noraestellelamoreaux

Nora Estelle Lamoreaux was born on April 1, 1894 at Dingle, Bear Lake County, Idaho. Her parents were Archibald (Archie) Lamoreaux and Lydia Lovera Crockett. When Nora was born, her mother was very ill and eleven years earlier her father's feet and little fingers were frozen. The long, bitter winters of Idaho were hard on the Lamoreaux family so they were urged by their doctor to move to a warmer climate. Nora was three months old when the family took off for Arizona, a four month trip, by covered wagon across a very rugged (but cool in the summertime) route following the Utah-Colorado border. Crossing the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry, they proceeded to south-eastern Arizona, settling in the Gila Valley.

Nora started school in Hubbard, graduating from Normal School in 1910, receiving a large diploma. Her family moved to Thatcher where they bought some land on First Street. Nora attended Gila Academy in Thatcher, graduating with Spencer W. Kimball. A photograph of Nora taken about this time in her life shows a beautiful face and dark hair flowing down to her knees.

Nora served a full-time mission to the Central States, which was unusual for a young woman at that time, in Kansas and Missouri. When she returned she became a home economics teacher. Nora met Grover Hoopes, also a returned missionary, and they were married Jun 4, 1919 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Into their family were born six children, Grover Lamro, Wyeth, George Arthur (G.A.), Avon, Jerry and Nora Nel. (Wyeth got his unusual name from a brand name on a tool belonging to father, Avon was named after the famous line of cosmetics, which Nora sold from her home, and the three letters in the name Nel stand for the first letters in Nora's name.)

Nora was a skilled home maker and seamstress, she made many beautiful quilts. They were friends with Camilla and Spencer Kimball and for a while Nora nursed one of Camilla's babies, which was common in those days before baby formulas were available.

During the Great Depression, Nora sold butter and eggs to the Big Six Store in Thatcher to supplement the family income. This was before they had electricity in their home. Milk and butter were kept cool by putting them down in a well or by keeping them in a special box with gunny sacks on the sides, which was kept cool with dripping water. Always active in the Church, Nora served in many church callings and was known as one who could give powerful sermons in church.

At the age of 54, Nora became ill and went to Phoenix to be near doctors. She died in Phoenix at Good Samaritan Hospital on July 4, 1947 of congestive heart failure. Her death certificate says she had this condition for six months. She was buried in the Thatcher Cemetery on July 8, after a funeral in the old tufa stone meeting house on Church Street, attended by a lot of family and friends.

Nora left behind a husband and her children; Nel was only eight years old, Jerry was eleven and GA was seventeen. After a while Nel went to live with her father's brother, Uncle Glen, and Aunt Lavona. This couple lived a block west of her dad's house and they were unable to have children, so they welcomed her into their home. Nel continued to live with them until she married, but was able to see her dad almost every day, as his hardware store was right next door to the drug store that Uncle Glen owned with Uncle Nat.