Brad Thomas: Friend of my Growing up Years in Hyrum

zBrad Thomas was honored as the "Youth of the Month" in the second edition of the Hyrum Crusader (a city newspaper I put out in Hyrum after high school.)  It said, "Son of Mr. and Mrs. Jess Thomas. ... Brad is an Eagle Scout has received his Duty to God award.  He has been active in Fourth Ward Priesthood Quorums and has served as secretary, counselor and president in his quorums.  He is currently the senior representative in the Sky View Seminary Presidency, and in the ninth grade was president of the South Cache Seminary.  Currently participating as a forward on the Sky View basketball team, Brad is the second leading scorer on the team.  Brad also plays football and runs track, playing linebacker and defensive end in football and doing the high jump and helping a relay team in track.  Brad is treasurer of the Letterman's Club.  He has served on the Sky View student senate several times and is also a member of Who's Who in American Teenagers.  Ranked fifth scholastically in this year's graduating class  from Sky View, Brad has received many citizenship and scholarship awards, including a $100 Rotary Club scholarship this year and a special citizenship ward in the ninth grade at South Cache."
I knew Brad from church days, and from his playing on our Bantam Basketball team.  We were pretty good.  Brad was a year younger than I, but he was our big man and most steady player.  We actually took first in the Hyrum league, and earned the honor to play in a tournament at the Armory in Smithfield.  They played a higher level of ball than anything we had seen in Hyrum.  Needless to say we were overwhelmed by the pressure, all of us except Brad.  Brad was a true player, and the rest of us sort of amateurs.  We got trounced the first half, but Brad calmed us down, and we actually played with them the second half. 
Brad is one of those people I lost track of after high school.  I heard he became a physical therapist and had a clinic in Logan.  However I haven't seen him since going on my mission many years ago.  He was with the class of 76 and I 75.

Gary Norman: Steady Eddie; Always

For the last twenty-five years, Gary Norman has had a place in our lives.  This started when Sheri and I tried Amway.  Gary was in our up-line.  He traveled to Roosevelt to help us a few times.  He and his brother (my brother-in-law) Mark had a significant role in our deciding to move to California.  We have now been living here for almost 21 years.  During that time we have had numerous parties with Mark and Dianna, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, summer barbecue and others mixed in.  Gary's family would be there, and some other times other of Mark's family when they lived in the Bay Area.  We would usually go to Mark and Dianna's for these.  We would have exchange party before Christmas, would do Easter egg hunts with them, and have Thanksgiving dinner.  Gary would often bring something from the garden, or homemade jam.  Angie would make jell-o eggs.  Often I would find myself with Gary and Mark in the sitting room after dinner, and Sheri would be with Angie and Dianna.
Gary passed away unexpectedly this past.  Mark presented the eulogy.  The word he used to describe Gary was steady.  That is how I also saw him; steady.  Gary was consistent.  He was prepared, so he didn't have be be excitable at the last second.  He had a calm peaceful presence about him.  Mark used a scripture to describe his brother,
Mathew 25: Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

 35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

The Bishop also spoke and summarized Gary's life with the word always.  He indicated that Gary was always ready to serve in all ways needed to get the job done.  

I have always thought of Gary being my elder, even though he is not.  Maybe that was from Amway days.  However one thing is for sure; my life has been blessed by knowing him and his example.

Mitchell Maes

http://www.coyote-tv.com/2011/08/05/duckwater-man-killed-in-fatal-rollover/

Mitchell Maes who I knew from Duckwater and discovered passed away.

Cliff Elmore: Friend; Graduate School Days

Cliff and I met my first year of graduate school.  We both did field placements at Children's Service Society.  While there Cliff met Judy.  They would later become husband and wife.  Cliff and I ran a first time adoption group at Children's Service Society, focused on older child adoption.  We had considerable material to use with regards to adoption of older children.  The Society also helped put a larger conference and Cliff and I helped with logistics, chairs etc. and were able to attend. 
Cliff and I were very motivated by adoption, and that we would form an adoption agency after finishing school.  We moved into an apartment together.  Not the nicest place, but adequate.  I had moved out of living with my father.  At the time I was caught between my folks and their divorce and didn't like it.  Cliff was leaving his wife. 
Our second year we did rural placements in Roosevelt, Utah at separte times, and wrote a research paper together on our experience.  While I was doing my visit, Cliff visited and went on a date with Sheri and I.  We saw the movie "Ghandi."
 During the summer between our two years of graduate school, Cliff and I went on a trip to New York together.

Cliff and Judy in New York

After we graduated, Cliff and I kept in contact for a while.  Cliff came to the Basin and we went camping together, Cliff bringing the canoe.  Cliff now lives in Saint George, and I haven't seen him for many years.

Mission Farewell

With Raeburn and Audrey

With Krista and Raeburn

My mission farewell was the first part of December.  I shared it with Russell Egbert who left for his mission at the same time.  I was called to Buenos Aires North Mission.  My brother put a couple of photos on Facebook from my farewell, which reminded me that Raeburn Ormond and Audrey Anderson attended.  These are two friends I have lost track of.  I know Raeburn lives in Idaho someplace, but I am not sure where.  We use to have fun in choir together.  Raeburn had a deep bass voice.  He also had a fun personality.

Audrey Anderson I met through Tina McBride at a baseball tournament.  She was from Mendon, and a few years younger than I.  We had some good times.  She wrote me for a couple months while I was gone, and we went on one date after I returned.

We Lost Carol DeBolt This Past Month

Carol Debolt passed away last month.  No obituary was published at her request.  We had been corresponding at Christmas for the past several years.  Last year she had mentioned that she had cancer.  Her illness limited her ability to work.  Most recently she had worked at the stadium in San Diego--I think the Padres.  Carol loved baseball.  She had followed the Pirates, and sometime the took the West trip with them.
Carol DeBolt had lived in Hyrum, kitty-corner from Lincoln Elementary, the corner of Center and100 East, for several years.  She moved to Cache Valley to work with the Home Start program. This was a program related to Head Start, working with preschool children.
Carol had four children, Judy, David, Linda and Ben.  David and Ben participated in Hyrum sports, mostly baseball.  They both played short stop.  Carol was very active in the kids sports.  She and Sister McBride, (mother of Darrus and Robbie) would take it upon themselves to provide meals for us.  They were the team mothers.  They would prepare the meals, and we would eat them is how that worked.  We also had many good times, because it was impossible to always be focused on baseball.  Spoons was a really big hit.  We also played a game of putting flour in a cup and then putting a penny on top.  We would slowly cut the flour away until the penny would fall--something like Jenga.  We had many fun times.
Carol was a great fan of Ohio State.  They played two seasons in a row at the Rose Bowl, and we boys went on a road trip to Pasadena.  We slept on the street to have a good spot for the Rose Bowl Parade.  We watched the game and both years Ohio State lost.  One year the Volkswagon Van Carol drove had issues.  It fell on me to fix the alternator one time with card board pieces, because the garage in the desert didn't have the part.  It got us home, and then died.
Carol was  voice of agitation in the community.  She spoke out for recreational opportunities and fair government. 
The DeBolts left Hyrum for California after I returned home from my mission; probably 1979.  I took environmental science at Utah State with David.  David had continued playing baseball, including Sky View High School, and I heard some university in San Diego. 
Before I went on my mission, I gave Carol a Book of Mormon.  I stayed at their house until early in the morning, building up my nerve to give it to her.  I think she put it with many others she had been given over the years.

Cody Nielsen: neighbor, murderer

http://news.hjnews.com/article_e27397a9-54ea-5f88-a1aa-aff4803230f4.html

http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_64d0bc1a-29c0-11e0-9d28-001cc4c03286.html

Cody Nielsen and his family lived on our block when I was a bit older, this would have been Hyrum fourth and second wards.  They lived there after I came home off my mission, and probably before I left.  I remember him attending church with his mother and sister.  He was always a very active boy, probably ten years younger than me. I think my older brother, who was always more outgoing and compassionate than I had more contact with the family.  I must admit, my daily path did not cross with the Nielsen family, but I always felt for his mother.  When I saw the family at church it seemed she was over worked as Cody was a pretty active boy.

Carma Hainsworth: Accessory to Murder

originally published 6/18/2010

Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed today by firing squad in Utah. He had committed two murders, the second in an escape attempt from a Salt Lake court with a gun that was provided to him by a woman.

When I attended University of Utah, I worked for the Utah Boys Ranch as a counselor. Mostly that meant I worked with the house parents doing whatever they wanted me to do, watch the boys etc. While I was there Carma Hainsworth and her husband (I don't remember his first name) were hired as alternate house parents. At that time there were two houses open, and they would give the houseparents their time off by taking over at each house for a couple of days every week. They were fired after several months, and I am not sure of the circumstances of their being let go. I wasn't there when it happened.

A couple years after working there I was visiting with the house parent I worked with, and she told me of Carma's involvement in the Ronnie Gardner case. She had helped him with his escape which resulted in a lawyer being murdered, and a court bailiff being wounded. This took place at a court house where Gardner was on trial for another murder. Carma was later convicted of being his accomplice in the escape attempt, and everyone understood her to have gotten the 22 pistol to him with which he committed these crimes.

Sometimes who you know can haunt you. It happens that Ronnie Gardner's girlfriend was also Carma's sister. I thought it odd that Carma had been convinced by this guy to be involved in the escape attempt, rather than the girlfriend herself.

Carma Hainsworth

Well maybe my thoughts were correct, as Ron Gardner has admitted his girlfriend provided him with the gun. Carma was involved in the escape attempt, having a change of clothes prepared for the murderer to change into. She maintained her innocence with regards to the gun. In the end, witnesses could identify Carma, and not her sister, and as a result she spent eight years at the Utah State Prison.

I did see her once at the prison. I was there as a social worker for a completely unrelated case. I saw her and we said "hi" to each other, but that was the extent of our conversation. We recognized each other and acknowledged each other and that was it.

The Apata Family; La Familia Apata

We spent many fine early mornings and early afternoons with the Apata family while on my mission.  They lived in Don Torcuato, where I served for 11 months.  They presented a place to go when things were slow, or when an appointment fell through.  Over time, we baptized the children, although the parents never wanted to hear the missionary lessons.   Patricia, the oldest daughter was baptized first.  She had been baptized before I was assigned to the area.  However shortly after two of her sisters, Isabel and Maria Ines were also baptized.  We also baptized Mercedes, who had a daughter, Alejqndra, about three years old.  She was the second oldest.  The youngest sister, Silvia was also baptized. 

When we would go by, Maria Ines would often play the guitar and we would all sing.  Her favorite songs were, “I like to Dance,” and “Auld Lang Syne” in Spanish.  It seems the words mean more in Spanish.  “It’s nothing more than an until later, it’s nothing more than a brief goodbye.  Very soon, around the fire we’ll be together again.”
We had a lot of fun singing, telling stories, and doing missionary work together. 
I visited the house of Mari Ines this past week.  She now lives in Salt Lake.  Isabel was there, as was Alejandra.  Maria Ines had married Jose Martinez, who was baptized during the time I was there by the other missionaries in our branch.  They told stories of how the old branch, which was newly formed while we were there, but didn’t have their own church so we went to San Fernando for church, is now numerous wards.

Maria Ines, Silvia, Isabel with Alejandra and Laura

Isabel, Laura, Maria Ines, me, Elder Findley, Patricia, Mercedes and Silvia

 http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2012/07/famiily-vacation-trip-to-salt-lake.html
This is a link with current pictures

Ken McNeil-- Friend,

Everyone once in a while there are people who, just by your knowing them, make you a better person.  In my life, Ken was one of those people.  His example let people know how to live more like Jesus.
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2011/12/ken-mcneil-passed-away-this-morning.html
I and one of my sons, probably both Mark or Jeremy in their turn, were their home teachers for several years.  Their oldest daughter was Jeremy's age, and oldest son Charity's age.  Caleb and Rory were always good friends.  Often we were the recipients of the lesson, through their example.

Ken was a man epitomized by service, kindness, and a mellow outlook.  He was available to help others; whether by loaning them a car in need, giving them money, giving his time.  Ken loved his family.  He married later in life, but was blessed with five children, Lizzy, Martin, Duncan, Rory and Walker.  It was fun to watch him interact with them.  He loved children.

One year Ken and I coached a farm team together for Moreland baseball.  It was my first year getting involved.  He had a couple children on the team.  It was a fun experience, watching his kids heft the equipment to the vehicle. 

We use to do activities together, beach, floating the American River.  They left the ward and moved to Delaware.  When we visited the East, their home was our base of operations.  Sheri and I enjoyed a room in the basement.  Liza cut everyone's hair.  They shared some of their activities, including getting ice cream at the creamery.

They let their basement out to other friends, who needed to escape the heat.  They did the same with their pool.

Ken was an example of using your resources for good.  He was taken from us this year, due to cancer.  But he left a permanent mark on my life.

Leslie Clawson

Leslie is fourth from right

Leslie is third form left in front

In the summer just before my second grade year, our family moved into Hyrum, Utah at 587 East 100 South.  Just up the street was the family of Leslie Clawson.  Even though we were both in the second grade back then, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  She had light blond hair, and a dainty frame.  I had a terrible crush on her.  I was too shy to ever approach her, but there were plenty of neighborhood opportunities to see her, evening games, or just getting together for what ever.
In the third grade, we were put together for a dance in the dance festival.  I don't remember the dance, but I do remember being with Leslie.  The only problem was I had a big wart on my hand at the time, and it was a bit embarrassing.  Leslie was always gracious, but to ever think of us together was more than a possibility.  We moved away after fourth grade for a couple of years, and then when we returned to Hyrum, to the same house, Leslie moved to a home in a different ward closer to the dam.  She associated in a "more popular" group and I didn't feel comfortable entering.  It's funny how we label ourselves.  So from then on I only admired Leslie from afar.
Leslie had juvenile diabetes, and had to take special care of her diet and sugar.  I never had any contact with her after high school, and she has since passed away.  I understand the diabetes eventually got the best of her and she passed away.

Cleto Genelza: A friend and coworker has passed away

June 2011

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mercurynews/obituary.aspx?n=cleto-genelza&pid=152151880
A friend from work passed away this week after a long struggle with cancer.  He and I use to compare notes with regards to our children.  His daughter was a hockey player, and he use to always let me know how she was doing.  I met him when she was in high school, and he would update me as she graduated and then was off to school.  Several years ago we switched buildings and I had less contact with him; but I would see him in the parking lot at times.  Then about a year he left the county.  Now I realize this was because of his illness.  So I want to let Cleto know I will miss him, and his family know that he was appreciated.

Nels Carlson

I was looking at the Obits in the USU Alumni magazine, and noticed Nels Carlson had passed away.  Nels was Mr. Theater at the USU extension in the Uintah Basin.  He knew everything about theater, from the technical aspect, to the acting to the producing.  http://obitsutah.com/show_obit.php?id=3845  http://www.ubstandard.com/stories/Carlson-remembered-for-service-to-others,8658

I first met Nels when I was in the USU production of "Man of la Mancha." Nels, in addition to being the producer, portrayed the captain of the guard.  He was always such a professional.  He introduced the idea of staying in character and saying "line" when you need your line.  That was a good method to memorize the lines, but also to build the character of your role.

I did several more productions with Nels.  He was the director of the "Star of Justice" for the first years of the Outlaw Trail Festival.  He took a script that had never been produced before, and turned it into a show.  He also designed and put together the stage and scenery.  I still have a picture of the scene as he designed it, which hangs in me bedroom.

I helped Nels with building set.  I was the person that didn't know what he was doing, that Nels would show how to do a few things.  My worse experience with Nels was when I was taking down lights, and dropped one from the apple picker.  It broke the lens, but Nels didn't yell at me.  I did enough yelling at myself. 

He shared with me a movie script he had written.  It was written in the movie kind of a way and told the story of a man with cancer, who is "kidnapped" by his friend, a Native American to go see the grandfather, medicine man who could cure him.  It had the traditional chase scenes and everything, and finally getting to where they needed to be.

On one occasion we had a church social, and Nels came and did a one-man show.  Nels sang "Paper Dream" from "Saturday's Warrior."  This was one of his favorite songs.  He also did a scene from Shakespeare, I think "Macbeth" of a crazy door keeper.  I can still hear him, "Knock, knock, knock."

Argentina: Dr. Santillan, Los Desaparecidos

When I served my mission in Argentina, it was ruled by the Military Government.  The government placed too much emphasis on rooting out opposition, communist, etc.  Often this included a broad sweep of families who might be in the wrong business.  For example a family had to leave as they taught the illiterate how to read.  Somehow the government decided everyone in this business was a bad influence.  The sister of a member, Hermana Bonavena, of the branch in Don Torcuato, where I served, had to flee the country because they were in this business.  They were able to flee to Spain, but their house was taken by a military family.

Dr. Santillan lived and had an office at Kilometro 26.  There was a train station here, and if you climbed a bunch of stairs from the train station you came to the road were the bus passed.  It was one station closer to the Capital, Buenos Aires, than Don Torcuato where we lived.  However our area covered both stations.  One day there was a drunken man in the road, who was just able to roll out of the path of a colectivo (bus.)  We gathered him up, and took him to the doctor to see if there was anything he could do for him.  He agreed to see him for no charge, and gave him something to drink.  The drunken man recomposed himself relatively quickly, and the doctor sent him on his way.  He told us that traditionally, someone as intoxicated as this man, normally wouldn't recover so quickly, and he attributed this to our faith.

We got to know the doctor subsequent to this.  My companion went to him for a boil.  He treated me for bronchitis.  He prescribed something like Ensure for my companion as he was very thin.  Hermana Bonavena, who lived only a few blocks away from the doctor's office, told us the doctor’s story.

He was in his office, as he was most days.  Someone the government was after, a rebel of some kind, had been shot by the police following him.  He got off the train at Kilometros 26, climbed the stairs leading up out of the train station to the residential neighborhood.  There at the top of the train station was a doctor office, and as he had been shot, he went there for treatment.  If the treatment was forced under threat of a gun, I don't know, but I do know that the doctor did treat him.  Isn't that part of the Hippocratic Oath?  I imagine the guy was eventually caught.

However as a result of this action, the government appeared one day on the doctor's doorstep and took him.  His family did not know where he was for over a year.  For all they knew he could have been killed, as so many others were during this time.  In similar fashion to when he had been taken, he showed back up at his home almost a couple years later.  No explanation was given.  The good doctor, as explained by Sister Bonavena, had aged considerable during this time.  Who knows to what torture he had been subject.  He had been a young man, and returned an old gray-haired man.

The doctor had a large Catholic family, with many children.  We asked him if we could teach his family, and he asked us to teach him alone.  We told him the Joseph Smith story, but he did not consent to having his family take the discussions.

I ran into the doctor one more time after having been transferred.  We were riding a bus in the downtown area, and he was on the bus as well.  Turns out he was taking a course on herbal medicine.  He was learning many interesting things about natural healing formulas.  Dr. Santillan was always looking to improve himself. 

The Rosas Family

When I served my mission, most of the time we lived in member homes.  One of those homes was the Rosas family, which was actually the last family I lived with on my mission.  There was a young man in the home, a few years younger than us, who was preparing to serve a mission himself.  Although we lived with the Rosas family, another sister did our laundry, and we ate lunch (big meal of the day) with the Diaz family.  However we had a room with the Rosas family, and then had use of their kitchen as we needed.

This is one of the areas where we had bikes, and that was our major means of transportation.  We lived in San Miguel, but the branch was called Jose C Paz.  The church was actually on the border between the two cities. 
I thought of the Rosas family today as I received the message through Facebook.  It came from Lucy Chico, who was a branch member at the time.  "Billy, do you remember familia Rosas? You used to live at their house while in San Miguel. Well, the mom, sister Rosas passed on and now Alberto, the son, the only son she had, who is a very close friend of ours and a wonderful bishop is dying of cancer (pancreatic cancer) he doesn't have very much time left and they are devastated."  Alberto was the young man who was leaving on a mission just a few weeks after I was heading home.  I was in a position to help him, by leaving my old suits, (which were pretty much worn out, the jackets had some life left, put the pants had been re sewn many times at the tintorerias (dry cleaners)) and a few of my missionary materials like a film projector.  My thoughts and prayers are with friends in Argentina.

Randy Funk: Aggie Basketballer

Last night I was listening to the Aggie game on the Internet, KVNU radio. (Ain't the Internet great.)  Bracken Funk played for Fresno State.  They indicated he is Randy Funk's son, so I decided to tell my experience with Randy Funk.  Randy played basketball for Utah State, and made well over 50 percent of his shots.

My brothers, and I were involved in youth sports in Hyrum growing up.  We first played and then coached for many years.  We would organize the youth basketball, baseball and football.  There were three brothers who lived in Hyrum, Funk, who had many children who participated in sports.  Their sons were big boys.  Randy Funk was the son of Randall and Gerrie.  When I took a two year hiatus, to go on a mission to Argentina, Randy Funk still hadn't made a name for himself.

However when I returned, Randy Funk had really really sprouted.  He was then an 8th or 9th grader, and I was 21.  He played as much basketball as he could.  Anytime a gym was open, he would be there.  We would play church ball at South Cache Junior High School.  We would play games in the big gym.  One time while I was there I ran into Randy in the small gym.  He challenged me to a game.  I could tell he challenged almost anyone who came in the door.  I think he was probably 6'5" at the time.  However I liked my chances.  I could shoot well, and certainly some one that tall would lack coordination and I could out shoot him.

Man was I wrong.  I was totally embarrassed.  He played ball at a different level than me.  We played to 22, and I think I got six or eight points, and I had to work for those.

My only comfort is that he later played division one basketball for Utah State.  Otherwise I would have to live forever with the shame of being beaten by an eighth grader.

Jaime Cantarovici

Spanish Professor, Jaime Cantarovici

I have been looking at the books of poetry from my Latin American Literature professor.  The books are called "Desde Lejos" and "Flores Artificiales" "From Afar" and "Artificial 

Flowers".  Both published in Spain, 1975 and 1982.  In the first book Dr. Cantarovici explored aging, and lamented that he could not carry as much as when he was younger.  He explores the routine in our lives in the poem "Inevitable".  I identify with this poem, as I feel sort of like I'm stuck in a rut.  Home to work, work to home, home to work, work to home, and to be honest, work isn't very challenging lately.  I've been doing the same thing for many years, but don't dare make changes because of the income; it's hard to rock the boat.

 Inevitable

Knowing that we are all in a line

same as those before,

same as those behind

Always in a line towards…

How sad it is to wait!

How sad it is to not love!

A thought, a word, a sigh,

they are gone forever

forever forgetting.

It is I who cries the morning

because I know what will come

it is I who knows the pain

of those that are in line.

The same as before, today and later,

never looking back

the Man hopes that a voice tells him

—Come forward— for you it is done.


This poem shows Jaime's lighter side


Child of Four Years

You will go to hell.
The will put on you black wings
full of worms
and spiders.
The devils

will dance a dark dance
and the fire will be
eternal.

Or..............

You will go to heaven.
They will put on you great white wings
full of flowers
and perfumes.
The angels
will dance a celestial dance
and the music will be
eternal,

If you behave well
and take your soup
you will go to heaven
to play with the clouds.
If you behave poorly...

I WANT SOUP!


 A short passage about love

LOVE

Life is short and passing
but love is eternal
The spring is light
But summer an infernal.

Autumn is cold
as is the summer
life is short and passing
but love is eternal.

FIRST LOVE

My son was born
with the moon conquered.
The sleep of the centuries
doesn't cause surprise
before your eyes.

It's a thing of yesterday
--the tell me--
it's routine monotony of yesterday.

Papa...
I'm in love
with a girl...
                 cybernetic...

A poem dedicated to his wife

SAY IT WITH YOUR EYES
                                        to Graciela

 Don't pronounce your name
Your life quiet it in secret
I want to discover the enigma
that hides in your chest.

Do you love me? Adore me?

Don't Say it!
                        NO!

It will just be words
that the wind erases.
Tomorrow we will want to remember
the mind in rebellion,
mute and silent
you will cry before the forgetfulness.

Do you love me?  Adore me?

Don't say it!
                         No!

In your profound ees
sealed in mistery,
is the precious jewelry box
where you guard the secret.

With emotion and tenderness
our glance unites
I will tell you in silence
                               I love you!

And int the rush of your face
I will know that you love me too.

Do you love me?  Adore me?

Tell me with your eyes
as they're sincere.

I thought I would share a little bit of Jaime with you.  I really think in poetry, you lay your heart bear, as his is bared in this small sample.  Jaime was a friend.  He signed the copy of have of "Desde Lejos".   I took three or four classes from him, the writings of Pablo Neruda, and a couple about Latin American Literature.  I will share some of the poetry from those classes in later blogs.

Jaime and I had a dual relationship.  In addition to being my professor, he was also a competitive coach in soccer.  I coached the team form Hyrum, and he coached his son's team in the early days of soccer play in Cache Valley.  I remember one year both our teams made it to the finals in Brigham City.  We had some good times.

Jaime was taken from us too young.  He was born in Bolivia, but his family moved to Argentina when he was in high school.  While visiting his family in Argentina in 1986 he had a massive heart attack and passed away.  He was only 43 years old at the time.

Vince Peters

While I was in the bishopric in our ward, the missionaries taught an older gentleman by the name of Vince Peters.  He and his wife had lived next to a member family.  After his wife had passed away, he called his friend and asked about the Gospel and the beliefs with regards to an eternal family and eternal marriage.

From that conversation, the missionaries were invited to his home and he accepted the challenge to be baptized.  His friend actually performed the baptism.

Vince was most excited about having his wife sealed to him, and doing his genealogy.  A high-priest, Alan Peterson, was assigned to help him organize his genealogy.  He was able to go to the temple and be sealed to his wife, with someone acting as proxy for her.  He was also an instrument in doing much of his own genealogy work.

Vincent was already old and frail.  I visited him in his home and we helped him install a bar to make it easier for him to get out of bed.  He shared some of his history with us.  He had been a B-17 pilot in WWII and had also been a POW.  Bishop Orton helped him put together a brief history of these experiences.

see:
http://bwardlehistory.blogspot.com/2011/01/vince-peters-wwii-b-17-pilot-and-pow.html

Vince was taken from us too quickly.  After only a couple years in the ward he passed away.  His funeral was attended by many.  He was given an honor guard by the Marines with a trumpet playing taps.  It was a moving ceremony, and let us know the worth of an eternal marriage, sealed in the Temple of God.  How special our wives are to us men.

Carbondale: Sister Fohr

We lived in Carbondale when I was in the fifth and sixth grades.  They were pretty good years.  They were also years I met a new group of people.

            Sister Fohr was a convert to the church.  She was an elderly lady, retired school teacher.  She taught Sunday School.  I remember she had wrinkly skin like my grandmother.  She was much skinnier than my grandmother however.  One time she invited many of us to her house for a Mormon tea. 

I think that was when she introduced me to the world of stamp collecting.  I was 10 at the time, and I must admit I was not a very good collector; at least I was not very good at keeping my stamps pristine. 

            She of course told me about stamp hinges, but they were too expensive and too hard to come by.  As a result, I attached most of my stamps with scotch tape.  That is not a good idea if you are trying to preserve stamps as the acid in scotch tape leaves a greasy stain.

            However Sister Fohr introduced me to First-Day-Covers and she gave me my first.  It was of the Illinois Sesquicentennial.  (I destroyed it by putting scotch tape on it but fortunately I attended a parade and meeting at the time honoring the Sesquicentennial and received a program with another first-day-of-issue.)  She also gave me a lot of stamps from Laos.  I still display them proudly in my album.  I don’t know if she had a son serving in the military there, or how she came to have them.

            I formed a stamp club with some of my friends at the time.  Tim Patterson lived across the street and also went to our church.  He was part of the club.  I also sent for stamps on approval, and with any penny I could spare I purchased extra stamps.

            Stamp collecting has been a hobby that has stayed with me over the years.  I am not an active stamp collector all of the time, but I pick up the hobby and put it down as suits my needs and interests.  I owe the pleasure I have taken from this hobby to Sister Fohr.

Charles James Wardle

This is a pictorial essay of pictures I have of my younger brother who was born 1/28/1961.

First birthday

Hyrum

Charlie and Marvin, Sara's wedding

Carlie and Marvin, Ammon

Dianna and Charlie

Charles, Dad in background

Charlie, Marvin and Wufford

Home from his mission to Japan

With the Buff girls, Krista, Kathy and Geneve