Shortly after our return from our mission, Leon and I drove to Mesa for a Williams Family Reunion and to see Mom. We stayed at Gina and John’s condo. Fred and Carol, Greg and Mary, Jerry and Caryol, came. We spent time visiting and singing. We even were able to get Mom to sing a little. She really wasn’t aware of what was going on. Very feeble. On one night we had a big reunion with extended family members which was very enjoyable. From Gina’s family Debbie, Kevin, Steve and Shane and their families came. From my Uncle Orin’s family Myrna, Jeff & Nyla, Sharon & Harvey. From Etta’s family Don and JoAnn. It was great to see them; it had been years since I had seen some. John and Gina are caring for both their mothers. How noble and kind of them.
We had a great family get-together at Sylvia’s after our homecoming report. All the family was present except Tricia and her family. It was so nice to see everyone after being gone 18 months. We then drove to Texas to see Tricia and all the family there. We love to visit all our family.
On August 6, Ryan, son of Sylvia and Brent, married Leslie Davis in the Manti Temple. What a Blessing it is when grandchildren marry in the Temple. A beautiful reception was held in the Lindon Reception Center. She is a lovely girl.
Shortly after, my mother Corraine passed away. It was August 11, 2002 in Mesa, AZ. and Leon and I drove down. Gina, Mary and I were able to dress her. I had never done that before but was happy to do that for my mother. I was happy that she was now with Dad and in her right mind and healthy. The funeral was beautiful with songs sung that Mom had written. Also a tribute that Dad had written years ago was read by many of the women of the family. So many family members were able to come and pay tribute. I loved seeing all of them.
Leon’s brother Bill passed away; November 14, 2002 in Hacienda Heights, CA. Leon and I were able to attend the funeral. We then drove north to Merced, (I think that is the city) where he was buried. He and Katheryn had lived there many years. Joan was able to come to the funeral with Marla but had to fly home and not go to Merced. His three daughters were able to be there.
The last fun things for the year were the Thanksgiving dinner at Mark’s and the Family Christmas party. We love being with our family; they are our treasurers.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Latest Doings
Dear Loved Ones,
I thought I would let you know what I have been doing the past couple of weeks.
On Saturday, August 14, I attended a Smith Family Reunion at the Pavilion at Scera Park. It was wonderful to see some of my cousins. Some of those present were Mona Lue and Ron Ward, daughter of my aunt Mona; Alice and Rhett James, granddaughter of my aunt Edna; Mark and Dawn Smith and his brother Warren, sons of my uncle Howard. Warren very recently lost his wife to leukemia. Keith and Zona Smith, son of my uncle Don. There were also some children and grandchildren of these cousins. Gina and John, and Mary and Greg were there. David and his little boys were also present. It was so nice to visit with everyone.
Afterward, I went to Alicia and Brian Gates’ daughter Aspen’s baby blessing. It was held in their home in Cedar Hills and she was blessed by her father.. It was nice to see Melissa, Salem and Daniel besides Alicia and Brian. Their little girl is beautiful and their little boy darling and getting quite big. Syl and Brent, Mary and Greg, and their son Dee and wife Denise and boys were also there.
On Thursday, August 19, I drove to California with Mary and Greg to attend the wedding of young Jerry and Kim’s daughter Tara. We went in my car and Mary and I drove she in Las Vegas and L.A. and I in the desert areas. Greg has been having little seizures so he didn’t drive. We stayed at their daughter Becky’s home in Riverside. She and her husband Todd have a darling family: Ethan, Ava and Andrew. Ava gave up her room for me.
Saturday we drove to Newport Beach to the Temple. It is one of the smaller temples with limited waiting room space. Some people waited in the Stake Center across a small street, others outside. We all put on plastic white booties to enter the Temple and Sealing Room. It was a lovely ceremony with Tara’s father and her husband’s father as witnesses. Ryan Terry is her husband. Some of those attending were Gina and John, Robyn Brown (who drove for Gina and John), Mary and Greg, Jerry and Caryol, Jenae and David, Mitchell and Grace, some Tolman cousins, and grandparents and many friends.
After the ceremony and pictures, we went to the Olive Garden Restaurant and had soup, salad and breadsticks. I sat by Jerry (the older one) and across from Jerry’s nephew and his wife. They were very interesting people. He had served a mission in Germany and had met a young girl, Monica, and when she came to the U.S. to LDS Business College, they became very good friends and eventually married. He travels a lot, mostly to China and told of his adventures there.
Between the Temple and the reception we went to Sonia Williams’ home and had a great visit with her. Gina, John and Robyn stayed at her home.
The reception was held in the Valley View chapel where Sylvia and Tricia had their receptions but they never would had recognized it. Jerry and Kim had already moved to Idaho so they had a professional decorate and what a great thing it was. There was a white gauze gazebo built in the foyer with a large white sleigh to hold the presents. The doors into the cultural hall were covered with white gauze and a huge garland of multicolored flowers were over the door. There were gauze streamers with lights coming from all points of the room to a large chandelier in the center.. The walls of the hall were also covered in white gauze and the basketball backboards too with baskets of flowers in the hoops. The area between the chapel and cultural hall was also draped in the gauze.
All the people that were at the temple were there plus many more. Paul Tolman, his brother Tyler and wife and kids, Warren and Dorothea Williams and kids, Becky and Todd Nelson and kids, Dana and Ana Tolman, Sonia, Dana’s daughter Nancy and son DJ were also there. It was a very nice affair.
Sunday we went to Church at Becky and Todd’s ward where he is the bishop. He is a convert of 10 years and a very nice fellow. That evening Warren and Dorothea and kids came to visit, also Randy and Tammy, Mary’s youngest came to visit.
All told, it was a very nice visit and I got to see lots of family. Monday, we drove home and it was so nice to have a lovely place to come home to.
That’s what I have been doing.
I thought I would let you know what I have been doing the past couple of weeks.
On Saturday, August 14, I attended a Smith Family Reunion at the Pavilion at Scera Park. It was wonderful to see some of my cousins. Some of those present were Mona Lue and Ron Ward, daughter of my aunt Mona; Alice and Rhett James, granddaughter of my aunt Edna; Mark and Dawn Smith and his brother Warren, sons of my uncle Howard. Warren very recently lost his wife to leukemia. Keith and Zona Smith, son of my uncle Don. There were also some children and grandchildren of these cousins. Gina and John, and Mary and Greg were there. David and his little boys were also present. It was so nice to visit with everyone.
Afterward, I went to Alicia and Brian Gates’ daughter Aspen’s baby blessing. It was held in their home in Cedar Hills and she was blessed by her father.. It was nice to see Melissa, Salem and Daniel besides Alicia and Brian. Their little girl is beautiful and their little boy darling and getting quite big. Syl and Brent, Mary and Greg, and their son Dee and wife Denise and boys were also there.
On Thursday, August 19, I drove to California with Mary and Greg to attend the wedding of young Jerry and Kim’s daughter Tara. We went in my car and Mary and I drove she in Las Vegas and L.A. and I in the desert areas. Greg has been having little seizures so he didn’t drive. We stayed at their daughter Becky’s home in Riverside. She and her husband Todd have a darling family: Ethan, Ava and Andrew. Ava gave up her room for me.
Saturday we drove to Newport Beach to the Temple. It is one of the smaller temples with limited waiting room space. Some people waited in the Stake Center across a small street, others outside. We all put on plastic white booties to enter the Temple and Sealing Room. It was a lovely ceremony with Tara’s father and her husband’s father as witnesses. Ryan Terry is her husband. Some of those attending were Gina and John, Robyn Brown (who drove for Gina and John), Mary and Greg, Jerry and Caryol, Jenae and David, Mitchell and Grace, some Tolman cousins, and grandparents and many friends.
After the ceremony and pictures, we went to the Olive Garden Restaurant and had soup, salad and breadsticks. I sat by Jerry (the older one) and across from Jerry’s nephew and his wife. They were very interesting people. He had served a mission in Germany and had met a young girl, Monica, and when she came to the U.S. to LDS Business College, they became very good friends and eventually married. He travels a lot, mostly to China and told of his adventures there.
Between the Temple and the reception we went to Sonia Williams’ home and had a great visit with her. Gina, John and Robyn stayed at her home.
The reception was held in the Valley View chapel where Sylvia and Tricia had their receptions but they never would had recognized it. Jerry and Kim had already moved to Idaho so they had a professional decorate and what a great thing it was. There was a white gauze gazebo built in the foyer with a large white sleigh to hold the presents. The doors into the cultural hall were covered with white gauze and a huge garland of multicolored flowers were over the door. There were gauze streamers with lights coming from all points of the room to a large chandelier in the center.. The walls of the hall were also covered in white gauze and the basketball backboards too with baskets of flowers in the hoops. The area between the chapel and cultural hall was also draped in the gauze.
All the people that were at the temple were there plus many more. Paul Tolman, his brother Tyler and wife and kids, Warren and Dorothea Williams and kids, Becky and Todd Nelson and kids, Dana and Ana Tolman, Sonia, Dana’s daughter Nancy and son DJ were also there. It was a very nice affair.
Sunday we went to Church at Becky and Todd’s ward where he is the bishop. He is a convert of 10 years and a very nice fellow. That evening Warren and Dorothea and kids came to visit, also Randy and Tammy, Mary’s youngest came to visit.
All told, it was a very nice visit and I got to see lots of family. Monday, we drove home and it was so nice to have a lovely place to come home to.
That’s what I have been doing.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
More Mission
One of the special things during our mission was taking a sister to the Denver Temple. Connie Hanson was a member, a widow, but didn’t know anything about the church. She had joined when she married her husband who was a member. We went every week to her home and taught her the discussions, then continued visiting with reading the Book of Mormon with her. She loved to have us come and would treat us to lunch or dinner in various restaurants. She would have taken us every week but we couldn’t let her do that. It was a real thrill to go to the temple with her. One of the sisters in the ward, a good friend, was her escort.
One of the missionaries, Elder Malufau, had been Leon’s 7th grade student in band in Monument Valley when he taught there. Small world.
We visited Wildhorn Ranch where Mark Knight, a member of the ward, was the caretaker. The ranch encompasses 350 acres. It was developed in 1929 by a stunt man in the movies. It is a three-story lodge with many bedrooms and a game room in the basement. It has a restaurant-style kitchen and a large dining room. The outbuildings consist of a carriage house, two honeymoon cottages, and several guest rooms in a motel-like layout. There is also a large caretakers cabin where Mark lives. In the 1930s and 40s many Hollywood stars were guests there. John Wayne was one. It is said that once, as he was the worse for drink, he shot a rifle from the living room into the upstairs wall; the bullet hole can still be seen. Esther Williams was also a guest and a swimming pool was built for her use, now in disrepair. After we came home from our mission, a huge wildfire burned the lodge to the ground but the caretaker’s cabin was spared.
Towards the end of the year, Leon started to get sick. We finally realised it was from the mold in the windows in our bedroom. We were able to move into a two-bedroom trailer with washer and drier. It was very nice to be more private. We later learned that the old landlords redid all the windows in the apartment, getting rid of the mold.
Our Stake Mission Leader, when they used to have them, was Mark McConkie, son of Bruce R. McConkie. We liked to visit together. He would comment that our two great great grandfathers, Hyrum Smith and F G. Williams, had been companions.
One P-day we were able to visit a gold mine. The Ward Mission Leader was an engineer there and invited us. It was quite interesting. It was located just outside the town of Cripple Creek. We saw an, explosion; they broke up rocks, then leached the gold out with cyanide. They did say “Fire in the Hold” just before setting off the explosion. It takes tons of rocks to get a little bit of gold but it is worth it. The trucks had huge tires, more than double my height.
When it came time to leave the mission, the ward held a farewell dinner our last Sunday, just after our meetings. We had met so many wonderful people and they had all been so kind to us.
Rob came to help us move back as we had too many items to all fit in just our car. We appreciated it very much. When we arrived in Mt. Pleasant, I wanted to get to the house so we could unpack all our furniture and things stored in the shed. To my great surprise and delight, everything was in place in the house. It looked so good! What a blessing families are!!!
One of the missionaries, Elder Malufau, had been Leon’s 7th grade student in band in Monument Valley when he taught there. Small world.
We visited Wildhorn Ranch where Mark Knight, a member of the ward, was the caretaker. The ranch encompasses 350 acres. It was developed in 1929 by a stunt man in the movies. It is a three-story lodge with many bedrooms and a game room in the basement. It has a restaurant-style kitchen and a large dining room. The outbuildings consist of a carriage house, two honeymoon cottages, and several guest rooms in a motel-like layout. There is also a large caretakers cabin where Mark lives. In the 1930s and 40s many Hollywood stars were guests there. John Wayne was one. It is said that once, as he was the worse for drink, he shot a rifle from the living room into the upstairs wall; the bullet hole can still be seen. Esther Williams was also a guest and a swimming pool was built for her use, now in disrepair. After we came home from our mission, a huge wildfire burned the lodge to the ground but the caretaker’s cabin was spared.
Towards the end of the year, Leon started to get sick. We finally realised it was from the mold in the windows in our bedroom. We were able to move into a two-bedroom trailer with washer and drier. It was very nice to be more private. We later learned that the old landlords redid all the windows in the apartment, getting rid of the mold.
Our Stake Mission Leader, when they used to have them, was Mark McConkie, son of Bruce R. McConkie. We liked to visit together. He would comment that our two great great grandfathers, Hyrum Smith and F G. Williams, had been companions.
One P-day we were able to visit a gold mine. The Ward Mission Leader was an engineer there and invited us. It was quite interesting. It was located just outside the town of Cripple Creek. We saw an, explosion; they broke up rocks, then leached the gold out with cyanide. They did say “Fire in the Hold” just before setting off the explosion. It takes tons of rocks to get a little bit of gold but it is worth it. The trucks had huge tires, more than double my height.
When it came time to leave the mission, the ward held a farewell dinner our last Sunday, just after our meetings. We had met so many wonderful people and they had all been so kind to us.
Rob came to help us move back as we had too many items to all fit in just our car. We appreciated it very much. When we arrived in Mt. Pleasant, I wanted to get to the house so we could unpack all our furniture and things stored in the shed. To my great surprise and delight, everything was in place in the house. It looked so good! What a blessing families are!!!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
I’m back!!!
We were told, that as missionaries, we should give service. We went to the public library and offered our services. We read the shelves, meaning we checked the stacks and put books back in alphabetical order. I also typed W-2 forms for library employees. We quite enjoyed doing this but our Mission President’s wife said that we shouldn’t do service for an institution. That put an end to that.
About the only time we saw other missionaries was when we went to Colorado Springs for Zone Conference. We were really on our own. When we had a candidate for baptism then the District Leader would come and interview him or her. The Stake President, in Colorado Springs, would occasionally have our zone meetings at his home. His wife would provide a great breakfast. Usually those meetings were held at a local chapel. It was the missionaries’ custom to sing “As I Have Loved You” to the sisters that prepared the luncheon as a thank you.
We met many interesting people. We visited part-member families, inactive members, and families with children who had not been baptised. We were instrumental in baptising eight children and two adults. One interesting baptism was of a child, a daughter of a woman who had been a member, then married a Muslim. She had three children, a boy and two girls, and decided to leave her abusive husband and escaped from Saudi Arabia. She became active in the church again and her nine-year-old daughter was baptised. Leon had her bus driver, who was a member and good friend, do the actual baptising.
We only got stuck once in the snow, even though our home in Woodland Park was 8,500 feet in altitude and some of our members lived at 10,000 feet! We were driving to give a lesson to a nine-year-old and got stuck by the side of the road. After a few minutes, his father, noticing that we were late, came looking for us. Luckily, he had a strong tow rope and pulled us out of the snowy ditch.
In April, 2001, on a Thursday, I started to have pains in my back, really hard ones and I began throwing up. Leon and a member gave me a blessing. Friday I felt o.k. but went to a doctor and he didn’t find anything. Saturday, I started hurting badly again and went to a clinic. I was told it was probably my gall bladder and that I would have to make an appointment in Colorado Springs the next week. I couldn’t get in to see a doctor until Friday but when I did, he put me right into the hospital. The zone leaders came by and gave me a blessing and on April 7th, (our wedding anniversary; I had had a heart attack April 7, 1997, dangerous date!!) I had surgery. The doctor had to make a very large and long incision because he told me my gall bladder was gangrenous! That really surprised me as the only pain I had felt was just the week before.
David and Alan drove to Colorado to visit me in the hospital and it was so good to see them. But they kept making jokes and it hurt to laugh. Rob and Erika and family came to see us later in the year. We took them to see the old gold mining town of Cripple Creek. They have lots of casinos there now. I t was always great to see family. Alan and Peggy and family also stopped by on their way to Tricia’s in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving. Mark and Sharon and family also stopped a couple of times as they were driving to Utah from St. Louis and back. David also stopped by another time. We loved seeing all of them.
We were told, that as missionaries, we should give service. We went to the public library and offered our services. We read the shelves, meaning we checked the stacks and put books back in alphabetical order. I also typed W-2 forms for library employees. We quite enjoyed doing this but our Mission President’s wife said that we shouldn’t do service for an institution. That put an end to that.
About the only time we saw other missionaries was when we went to Colorado Springs for Zone Conference. We were really on our own. When we had a candidate for baptism then the District Leader would come and interview him or her. The Stake President, in Colorado Springs, would occasionally have our zone meetings at his home. His wife would provide a great breakfast. Usually those meetings were held at a local chapel. It was the missionaries’ custom to sing “As I Have Loved You” to the sisters that prepared the luncheon as a thank you.
We met many interesting people. We visited part-member families, inactive members, and families with children who had not been baptised. We were instrumental in baptising eight children and two adults. One interesting baptism was of a child, a daughter of a woman who had been a member, then married a Muslim. She had three children, a boy and two girls, and decided to leave her abusive husband and escaped from Saudi Arabia. She became active in the church again and her nine-year-old daughter was baptised. Leon had her bus driver, who was a member and good friend, do the actual baptising.
We only got stuck once in the snow, even though our home in Woodland Park was 8,500 feet in altitude and some of our members lived at 10,000 feet! We were driving to give a lesson to a nine-year-old and got stuck by the side of the road. After a few minutes, his father, noticing that we were late, came looking for us. Luckily, he had a strong tow rope and pulled us out of the snowy ditch.
In April, 2001, on a Thursday, I started to have pains in my back, really hard ones and I began throwing up. Leon and a member gave me a blessing. Friday I felt o.k. but went to a doctor and he didn’t find anything. Saturday, I started hurting badly again and went to a clinic. I was told it was probably my gall bladder and that I would have to make an appointment in Colorado Springs the next week. I couldn’t get in to see a doctor until Friday but when I did, he put me right into the hospital. The zone leaders came by and gave me a blessing and on April 7th, (our wedding anniversary; I had had a heart attack April 7, 1997, dangerous date!!) I had surgery. The doctor had to make a very large and long incision because he told me my gall bladder was gangrenous! That really surprised me as the only pain I had felt was just the week before.
David and Alan drove to Colorado to visit me in the hospital and it was so good to see them. But they kept making jokes and it hurt to laugh. Rob and Erika and family came to see us later in the year. We took them to see the old gold mining town of Cripple Creek. They have lots of casinos there now. I t was always great to see family. Alan and Peggy and family also stopped by on their way to Tricia’s in Albuquerque for Thanksgiving. Mark and Sharon and family also stopped a couple of times as they were driving to Utah from St. Louis and back. David also stopped by another time. We loved seeing all of them.
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