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PERSONAL HISTORY OF MONTE SMITH PACKER

I was born in Riverdale, Idaho on the 2nd of January 1920. My parents were Louis Mecham Packer and Clotilda Walker Smith. Louis was the son of Nathan Taylor Packer and Mary Elvira Mecham. Clotilda was the daughter of Hyrum James Smith and Cornelia Elvira Walker. I had two brothers and nine sisters. All of whom are living today except for the youngest boy and youngest girl, both of who died in their youth.

I was a sickly child for the first few years of my life, and even though the doctor and my parents despaired for my life I eventually overcame my health problems and was able to live a normal and healthy life. However, I was never as strong and healthy as I would like to have been, but I didn’t have any more serious health problems until later on in life.

I went to grade school in Riverdale where I attended grades one through eight. After that I went into Preston, Idaho for the remainder of my schooling at Jefferson Jr. High and Preston High School. I finished high school in 1938. I spent the next three years working with my dad on his farm and studying a correspondence course in refrigeration. I shouldn’t say that I spent all the time at work and study, for in the summertime I played baseball with the Riverdale team and in the winters we played basketball. Besides these sports there was a lot of good hunting and fishing with my brother Rex. In the warm months of summer we also did a lot of swimming in Bear River, which runs through Riverdale.

I never dated girls very often until after I was out of high school. In March of 1940 my cousin, Keith Smith and I decided we would go into Preston to the Opera House, which was being used for roller skating at the time, and enjoy an evening of roller skating. Neither of us had a date, and beings as it was more enjoyable if you had a girl to skate with, I told Keith that I was going to pick the prettiest girl on the floor and skate with her. I skated around awhile and looked the girls over until I had decided which one was the best looking and then I skated with her, and I have been skating down lifes pathway with her ever since. Her name was Virginia May Steuri and about a year and half later on June 27, 1941 we were married in the Logan Temple in Logan, Utah.

By this time I had finished my course in refrigeration, so after a short honeymoon we went to Woods Cross, Utah and stayed with my sister Vilie (Elvira) while I looked for work in Salt Lake City. In a short time I found a job with the W. H. Blintz Co. who were the Frigidaire distributors for the Rocky Intermountain area. Most of my work for them was in or near Salt Lake City, but on occasion I would go to the neighboring states to work. I was in Payette, Idaho installing the refrigeration in a large locker plant when I received that special letter from Uncle Sam requesting my services in the armed forces of the United States. This was in the early part of June, 1944. I immediately left for home so as to spend as much time as I could with my family before being drafted. At this time we were living in Val Verda, Utah, which is north of Salt Lake City about seven miles. We had two children now, two boys named Larry and Barton.

I was inducted into the Army on June 27, 1944 almost three years to the day since we were married. I was inducted at Ft. Douglas, Utah, and then I was sent to Camp Robinson, Arkansas for basic training. I spent four months there and then was given a couple of weeks leave before reporting to Ft Ord, California for further training. I was in Ft. Ord for about a month and then on the 15th of Dec. 1944 we went to San Francisco and boarded ship. We sailed early the next morning and were at sea for a couple days before we were told that we were heading for the South Pacific. After being aboard ship for three months we finally went ashore on the Island of Leyte in the Phillipines. From Leyte we went to Okinawa. I had been assigned to the 302nd Combat Engineers so I was involved in a lot of front line action. At times we were required to go in advance of the front line troops and blow up caves and other barricades so the infantry could advance. After Okinawa was secured we returned to the Phillipines, only this time we were on the Island of Cebu. While we were there the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and the Japanese Government surrendered. I went to Japan with the occupation forces on the Island of Hokkaido. I was there for two months and then returned to the United States and home in Jan. of 1946.

While I was away my wife and family had moved back to Riverdale, and I hoped that we would never have to leave there again, but that was not to be. I spent the remainder of the winter months just enjoying being at home. When the ground dried off in the spring I took a job operating a bulldozer for Elliot Smith. I had spent a considerable amount of time on one while in the Army Engineers. But after awhile I decided that I had better get back to doing refrigeration work so with the help of my dad I bought a panel truck and started my own repair business in Preston. My father died shortly after this. We acquired my parents home in Riverdale and I had my business in Preston. The business was never very profitable, although we did manage to make a living from it until 1964.

Our last child was born September 19, 1961. We now had seven children, four boys and three girls. Also about this time I was beginning to have more problems with my health, especially in the winter time. I was having to spend considerable time in bed with the flu and colds. My shoulders and upper chest seemed to stay cold all of the time, even in the summer. Each year it got a little worse, and so in January of 1964 we decided that we would have to move to a warmer climate. In May of that year we moved to Mesa, Arizona where I obtained employment doing air-conditioning and heating. I followed that line of work for the next sixteen years, the last ten of which were for the Arizona Temple in Mesa. On March 15, 1978 I suffered a heart attack and was off work for six weeks, but then went back to work. On July 1, 1980 I had to take disability retirement because of a worsening heart condition.

As a hobby for the last ten years I have been making grandfather clocks. I have made about 25 clocks to date and if my health permits I hope to keep making them for many years.

Larry, Shannon, Jeffrey, Roxie and Robert live in Mesa, Arizona. Launa lives in Tucson, Arizona and Barton lives in Pocatello Idaho.