthood from his father, becoming a deacon at 12, teacher at 14, and priest at 16. Greg was also the office of elder in

Priesthood by ordained to the Melchizedek his father.

On September 23 of 1987 Greg reported to the MTC (Missionary

Training Center) for his call to the

Florida Jacksonville Mission. He served

25 months returning with his parents who came to pick him up in October of

1989. Greg has served in many leadership capacities from his youth in quorum presidencies and Boy Scout leadership and earlymorning seminary, as a missionary in district and zone leadership and as a trainer, to adulthood in elder’s quorum presidency, Young Men’s presidency and again in the Boy Scout

Gregory C.Hauet and Deborah Kay Smith

1990

442

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S program.

Greg was a good student and active in sports and music. Some of

Greg’s earliest accomplishments were in Youth Olympics where he excelled in sprinting and standing long jump. Greg lettered in band, basketball, track, and water polo. Greg started playing trumpet in the fourth grade, this was something he could really do well. He was voted all four years of high school the class’ most outstanding band student.

Wondering if he could juggle both basketball and band Greg decided to quit basketball partway through tryouts his freshman year. Greg grew 4” through the summer and was now 6’4”. Knowing that growth had only begun,

Greg decided to try out and made the team. He was voted most valuable player on the junior varsity squad and most improved on the varsity. At the end of high school he was 6’ 8”, but very thin at about195 lbs.

Being that thin and tall probably helped during his third year when he was encouraged to join the track team performing the high jump. Doing all three activities, Greg added the sport of water polo, where he was pretty good at long shots on goal. Having added an activity each year and still getting excellent grades Greg graduated from El Capitan High School in June 1986.

Greg was accepted and went that fall to his first year of college at

Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, to study Construction Management.

Having had a couple of different jobs in construction, Greg hoped to become an architect. After returning from his mission and instead of beginning part way through the school year, Greg stayed home and earned money to return to BYU in the fall of 1990.

After marrying and deciding not to add even more to school loan debt,

Greg began a job at Meadow Gold Dairies making Twin Pops and other frozen novelty foods. Having had conversations with architects, fellow students, and faculty, Greg decided rather than architecture, to begin his career as an estimator for a national homebuilder.

After finally graduating from BYU in April 1994, David Weekley Homes hired Greg in Denver, Colorado, that July. Two years later they moved to

Raleigh, North Carolina, to help start a new division. Having had positions in

Estimating, Project Management, and as Architectural Coordinator, Greg now works as a Project Manager for a general contractor Craig Construction in Park

City, Utah. His duties are mainly collecting bids, creating budgets/estimates, and procuring materials. Craig Construction’s owner, Don Craig, began nearly

30 years ago and is currently building about five $3-4 million homes.

Through work acquaintances and then hand-written letters, Greg met Deborah, who at the time of their first meeting lived in Wellsville,

Utah, near Logan, having met the first of the school year after returning from

BYU (September 1990). Debbie made the nearly two-hour drive to Provo and back. Knowing of the struggle Greg had with asking for her hand in marriage so soon and him seeing it in her face they both prayed and felt that their answer was to get married. Knowing that they would be married pushed them to get married as soon as possible. Thanksgiving was the first time Greg’s parents were able to meet Debbie.

Just after Christmas, the newly married couple decided to move the next school year after both working in San Diego where they spent the summer

443

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S at Greg’s parents’. After they returned to Provo they found that two of the arrangements they had made had been sold from underneath them. Finding an apartment was extremely difficult and so Debbie’s father ended up buying two properties during their time in Provo for them to rent from him.

Trea Stuart Hauet was born to them on May 28, 1992, in Payson, Utah, and later twins Nathan Zachary Hauet and Rachael Loren Hauet were born 16

February 1994 in Payson. Tensions of Greg’s full-time night job, full-time schooling, and three children in diapers began wearing on the marriage.

Going through several moves and basically disconnecting from family were some of the final anxieties to take their toll and Debbie took the kids to Logan in

August of 1996 and filed for divorce. It wasn’t until Greg sold the house in North

Carolina and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, late in 1997 that the divorce became final and child support and alimony were imposed.

Through a layoff Greg drew closer to his children when he began work and lived only two blocks from his children in Logan early in 1998.

Staying active in church assignments proved fruitful as Greg was set up with Dianne Klunker by Stephen and Kristen Klunker, Dianne’s brother and sister-in-law, in July 1998.

Dianne is the third child of Helmut (Ted) Klunker and JoAnn Bryant. It was obviously a match made in heaven, but taking it a bit slower this time to quell Greg’s fears, he finally married Dianne June 26, 1999. Greg had moved back down to Salt Lake City and they had their first child Garrison Layne Hauet

February 27, 2000, and planned their family sealing on their anniversary. Much is in store for this young family, but because it has not happened yet, it cannot be written. One child to date.

Greg and Deborah have three children, all b. in Payson, Utah:

1. Trea Stuart Hauet , b. 28 May 1992 , bpt. 10 June 2000.

2. Nathan Zachary Hauet [twin], b. 16 February 1994, bpt. 13 April 2002.

3. Rachael Loren Hauet [twin], b. 16 February 1994, bpt. 13 April 2002.

Gregory Clifford Hauet md. second DIANNE KLUNKER 26 June 1999 and sealed 26 June 2000 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was b. 7 October 1967.

One child:

1. Garrison Layne Hauet, b. 27 February 2000 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sealed to parents 26 June 2000.

3. DAVID KAY STEWART , b. 10 April 1943 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 2 June 1951, md.

DIANNE HUNSAKER 25 January 1967. She was b. 25 September 1944, bpt. 4 October

1952. Dianne is teaching at a charter school and outside the time she has had to spend this year getting all the tests and programs up and running which has required a lot of extra time, loves it. David has worked in health insurance sales most his working life. Five children:

1. DAVID GREGORY STEWART , b. 3 September 1970 in Mesa, Arizona. Greg

(age 29) is going to medical school at Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. He wants to be an orthopedic surgeon, so he has a few more years to go. He is not married, but would very much like to be.

444


2. KENT D. STEWART , b. 22 September 1973 in Mesa, Arizona. Kent graduated from ASU in Accounting. He has been working in the health insurance business as an independent agent, the same as his father. He seems to like it more than accounting. Kent and a returned missionary buddy of his purchased a townhouse two years ago with the agreement that the first one to get married, had the option to buy the other out. His room mate just got married so Kent moved back home. His roommate is going on to law school and may be moving to Florida, so Kent may be moving back into the Townhouse.

3. MAREN ELISE STEWART , b. 13 April 1976 in Mesa, Arizona. Married

_______ CHECKETTS. Two children.

4. KRISTEN NICOLE STEWART , b. 3 August 1979 in Mesa, Arizona, md.

_______ BUCKLEY about 1997. Her husband is attending ASU and is taking an internship in hospital administration in Phoenix, Arizona.

5. JAMIE DIANNE STEWART , b. 23 March 1981 in Mesa, Arizona. She is living at home and has just completed her first year of junior college. She works for a managed care organization in data entry. She has more ambition than the job requires, however, she likes that management is flexible with her work schedule.

She has been going to school and then to work and they let her have whatever schedule she needs.

1A7-8 RICHARD A. MORTENSEN , b. 14 April 1908 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, bpt. 14 April 1916, md. HELEN MARIA FREESTONE 21 December 1928

[divorced], d. 9 January 1979 in Mesa, Arizona.

Richard Andrew Mortensen md. second CORILLA JONES 21 September

1934 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 20 July 1911 in Colonia Dublan,

Mexico, bpt. 20 July 1920, d. in 2001.

Richard was the eighth child of fourteen born to Peter and Mary

Catherine Anderson Mortensen. “He grew up like all other kids did in that time and country, always in the wrong place and into the wrong things. But I had a nice grandma who lived about a block away. I soon found out she sure did make good cookies, so she had a visitor every day.”

Richard left Mexico in 1912 during the Mexican revolution. They lived in

Army tents near the border, then moved to Deming. While living in Deming,

Richard went with his father who was employed digging irrigation ditches. There were lots of mesquite bushes. Here, Richard and his dog, mostly the dog, chased and caught rabbits which served as a major part of their food supply while they were away from the family for the week.

The Peter Mortensen family moved to the Gila Valley and rented the land from others for a year. During his first year of school in Virden he walked about two miles each way. In high school Richard was known as “Dead-eye Dick”

445

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S because of his ability to shoot baskets. He was consistently the high scorer of the team. He was a real ball hustler.

Richard was not the outstanding student scholastically in school. His quick wit and wry humor smoothed over many a potential clash between teachers and students.

Making quick decisions, sometimes resulting in fast action, was one of

Richard’s characteristics. To illustrate, Uncle Hugh Hurst was a veterinarian who came to Virden from Las Cruces on occasion to help the settlers with their animal problems. One day a group of men were doctoring a big colt. Dick was among the onlookers, seated on the corral fence. Somehow the colt started to break loose. Quick as a flash Dick was in the middle of things, put the colt back on the ground and secured him there, while the rest of the group was wondering what had happened.

Richard’s father spent part of his time peddling, so it often fell Richard’s responsibility to plant, cultivate and harvest the crops. Therefore, his schooling was severely interrupted and he didn’t finish high school. His athletic ability won him a scholarship to the University of New Mexico in Las Cruces, but he didn’t go because his dad needed him on the farm.

Richard said of the Virden teen-age social life, “The funny thing is every boy and girl were crooked thieves. We would have some of the best chicken fries, corn on the cob and watermelon.” These commodities were generally taken, without permission, from whomever had some. For Halloween pranks the young folks would change horses from one buggy to another, or change the big

Richard and Corilla Jones Mortensen family

About 1950

446

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S rear wheels of the buggies to the front, or let the stock out of their corrals.

Richard was called on a mission to the Northern States. He went as far as

Salt Lake City with the bishop’s daughter, from there she went to the Central

States Mission. Richard stayed out for 26 months on his mission during the

Great Depression. He returned home for an operation to have his appendix removed, then returned and finished his mission. When Richard and Corilla returned from their missions they were married.

They lived and farmed in Virden until the major flood in September of

1941. Like many others Richard and Corilla decided to leave Virden. They moved to the Farmington, New Mexico, area. Here their last three children were born. They have lived in a number of places since that time.

For lots of years the Mortensen families went camping for one week of each year. This was many years before the Church started to emphasize family togetherness. He has served in a number of positions in the Church, working much with the young people who seemed to have a natural affinity for him and he for them.

He was a loving father. It is said that he never spanked his children and yet they were always obedient. He thought of his family before himself. He enjoyed good pranks and was a great kidder. It is said he never knew a stranger nor an enemy. He never spoke unkindly of people, nor downgraded them for what they had done.

He was very generous with his funds when he had them.

It is probable, if you have only known Richard the past few years, that you don’t know the Richard that was in Virden, you know only the shell of the man from Virden.

No Mother’s Day program was quite complete without this big, handsome, sandy-haired young man singing “Mother McCree” or “That Silver-haired Mother of Mine” in his rich and beautiful tenor voice. Oh! It was good. When he sang, tears welled in the eyes of the members of the audience as people remembered their mothers. In the later years, Donald Jones as his bishop tried to talk him

If you have never had a severe headache you can hardly appreciate the suffering Richard has endured for these last several years. Migraine headaches seem to be part of the family history. More than one sister had them and others probably will. The pain is excruciating and sometimes lasts for days, rendering one practically useless until the ache goes away.

Richard slipped quietly into the next step of eternity early, with his head on his wife’s lap.

Richard and Corilla have seven children:

1. MILLIE MAE MORTENSEN, b .

17 October 1935 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 11

April 1964, md. THOMAS PRESTON McENTIRE 31 July 1955 in Chandler, Arizona. He was b. 9 July 1928 in Tucson, Arizona. Thomas is with Air Research. Millie owns and operates a second-hand store. Six children.

447


1. MICHAEL ROY McENTIRE, b. 23 March 1956 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 11

April 1964, md. SANDY JOYCE BAKER 2 August 1986 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He spent some time in the service.

2. RICHARD PERSTON McENTIRE, b. 20 June 1957 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt.

4 August 1965.

3. PAMALA KAY McENTIRE , b. 4 January 1959 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 20

January 1967, md. DOUGLAS BILLY BLANTON 28 March 1980 in Scottsdale,

Arizona. He was b. 30 August 1957 in Phoenix, Arizona. Three children:

1. Amber Lynn Blanton , b. 24 June 1981 in Tempe, Arizona, bpt. 24 July

1989.

2. Talyon Douglas Blanton , b. 27 October 1982 in Tempe, Arizona.

3. Sheaya Kayleen Blanton , b. 29 March 1984 in Mesa, Arizona.

4. TAMARA ANN McENTIRE [twin], b. 23 January 1961 in Phoenix, Arizona.

5. THOMAS OAKLEY MCENTIRE , b. 23 January 1961 in Phoenix, Arizona, md.

BRENDA STRUALE 29 June 1991.One child:

1. Cody Austin McEntire, b. 23 November 1994.

6. DANIEL SCOTT McENTIRE , b. 9 July 1962 in Phoenix, Arizona, md. DEBRA

KAY STEVENS 5 December 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona. Four children:

1. Keith Daniel McEntire, b. 1 May 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona.

2. Nicholas Scott McEntire, b. 20 August 1990 in Phoenix, Arizona.

3. Christian Leanne McEntire, b. 30 April 1992.

4. Caitlyn Amada McEntire, b. 9 January 1994.

2. DIXIE JEAN MORTENSEN , b. 13 March 1938 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 17 March

1946, md. ANDREW CARTER ATKISSON III 3 June 1961 in Queen Creek, Arizona.

Sealed 11 December 1965 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 2 December 1937 in

Richmond, Virginia.

Dixie met Andy in Queen Creek, Arizona, while they were working in a potato shed. Andy was baptized 5 November 1960. They moved to Tucson where Andy’s stepfather Bud Myers helped him get a job as an electrician. Andy retired in December

1999.He has served in the elders quorum presidency and as elders quorum president.

They moved from Tucson to Sahuarita, Arizona, and bought five acres of land. Andy served in the bishopric and also as a high councilor.

Three children:

1. CONNIE JEAN ATKISSON , b. 30 December 1962 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt.

30 January 1971, md. SAMUEL DOUGLAS BROWN 13 July 1985 in the Arizona

Temple. He was b. 8 November 1960 in Phoenix, Arizona, bpt. 4 January 1969.

They live in Garland, Texas. Six children:

1. Paul David Brown , b. 18 March 1986 in Tucson, Arizona [adopted].

Bpt. 10 April 1994. Sealed to parents 7 March 1987.

2. Jason Scott Brown , b. 6 February 1987 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt. 11

February 1995.

448


3. Conrad Allen Brown, b. 11 May 1988 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt. 11 May

1996.

4. Samara Rae Brown , b. 25 April 1990 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt. 2 May

1998.

5. David Mason Brown, b. 20 February 1998 in Garland, Texas.

6. Richard Anthony House.

(Regina’s son whom Connie and Sam Brown adopted).

2. REGINA SUE ATKISSON , b. 15 September 1964 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt.

2 December 1972. One child:

1. Christopher Damion Atkisson , b. 5 February 1984 in Sahuarita,

Arizona.

Regina Sue Atkisson md. first RICK ALAN WALSH 10 April 1993 in Sahuarita,

Arizona. Rick was b. 11 June 1961 in Gillette, Wyoming.

3. RAYMOND DEAN ATKISSON , b. 3 February 1972 in Tucson, Arizona, bpt.

9 February 1980. One child by Barbara Bengal [were not married].

1. Karla Ann Bengal Atkisson , b. 14 November 1991 in Tucson, Arizona.

She lives with her mother Barbara in Alto, Georgia.

Raymond Dean Atkisson md. NANCY HOLLIDAY GREENAWAY 4 March 2000 in

Tucson, Arizona. She was b. in Beverly, Massachusetts.

3. MAMIE CATHERINE MORTENSEN , b. 14 September 1939 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 4 October 1997, md. DAVID WILLIAM FREESTONE 10 April 1958 in the Arizona

Temple. He was b. 14 November 1933 in Nutrioso, Arizona, bpt. 6 December 1941.

Mamie has served as a MIA Maid advisor and David has been a first counselor in the bishopric. He owns and operates a back-hoe business. Six children:

1. AUDREY FREESTONE , b. 13 January 1959 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 21

January 1967, md. MICHAEL LEE MOULDER 26 January 1979 in the Arizona

Temple. He was b. 15 February 1957 in Douglas, Arizona, bpt. 24 March 1965.

Two children:

1. Tashima Moulder, b. 29 July 1981 in Mesa, Arizona.

2. Chaz Michael Moulder, b. 14 April 1983 in Mesa, Arizona.

2. RONALD DAVID FREESTONE , b. 29 May1960 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 8 June

1968, md. KIMBERLY JEAN BADGER 8 July 1983 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 22 April 1963 in Tempe, Arizona, bpt. 1 May 1971. Four children:

1. Devren Earl Freestone, b. 22 March 1987 in Mesa, Arizona.

2. Camile Lanea Freestone , b. 29 November 1988 in Mesa, Arizona.

3. Jacob Ronald Freestone, b. 14 November 1995.

4. Kathelyn Janel Freestone, b. 9 July 1997 in Mesa, Arizona.

3. EILEEN FREESTONE , b. 18 June 1961 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 28 June 1969, md. BILLY JONES [divorced]. One child:

1. William Landon Jones , b. 1 February 1988.

4. DARREN JOHN FREESTONE , b. 5 November 1966 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt.

449


5 November 1974, md. MELISA BOND 17 February 1989 in Mesa, Arizona. Two children:

1. Candice Freestone , b. 31 May 1990 in Mesa, Arizona.

2. Ashly Freestone, b. 19 April 1994 in Mesa, Arizona.

5. WILLIAM ANDREW FREESTONE, b. and d. 8 April 1975 in Mesa, Arizona.

6. DIANE FREESTONE , b. 3 March 1978 in Mesa, Arizona, md. KEVIN WAYNE

STOWELL 7 February 1999. He was b. 1 December 1976. One child:

1. Brandon Khal Stowell , b. 21 September 2000 in Mesa, Arizona.

4. ARVIN ROSS MORTENSEN , b. 19 November 1941 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 19

November 1949, md. SHARON LUE METACALF 5 June 1965 in Lordsburg, New

Mexico. Sealed to spouse 20 July 1973 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 10 October

1943 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 2 November 1957.

Arvin has served in the Military Forces with the Medical Corps. Arvin has been a branch missionary, and Sharon a Primary president, visiting teacher and mother education teacher. Nine children:

1. BARRY JAMES MORTENSEN , b. 2 November 1963 in Tempe, Arizona [adopted], bpt. 26 March 1972, md. NAOMI DENNY 14 October 1984 in Houston,

Missouri [divorced]. She was b. August 1965. Two children:

1. Amanda Lue Mortensen , b. 17 August 1985 in Phoenix, Arizona.

2. Matthew Ross Mortensen, b. 18 August 1988 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Barry James Mortensen md. second KAREN BERRY 2 November 1991. Karen was b. 21 July 1964. Two children:

1. Khristopher Mortensen, b. 6 August 1987

2. Jackie Mortensen, b. 15 June 1993.

2. RICHARD RAY MORTENSEN, b. 1 November 1967 in Colorado Springs,

Colorado [adopted], bpt. 22 November 1976, md. MELISSA GESZVAIN 17

January 1989 in Houston, Missouri. She was b. 25 June 1969 in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin. One child:

1. Zachary Ray Mortensen , b. 20 January 1990 in California.

Richard Ray Mortensen md. second BETHANY ANN FRAWS 17 June 2000. She was b. 13 April 1976 in St. Louis, Missouri.

3. DANIEL ROSS MORTENSEN , b. 10 September 1969 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Bpt. 26 September 1980, md. PAMALA PARKS 5 May 1991 in Springfield,

Missouri. One child:

1. Robby Mortensen.

4. GREGORY E MORTENSEN , b. 4 July 1971 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, md. KATHERINE FARRELL 19 December 1992. One child:

1. Christopher Mortensen.

450


5. ALEX R MORTENSEN, b. 8 October 1972 in St. Louis, Missouri, md. ROSE

_______________.

6. SCOTT TRAVIS MORTENSEN, b. 15 July 1975 in Rolla, Missouri, bpt. 22

January 1984.

7. TODD JOSEPH MORTENSEN [twin], b. 10 April 1978 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Bpt. 13 April 1984, md. LORI ELLEN COPE 4 June 1999. She was b. 22

November 1979 in Springfield, Missouri.

8. TROY J MORTENSEN [twin], b. and d. 10 April 1978 in Omaha, Nebraska.

9. CHRISTINE LOUISE MORTENSEN , b. 20 December 1979 in St. Joseph,

Missouri.

5. GARY K MORTENSEN , b. 10 May 1943 in Farmington, New Mexico, bpt. 2 January

1951, md. DEANE WHITNEY 27 June 1969 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 22 July

1949 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 28 September 1957. Gary has served as a stake missionary.

DEANE is Relief Society organist and teaches piano lessons. Gary graduated from ASU with a BS in Community Recreation. He worked for Mel Jones Construction Co. as a mason. Gary K. d. 3 June 2001 in Mesa, Arizona. Two children:

1. RICHELLE MORTENSEN, b. 29 June 1973 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 1 July

1981.

2. CHRISTIE MORTENSEN , b. 8 September 1976 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 8

September 1984, md. BRANDON BROWN 24 April 1999 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

He was b. 31 December 1975. One child:

1. Adriana Ruby Brown, b. 6 May 2000 in Mesa, Arizona.

6. EDNA LOU MORTENSEN , b. 9 September 1945 in Farmington, New Mexico, bpt. 31

October 1953, md. LARRY ALLEN FOSS Sr. 12 August 1963 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was b. 17 July 1942 in Beaver City, Nebraska. As a family they are avid campers and sport fans. Edna Lou coached a girls’ softball team. Three children:

1. LARRY ALLEN FOSS JR.

, b.26 October 1964 in Phoenix, Arizona, md. SAN-

DRA JEAN COOK 10 March 1987 in Phoenix, Arizona. She was b. 9 April 1966.

One child:

1. Kassandra Jean Foss , b. 13 September 1993 in Phoenix, Arizona.

2. LAURIE ANN FOSS , b. 23 July 1966 in Phoenix, Arizona, md. BRYAN LAYNE

KELLY 23 September 1989 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was b. 15 May 1965 in

Phoenix, Arizona. One child:

1. Brynn Lauren Kelley , b. 17 February 2000 in Phoenix, Arizona.

3. LONNIE ADAM FOSS , b. 20 June 1969 in Phoenix, Arizona, md. WENDY

BROWER 14 November 1992. Two children:

1. Rebecca Susanne Foss , b. 15 August 1995 in Phoenix, Arizona.

451


2. Savanna Leigh Foss, b. 14 June 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona.

7. McCRAE MORTENSEN , b. 28 May 1948 in Farmington, New Mexico, bpt. 29 June

1956, md. CHARLES MONROE GILPEN 29 December 1967 in Palomas, Mexico. Sealed to spouse 27 February 1971 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 5 January 1947 in

Louisville, Kentucky, bpt. 31 January 1959. Charles is an aviation Instructor, crop duster and seeder. One child:

1. KAPRYCE McCRAE GILPEN , b. 13 December 1970 in Mesa, Arizona, md.

JOHN STEVEN MANCHESTER 19 August 1991 in Ketchikan, Alaska. Two children:

1. Jeanell McCrae Manchester, b. 17 April 1992.

2. Zachary Reed Manchester, b. 7 September 1993.

1A7-9 MARTIN HAMMER MORTENSEN, b. 22 February 1910; d. 17 May 1911 in

Diaz, Mexico.

1A7-10 MAYBETH MORTENSEN , b. 22 January 1912 in Colonial Diaz, Mexico, bpt.

22 January 1920, md. BARTLEY BRIAN McDONALD 1 February 1929 in Virden, New

Mexico and sealed 28 January 1930 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 14 September

1899 in Richmond, (Virden), New Mexico, bpt. 22 June 1928. Maybeth passed away in

Deming, New Mexico. He d. 3 June 1977. Five children:

1. ERMA MAY McDONALD , b. 29 September 1930 Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 29

September 1938. md. EDWIN LAMAR WILBANKS 21 October 1955 in Silver City, New

Mexico. He was b. 28 May 1929. Erma May d. 16 May 1984 in Hauma, Louisiana. Two children:

1. RICHARD BRYAN WILBANKS , b. 19 May 1956, md. JEANIE KUEHNLENZ.

2. ROBERT WAYNE WILBANKS , b. 17 April 1959, md. LISA ________________ 4

June 1987 [divorced]. One child:

1. Marissa Wilbanks, b. 5 January 1992.

2. JOANNA McDONALD , b. 9 March 1933 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 3 August 1941, md. WILLIAM EADS [divorced].

Joanna McDonald md. second VERNON ALBERT SMITH 20 February 1954 in Silver

City, New Mexico, and were sealed 9 January 1963. He was b. 4 October 1928, bpt. 8

July 1961. Four children:

1. MICHAEL DAVID SMITH , b. 28 October 1954 in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, md. JOAN JENNETT JORDEN 27 November 1977 in Towson, Maryland. She died 12 March 1979. One daughter:

1. Amanda Smith.

452


Michael David Smith md. second LYNN JUDGE [divorced].

Michael David Smith md. third EILEEN [divorced]. One daughter:

1. Susie Smith , b. 26 April 1996.

Michael David Smith md. fourth LISA PULLING. One son:

1. Michael Tyler Smith, b. 12 April 1993

2. BARTLEY ALLEN SMITH , b. 1 October 1955 in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, md. JOAN KAY CURRCA 13 October 1977 in Towson, Maryland. Two children:

1. Renae Smith , b. in May.

2. April Smith, b. in April.

Bartley Allen Smith md. second CYNTHIA BLANCETT 19 February ___

[divorced].

3. SANDRA JEAN SMITH , b. 5 September 1959 in Baltimore, Maryland, md.

KEITH KELLY STANLEY 8 March 1980 in Silver City, New Mexico. Five children:

1. Skylar Stanley.

2. Kaydee Stanley.

3. Colin Stanley.

4. McKinsie Stanley.

5. Mason Stanley.

4. TAMARA DAWN SMITH , b. 5 May 1969 in Baltimore, Maryland, md.

CHARLES JIMENEZ One child:

1. Whitney Nicole Jimenez, b. 26 May 1987.

Tamara Dawn Smith md. second JESUS PORROS [divorced]. One child:

1. Jesus Porros , b. 21 December 21, 1992.

Tamara Dawn Smith md. third RODOLFO NARZAGARAY 19 June 1999.

3. KATHLEEN McDONALD , b. 24 March 1935 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 4 June

1943, md. LAVON GALE “BUDDY” PRUITT 30 August 1950 in Silver City, New Mexico.

He was b. 11 May 1930 in Fr. Bayard, New Mexico. She d. 26 December 1998. Three children:

1. FAUN GAIL PRUITT , b. 12 March 1951 in Silver City, New Mexico, md.

JOHNNY LEE BAKER. Four children:

1. Lee Von Gail Baker , b. 17 July 1969, md. Ann Anderson. Two children:

1. Mckade Anderson.

2. Cameron Anderson.

2. Kirk Wayne Baker, b. 11 April 1973.

3. Brook Louise Baker , b. 13 May 1977.

4. Kasey Rene Baker , b. 18 September 1980.

453


2. LANA JO PRUITT , b. 5 March 1952 in Silver City, New Mexico, md. DOMINIC

LEE D’AMICO 7 July 1973 in Silver City, New Mexico [divorced]. One child:

1. Courtney d’Amico , b. 26 May 1980.

3. ROBBIN KATHLEEN PRUITT , b. 22 February 1955 in Silver City, New

Mexico, md. DAVID LLOYD LEWIS 12 October 1973 in Nogales, Mexico. Two children:

1. Kieer Lee Lewis , b. 4 March 1978, md. Sara Humphrey who was b.

28 April 1974.

2. Koy Lloyd Lewis, b. 2 January 1977 in Silver City, New Mexico, md.

Jolene Carwild January 1999. She was b. 18 April 1979.

4. GORDEN PETER (PETE) McDONALD , b. 26 December 1936 in Virden, New Mexico, bpt. 21 July 1945, md. EUDEAN ROBERTA SANDEFER 30 November 1957 in Silver

City, New Mexico [divorced]. She was b. 17 February 1937 in Portales, New Mexico, bpt. 31 August 1957. Four children:

1. BRYAN WADE McDONALD , b. 26 July

1958 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt. 15 October

1966, md. LYDIA DEE ANN KAR-

FORD 27

Logan Temple

December 1979 in the

[divorced].

Two children:

1. Jessica McDonald , b. 6

November 1980.

2. Bartley Bryan McDonald , b. 8 February 1983

Bryan Wade McDonald and

Lydia D’Ann Karford

2. WALTER DEA McDONALD , b. September 1959 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, md. KATHY O’BRYON. She was b. 14 April 1961. Two children:

1. Taylor McDonald , b. 8 July 1991.

2. Jared McDonald, b. 28 June 1994.

3. KENNETH PAUL McDONALD , b. 30 January 1961 in Silver City, New Mexico, dren:

454


1. Marinda McDonald , b. June 24, 1991.

2. Devin McDonald , b. October 12, 1993.

4. JO BETH McDONALD , b. 3 April 1971, bpt. 7 April 1979. One child:

1. Misty _________ , b. 29 December 1991.

Jo Beth McDonald md. SCOTT MARIHUGH. Two children:

1. Jacob Marihugh , b. 15 August 1994.

2. Samantha Marihugh.

Gorden Peter McDonald md. second ETTA MAE PHILLIPS 13 January 1979. She was b. 17 March.

5. PATSY LOU McDONALD , b.19 August 1944 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt. 19

August 1952, md. WILEY OTHO ADAMS 6 May 1961. He was b. 11 April 1943 in

Portales, New Mexico. Three children:

1. KIMBERLY BETH ADAMS , b. 24 April 1962 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.

7 November 1970, md. MICHAEL LYN VENDRELY 16 August 1980 in Silver City,

New Mexico. Four children:

1. Dustin Clay Vendrely , b. 10 December 1981.

2. Tyler Todd Vendrely , b.1 November 1983.

3. Brogan Stephanie Vendrely, b. 6 February 1985.

4. Paden Thomas Vendrely, b. 6 February 1987.

2. TODD ANDREW ADAMS , b. 4 September 1964 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Bpt. 2 December 1972, md. STACY LEE JACKSON 4 January 1985 in Silver

City, New Mexico. She was b. 20 July 1965 in Silver City, New Mexico. One child:

1. Todd Andrew Adams , b. 14 July 1985 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Todd Andrew Adams md. second TISHA LYNN BASSETT 13 November 1990

[divorced]. One child:

1. Ashley Marie Adams, b. 13 December 1991.

Todd Andrew Adam s md. third TARA JEANIECE PETTERSON 16 February

1996 [divorced]. One child:

1. Tristen Tamera Adams , b. 15 August 1996.

3. KAMARA LYNN ADAMS , b. 3 February 1969 in Silver City New Mexico, bpt.

1 April 1977, md. JAMES DOUGLAS COMETTI 24 June 1988 [divorced]. He was b. 31 July 1968.

Kamara Lynn Adams md. second STEVEN MICHAEL BOUNDS 31 May 1997

[divorced]. He was b. 14 January 1968.

455


1A7-11 MARION K. MORTENSEN, b. 12 February 1915 in Deming, New

Mexico, bpt. 12 February 1923, md. CLEAH “PEGGY” BROWN 7 December

1939 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 13 June 1918 Bisbee, Arizona, bpt. 31

July 1926. Seven children:

Cleah “Peggy” Brown and

Marion K. Mortensen

1. MARION KAY MORTENSEN, b. 7 April

1944 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 7 April 1952, md. BEVERLY HASLETON 7 June 1968 in the

Arizona Temple. She was b. 13 March 1947 in

Alexandria, Minnesota, bpt. 9 April 1955. Six children:

1. MARION K MORTENSEN , b. 13

October 1969 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico. Bpt. 5 November 1977.

2. KIMBERLY ANN MORTENSEN, b. 23

December 1970 in Albuquerque, New

Mexico, bpt. 3 March 1979.

3. MARNEE LYNN MORTENSEN , b. 7

December 1972 in Washington, D.C, bpt. 3 January 1981.

4. ANDREW CLIFTON MORTENSEN , b.

9 March 1975 in Washington, D.C.

Bpt. 9 April 1983.

5. MICHAEL SHANNON MORTENSEN, b. 26 December 1976 in Pomona,

California, bpt. 2 February 1985.

6. BRENT HASLETON MORTENSEN , b.

8 June 1978 in Pomona, California.

Bpt. 12 July 1986.

2. RICHARD LEE MORTENSEN , b. 18 May 1946 in Safford, Arizona, bpt. 18 May

1954, md. GLORIA CHRISTENSEN 18 March 1972 in the Idaho Falls Temple. She was b. 21 October 1949 in Blackfoot, Idaho, bpt. 30 November 1957. Four children:

1. RICHARD ALAN MORTENSEN, b. 30 January 1973 in Blythe, California.

Bpt. 31 January 1981.

456


2. MICHAEL LEE MORTENSEN, b.

14 May 1975 in Blythe, California, bpt. 28 May 1983, md. AUTUMN

VANCE 20 June 1997 in the Arizona

Temple.

3. RUSSELL KEVIN MORTENSEN , b.

24 October 1977 in Blythe, California.

Bpt. 9 November 1985.

4. MICHELLE LYN MORTENSEN, b. 24

March 1979 in Mesa, Arizona, bpt. 28

March 1987.

3. SHERRILL MORTENSEN , b. 20 July 1948 in

Safford, Arizona, bpt. 20 July 1956, md. KIRK

MEISNER 27 January 1978 in Tollison, Arizona

[divorced]. Sherrill worked in the Sheriff’s

Department in the Photography Department

4. DEBORAH MORTENSEN , b. 12 May 1951 in

Silver City, New Mexico, bpt. 12 May 1959, md.

GARY C. THOMPSON 5 July 1973 in the Mesa

Arizona Temple. He was b. 1 July 1949 in Soda

Springs, Idaho, bpt. 6 July 1957.

Michael Lee Mortensen and

Autumn Vance

She is the fourth child of seven children. Her parents Marion Kay and Cleah

(Peggy) Brown Mortensen lived in Virden, New Mexico, where Deborah was reared.

Deborah attended BYU where she finished her education and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Education.

They moved to Rupert, Idaho where Gary worked for his father for the Spring and Summer semesters, then returned to BYU where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Education. He accepted a job at Provo High School teaching drafting for one year. Gary had always planned to go back to the farm sometime. His father had some health problems so they moved to Rupert to farm. They had four more children. The next three were b. in Rupert, Idaho.

Gary and Deborah have been on the farm for more than 21 years. During the years Gary has served in the church organizations holding the following positions.

Instructor in Elders Quorum, Elders Quorum President, taught Sunday School, bishop’s executive secretary, 2nd counselor in the bishopric, Cub Master, 1st counselor in a bishopric, high council, stake clerk, first counselor stake mission, stake mission president and ward clerk.

Deborah has served in the following positions in the church; counselor in the Primary, nursery, Young Women as Mia Maid Leader, beehive leader and president, has spent

457

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S many years at Young Women’s Camp, instructor in the Relief Society, Stake

Homemaking Board, and is now serving as second counselor in the Stake Relief Society and as Ward Choir Director. Five children:

1. TAUNYA THOMPSON , b. 8 April 1974 in Provo, Utah, bpt. 10 April 1982, md. STEPHEN CONRAD KUNZLER 28 July 1995, sealed in a temple. She is doing an internship at Primary Children’s Hospital.

2. SARAH THOMPSON , b. 4 June 1976 in Rupert, Idaho, bpt. 30 June 1984.

Sarah has graduated from Ricks and will attend college in Logan.

3. TAYLOR GARY THOMPSON, b. 31 January 1978 in Rupert Idaho. He was b. on the way to the hospital, bpt. 1 February 1986. After graduating from high school he attended Ricks College. He has been a lot of help to his father on the farm.

4. JENELLE THOMPSON, b. 6 August 1981 in Rupert, Idaho, bpt. 7 October

1989.

5. NATALIE THOMPSON, b. 2 January 1984 in Twin Falls, Idaho, bpt. 11

January 1992.

5. DOROTHY MORTENSEN , b. 15 July 1953 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt. 15 July

1961, md. RICKEY VAL REIDHEAD 19 December 1971 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 19 September 1952 in Showlow, Arizona, bpt. 4 March 1961.Five children, all b. in

Showlow, Arizona:

1. MELISSA LYNNE REIDHEAD , b. 23 May 1972, bpt. 24 May 24, 1980.

2. SHARLENE KAY REIDHEAD, b. 12 May 1974, bpt. 28 May 28, 1982.

3. KELLIE MARIE REIDHEAD, b. 19 December 1975, bpt. 26 January 1985.

4. CLIFF RAY REIDHEAD [twin], b. 18 August 1983.

5. CLAY PAUL REIDHEAD [twin], b. 18 August 1983.

6. KARIN MORTENSEN [twin], b. 18 June 1956 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.18

June 1964, md. WILLIAM FRODIN 14 August 1979 in the Arizona Temple [divorced].

He was b. 25 January 1957 in Adam City, Colorado, bpt. 31 July 1971.Two children:

1. CURTIS JAMES FRODIN, b. October 4, 1980 in Burley, Idaho.

2. TYSON KEITH FRODIN, b. June 13, 1983 in Jerome, Idaho.

7. SHARIN MORTENSEN [twin], b. 18 June 1956 in Silver City, New Mexico, bpt.18

June 1964, md. LES NYE 14 August 1975 in the Arizona Temple. He was b. 8 July

458


1955 in Burley, Idaho, bpt. 18 July 1963. Five children:

1. SHANDA MARIE NYE, b. 4 September 1976 in Burley, Idaho, bpt. 29

September 1984.

2. SHERRIE NYE, b. 6 September 1978 in Burley, Idaho, bpt. 6 September

1986.

3. CORY JAMES NYE, b. 22 August 1980 and died 4 September 1980.

4. BROGAN LEE NYE, b. 9 March 1985 in Burley, Idaho.

5. MAKENZIE RAE NYE, b. 13 October 1986 in Burley, Idaho.

1A7-12 JANET MORTENSEN, b. 16 June 1917 in Virden, New Mexico, d. 23

July 1917.

1A7-13 CHESTER UDELL MORTENSEN , b. 21 December 1919 in Virden, New

Mexico to Peter and Mary Catherine Anderson Mortensen, bpt. 21 December

1927, md. JANET “JAN” UDALL, 10 April 1947 in the Arizona Temple by Temple

President Harry L. Payne. She was b. 2 February 1924 in Hunt, Arizona, bpt. 6

February 1932.

Virden is a little farming community on the Gila River, established in

1915 by a group of 20 men from the colonies of old Mexico. My father was one of the men who established the small community and he, with his three brothers, farmed the acreage the first year after the purchase with a Federal Land

Bank Loan. An LDS church and school were established with my father as first

Branch Presi-dent. I lived and worked on the farm while attending school, graduating from high school in 1938.

In the fall of 1938, I enrolled in Gila Jr. College in Thatcher, Arizona, graduating in May of 1940. Enrolled in the University of Arizona, Tucson,

Arizona, in the fall of 1940. Spent one year at the U. of A. On 5 December 1941, enrolled in the U.S. Air Force in Phoenix, Arizona. Attended the Air Force administrative school in Denver, Colorado, until May 1942. Assigned to the

92nd Bomb Gp (B-17 bombers) and shipped by U.S. West Point transport ocean vessel with 10,000 other Air Force personnel in August 1942. Arrived in

Liverpool, England, during August as a support enlisted man in the 92nd Bomb

Group. Was with this assignment, with the 92nd completing over 400 bombing missions over Germany, until October 1945. Returned to the U.S. on a German luxury liner captured by the U.S. from Germany and converted from a luxury liner to a battle ship by the Germans and reconverted to a passenger vessel for transporting troops home.

Enrolled at Brigham Young University January 1946. graduated with a degree in Business Administration specializing in accounting and finance in

459


April 1947.

Moved to Stockton, California, and lived in Stockton and Modesto,

California, until April 1979. Moved to Salt Lake City 5 April 1979. Resided at

1356 Vintry Lane until January 1990, at which time a move was made to

Governors Plaza, 560 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Six children were born in California. All are married, except John. From those married we are the grandparents of sixteen children: seven boys, nine girls. Denise lives in Orange County, California. Sally lives in Plano, Texas. The rest live in Sandy and Salt Lake City.

Church positions have been:

Asst Ward Clerk; Stake Clerk, 1st Counselor Modesto Ward Bishopric;

San Joaquin Stake High Council; Modesto Stake High Council; Modesto Stake

YMMIA Superintendent; Modesto Stake Missionary; 1st Counselor Modesto 4th

Ward Bishopric; Executive Secretary Modesto 4th Ward; Modesto 4th Ward

Sunday School Counselor; Modesto 4th Ward Sunday School Superintendent;

Modesto Stake High Council; assistant to Murray East Stake Sunday School

Superintendent; Assistant to 16th Ward High Priest Group Leader; Counselor to

Sunday School President, Earl Spafford, 20th Ward.

Vocation includes, among others: Cost Accountant, Thornton Canning Co,

Lodi, California; Accountant, Thompson Sage Tractor & Implement Co,

Stockton, California; Controller, and part owner of Stanislaus Implement &

Hardware Co, Modesto, California 14 years. Controller, Assistant Administrator, and Administrator Doctors Hospital, 300 bed acute-care facility, 13 years.

Controller and Finance officer of Blaine Hudson Printing Company, Salt Lake

City, Utah 11 years.

Was granted a Public Accountant license in 1954 and have done public accounting in my home during all of my working years to help finance college educations and missions for my children. The miracle of computers has made this task much easier, faster, and more enjoyable. I continue to do this in my home to partially occupy my time and for additional income.

Some highlights of my life: Was valedictorian in High School. Was graduating class president in Gila Jr College. Member of the student body. Chosen to give the Graduating class talk at which time SPENCER KIMBALL represented the School Board in the graduating ceremony.

Helped organize the first American GI Dance band in England and played for dances, concerts, special services programs, accompanying such groups as

Bob Hope, James Cagney, etc as they performed at our base. Became quite familiar with the personnel of the Glenn Miller band, as they were living near us.

Was able to visit much of the English countrysides and cities, as well as

Scotland. Was selected and set apart a GI Group Leader in England by Hugh B.

Brown, President of the British Mission at the time. Numerous experiences in church and vocation positions.

A wonderful wife and six good children:

460


1. CRAIG CHESTER MORTENSEN , b. 19 February 1948 in Stockton, California, bpt.

3 March 1956, md. LAURA LOUISE BARKER 19 December 1975 in the Provo Temple.

She was b. 6 February 1953 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, bpt. 4 March 1953. Three children:

1. REBECCA RAMELLE MORTENSEN, b.17 June 1977 in Salt Lake City, Utah, md. TIMOTHY EDWARD WHITE 22 November1999. He was b. 27 December

1973 in Bozeman, Montana. One child:

1. Eric Timothy White, b. 10 July 2002 in Norton, Massachusetts.

2. ROBERT CRAIG MORTENSEN , b. 6 January1979 in Salt Lake City, Utah, md. EMILY ALICE TIDWELL 28 September 2000. She was b. 22 March 1979 in


Rebecca, Laura, Craig,

Amanda, and Robert

Mortensen

3. AMANDA MARIE MORTENSEN, b. Aug 31, 1981 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2. AMY ELAINE MORTENSEN , b. 28 June 1949 in Stockton, California, bpt. 6 July

1967, md. MICHAEL DON LILJENQUIST 18 December 1970 in the Salt Lake Temple.

He was b. 26 January 1948 in Tremonton, Utah. Seven children:

1. JOHN MICHAEL LILJENQUIST , b.30 March 1973 in Salt Lake City, Utah, md. MARY ELIZABETH JIMAS 21 December 1994. She was b. 9 July 1973 in

Colombia, South Carolina. Two children:

1. Tayler Ann Liljenquist, b. 17 November 1997 in Sandy, Utah.

2. Olivia Jane Liljenquist, b. 12 October 1999 in Sandy, Utah.

2. CHAD ANDREW LILJENQUIST , b. 24 November 1974 in Salt Lake City,

461


Utah, md. MELANIE ANN ALM 30 December 1997. She was b. 23 March 1976 in

Murray, Utah. One child:

1. Tanner James Liljenquist, b. 4 January 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

3. JANE LESLIE LILJENQUIST , b. 7 March 1977 in Salt Lake City, Utah, md.

RYAN DOUGLAS MARTINDALE 25 June 1997. He was b. 23 January 1975 in

Bountiful, Utah.

4. ANN TRACY LILJENQUIST , b. 21 May 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah, md.

CODY ANDREWS FELTS 18 August 1998. He was b. 26 May 1976. One child:

1. Tyler Bradley Felts, b. 14 March 2002.

5. ELIZABETH AMY LILJENQUIST, b. 6 May 1981 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

6. DAVID CHARLES LILJENQUIST, b. 19 September1983 in Salt Lake City,

Utah.

7. BRADLEY JAMES LILJENQUIST, b. 9 November 1985 in Salt Lake City,

Utah.

3. DENISE MARIE MORTENSEN , b. 3 May 1952 in Modesto, California, bpt. 4 June

1960, md. STANLEY BOND LERCH 17 October 1980. He was b. 28 November 1951 in

Ashland, Pennsylvania. Five children:

1. AMY RUTH LERCH, b. 26 October 1981 in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

2. KATIE JANE LERCH, b. 5 July 1983 in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

3. KIMBERLY ANN LERCH, b. 15 July 1986 in Orange, California.

4. MAGGIE DENISE LERCH, b. 14 May 1988 in Mission Viejo, California.

5. DAVID CHET LERCH, b. and died 28 July 1992 in El Toro, California.

4. SALLY LENORE MORTENSEN , b. 25 August 1956 in Modesto, California, bpt. 5

September 1964, md. JERRY DEFANE BARRETT 5 November 1986 in Kokomo,

Indiana. He was b. 19 September 1957 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Three children:

1. KEVIN DEFANE BARRETT, b. 14 December 1988 in Plano, Texas.

2. PETER MORTEN BARRETT, b. 4 September 1990 in Plano, Texas.

3. BONNIE GRACE BARRETT, b. 24 July 1993 in Murray, Utah.

5. JOHN ROBERT MORTENSEN, b. 13 July 1959 in Modesto, California, bpt. 5

August 1967.

6. THOMAS EARL MORTENSEN , b. 28 January 1966 in Modesto, California, bpt. 2

462


February 1974, md. LISA ANN EKINS 24 October 1989. She was b. 9 December 1967 in Provo, Utah. One child:

1. PARKER THOMAS MORTENSEN, b.28 September 1992 in Salt Lake City,

Utah.

1A7-14 JESSE MORTENSEN (stillborn), b. and d. 16 June 1922 in Virden,

New Mexico.

463


1A8 HYRUM KNUDE MORTENSEN, b. 24 November 1873 in Scipio,

Utah, bpt. 11 December 1981, md. LOIS ELIZABETH RICHINS 18 January 1903 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, in the President’s Office. She was b. 15 September

1884 in Henefer, Utah, bpt. 15 September 1892. Hyrum d. on his 87th birthday, 24 November 1960 at Los Angeles, California. Lois d. 14 August 1914 at the age of 29 in Deming, New Mexico. Hyrum was the eighth child of Morten P.

and Dorothea Jensen Mortensen.

Hyrum Knude Mortensen md. second EMMA RUDOPHINE OLZE 16

March 1930 in Hattie and Lea’s home. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple

14 April 1930.

When Hyrum was not quite three years old, the family were called with others by President Brigham Young to colonize the Little Colorado River Valley of Arizona. Morten settled first at Moenkopi on the Navajo Reservation, My father labored as a missionary for some time among the Indians around

Moenkopi. He was the instrument of converting two, a husband and wife. Tuby

(Tuba) and Cadchinaman, who used to come quite often to our house and were righteous people. Tuba and his wife were probably the only lasting converts the

Mormons made among the Hopis.

In 1880, the Mortensens moved to Sunset, located northeast of the present city of Winslow. There the Saints attempted to live the United Order under

Lot Smith. All the members of the colony ate at a common table with the pioneers seated by and served by rank, with the Smith family at the head of the table. While living at Sunset, the family also operated a dairy at what is now called “Mormon Lake” near Flagstaff..

Hyrum’s mother worked at a small station about three miles from Sunset

[Winslow].

Sometimes Mother took me along, A man who was a switchman at the yard on the Santa Fe Railroad would take me with him and let me ring the bell, and I had it ringing all the time. I was about five years old.

THE MOVE TO ST. JOSEPH

The Mortensen family moved to St. Joseph.

My sister Ellen and I had to walk about five miles to school. While the family lived at St. Joseph, and after coming from school, I had to

464

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S go after the milk cows on the range. One day, by the time I found them it was dark and cloudy and began to rain. I took a holt [hold] of one of the cows’ tail and was sliding through the mud; after a while I became lost. It rained nearly all night. My mother and family and the whole town were out looking for me. They saw where I was sliding through the mud, but my tracks were washed out so they could not track me. I was gone from 4:00 p.m. until after sunrise the next day.

No one found me. Some hunted for me on foot and some on horseback. I found myself the next morning at a cattle ranch by the name of Obed about three or four miles from home. I was home and in the yard before anyone saw me.

At this time persecution for polygamy was increasing. Morten resolved to move his families to Mexico, where polygamy was not persecuted. In 1884,

Morten went with other brethren to Mexico to arrange for the purchase of land for a colony.

First our family moved to Thatcher, Arizona.

My older brother Martin, did most of the moving, as Father was busy elsewhere. I was in my teens and could help too. We all had to do our share to make ends meet as we were pioneering new places for several years.

OLD MEXICO

Our move to Old Mexico was a weary journey as we left in midsummer. It rained on us most of the way. It was a hard trip for Mother.

We had a few milk cows, which I drove along with the wagon. We had plenty of feed for the animals, and the valleys were just like a meadow. We missed the custom house and crossed the border into

Old Mexico at Mesquite Springs. but just before we arrived in the colony the guards confiscated [sic] us and came very near taking all we had from us and sending my brother Martin to jail. By the help of the Lord and a good lawyer everything turned out fine.

Hyrum lived in Colonia Diaz from 1886 until the Exodus in July, 1912.

I always loved good clean sports; the high jump, hop-step-jump, running—and I was good at wrestling. Once I threw a champion wrestler. I had just come from Mr. Lindower’s ranch, where I was in charge, to spend a holiday with my family in Colonia Diaz. Bro. Levi

Tenney asked me to go and throw down that champion wrestler from the Academy of Colonia Juarez. I told him I was in no shape to wres-

465

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S tle as I just got out of the saddle, but he urged me to go in and wrestle, “I know you can throw him.” I did and threw him three times before he gave up.

I was fond of horses, always liked a good saddle horse. I always loved to work with cattle and horses. I also liked baseball games. My place in the baseball game was center field. Sometimes I did pitching.”

Hyrum was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His first church calling was to act as a counselor in the Mutual Improvement

Association.

MISSION

When I was about 25 years old, I received a call to fill a mission in the southern States, which I gladly accepted.

He arrived in the mission field in July 1898.

I labored under President Ben E. Rich, an outstanding and powerful missionary. During the latter part of my mission I labored about six months in the interest of the Sunday Schools, visiting different branches in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, ordaining and setting apart some of the brethren to take charge of these Sunday

Schools. The people in the southern States were in general very prejudiced and bitter toward the Mormon missionaries. At a meeting held in a schoolhouse a gang of roughnecks came and broke up the meeting. We stayed with a man near the schoolhouse. They found out where we were staying, knocked on the door, and wanted the

Mormon missionaries, but the man of the house told them, “You can’t have these missionaries; if you take them out, you take them over my dead body.”

We labored right in the swamps of the Mississippi Valley. But I know that the Lord blessed and protected me with good health while I was in the mission field.

A woman threw a poker at Hyrum and left a scar which remained the rest of his life. Shortly after returning home from his mission, Hyrum was set apart as the superintendent of the Sunday School.

Hyrum married Lois Elizabeth Richins, a daughter of Charles Richins, the

Stake Patriarch. Hyrum and Lois were blessed with two daughters, Gertrude, and Hattie. Shortly before the birth of Hattie, Lois suffered a sunstroke while visiting Hyrum at a mine. Hattie came two months early and weighed only a lit-

466

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S tle over three pounds.

On July 28, 1912, Brother Levi Tenney brought the news that at 10:00 a.m. the residents of Colonia Diaz had been directed by Juarez Stake President,

Junius Romney, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to leave for the United States border because of threats being made against the Mormon colonists by rebel forces in the Mexican Revolution.

Prior to going to Old Mexico I worked in the retail and wholesale business, I made several trips to Palomas and Columbus, a small town in

New Mexico on the U.S. side. I became well acquainted with Albert

Lindower. I hauled things to his store as he followed that line of business. He sold to the Mexicans, and received his pay from them in cattle. He decided to go into the cattle business and leased several thousand acres between Palomas and El Paso.

He hired me to help fix up his ranch and to take charge of all. I accepted his offer as he paid fairly good wages at that time. But it kept me away from my family, and my wife’s health was not good. I worked for Mr. Lindower for several years. Finally I decided to go home and take care of my own ranch. I had a nice little ranch on the river, just south of the colony, and had a few head of cattle and horses to ride on.

We went on to the little town of Hachita, New Mexico, on the Southern

Pacific railroad. The U.S. government furnished us with food and tents. While they were living in tents at Hachita, Lois fell against a tent peg and hurt herself in the lower abdomen. While there I received word from Mr. Lindower, the man I had previously worked for, to come and take charge of his ranch. I gladly accepted. So my family and I moved what little we had to his ranch.

Although Hyrum now had steady employment, the next two years were darkened by the increasing seriousness of Lois’s illness,

LOIS’S FAILING HEALTH AND DEATH

We had not been on Mr. Lindower’s ranch long until my wife became very ill. We took Lois to El Paso, Texas, to operate on her for gallstones. I stayed with her. We came back to the ranch but she was very poorly from then on.

Lois called Hattie and Gertrude into her bedroom to tell them goodbye before she died. Mary Catherine Mortensen, the wife of Hyrum’s brother Peter,

467

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S spent many hours nursing her sister-in-law before she died. The suffering of

Lois was so intense that she begged Hyrum to pray for her death.

Shortly before her death, she said to Hyrum, “Can’t you see them? Can’t you see them? They are standing right there [at the foot of the bed] in their white robes.” She identified the two visitors as her father Charles Richins, who had died in 1903, and Hyrum’s father, Morten P. Mortensen, who had died in

1891. She seemed to think they had come for her. Not long afterwards she died.

Hyrum’s wife died at the age of 29, leaving him with two small girls to raise alone. Lois is remembered by Gertrude and Hattie as being unfailingly kind and cheerful.

From the death of Lois until he moved to Los Angeles, California, in the early 1920s, Hyrum’s life was a constant struggle to provide proper care for his two daughters.

Hyrum worked on large ranches on the Members River in New Mexico for several years.

While he was working for Mr. Lindower and while the motherless girls were in Idaho, Hyrum suffered an injury that nearly cost him his life.

We were letting down a windmill at the home ranch. In letting it down the guide pole gave way, and the chain hit me on the head. I was knocked out for a few hours. We were 46 miles from Deming. I was laid up for some time. I had a special nurse to take care of me at the ranch until they could move me to Deming to a hotel where the nurse was staying and had meals brought to my room. My improvement was very slow. I had to lie down most of the time. I stayed at the hotel until I was able to go back to work.

Gertrude and Hattie remember that their grandmother kept the news of the accident from them as long as possible. After this mishap, Hyrum had a somewhat stooped posture and a hearing defect for the rest of his life.

Hyrum always tried to have his daughters at least close enough that he could visit them. After he returned to work for Mr. Lindower, he sent for the girls to come to the Jacobson Ranch, just three miles from Mr. Lindower’s ranch, because his sister Dagmar Jorgensen lived there and could look after them in the summertime. They lived with different relatives.

While his daughters were in the Gila Valley, Hyrum quit the ranch.

Peter and I went in business at Virden, New Mexico, and settled

468

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S there. Hyrum became one of the 21 shareholders in the Gila Ranch

Company, which owned property in the Virden Area.

In the retail and wholesale business, we shipped and hauled to the miners at Clifton and Morenci, grains, hay, poultry, and beef, everything that the farmers needed. While at Virden I was called to fill a local mission. My companion was John Jones. We labored in Duncan most of the time although we made a trip among the cattle ranches.

We became very much attached to each other. Then Pres. Andrew

Kimball of the St. Joseph Stake wanted our conference president to send one of his elders to the Globe an Miami mining camps 80 or 90 miles from Virden, so he asked me to fill this call for a few months. I told him, ‘I’ll go where the Lord wants me to go.’ Ted Payne and I labored for two months in a full-time mission at these two mining towns. We had very little success.

My two little girls had been shifted from on place to another in so short a time, it seems as though they were on the go all the time although the places were not so very far apart.

When Gertrude enrolled at the University of California at Los Angeles,

Hyrum went with his daughters.

We rented a small place. I become active teaching the Junior Gospel

Doctrine class, and Gertrude taught kindergarten. Later I worked for a lady, Miss Kincaid, with the carpenters. After they were through building her house, she wanted me to take care of a place she had in

West Hollywood. So I worked for her for a number of years.

Both his daughters married in 1926. Hyrum lived for several years with

Lea and Hattie. He was set apart as chairman of the Genealogical Committee.

Hyrum married Emma Olze, a German immigrant 20 years his junior.

They were married 16 March 1930 in Hattie and Lea’s home and sealed in the

Salt Lake Temple 14 April 1930 when a great celebration of the centennial of our Church took place. When they returned to Los Angeles, they bought a home in West Hollywood where they lived for 23 years. Emma’s mother lived with them until her death.

Emma and I worked on the Genealogical Committee for a number of years. We took part on nearly all temple excursions to the beautiful

Arizona Temple and did work for our dead. Our own chapel was erected in Westwood and located on the north side of our beautiful

Los Angeles Temple grounds.

469


I was asked to take charge of the flowers and shrubs as well as trees all around the chapel beginning in January 1953. I have enjoyed my work

Hyrum and Emma observed the construction of the temple, and were present at the dedication in 1955. Following World War II Hyrum and Emma made several trips. The first was in 1947.

We were privileged to attend the centennial of the entrance of the pioneers into the Great Salt lake Valley.

Another trip in 1953, Hyrum, while visiting Hattie and Walter in Tucson, gave a name and a blessing to Laura Beth, his great-granddaughter.

A final trip was made in 1957 when Larry and Louisa and their two children, Wayne and Laura, where sealed in the Arizona Temple.

Larry writes, “The chief memories I have of my grandfather, Hyrum Knude

Mortensen, are of his unfailing warmth of personality, his spirituality, and his constant cheerfulness. Though the opportunities became fewer, Hyrum never lost his love for riding horses.”

When at the age of 73 he visited his daughter Gertrude and her husband

Lawrence on their Arizona ranch in the summer of 1947, he went riding with his grandson Larry and surprised him by gleefully breaking into a gallop on the way back to the ranch house.

Hyrum was in somewhat ill health the last year of his life, though he continued cheerfully, singing a song to his great-granddaughter Laura the last time his grandson visited him. The speakers at his funeral paid tribute to his “pleasant smile” and “cheerful service.” No one ever “saw him without feeling better.”

Another pointed out that Hyrum had served three missions, including a stake mission in 1943. He was described as having devoted his life to the service of the Church and mankind.

Hyrum and Lois have two daughters:

1A8-1 GERTRUDE MORTENSEN , b. 9 December 1903 in Colonia Diaz,

Mexico, bpt. 9 December 1911, md. LAWRENCE LARANGE McDONALD 10

February 1926 in Tucson, Arizona. They were sealed April 1968 in the Arizona

Temple. After Gertrude’s mother died she and Hattie lived with relatives but their father tried hard to have them close to him. When Gertrude enrolled at the

University of California at Los Angeles, her father went with her to California.

470


After Gertrude graduated from UCLA, she married Lawrence L. McDonald.

He owned a cattle ranch near Douglas, Arizona. They first met when she was teaching at Guadalupe Canyon.

One child:

1. LAWRENCE LARANGE “LARRY” McDONALD JR.

, b. 21 November 1929 near

Douglas, Arizona, md. LOUISA KUSHEL 25 May 1951 in Wilcox, Arizona, and the family were sealed 27 May 1957 in the Arizona Temple. She was b. 24 April 1928 in San

Diego, California. Larry taught in Thatcher. Larry d. in August 1999 in Douglas,

Arizona. Four children:

1. WILLIAM WAYNE McDONALD, b. 1952, d. 30 July 1979 in Prescott, Arizona.

2. LAURA BETH McDONALD , b. in 1953. Blessed by her great-grandfather on

Hyrum’s 80th birthday 24 November 1953. Baptized by her grandfather. Laura md. Mr. __________ DAVID. Laura Beth still remembers her great-grandfather.

When she was grown she became the first one of his immediate descendants to go on a full-time mission, and when she wrote from the mission field in

Indonesia, though she did not give the details, she testified that his spirit had been with her, encouraging her. “I think of him often, and can testify that his wonderful influence has lived on long after his death.”

3. NORMAN BRUCE McDONALD, b. 1962

4. ALLEN KENT McDONALD, b. 1964

1A8-2 HATTIE MORTENSEN , b. 3 December 1905 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, md. LEO ELMER AKERS of Los Angeles 1 January 1926. Hattie and Leo were md. at midnight on New Year’s Eve, He was b. in 1902 and d. 28 December

1935 at the McDonald ranch. While visiting at the McDonald ranch, Leo Akers went out hunting. The earth was damp, and as he was going up a steep embankment, he lost his footing and fell backward, hitting his head on a rock.

He was killed instantly. Hattie for a time remained in Douglas, working as a waitress.

1A8-2 Hattie Mortensen md. second WALTER D. JARVIS 31 December 1946.

He was b. in 1896. During World War II Hattie worked for the government in

Alaska.

Hattie and Walter met there. They settled in Tucson, Arizona, until they moved to Santa Maria, California, in the late 1950s. From there Hattie made frequent trips to see her father and his wife. Hattie died 7 April 1995 in Yuma,

Arizona.

471


1A9 ELLEN BODELLA MORTENSEN, b. 29 April 1877 in Moenkopi,

Arizona to Dorothea Jensen and Morton P. Mortensen, out near Flagstaff, bpt. 2

April 1885, md. NOWLIN DECATURE KARTCHNER 22 January 1900 in the

President’s office, sealed by Apostle Ivins. He was b. 24 May 1862 in Beaver,

Utah, bpt. 1872, d. 21 July 1927 in Snowflake, Arizona. Ellen d. 18 September

1939 in Linden, Arizona.

I was one of the first white children born in Moenkopi. My father was one of the Saints called to Arizona from Utah. He had three wives, my mother being the first.

We lived in Moenkopi until I was three years old, then moved to Sunset about 25 miles from Joseph City, where we lived in the United Order, then moved to Joseph City in the spring where I had my eighth birthday (1885). I was baptized there on my birthday by Brother Iry Porter. I helped my brothers strip cane and make molasses there. My father went with his other two wives and moved them to Old Mexico when my mother’s family moved to Joseph City.

When I was eleven, my oldest brother Martin came from the Gila Valley where he lived with his wife and moved Mother’s family to Colonia Diaz, Mexico, stopping on the Gila for three months.

The summer I was thirteen mother took her family and went up to San

Pedro Mountains, taking Whiting’s milk cows and made cheese and butter for the winter and paying the Whitings cheese and butter for the use of their cows.

She sold cheese and butter to a big stock owner Lord Biersford all summer. I milked as many as eleven cows at a time, and helped Mother make cheeses that weighed thirty pounds a piece. We came home in November from the mountains with our cheese, butter and potatoes for the winter.

My brothers, Peter and Hyrum, farmed and raised potatoes. When not busy in the fields, they worked at a saw mill there. The crowd came to our house for amusements. Joe James, the manager of the saw mill played the accordion and Ammon Tenney with three wives and his girls sang and played the guitar and danced. My brother Martin with his wife were up there that summer working on the saw mill.

During the summer, Mother, Peter, Hyrum and I went over to Pachuca and visited my sisters, Margaret and Maria, who had married James Ray. There

I met my first beau, going to a dance with him.

A year or two later, we went up to visit my sisters again, of course finding my old beau, going to dances and parties with him while there, and coming

472

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S down to Juarez for conference with him, and coming on home with a crowd of young people.

I enjoyed my Primary and Sunday School teaching.

At eighteen I went out to Corolitus to work for a big cattle foreman, Mr.

Houtten. This is when I got my first organ. When I came home from work, I was chosen First Counselor in the Mutual.

A doctor from El Paso wanted me to work for him and I wanted to earn money enough so Mother and I could go to Salt Lake City to meet Hyrum when he came from his mission. But I went and asked Bishop Johnson’s advice about going into an outside town to work and he advised me to stay home and promised me that I would get money to go and meet Hyrum.

Nowlin Decatur Kartchner came to Diaz to visit his niece and I met and fell in love with him and we were married.

Nowlin had been through the temple, so when Mother and I went to Salt

Lake City we went to the Temple. We visited five months among her people and were there to meet Hyrum when he came off his mission.

The next year February 18, 1901, my first baby was born in Colonia Diaz,

Mexico. Seven more children were born to us in Mexico.

We had a nice red brick home. We felt that we were raising a nice family, enjoying all in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, when on July 26, 1912, the Diaz people had three hours’ notice that the Mexican soldiers were coming and we must be gone. The Diaz people came to Hachita, New Mexico, taking three days to reach there. We camped there until other arrangements could be made. The first night a storm overtook us and we went without supper. The next night our potato soup cooked on a campfire certainly tasted good.

The United States furnished tents and food supplies for all the people for three months as we were all American citizens and had lost all we owned. My sister, Diantha Smith, lived in Central, Arizona, and had a vacant house and sent word for us to come and live in it. Daddy had gotten a job contracting and building a house at Hachita so he stayed with his work, while the children and I went on to Central. Diantha’s boys ran a baler and my boys worked for them some. When the government supply man came around one week and wanted a list of what we needed for the following week I told him, “I guess we can live on what the boys can make until their father finishes his job at Hachita.” The man looked surprised and said, “I didn’t know you had boys big enough to work yet.”

They had a list of the number and ages of all the families. The boys were play-

473

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S ing there on the floor, and I said, “They are the ones.” From then on extra supplies such as fruit, and the like were placed in our supply.

When Daddy came to Central, we moved to Franklin, Arizona, in

November 1913, staying until July 28, 1914. We moved to Snowflake and lived in Snowflake a year. Martin William was b. there August 31, 1914. As soon as I was able, we moved to Linden, homesteading 160-acre dry farm. November 28,

1917 John Hyrum was born.

Many a pleasant evening and afternoon were enjoyed at our home on the ranch at Linden by the young people of Linden as we tried to make them welcome. All my girls enjoyed cooking and candy making.

The older children had a hard time getting to high school but finally all made it working unitedly together, although some did miss several years before getting started. Nowlin was the first to start in 1921 about two months after school had started, taking a load of corn up to McNary and selling it to raise tuition, as Snowflake was a church school until 1923. Millard took another load up a week later and got money for his tuition. They rented a room from a cousin whose husband was on a mission and took care of her cows for milk and rent. The next winter Nowlin, Floyd, Millard, Rhea, and Dorothy were all in high school before the winter ended. Some were late starting.

After high school was out the children returned to Snowflake after the holidays. A week later January 1924, Daddy had to go down and get Dr.

Heywood and Rhea as I had a terrible pain in my head. I was unable to get around. The doctor said it was a mastoid gathering. I grew so bad the doctor told Daddy there wasn’t much hope for my recovery, but the gathering broke and through the faith and prayers of Daddy and the children, I did recover, but it left me quite deaf. Rhea had missed two months of school and would have had to miss more but Millard came home and said he would do all the washing and help in other ways and could help Daddy in the fields and coaxed Rhea to go back to school. He had his violin to practice on to pass the time.

These were the years of a changing family—children going to school, graduating, marriage.

Daddy had never been sick enough to give up, to stay in bed over a day, up until six weeks before his death. I went to the hospital with him and after a thorough examination under the doctors at Gallup, they pronounced it cancer of the gall bladder. We come back to Snowflake July 21, 1927, and stayed with

Daddy’s sister, Sarah Miller. He died July 21 and was buried at Snowflake July

22, 1927. A niece and husband, Lottie and Winford Moody, were with us when he died. They took Dorothy and Millard back to school.

474


Rhea left for her school at Alpine five weeks afterwards where she taught and had the offer for the next winter, but when she came home to spend

Christmas, the Linden Trustees gave her the offer and she signed up for the

Linden school so she could be at home.

I sold the farm to Nowlin in August 1929 for $2,000 with agreements that he should pay a hundred every January and July until paid for, with no interest.

Mother was noted for her ability to make chili sauce, so much so that a man from New York hired her to make 300 quarts and had it shipped to him.

Her friends will always remember her Danish butter cookies. In fact, Mother was a gifted cook and loved to do so up to her death. Mother’s cooking was mostly a pinch of this, and a handful of that, but oh, what a cook!

January 1939 Rhea and Mother went to Mesa to work in the temple and stayed there until the Temple closed in the Spring, then they went back to the ranch. As soon as Mother reached the ranch, her health (which had improved greatly while in the lower climate) began to fail, getting worse daily.

Ellen and Nowlin have nine children:

1A9-1 RHEA KARTCHNER , b. 18 February 1901, bpt. 18 February 1909.

She graduated from high school in 1925 then went to college at Tempe that fall.

She attended college at Flagstaff in the fall and graduated with a certificate for teaching and signed up with a school for the following winter 1927-1928. Then taught at Linden. That winter of 1928 and 1929 was the last winter Linden was a one-room school.

Rhea was given her choice of either room for the next year and could be principal with either choice, but she got an offer of the fourth grade at Thatcher, where she thought her mother’s health would be better. Rhea taught her first year at Thatcher and started on the second year when she began having convulsions in the school room and had to give it up. Rhea lived with her mother and in January 1939 the worked in the Temple in Mesa until it closed for the summer. She d. 28 September 1952.

1A9-2 NOWLIN DECATUR KARTCHNER , b.16 July 1902 in Colonia Diaz,

Mexico, bpt. 16 July 1910, md. LEORA TURLEY 1 May 1929 in the Arizona

Temple. She was b. in 1904.

On September 2, 1924, Nowlin and Floyd were cultivating when a small rainstorm came up. They stopped under a pine tree and were struck with lightning, hitting Floyd in the head and killing him instantly. It left his waist and hit

Nowlin below the waist, tearing his left shoe and splitting his big toe. He had to

475

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S crawl to the house about a quarter of a mile away to tell the family.

He graduated from high school with Rhea in 1925. Nowlin’s sweetheart.

Leora, was from Woodruff, Arizona. Six children:

1. LYLE TURLEY KARTCHNER, b. and d. in 1930.

2. MARINE KARTCHNER , b. in 1931, md. RONALD FRANCIS SHUCK. He was b.

1927. One child:

1. LESLIE ANN SHUCK, b. in 1953.

3. FLOYD LEON KARTCHNER , b. in 1933, md. BEVERLY JEAN PERKINS. She was b. in 1928. Four children:

1. TAMERA DAWN KARTCHNER, b. in 1958.

2. CRYSTAL LEONA KARTCHNER, b. in 1959.

3. FLOYD SCOTT KARTCHNER, b. in 1960.

4. KELLY MILES KARTCHNER, b. in 1962.

4. CLINTON WAYNE KARTCHNER , b. 1938. Clinton md. VIVIAN WOOLFORD. She was b. in 1932.

5. ERLENE KARTCHNER, b. 1937. Md. _________ Plumb. One child:

1. SHELLY PLUMB, b. 1964.

6. VENLA KARTCHNER, b. 1948.

1A9-3 FLOYD KARTCHNER , b. 22 September 1904 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico.

On 2 September 1924, Nowlin and Floyd were cultivating in Linden, Arizona, when a small rainstorm came up. They stopped under a pine tree and were struck with lightning, hitting Floyd in the head and killing him instantly. It left his waist and hit Nowlin below the waist, tearing his left shoe and splitting his big toe. He had to crawl to the house about a quarter of a mile away to tell the family. Floyd was buried in Snowflake 3 September 1924.

1A9-4 MILLARD KARTCHNER , b. 18 March 1906 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico.

Md. ANGIE POBAR 20 December 1940 in Globe, Arizona. She was b. in 1922.

Millard graduated from high school in 1926 then went to summer school at

Flagstaff. He won first in violin in a musical contest held at Flagstaff that spring. In December after his father died, Nowlin was with a group hunting for sister Eliza Rogers who was lost during the Christmas holidays. His horse

476

T H E M O R T E N P . M O R T E N S E N F A M I L I E S slipped on the ice with him and broke his left ankle and leg. Nowlin was trying to hold down the ranch but his leg got so bad he had to go to the hospital about six weeks after it was broken and have it rebroken and set. The fall of 1928,

Millard graduated from a three-year college course as a music teacher and went to Lakeside to teach. The three younger children went with him. Millard taught at Litchfield, Arizona the winter of 1928-1929 then got the job at Safford the next winter and remained there to teach.

Millard Kartchner md. second WAITY HALL. Millard d. 18 November 1990 in

Springerville, Arizona.

1A9-5 DOROTHY KARTCHNER , b. 13 September 1908 in Colonia Diaz,

Mexico, bpt. 5 August 1970, md. FRANK JAMES WORDEN 1 May 1929 in the

Arizona Temple. Dorothy graduated from high school in the spring of 1926.

Because of her father’s health she did not go to summer school. Her dad died

21 July 1927. Dorothy was working at the post office at Snowflake for Brother

John Murray in the spring of 1928. In June Dorothy was stricken with appendicitis. Her mother went to Gallup with her to the hospital and had her appendix removed. Dorothy worked at Safford and found a sweetheart. Nowlin and

Dorothy planned their weddings to meet at the Arizona Temple and have a double wedding. Five children:

1. GWENDOLYN WORDEN

1931. Six children:

, b. in 1930, md. ORVILLE KIMBALL LARSON. He was b. in

1. VAN FRANKLIN LARSON, b. in 1951.

2. CLARK PALMER LARSON, b. in 1953.

3. DEBY KAY LARSON, b. in 1954.

4. ALICE GWEN LARSON , b. in 1955.

5. DON KIMBALL LARSON, b. in 1962.

6. CHARLES KEITH LARSON, b. in 1964.

2. OLIVE WORDEN , b. in 1934, md. JAMES LUTHER KIMBROUGH. Three children:

1. JAMES LAWRENCE KIMBROUGH , b. in 1955.

2. ROBIN ADELLE KIMBROUGH [twin], b. in 1959.

3. RUTH ANNELL KIMBROUGH [twin], b. in 1959.

3. JOSEPH KARTCHNER WORDEN, b. in 1943. Joseph md. BONNIE ELAINE BAKER.

Bonnie was b. in 1947.

477


4. MARGARET ANNE WORDEN , b. in 1945.

5. BETTY MAE WORDEN b., in 1948.

1A9-6 ALZADA KARTCHNER, b. 5 February and d. 10 February 1910 in

Colonia Diaz, Mexico.

1A9-7 PRUDENCE KARTCHNER , b. 8 June 1912 in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, bpt. 4 July 1920, md. DELBERT LELAND JOHNSON 28 September 1931 in the

Arizona Temple. Prudence went with Millard to Litchfield, Arizona, and graduated in 1931, going to a different high school all four years of her high school work. Prudence found a sweetheart that summer and they both took their mothers with them on a little honeymoon trip up through Utah. She d. 10

January 1944 in Mesa, Arizona. Four children:

1. ELLEN JEAN JOHNSON , b. in 1932. Ellen md. WILLIAM R. McGUIRE. William was b. in 1923. Five children.

1. PRUDENCE ARLENE McGUIRE, b. in 1951.

2. CORA LEE McGUIRE, b. in 1952.

3. WILLIAM RUSSELL McGUIRE, b. in 1955.

4. CHRISTINE LADELL McGUIRE, b. in 1958.

5. LAURA SUE McGUIRE , b. in 1962.

2. ALICE JOHNSON , b. in 1933, md. LEE ROY HANCOCK. He was b. in 1932.

3. BERTHA GLENDA JOHNSON

1930. Three children:

, b. in 1935, md. RAYMOND LEE HINES. He was b. in

1. DEBRA DEE HINES, b. in 1955.

2. NANCY LEE HINES, b. in 1959.

3. LINDA KAY HINES, b. in 1961.

4. DELBERT LELAND JOHNSON, b. in 1943.

1A9-8 MARTIN WILLIAM KARTCHNER , b. 31 August 1914 in Snowflake,

Arizona, md. RUTH MAE FERGUSON 2 December 932 at Lordsburg, New

Mexico. She was b. in 1915. Martin d. 30 July 1979 in Prescott, Arizona. Two children:

478


1, BILLIE CORRINE KARTCHNER , b. 1933, md. KAY DARWIN LONG. He was b. in


1. TRACEY KAY LONG, b. in 1957.

2. NORRICK JOHN LONG, b. in 1959.

3. JARED BRET LONG, b. in 1960.

4. KELLEY LEE LONG, b. in 1962 .

2. JANELL KARTCHNER , b. in 1936, md. KENNETH E. TAYLOR. He was b. 1934.

Three children:

1. JOHN KAVIN TAYLOR, b. in 1955.

2. KIM DIANE TAYLOR, b. in 1956.

3. TODD KENNETH TAYLOR, b. in 1960.

1A9-9 JOHN HYRUM KARTCHNER , b. 28 November 1917 in Lindon, Arizona, bpt. 28 November 1925, md. NORMA ETHEL LEWIS 11 May 1941, and sealed

10 February 1962. She was b. in 1921. John d. November 1990 in Kearny,

Arizona. Two children:

1. SHARON EILEEN KARTCHNER, b. in 1941.

2. JOHN NORMAN KARTCHNER, b. in 1945.

479

THE MORTEN P. MORTENSEN FAMILIES 1A7

Related documents

Products

Support

THE MORTEN P. MORTENSEN FAMILIES 1A7

Related documents

Add this document to collection(s)

Add this document to saved

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib