My dad had to borrow $100 from his friend to get married. He hadn't been planning to get married so soon. He was hoping to save up a bit.
My mom's two sisters and their husbands had moved to McGill, Nevada to work. They suggested to my parents that they move there, too. My dad had given his word that he would help his brother in law with the harvest and then said they would move there once the harvest was done.
They arrived after many others had to arrive. There was company housing that they could rent and you had to be put on a list to get into housing. They found out about an open apartment where the residents were selling their furniture. They bought the furniture and somehow moved way up on the list. It wasn't until after they moved in that they found out that they got the apartment because nobody wanted to live by Cranky Old Mrs. Ford. My sister Cheryl was pretty much a honeymoon baby, she was born in June after they were married in September. She was born in McGill. Whenever little baby Cheryl started to cry, Cranky Old Mrs. Ford started pounding on the wall to "shut that baby up!!"
My dad wanted to be a farmer, so after the summer was done, he found out he could run a farm in Milford, Utah. He would do all the farming and split the proceeds with the owner of the farm. After working for a year on the farm, he only made $300 for all the work he did. He realized that he couldn't support his family from farming with that as a yearly income. The decision was made to move to Salt Lake City, where a lot of the siblings on both sides were living then.
They lived in the Glendale area for several years. The house on Emery Street. Together, they purchased a half acre lot in Hunter, Utah. My dad and my uncles built the house I grew up in from the ground up. It wasn't really the farm he probably wanted, but we had chickens and he had a huge garden that he watered with irrigation water.
My mom's two sisters and their husbands had moved to McGill, Nevada to work. They suggested to my parents that they move there, too. My dad had given his word that he would help his brother in law with the harvest and then said they would move there once the harvest was done. They arrived after many others had to arrive. There was company housing that they could rent and you had to be put on a list to get into housing. They found out about an open apartment where the residents were selling their furniture. They bought the furniture and somehow moved way up on the list. It wasn't until after they moved in that they found out that they got the apartment because nobody wanted to live by Cranky Old Mrs. Ford. My sister Cheryl was pretty much a honeymoon baby, she was born in June after they were married in September. She was born in McGill. Whenever little baby Cheryl started to cry, Cranky Old Mrs. Ford started pounding on the wall to "shut that baby up!!"My dad wanted to be a farmer, so after the summer was done, he found out he could run a farm in Milford, Utah. He would do all the farming and split the proceeds with the owner of the farm. After working for a year on the farm, he only made $300 for all the work he did. He realized that he couldn't support his family from farming with that as a yearly income. The decision was made to move to Salt Lake City, where a lot of the siblings on both sides were living then.
My mom stayed in Marysvale with her parents while my dad moved to Salt Lake City to find a place for them to live. My mom joined him about two weeks later. My uncle got my dad a job at the Foundary. After working there for a while, my dad's brother Art, told my dad about about a job at Chicago Bridge and Iron. He worked there for thirty years.
They lived in the Glendale area for several years. The house on Emery Street. Together, they purchased a half acre lot in Hunter, Utah. My dad and my uncles built the house I grew up in from the ground up. It wasn't really the farm he probably wanted, but we had chickens and he had a huge garden that he watered with irrigation water.
The two of them did many things together. They hunted, they camped and they fished. After they retired, they would be snowbirds for the winter and head to warmer climates in southern California and Arizona for about six weeks. My mom canned the food that they grew - tomatoes, peaches, pears, applesauce. They were married almost to their 49th anniversary. My dad passed away August 15 and their anniversary was September 5.
My mom turns 86 in April. She never remarried. She has always been a very active person. He made her sell the motorhome that the would go south in for the winter - and she was not happy about that. So, after he died, she went out and bought another one so she could keep going. She has traveled the world. The only thing that has slowed her down? Her heart. Coronary problems just plain suck.
Colleen Thanks so much for your stories from Mom. I have heard these stories but have not written them down. I did video tape her life story last summer but have not gotten around to putting them together and writing them down. Maybe this summer. You have done a great job
ReplyDeleteI loved the family history. I always adored your parents. My best memories of my childhood were the weekends camping and fishing with you and them. They were amazing together.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how much the top picture of your mom looks like Kay Lynn.