MARGARET ELAINE RUSSELL
MY BIRTH I was born on the first day of October, 1926, at the Arizona Deaconess Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. The name of this hospital has been changed to St. Joseph's Hospital. I was the first child born to Ida Amanda Nelson and Fred Russell.
At the time of my birth my father and mother resided in Springerville, Arizona. My father was an entomologist for the State in Springerville and just a few months prior to my birth had returned from attending the University of Utah. Mother had been working at Becker's Store in Springerville for about eight years and held the position of clerk and buyer at the time she met dad.
MY PARENTS MEET
Many times during my life I have heard my mother comment how her heart went "piti‑pat" when she saw my dad for the first time. He had the polished manner of a college graduate. He was very good looking and the black high‑top shiney leather boots and the sharp leather jacket and uniform pants he wore really made him look sharp to her. They only knew each other for a few weeks before they were married because it seems that my dad had the same feelings when he saw my mother.
My mother was very pretty and because of her kind manner she was called "Miss Ida" by her friends. Many people have commented on her ability in the nursing area. When epidemics would break out she would work long hours in caring for the sick. Every one in her small community loved and respected "Miss Ida'" because of her kindness. She married late in life and this gave her a long period to do many kind acts without neglecting her husband and family. It was not until she was thirty three that she finally found her mate and was ready to settle down to a great life with him.
Mother and dad did not waste very much time starting with their family once they found each other. We children must have been anxious to come to earth because for the next five years we came as fast as we could, almost one of us each year.
FRED JR. & CAROLDEEN BORN
I was only a few months old when mother and dad decided to use some of the money that my mother had saved to buy a home. They moved to a new home on Monticido Street in Phoenix. There they had a very nice big brick home and it was mostly paid for with the savings my mother had accumulated. They were living in this home when my brother, Fred Jr., was born. After Fred Jr. was born, a year later, they had Caroldeen. She was also born when they were living on Monticido Street in Phoenix.
A few months after Freddy was born my dad and mother decided to go on a trip so they asked some friends to move into their home and care for it while they were away. During that time the precious home was burned to the ground by some neglectful act of the friends and the only remains of their home was a few burned bricks and ashes. Since they had no insurance and no more money, they moved in with my dad's brother and sisters, who lived in the Valley, until they had earned enough money to start a new life.
PINEDALE HOME
They decided to move to Pinedale, Arizona. This is the first place of which I have any memory. I spent many happy days there and our home was full of love and happiness. Dad was always home. He had a farm and spent his time raising all of our food and was able to sustain us with the money he got from that farm. Our home was right out in the forest. There were big pine trees all around our home. The nearest neighbor was at least two miles away. Our home was built on a high foundation, there was a big front room with a big picture window. The view from the window was very beautiful because it looked right out into the forest. There was a big fireplace made of rock at the north end. By the wall that was near the fireplace was the door to the kitchen. Just off the kitchen was a porch that was used for a utility porch, there was also a pantry where canned and bottled food was stored. The house had three bedrooms and since all of the rooms had board floors, mother made some homemade woven rugs to make them more comfortable.
The winters were very cold. The snow would start falling about October. My dad would bring the cows into the barn that he had built and also brought in plenty of wood for the winter. There would always be a big cheerful fire burning in the fireplace to keep the house warm. Mother would have to dry the diapers and other clothes in the house so there were fresh clean clothes strung all over the house. They were always so fresh and clean and gave the house a good smell, and with this the smell of my mother's fresh baked bread brings back happy memories.
My folks did a lot of canning because there were many delicious fruits and vegetables in the fall and spring. My mother made the best chow‑chow in the world. We were all busy, we girls had to help with the chores, etc. By the time my mother was ready to have Jeanne, she made sure that we took a nap each day right after dinner. She would always put all of her children on the bed with her and read stories to us each day. These stories she told were usually pioneer stories, stories about her younger days; and faith promoting stories which she told which built a foundation for our testimonies.
There was a beautiful view from the kitchen window also that I remember. There was a meadow that had been cleared of pine trees for the corn field. Dad always grew delicious yellow corn, it was good to sink your teeth into the juicy sweet corn with lots of good ole' home made butter and salt.
Beyond the meadow was a train track. Every day the train would go through and the lonely whistle would make me just want to get on it and go for a ride.
When the cows were getting ready to calve, we had to buy our milk. About four o'clock mother would take Freddy and me and we would go about one‑half mile through the forest to a fence where we would find milk in bottles waiting for us. Since I had never seen anybody put it there, it was always quite an adventure to go get the milk. During these walks through the forest mother would visit with my brother and I and we always looked forward to this time.
When the cows would again come fresh we always had lots of fresh milk and butter. We had a well that had a bucket to get the water and sometimes dad would put another bucket down the well to keep the butter in. It was real cold down in the well. The water from our well was very good to drink, we used it for drinking, cooking, and our
washing.
BARN DANCE
After we had been in Pinedale for a few years, dad built a big barn. It had a hay loft and also good tight walls on every side to keep the cold winds and snow out for our cows and chickens who stayed there. After it was finished, dad decided to have a barn dance out there. He invited his and mother's brothers and sisters and their friends. Since it was fall he had plenty of corn to eat and he also killed a calf for the meat. Before the day for the barn dance came, many of the town folks had heard about it and they all asked if they could come. Finally the big night came, everyone brought their children, and when the kids beds were made there was wall‑to‑wall children.
After we children had been fed and put to bed our parents went out to the barn to have their fun. They had a fiddler and someone to call the dances. We could hear the music and laughter and we couldn't sleep at all. We all decided to sneak out and watch. The older boys climbed up into the hay loft and looked down, but I couldn't climb that far so I watched through a crack in the door with the others who couldn't climb. I will never forget the fresh hay smell, the lighted lanterns and country music and the folks "doe‑si‑doeing" their partners, etc. This lasted way into the night. From then on I can remember many nights that there were dances and parties at our house and at our friend's houses. Since we lived so far apart, our parents always took us with them. I remember being so tired and wished that I could be home in my bed.
JEANNE'S BIRTH
When the time came for Jeanne to be born, we had a retarded boy and his brother and mother staying in one of our bed rooms. She must have been a little off also, because I remember her singing and then sometimes she would stop singing and tell me the reason was because she was unhappy. They helped mother and dad with the work.
It always seems that mother and dad helped those less fortunate than themselves. Dad was always bringing home people to feed and care for. It also seems that dad and mother were being cheated and taken advantage of, but this didn't stop them from helping others. If someone needed the help they were ready to share what little they had with them. Two of these families named their daughters after me and one other named their little daughter Carol Elaine.
One afternoon the retarded boy brought out two horses and a sleigh up to the kitchen door. The snow was very deep and we had to go about two miles up to the road. We learned that it was time for mother to have Jeanne, so dad helped us get into the sleigh and we went through the deep snow. The horses were very slow, they would raise one foot at a time with great effort, it seemed like hours until we got to the road. My uncle Harold was waiting to take us to St. Johns. Later that afternoon my sister Jeanne was born. My dad was all smiles when he came in to announce that we had a very "rosy" little sister. During our life at Pinedale my folks never had the chance to attend any church meetings. During my dad's college days he had fallen away from the church and the only mention of church was made by mother. There were now four children in the family and we older kids were old enough to go to school.
SCHOOL AT LINDEN
Because we lived so far from a school, my folks decided to move to Linden, Arizona, a distance of about twenty miles. My dad obtained a position as the school teacher, it was a two room school, he was the principal and taught all of the children who could already read and write.
This was Freddy's and my first year, our teacher was Mrs. Jack Frost. Since Jack Frost was the one who painted pictures on the windows, or so we thought, this helped me remember her name. Dad had boys and girls in his class that were as old as seventeen and eighteen, these children had been working on farms all their lives. Dad had a great desire to teach them and tried very hard to help them.
It was here that for the first time in my life, that I could remember, my dad started to attend church with my mother and us kids. It seemed like everything took on new meaning and these few short years were the happiest years of my life.
Only a few short years after dad started teaching, the parents of these children decided that they were wasting their time in school. The older children were needed in harvesting the crops and working in the forest, so the parents began to cause problems for dad. This made my dad very upset and he finally gave up the teaching profession for ever.
MOVE TO SHOW LOW
Dad and mother gathered their belongings and moved to Show Low, Dad became a Maytag washer salesman. The first night we were in Show Low we had just finished supper and something happened I will never forget.
Carol, who was about four years old, was sitting on a little pot by the stove. Dad heard a great noise outside and he went out to see what it was. He yelled back to mother, "the whole town of Linden came for a visit." Carol, who was a very shy child, was forgotten and everyone came in and crowded around in the house. They began to sing songs, tell stories, and just visit. After about an hour, Carol made a little whimper, and when we found her sitting on her pot we could see that she was about cooked. Her face was flushed, her eyes were crossed, and she looked very unhappy. I guess I will never forget that look on her face. After she was taken care of they stayed up and had a party for many hours into the night.
MY BAPTISM
Dad was away from home much of the time when we were living in Show Low. When I was about nine years old, mother decided to have me baptized. My birthday was in October, but the snow was so deep that we waited until June and dad was away.
I will never forget that day. It was on a Sunday, and mother announced to me that morning that after Sunday School that I would be baptized right after class. I wanted my dad to baptize me but she said he would not be able to do so, so we went home for a few minutes so I could change clothes. Then we went down to the bridge at Show Low to a little clearing. There was still some ice in the river and it was very cold. I was baptized on the second day of June, 1935. After being baptized, we went home and had some bread and jelly and then went back to church. During that meeting I was confirmed a member of the church by John L. Willis. I was very happy that I was a member of the church.
FRIENDS IN SHOW LOW
We had neighbors on both sides of us in Show Low. On the west side lived the Butlers, and on the east lived a boy by the name of Carl. Carl and his sister Valoe and I spent many hours playing house and with our dolls. Carl would come to help with our chores and he would visit with me for a while. It was not until I was about twelve, when we moved back to Show Low after having lived for a while in Clifton did he really become interested in me as his girl friend. The only thing Valoe was interested in at that time was dolls and playing house.
MOVE TO CLIFTON
Dad decided once again to pull up stakes in Show Low and find a job that he could do to stay at home more. He obtained a job as an educational advisor at the 3‑C Camp in Clifton. (A federal government program designed to give jobs to the poor, who would work on public works projects, such as build campgrounds, etc.) We lived in a house with a big screen porch which went into the house. In back of the house was a big cliff. My brother Fred was eight at this time. Once I told my mother that Fred had climbed to the top of the cliff and might fall, mother was frantic and ran out to get him. He was a tease, but finally came down and promised that he would never do it again.
My mother was preparing to have Beverly Ann at this time and she was very ill. Her health had been bad for some time.
TONSILLECTOMIES
One day a doctor came from out of town. Dad decided that Fred and I needed our tonsils out. He took us to a big building. There were many other children there. We all took turns. Fred was first. When he came out he was unconscious and all bloody. I didn't want to have mine out, but dad made me do it. I was very sick and together Fred and I were very messy with vomiting and bleeding. It seemed to take along time for us to heal.
During the days in Clifton we all got the pin worms, we got lice in our hair, and things were not going well for dad at work. We never attended church, in fact, I don't even remember their being a church. Our family seemed very restless and life at that time wasn't as we had known it in Linden.
FREDDY DROWNS
A few weeks after my sister, Beverly Ann, had been born my brother Fred came to my mother and said, "Mother, I surely love you, isn't there something I can do for you." Mother said, "Fred, you must go to school, but before you go you can clean out the potatoes that have rotted under the sink." After Freddy had done this he asked mother if there wasn't some other little thing that he could do. She said he must run on to school.
That night Fred didn't come home on time as he always did. About 10:00 pm, mother got dad, who was at the 3C Camp. About midnight Dr. Loren and his wife came to our house and said, "our son told us that he and Fred had decided to gather pussy willows after school. They went to the Frisco River. Our son stopped to roll up his pants legs and Fred went ahead. He stepped in a hole and our son could not get him. He ran home and went to bed because he was afraid we would spank him. He finally told us a few minutes ago. Dad got the 3C boys to come and help him comb the river. About 10:00 am the next day they found Freddy's body. Dad put him in a box and put a tarp over the box and we went to Mesa. Before we left we went to the camp and about 150 men and boys came out and gave a flag service for Fred. These men had learned to love Freddy during the times dad had taken him to work with him.
This was a very bitter blow to mother and dad. Fred was their only son. He was loved by everyone because he was always so kind. He had big brown eyes and blond hair which he always combed and kept so neat.
MOVE TO THATCHER
A few days after this happened mother and dad moved to Thatcher, Arizona. Mother took in twelve college boys. During this time my little sister, Beverly Ann, caught a cold. She only lived for three days. I will never forget coming home from school and finding the doctor there. He had that little frail baby, who was already blue, laying on a cake of ice with a fan blowing on her. It was explained to me that it was to bring down her fever. I begged them to take the ice away, but they would not. After this she passed away and I got rheumatic fever and I was in bed for a year.
During this time my dad became more bitter against the church. This made my mother very unhappy. The boys gave my folks a bad time so dad spent quite a lot of time in Linden. He found a vein of coal, so we moved to Show Low. Dad stayed at the coal mine most of the time and mother sold corsets all over Apache county.
Since I was the oldest, I was in charge of my two sisters, Carol and Jeanne. Carl Rick spent much of his time at hour house. We had many happy and romantic times together. He had a very strong testimony of the gospel, could sing and play the piano. We went to many parties together. I was only twelve and wanted to go on to high school. He wanted me to get married then and my folks thought that would be good also, but we didn't get married.
Carl gave me my first big red box of chocolates on Valentine's Day, and since he and his mother were the janitors at the school, every morning when they came in to light the fires, he would leave a love note in my desk. The other girls were really jealous of me because everyone wanted to go with Carl, but he was always
true to me.
MOVE TO CACTUS
I was glad when my folks moved to Cactus. They lived with the Jennings family while they built a house in Safford. During the summer I stayed with the Arthur Barney family. They had a son named Newel. We began to like each other, then one summer afternoon Carl came from Show Low. He stayed with us for about two weeks. He wanted me to marry him then. I told him I wanted to go to high school. One day I got mad at him, he left and I have never seen him again.
MEETING LAMRO
The fall that we moved to Safford I began my freshman year at high school. One day I was invited to go to a dance with a girl named Carol Whitis. We met two boys, one of these boys was Lamro Hoopes. He had just returned from a mission for the church and was to leave for the Army the next morning. He asked me to come and see him off but I told him I didn't want to, so he left. After a few weeks he wrote me a letter. I answered it and I began writing to him with all the other boys who were in different parts of the world serving our country in the service. I wrote to him during the time he was in Texas, Italy, Japan and in the Philippines. When he returned we went together for about two weeks and we were married.
After we were married in the Arizona Temple, we moved to mother and dad's apartments on fourth street in Safford. Lamro began to work at the Inspection Station at Gripe (east of Solomonville, Arizona).
JOHN AND JEAN ARRIVE
We were married a little less than one year when we had our first son, John. He had problems with digestion and had a hard time keeping his formula down. Then about a year and a few days later, Jean, our first daughter was born. Lamro's mother had passed away and we were living with his dad and I was taking care of the household. G.A. and Jerry were there and there was lots to do, so one of Lamro's cousins came to live with us for a few weeks. My mother wasn't well at the time or she would have come. After Jean was only a few months old we moved back to Safford.
We lived again in one of the rental apartments and Lamro worked at the Inspection Station and built our home in Thatcher on his days off. It took him three years to complete it enough so we could move in.
John and Jean were two busy little kids. When John was nine months old he was walking and climbing on everything. It seemed only a few short months until Jean was doing everything that her brother could do. They really kept me busy.
Every day about four in the afternoon I would put them in a black buggy that my folks gave me and would walk with them all over town. We would come home about dark. Lamro was home only to sleep and eat and since I was at home all the time I became very frustrated. I was glad that my mother lived close because she and my sister Jeanne helped me a lot. One day, about dark Lamro came home in the Model T Ford. He crashed into the buggy and smashed it all to pieces. I was so grateful that I had taken John and Jean out only a few short minutes before or they would have been crushed. Finally our home in Thatcher was finished so we could move in.
STAKE CALLING
Awhile after we had moved to Thatcher, President Jack Daley came to our home and asked me to be in the Stake Sunday School. He asked me to teach the teachers of the ten‑year olds. The lessons were on the life of Christ. I was very frightened because I felt very inadequate in teaching teachers who had taught all of their lives.
I also realized that I didn't have a testimony. I accepted and really began to study. When this first meeting arrived, I took John and Jean to mother's. As I was leaving I told her that I was really frightened. She said, "what time does your class begin?" I told her it began at 5:00. When I got back to Thatcher and was sitting with all of the other teachers I suddenly forgot every thing I had learned to teach them. I became so frightened and weak. At about 5:00, I remember looking at the clock, I suddenly had a feeling come over me like all of my blood was draining from my body. Then, from the top of my head down to my toes I had a feeling that something wonderful was coming in. It was a glorious feeling, one that I had never felt before. I began to have a floating sensation. I had never felt so good before in all of my life. I went in to the class and gave what I considered a good lesson. Things that I wasn't even aware of came out of my mouth. At the end of the class the students came up and thanked me for the lesson.
When I returned to Safford to get the kids, mother said, "how did it go, at 5:00 I said a prayer for you and asked the Lord to comfort you."
MOTHER'S LESSONS
I remember another time when my mother taught me a wonderful lesson. It was when I was very young, we were living in Linden. She took us in the summertime to a sandy wash. Each day we would be there and she would read to us kids and would play with us. One day I was just laying down beside her while she was reading to us. I saw many small pine trees and not far from them would be a great big tall pine tree. I couldn't figure out how one tall pine tree could grow from such a small tree. I asked my mother. She said, "Elaine, among all those little pine trees there is a strong pine. The snows will come this winter and the strong winds will blow and make them almost touch the ground. There will be hail, sleet and then, in the summer, parching hot weather. The other trees will say, 'I just can't take all this' and they will wither and die. But the one who is strong will just keep on trying to grow regardless of how hard it is. You will have to be just like the strong pine tree. You will have many troubles and even sorrow, but you must not give up. Just say, 'I can do it, just like the pine tree', and some day you will become so strong that you can also reach up to heaven." This has helped me at many times during my life.
During the time I worked in the Sunday School Brother Melvin Bitters, who was our Superintendent, helped me with things I didn't understand. He was very patient with me and through study and prayer I finally knew the church was true.
GENEALOGY
I started with Jan Marie and had to give up my teaching job. I was very sick in the beginning with her, in fact I just couldn't keep anything on my stomach for some time. Lamro was asked to be in the Stake Genealogy and attend a seminar in Mesa. He had to work and so mother tended John and Jean while I went. I stayed with my Grandma Russell. During that time we were trying to do genealogy on the Hoopes line. It had been taken back about two generations and there wasn't anybody who wanted to do it. My Uncle Ernest took grandma and me to the State Capital Library, we spent many hours looking through histories of Arizona and other pioneer books. I could find nothing on the Hoopes', although I knew that they came to Arizona in the 1800's. I was reading a journal and left it to go look for some other books, it was on a table by the window. While I was gone a breeze blew in and opened the book and when I went to close it I saw it was opened to a page about some Hoopes'. I looked more and found much there and it had references for more books that I could find. It wasn't long until I had many Hoopes family names and we were able to have their work done in the Arizona Temple.
During the time I was waiting for Jan Marie to be born, I was very active in genealogy. This success reinforced my work and I did much more.
I remember overhearing John ask his next‑door neighbor and cousin, Brenda Hoopes, "what is the most important thing in the world." She was a little girl and so she said it was a new dress. John quickly spoke up and said, "no silly, it is genealogy." I realized at that time how children are influenced by what their parents are interested in, whether it is good or bad.
JAN MARIE ARRIVES
One day I was standing at mother's sink doing dishes and all of a sudden I felt that my baby was coming. I went to the hospital and a few hours later Jan Marie was born. She was such a beautiful little girl, she had coal black hair and rosy cheeks.
About November, I decided that she needed some sun so I put her crib near a closed window by my bed. There must have been a draft because that is the only thing that I remember doing different with her, but she got pneumonia. I worked with her night and day and after a while she became very blue, just like my little sister that died. I took her to the hospital and stayed there day and night, I was about three months along with Fred, so the doctor told me to go home and get some rest and let my mother stay with her. I didn't want to leave her but they made me. I knew that I would never see her again alive. The pill they gave me made me sleep all night. When I woke up nobody will ever know the happiness that I felt when I found that she had improved. I had prayed very much for her during those terrible days and nights and had the elders administer to her at the hospital. From then on she has been a very healthy daughter and has given me much happiness.
FRED'S BIRTH
Fred was supposed to be born on February l5th, but he came on the l7th. He was born a very healthy and beautiful son. I felt very good after he was born and I even felt that I could walk right down to visit with my sister Jeanne, who was there. A few hours after Fred was born Jeanne and Kent were married in the Arizona Temple. I would have liked to have been with them, but I was also thankful that I had a fine new son, so I felt happy and content.
Jan and Fred didn't seem to be as much trouble as John and Jean were. It seemed that Jan was such a good baby and also Fred. Fred loved to be held and each day Arlene Sanders, our neighbor girl, would come over and ask if she could play with him. Jan would be very content to play all by herself. One day she walked across the furnace and burned her feet.
One day Fred wanted me to hold him, he was crawling and I was headed for the bathroom. He was right behind me. I heard a little noise when I closed the door and I found that I had caught his finger. It was nearly cut off. We rushed him to the doctor's office and he sewed it back on. Fred didn't have any kind of pain killer and he didn't cry at all either. Later on he was playing on his tricycle and he fell against the piano and something caught his finger and it came off again, this time it was all off except for a little piece of skin. The doctor pulled it completely off and sewed it back on again. It healed a little crooked this time, but you would hardly notice it. It seems like all of my children were little all at the same time. I was so busy keeping the house straight and them taken care of. There were school meetings to go to, lessons to pay for, clothes and food to fix and things to do in the church. My children were very healthy except for the usual colds and little problems, we were very blessed.
GRAND CANYON
One summer we took the kids to the Grand Canyon. On the way up there we stopped at an Indian Trading Post. An indian squaw tried to love Jean after she had cornered her. Jean at first thought she was nice but when she wanted to hug her she became very frightened. She said, "I am Jeannie Hoopie and I live in a tepee."
Lamro and I have spent many happy hours with our four children. I really enjoyed putting them all on my bed and reading to them in the afternoon. I used to look at all four of them laying there and I would swell up with pride because I had such beautiful children. We had many happy times.
During the summer time almost every night when Lamro got off work we would take them all to Cluff's Ranch to go fishing. Our home was always full of friends and activities with the kids. They have all been popular and had lots of friends.
CHILDREN'S FRIENDS
One day after Jean was in college a knock came to the door. A young man came in and was visiting with her. A while later there was another knock and another young man came, soon another one came and then a fourth. All four of them looked at each other sort of funny like and then they all left one by one.
One day I looked out the window to see what was coming up to the house and there was Jan coming home in a school bus with one of her boy friends. His father worked on cars and he thought that the bus would be fun to go for a ride in.
NURSING HOME JOB
I started working at the nursing home so that I could get some money to help John on his mission. One day his mission call came for him to go to Italy. He came out to the nursing home to show me, I was so frightened and happy. It was a long two and one‑half years, but we had choice experiences while he was gone.
JEAN AND DEAN
During the time John was on his mission Jean was invited to go to Las Vegas, where my sister Jeanne was living, because one of her boy friends that she had met while she was visiting her aunt was to return home from his mission. She had been working at the drug store and had graduated from E.A. She was registered to attend A.S.U. that fall. A few days later she called from Phoenix and asked if we would come and get her. She had Dean Jensen with her and she said that they were going to get married. I cried for three days but it did me no good. At the time they just didn't seem to be meant for each other. I cried after they were married in the Arizona Temple because I knew that they would be moving to Las Vegas, so far away. It was like pulling teeth to have her gone, but this marriage has proved to be a great blessing in all of our lives. I will never forget the way I felt and I hope that my son‑in‑law will understand how I felt.
GRAND CHILDREN COME
I will never forget when I went to Las Vegas to see little Aliesa born. I was so proud of her and I was also in Las Vegas a year and a day later when Greg was born. He was blond and Aliesa had brown hair, with strains of white hair as they grew older.
I remember going to meetings with them different times while they were living in Las Vegas. When Greg was about two we were all in Sacrament meeting. When they passed the sacrament, and it came to his turn, he quickly looked both ways and then grabbed the whole plate full of bread with one had. It really embarrassed his sweet little sister, she was about 3 at the time.
One Sunday as we were entering the chapel, Aliesa looked up and down toward me and said, "Grandma, you don't match." She meant my clothes. At that time I had a white blouse and a dark suit on, and I felt I did match. They are such beautiful children and I am so proud to be their grandma.
I was really happy when they moved to Mesa because they could be close to me. Jean and Dean were living in Mesa when Steven was born. Jean was expecting when they first moved there.
I remember walking out the door with Jean, and there was a little red headed boy at the door. She said, "my baby will look like that, Dean has red hair in his family." I didn't think her baby would be red headed, but I didn't say anything.
Just before Steven was born, Jean and I were walking one evening and she told me the doctor said the reason she was late is because he was telling his friends good bye in the Spirit World. He came about four days after he was scheduled. Not red headed, the only way you could get that kid to sleep was to run the vacuum. When little Steven was born almost on my birthday, that made me happy.
Spencer was born while Lamro was at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tucson. I had been to Mesa and decided to leave because I didn't think the baby would be born shortly, and I wanted to get to Tucson to see Lamro. Spencer was born about an hour after I left. Lamro had major surgery on his veins and heart and was in the hospital for a long time that spring.
Sterling was also born in Mesa, and his mother and dad knew for sure that they would get another little girl. In fact, they had many pink clothes and the baby's name would be Jennifer Jean. After Sterling was born, I listened to his father's blessing and as he was given the name Sterling Denmark Jensen, his father was inspired to bless him to be able to go to Denmark, the home of his Jensen family.
Sterling was also saved from a sudden death one day, when he was returning from pre-school. The lade that was bringing him home hadn't stopped before Sterling opened the door. Another car came by and hit the door. By some power he was able to get out of the way just in time. I feel that Sterling would be a great leader in the Church and had a great mission on this earth.
Scott Arthur was also born in Mesa. The night before he was born, Dean told Jean that she could do anything she wanted to and he would be with her. Jean said she wanted to go to the temple. She said while she was there at the temple, even though she wanted a little daughter again, she knew that her baby would be a son.
Berkley Jon was also born while they were living in the same home in Mesa. He was a very loving baby, and when I rocked him he would say, "sky". That meant that he wanted me to sing, "Up Up in the Sky, where the little birdies fly, he would go to sleep quite quickly.
JOHN AND MYRNA
I was so proud when John graduated from E.A. and then from the University of Arizona. After he graduated from the U. of A., Lamro and I helped him move from Tucson to Douglas, where he got his first job. I was very sad to have to leave him there in Douglas all by himself. I remember the first time he went away to scout camp on Mt. Graham. There was a phone there and he called me and sounded so lonesome.
Soon after he went to Douglas he met Myrna Gale, who was teaching home economics at the high school. She made such a great mate for John, she is so intelligent. It was a great joy when John called about two weeks before I expected it and said that he had a little son. Even though David had some problems when he was born, he is a choice spirit and I am sure he will grow to be a very choice person like his parents.
JAN AND PAUL
After Jan graduated from E.A. she spent the summer with Jean in Mesa. It was very lonesome for me to be without her. I spent many hours going back and forth from Mesa to visit her. In September she married Paul LeBaron in the Mesa Temple. They moved to Payson. She had a tubal pregnancy that scared me to death and I was afraid that she wouldn't be able to have any children. I felt very happy when they moved back to the Gila Valley to live and what a joy it was tome when their first son, Jason, was born here.
Jan's first child, Jason Paul LeBaron was born in the Safford Hospital. His folks were living in Pima. I will never forget the day that Jason was born. His mother Jan had been in the hospital all that day. I came in the afternoon to visit. It was not long until they took her into the delivery room. Lamro and I waited in the waiting room, it seemed like they would never come out. Presently, the doctor came and said that we have a fine grandson. About then they came with Jan and Jason on the cart. Jason's little head was lying on his mom's arms and he was a big baby. He looked like he was a few months old. His eyes were wide open, and he was looking all around. I have never in my life seen a baby only a few minutes old so curious of his surroundings. Finally, he just yawned and fell asleep.
The first word I ever heard Jason say is "keys". Paul built a home not far on the hill from his folk's in Eden. I would take Jason a few hours at a time, and as we were on the road I would see a bird, and try to get him to say "bird". Once in a while he would say it after me, but one day he was standing by my side as I was driving, he looked down at the car keys and said "keys". I was very happy that he finally said a word by himself.
Jared was born in Safford also, and his folks had moved in a home in Pima on the main street. He was a very quiet baby. When he first came home from the hospital, within an hour, I was holding him and he was really crying. I thought sure he was sick, or hurting. After a while Jan said, "why don't you hold him close to you and love him." I did and he went right to sleep.
Maria was born while her parents were living in a house in Show Low, close to the park. It was around the 24th of July and we were there for the festivities.
When Jan had Jason, Jared and Maria, she had to go to the laundry mat to wash. One day she laid Maria on the table while she put some clothes in to wash. She was only about two. Maria fell off and hit her head on the cement. I can't remember where I was, and why I was not watching her, but I always felt very bad about that. Then they moved out into the country on the St. John's highway. I worried about them continually, and used to love to go visit them, and go for walks in the country with them. Sometimes we were frightened by the big bulls that were allowed to roam freely. It was very cold in the winter also, for the kids to stand in the storm and wait for the bus. I used to worry continually for their safety.
Ginger was born while they were living out in the above country. Her mom got sick when they first brought her home from the hospital, and Paul wouldn't let me come, he took care of her, and also let some friend of his take care of her. But, when I saw her again, she looked good.
One day as I was preparing pies for Thanksgiving, I got a call from Jan. She asked if I would come right then, she was having her baby early. I took the raw pies out, and was on the road to Show Low. When I got to Snowflake, Jason, Jared, Maria and Ginger were all waiting for me. I put them all in the car and brought them to Thatcher for Thanksgiving. They had to fly Sam to Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix. When he was able to be released, I drove to Phoenix and brought him and Jan home to Snowflake. Paul stayed home and took care of the other kids, and had a fine meal for us when we arrived.
MORE GRANDCHILDREN
John and Myrna were living in a trailer in Douglas, Arizona when David was born. David had a hard time when he came into the world. He was born prematurely and had to be taken many times to the hospital in Tucson. At that time John was working at the hospital and Myrna was teaching Home Ec in high school. She quit her job and took care of David. It wasn't long before she started out with Amy.
Before Amy was born they had the Dean Jensen Construction Co. build them a white stucco Mexican style house. It was very beautiful.
Right after Amy was born Myrna contracted hepatitis and became very sick. It was a few days before she was able to take care of her new little baby.
Since David and Amy were not much more than a year apart, Myrna had her hands full. Then she became pregnant with Kristin, while they were living in the same house.
I remember how I used to love to go to Douglas, and as the three older children grew I loved to go on walks all over Douglas with them. I really enjoyed going to Douglas to visit.
One day I received a phone call. I had no idea that they were planning to move. John said that I could come and take the three children home, for the day, while they packed. I was very sad that they were moving and I felt my heart would break. Since they were moving to Oregon, and I knew that it would be very cold, I remember buying the three little children flannel pj's with feet in them. I dressed them in their new pj's on the way to Thatcher, because it was getting dark, and I knew it would be hard to wake them up, after that had fell to sleep, to dress them. That was a real comforting feeling to have them with us for a short time.
After they moved to Cottage Grove, Oregon, Mark was born. I didn't get to visit with him until he was a few months old. But I kept in touch, and really enjoyed him when I did get there. He was our little Valentine baby.
I wasn't able to be there either when Jeff and Kevin were born. But I kept in touch, and though about them many times, and since they were old enough for us all to enjoy those wonderful picnics at the ocean, and the beautiful forests of Oregon, I really looked forward to being with all of them. It was fun going for a walk in Oregon also, I especially enjoyed the walks with Jeff.
It has been a comfort and a special blessing, after David was called on a mission to Spain (Canary Islands) to have them close, and enjoy them all, including David when he returned from his mission. It is a great joy to have David, Amy and Kristin at BYU, and to enjoy watching Mark, Jeff and Kevin grow up.
EMPTY NEST
When Fred received his mission call to Italy we were so very happy. It was a very sad day when Lamro and I took him to the airport to leave. When we returned from Phoenix we found that we had no children left. These happy hours that we had spent with them were gone.
FRED AND KRIS
After Fred and Kris were married, they found a house in Safford, where an elderly lady lived. She had been called on a mission, so they lived in her home at the time Melinda was born. She was born in the Safford Hospital, and was a very pretty and good baby. When her grandfather Jim Talley passed away, they had his funeral in the Safford Stake Center. I took care of Melinda, during his funeral a very rare experience happened to me. She cried lots then and I discovered that her teeth were coming in and hurting very much. I went to the store with her and bought her a pacifier. That is our first time to go to the store together. Believe it or not, it made her feel so much better she fell asleep, with the pacifier in her mouth.
Melinda was about a year and a few months when her brother Jim was born. They spent a lot of time with the Kights and in their home and I didn't get to be with them as much as I had wished. Before they moved, Leeanne was born. Dr. Bruce Curtis was the doctor.
Fred decided to move to Mesa and sell his janitorial supply business here in Safford. He thought that doing construction in a big city would bring him more money. So they moved to Mesa. After moving to Mesa, Brittani and Melissa were born. They were beautiful babies also, and I always enjoyed visiting with them.
NEW INTERESTS
After the children were gone, we found new interests. I attended college at Eastern Arizona College and graduated and was accepted to the nursing school. I found that I couldn't take the state board exam because of my math, although I had done well in all of the other subjects. This has been a great sorrow in my life not to have finished this thing that I have worked so hard for.
But, I enrolled at E.A. in the Emergency Medical Technician program and graduated on the 8th of May, 1985. I worked for Kord's Ambulance service for that summer following graduation. It was very hard work for me since I was 59. It was hard for me to help get the heavy people in the ambulance.
MRS. LACKNER
Since Kords was not paying well, I got a job in Klondyke, taking care of Mrs. Carilla Lackner. I worked for her for two years. It was during that time that I was able to buy my 1985 Honda, and fix the bathroom, buy a new couch and other things that I had to have desperately.
DAD AND MARTHA
After Carilla passed away, my dad became unable to take care of things, also my step mother, Martha. So I realized that if I didn't take care of them I would have to put them in a nursing home. I didn't charge them anything for a few years, then about two years before they passed away, my sister Carol told me that I needed to get $500 from dad and $500 from Martha. At the time they had been receiving $1000 each a month. So I started saving my money and taking care of them. By the time my dad passed away at 92, I had enough money to buy his home and give my sisters some money. If I had put them in the nursing home, none of us would have received anything for our inheritance.
I am so grateful that I was able to take care of dad until he passed away. I was very grateful that I could keep him in his own home. I was very sad when Martha's daughter, Mary Ellen, came and took Martha to live in the nursing home in Nogales a week after dad passed away. Then, when Martha passed away, her daughter had her cremated. The thing that Martha dreaded, and I also dreaded.
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT
It seems that the greatest thing that I have been able to accomplish in my life is to raise four choice children. Maybe that was my mission in life. I have had many disappointments in my life. At times I felt like my life has been a complete failure and if it hadn't been for my testimony of the gospel I am sure that I would have given up.
In thinking back on my life I remember what my Uncle Ernest said to me once. "When you make a rug the back side is all matted and messed up with the knots, but when you turn it over you find the pattern and all of the things on the back side seem to make sense." I hope someday that I can look back and see this beautiful design that I know is there.