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Memories of Mom
By Spencer Brown
I’d like to share some brief memories of our mother from when I was young since this is Mothers’ Day.
I can only go back to when I was 2½-3 years old. We lived in Norman, Oklahoma where Dad was stationed while serving in the navy during WW II. I can remember sitting on some door steps and then being called back into the little house. Also, about that time I remember being in the hospital with spinal meningitis. I remember not being able to see my parents. They could only see me through a peep hole. I suppose it was because I would cry for them and the nurses didn’t need to contend with that on top of everything else. Maybe it was to protect me from germs.
When Dad was discharged from the navy we returned to Chandler for a while and then to Pomerene while our parents were trying to get into the dairy business. We lived first with Dad’s parents. Mother found that very difficult and often spoke of the strain she felt living with her in-laws. I suppose that is very natural. During those early years, they dissembled an old bridge built with 1½” x 12” rough cut lumber. They took those boards and built the house down on the highway where we lived up through my mission to Central America.
Mother had to be a very hardy woman to endure the life style we were forced to live under. We only had the meager earnings of the 35-40 head of dairy cows for our dairy farm and 35 acres of pasture. Mother endured years with a terrible infestation of mice in the house. It was a constant battle. The kitchen didn’t drain properly so she carried a plastic pan of water from the sink out the back door to pitch the water into the yard for many years. The toilet was a nightmare. The cars were not that good. But she worked hard and managed everything.
Mother was always a Primary president or Relief Society President or Seminary teacher. Our old Pomerene church house burned to the ground during those times. At the time the church only supplied 50% of costs to build (or rebuild) the building. Mother helped put on many, many barbeque dinners to raise money for the building fund.
Sometime during my 30 month mission to Central America she became a substitute teacher. This went on for maybe 15 years. With those meager wages she supported her sons on missions. She was able to do this until the last of her sons’ missions were over. Those missions cost perhaps $150-$200 a month. That was somewhat of a miracle. She earned a reputation of not putting up with any “crap” from the students.
Life on the dairy farm got very tough and they changed to raising hogs. Then Dad got a job with the state highway department where he worked until he had accumulated a meager retirement. During this same period of time they built the present home south of St. David on Curtis Flats (named after her father, Milton Curtis).
When I came home from my mission, they were clearing the mesquite trees and brush off the 100 acres. I helped with the piling and burning of the tress all summer long.
They were then able to send me to ASU in Tempe, AZ with a little dumpy travel trailer where Curt and I stayed during our college years. Dad and Mother always gave us all they had, which wasn’t much, but we got along. They encouraged us to get an education.
Once, when I was courting Susan Vance (the mother of my kids), we went to meet her father, Marion Vance. Mother and I were in a terrible old pick-up that was filled with hogs going to market. I recognized mother’s great strength of character when she got out of the pickup to greet him. He was a prosperous farmer with respect in high circles. He later was an influence in encouraging Susan to accept my proposal for marriage. Susan was accustomed to a much higher standard of living.
After Dad retired, they started a very successful mission to Florida. That was followed by years of stake missions. They actually baptized many people. That was not the norm. Most stake missionaries accomplished very little. But Mom and Dad had a way of finding lots of people who lived tough lives, like they did. They brought more people into the church than most full time missionaries. She still is a great missionary through her example and she frequently gives away copies of the Book of Mormon to neighbors and acquaintances.
My patriarchal blessing starts out by stating that I was born of “goodly parents”. The patriarch made an accurate statement.
Our dear mother, almost 97 years of age, is still a hardy woman who takes care of herself, for the most part, lives in her own home, walks with a cane and is sharp in her mind.
At her age, she still is serving the Lord and the church. She works daily with indexing of names for family history research and temple ordinances. She now serves as an arbitrator to make the final determination when two indexers haven’t agreed.
She is an inspiration to many and is a perfect example of enduring to the end.
(1).JPG)
(1).JPG)
Memories of Mom
By Spencer Brown
I’d like to share some brief memories of our mother from when I was young since this is Mothers’ Day.
I can only go back to when I was 2½-3 years old. We lived in Norman, Oklahoma where Dad was stationed while serving in the navy during WW II. I can remember sitting on some door steps and then being called back into the little house. Also, about that time I remember being in the hospital with spinal meningitis. I remember not being able to see my parents. They could only see me through a peep hole. I suppose it was because I would cry for them and the nurses didn’t need to contend with that on top of everything else. Maybe it was to protect me from germs.
When Dad was discharged from the navy we returned to Chandler for a while and then to Pomerene while our parents were trying to get into the dairy business. We lived first with Dad’s parents. Mother found that very difficult and often spoke of the strain she felt living with her in-laws. I suppose that is very natural. During those early years, they dissembled an old bridge built with 1½” x 12” rough cut lumber. They took those boards and built the house down on the highway where we lived up through my mission to Central America.
Mother had to be a very hardy woman to endure the life style we were forced to live under. We only had the meager earnings of the 35-40 head of dairy cows for our dairy farm and 35 acres of pasture. Mother endured years with a terrible infestation of mice in the house. It was a constant battle. The kitchen didn’t drain properly so she carried a plastic pan of water from the sink out the back door to pitch the water into the yard for many years. The toilet was a nightmare. The cars were not that good. But she worked hard and managed everything.
Mother was always a Primary president or Relief Society President or Seminary teacher. Our old Pomerene church house burned to the ground during those times. At the time the church only supplied 50% of costs to build (or rebuild) the building. Mother helped put on many, many barbeque dinners to raise money for the building fund.
Sometime during my 30 month mission to Central America she became a substitute teacher. This went on for maybe 15 years. With those meager wages she supported her sons on missions. She was able to do this until the last of her sons’ missions were over. Those missions cost perhaps $150-$200 a month. That was somewhat of a miracle. She earned a reputation of not putting up with any “crap” from the students.
Life on the dairy farm got very tough and they changed to raising hogs. Then Dad got a job with the state highway department where he worked until he had accumulated a meager retirement. During this same period of time they built the present home south of St. David on Curtis Flats (named after her father, Milton Curtis).
When I came home from my mission, they were clearing the mesquite trees and brush off the 100 acres. I helped with the piling and burning of the tress all summer long.
They were then able to send me to ASU in Tempe, AZ with a little dumpy travel trailer where Curt and I stayed during our college years. Dad and Mother always gave us all they had, which wasn’t much, but we got along. They encouraged us to get an education.
Once, when I was courting Susan Vance (the mother of my kids), we went to meet her father, Marion Vance. Mother and I were in a terrible old pick-up that was filled with hogs going to market. I recognized mother’s great strength of character when she got out of the pickup to greet him. He was a prosperous farmer with respect in high circles. He later was an influence in encouraging Susan to accept my proposal for marriage. Susan was accustomed to a much higher standard of living.
After Dad retired, they started a very successful mission to Florida. That was followed by years of stake missions. They actually baptized many people. That was not the norm. Most stake missionaries accomplished very little. But Mom and Dad had a way of finding lots of people who lived tough lives, like they did. They brought more people into the church than most full time missionaries. She still is a great missionary through her example and she frequently gives away copies of the Book of Mormon to neighbors and acquaintances.
My patriarchal blessing starts out by stating that I was born of “goodly parents”. The patriarch made an accurate statement.
Our dear mother, almost 97 years of age, is still a hardy woman who takes care of herself, for the most part, lives in her own home, walks with a cane and is sharp in her mind.
At her age, she still is serving the Lord and the church. She works daily with indexing of names for family history research and temple ordinances. She now serves as an arbitrator to make the final determination when two indexers haven’t agreed.
She is an inspiration to many and is a perfect example of enduring to the end.
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