Mary Johnson Potts Hutchinson Life Sketch

Life Sketch of Inge Gresile Maria Jonassen (known as Mary Johnson)

by her daughters, Madge Hutchinson Leyshon Jones and Marie Hutchinson Stone

In Tistedalen, a suburb of Frederikshald, Norway, on the 16 March 1841, was born a little girl to Adreas and Bresile Martine Olsen Danielsen. She was the second child of a family of nine. She was christened Grete Marthine. When she was eleven years old, an epidemic of black cholera struck in the town and many people died from the dread disease.

One evening the mother went for a bucket of water, feeling the same as usual, but in a few hours the grim cholera had struck again and the little family was motherless. Marthine stayed with the family for three years, doing all she could to help out, then the two youngest children died and she went to Christiana, now in Oslo and to Drammen to work.

She grew to be a fine looking girl, medium tall and slender, with dark-brown hair and blue eyes. In Drammen she met Johan August Jonassen, Augustsen, whose birthday was the 25 April 1839. He was a handsome man with curly black hair and blue-grey eyes. His mother, Ingeborg Jonassen had died when he was was two years old. His father, August Jonassen, owned a wheelwright shop, at Nostrand 2near Drammen. He taught Johan his trade. They made wheels, buckets, tubs, etc. Johan also learned to be a ship's carpenter

His father remarried and at an early age Johan began traveling to other countries in sailing vessels. He enjoyed this very much. He visited Japan, China, Russia, England, California, New York and many other places.

When he was thirty-one and Martine twenty-nine, they were married on the 18 December 1870, in Lier Kirke, a little Church in Drammen. They lived in Drammen until after their first child was born. They named her Inge Gresile Maria, but called her Mary. When they moved to Frederikstad, where three more children came to bless their home; Hulda Agusta, born 28 Oct, 1873, August Johan whom they called Johnney, born 15 Oct. 1877, and Olga Natalia, born 23 September 1880.

Here in Drammen, the little family proudly owned a comfortable five-room home. Mary and Hulda were christened in the Lutheran Church. Then came a day when Marthine heard the Gospel of the LDS Church. She accepted its teachings and was baptized if 1874. In 1877, the first Relief Society in Norway was organized. She was chosen chorister and also a teacher.

Often she took a basket of food to the missionaries, who lived in the Church building. She did mending, washing and ironing for them. Generally she took Mary and Hulda on these visits and also to Relief Society; John and Natalia were blessed in the LDS Church.

Johan sailed from country to country in summer, bringing home many new and different things for the family. In the winter, because sailing was hazardous, he stayed at home, butchering and doing other odd jobs.

Marthine was a very ambitious woman, exceptionally clean and particular about her work. She had good health and worked hard. When her babies were three days old, she would scrub the floors and wash the clothes.

Like most converts, Marthine had a strong desire to come to Utah, even though she heard many weird tales of what could happen if she did. People told her that in Utah she would be hooked to a plow and worked hard, then when she could no longer work, she would be taken to the mountains and killed. Her brother Olavus had joined the Church and also one sister. The sister stayed in Norway; Olavus came to Utah. Being a bit disappointed, he wrote, "When you come to Utah, you'll really get into the mill." This didn't alter her decision. She talked to her husband about it. He wasn't a member, but he gave his consent, and the beautiful little house was up for sale.

It was the spring of 1881, and a very dull time for sales. The mother and children knelt and petitioned their Heavenly Father to send someone to buy the home, so they would have money for the journey. In a few days they saw a man walking around the house, looking at it. The children came clapping their hands, saying, "Our prayers are answered." It was true, the man did buy the house.

With the money in their possession, they made speedy preparations to depart. Johan gave all the money to his wife and children to buy passage on a steamship. He thought it would be cheaper if he worked his way across, as ship's carpenter. He left three weeks earlier on a sailing vessel, planning to reach New York about the same time as they.

Mary was nine years old and Hulda seven years old when they left Norway. The girls remembered their home, the flowers in their yard, and even the wallpaper on the living-room wall. Their father had collected many lovely things on his trips which were all left behind.

They wondered why he wasn't there and waited in New York several days. The company of Saints were going on, so they felt they must go too, for what could they do alone in New York? They thought perhaps he had been delayed and would come later. How were they to know the captain of the sailing vessel insisted he return with them to Norway to complete his job. Marthine gathered up her belongings, and with her four children started with the Saints for Utah, by train.

On July 15, they arrived in Ogden, Utah. The Relief Society served the immigrants lunch. Mary and Hulda remember eating their first pie. The lunch was very good. From Ogden they traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, and during their three-day stay saw the temple, tabernacle, etc., and were very much impressed by them.

They went to Lehi, where they found a letter waiting for them from Johan, explaining why he hadn't met them in New York. He told them he planned to come later. There was no one in Lehi to meet them. They couldn't speak English, and didn't know anyone. Mary remembers flags were at half mast, and people were sad over the news that President Garfield had been shot on July 21, 1881. He was critical, and the whole nation was praying for him, but he died in September.

Peter Larsen, section foreman, lived at the railroad station in Lehi, Utah. He took the little family in. Here they lived for six weeks. It was a two-story building, and they lived in the top story. Freight was stored underneath. Then they moved to an old shoe shop. It was one small room, built with the lumber standing vertical. The lumber had been green when it was constructed, and had shrunk until there were large cracks between the boards. Sometimes, a neighbor would pass and say, "Good morning" through these cracks, or playfully put their fingers through.

In the little shoe-shop home there was a bed made of cedar wood. It had wooden pegs to hold the crisscrossed ropes, which served as springs. Their table was a backless chair, filled with many nails left by the shoemaker. Around this were some large rocks, which they used to sit on. Marthine bought a stove for thirty dollars from Cutler's store. Bishop Cutler had two families. Marthine washed for them until this was paid off. A copper boiler and a large black stove pot came with it.

It wasn't long until the blue-eyed golden-haired baby, Natalie, became ill. She died the eleventh of September in 1881, in Lehi, Utah, just a few days before her first birthday. The next day she was buried in Andrew F. Peterson's cemetery lot, who had been a missionary in Norway. He and his wife Hannah had no children of their own, so she graciously offered to let little Natalie be buried beside him.

Word was sent to the father in Nonqay, and a sad letter edged in black was received. In December he started once more to cross; the vessel was wrecked. Three of the crew lost their lives. Johan, with others, floated on pieces of wreckage for three days and three nights, before being picked up by a rescue ship.

Marthine had put her choicest things in his trunk. This all went down and was lost. However, a few things were tucked away in one of Marthine's trunks and Aunt Hulda has a rose bowl from Russia. a blue willow plate from China, and two Chinese bone fans with Chinese figures and characters on them.

The shipwrecked men were brought to New York and placed in a hospital in Brooklyn. Because of exposure in the icy waters, Johan couldn't walk. It affected his knees.

Marthine washed and earned thirty dollars, which she sent to her husband. The doctors advised him to return to Norway, because Utah's climate wouldn't be good for him in this weakened condition. He wrote this to the family saying he was thankful the Lord had spared his life so he could be with his family again. He requested them to come back with him, but Marthine had no money, and she felt she couldn't go back after giving up so much to join the saints. Johan went back.

Mary, Hulda and Marthine were baptized in the old mill pond in Lehi, where the sugar factory now stands. Marthine had been baptized in Norway, but it was necessary or customary to be rebaptized in Utah. It was the 28th of October, on Hulda's eighth birthday and Mary's tenth. It was cold. The ice had to be broken for the ordinance.

That fall they moved to American Fork, into one small room of Emil Anderson's house, a carpenter. Marthine washed and did other tasks to pay the rent. Later they moved back to Lehi, Utah. They lived in a number of houses, all of them very small. Finally, they were able to move into a two-room home of their own. All. this time each worked at whatever they could find to do. Marthine washed, cleaned, sewed, nursed the sick, hung wallpaper. She milked three cows and fed the cows and calves, for which she received a quart of milk. This she figured at ten cents a quart, the price of milk on the New York market, and paid tithing on it along with all else she earned.

She knit socks to donate to men who worked on the Salt Lake Temple. She was in great demand at parties, quiltings, apple peeling bees, peach peeling bees and other gatherings, because she was jolly and such a good entertainer.

Mary and Hulda did janitorial work, got in wood and chips at school to pay for what little schooling they had.

Johnney tried to help out too. He was large for his age and very friendly, and he herded cows and did odd jobs. Sometimes he'd fish while watching the cows. Often he would say, "Don't worry, mother, I'll soon be big enough to earn the living." But this was not to be. When he was eleven years old, on June 2 about ten in the morning, he fell from a bridge crossing Jordan River. They found him about three o'clock that afternoon downstream, his fishing pole still in his hand. He was an excellent swimmer, but apparently had taken a cramp and gone down. The following day he was buried in a cemetery lot bought by John Potts, Mary's husband. Later Mary divorced John because he couldn't control his desire for alcohol.

Mary remembers they had to be careful of all they had and make it last as long as possible. They were taught to walk on the grass along the sidewalks to save their shoes. Shoes were blackened each Saturday night with soot and grease, ready for Sunday morning. At the time there were numerous fires; so they laid their clothes in the handiest positions at night so they could slip into them quickly, just in case.

When Mary was about sixteen she met a fellow in Lehi named John Potts and married him on October 1, 1887. He was a boss for the section crew for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in Lehi. He was non LDS. It was said he had two buckets full of $20 gold pieces! He was considered well to do. Madge remembers seeing pictures of her mother Mary, in a gorgeous wedding dress with a beautiful bracelet on her arm with rubies in it and a beautiful veil of orange blossoms. But money did not make for happiness; mother being young and not able to have much in a material way thought it would help her out.

John played in a Kirkham string band which played for dances all around the town. He took her to the dances but wouldn't let her dance; for he was very jealous of her.

Mother had two children by John Potts. The first child was Sarah Elizabeth Potts, born Oct. 4, 1888 at Lehi, and the second child was born on Nov. 14, 1889 at Lehi, Utah. Both children died the same day they were born.

John was quite a bit older than mother Mary. Trouble came between them because of his drinking. He drank so much he got the tremors; Aunt Hulda Wingate, mother's sister, would come and stay with her for a few days. She told mother, I can't imagine how you live with this man. The doctors convinced mother she lost her children because of his drinking. When Mary could no longer put up with her life with John, she decided to move to Monroe to visit the Adreasen cousins. Later she rented a little home and stayed for quite a while. Mother divorced John Potts to try to make a better life for herself.

John Potts was found dead in his bed years later in Lehi, Utah. Due to a fire, we were unable to secure the place of his burial.

Hulda had been working in Salt Lake City for a while, and on her return home her mother Marthine asked her to go to Monroe to take an urgent message to Mary, who was living there with cousins of Olavus.

It was at this time Mary our mother met our father, Orson Hutchinson, who had lost his first wife after childbirth. Her name was Martha Maria Sorenson, and they had been married in the Manti Temple on December 5, 1888. Their first child was named Orson Flinn Hutchinson born Nov. 5, 1889. Their second child was named Vivian Christina Hutchinson born on March 30, 1892. On Oct. 19, 1894, another little girl came to this home. She was named Lavern Hutchinson. Orson's first wife didn't have the proper medical care at this birth, as there was not a doctor in Monroe. Complications set in and she died on Oct. 22, 1894. Grandmother Sorenson took the new baby and cared for her for about a year.

In the meantime Orson had several housekeepers and relatives who helped with the children. He was able to keep all at home, and he later told Vivian he hardly knew what was the best thing for him to do. Later he decided to remarry in order to provide a mother for his little children. He married Mary Johnson Potts, who had been divorced from her first husband.

They were married in July 22, 1895, Richfield, Utah Sevier County, and in the early fall father brought our baby sister home from Grandmother Sorenson's. However, it was only a few months until she contracted whooping cough and measles. As a result of these diseases she died Dec. 14, 1895.

Hazel was the first child born to mother and father, on March 26, 1896. This same year, on October 21, 1896, father took his wife and child to the Manti Temple to be sealed to him. He also adopted two little girls from mother's first marriage, and had them sealed to them. The first was Sarah Elizabeth, born and died October 4. 1888. The second child was Myrtle May, born and died on November 14, 1889.

On October 17, 1897 a little boy was born and named August. He died the same day.

On October 2, 1898 Manford was born.

It was a year later that our father was called to serve as a missionary in the California Mission. Vivian was only six and half years old, but could clearly remember how all the children cried and how hard it was for father to leave his little family.

Father left for his mission on October 20, 1899.

While father was gone on his mission mother rented a small place downtown where she served supper to the dancing crowds. She was a very good cook and made a considerable amount of money with this project which helped out with the finances. Manford was still very young and she would take him in the buggy to these dinners along with the rest of the children and rock him in the buggy with her foot while she was cooking and doing the dishes,

One of father's companions was Harvey Ross, a fine looking young man who was very particular about his appearance, had a good voice, and he and father were able to attract many people to their street meetings.

Father traveled over most of the state of California and often commented upon what a wonderful and happy two years they were. His mission president was Joseph E. Robinson. All missionaries wore Prince Albert style coats, and father wore a mustache in his younger years.

While father was on his mission he had a skin cancer on his cheek and it caused him great distress for a while until he found a lady in California that wished it off; father was never troubled with this any more.

While father was gone, the farms were rented to maintain him on his mission. He had one farm of 25 acres northwest of Monroe which was called the old field, and another of 40 acres south and west, called the new field, in Monroe, Utah.

In the fall of 1901 father was released and returned home. Again we were all reunited as a family and we were so glad to have father with us again.

It wasn't too long, about a year later, that father decided his home was getting too small for his growing family. Harvey was born in the old home December 6, 1902.

In preparing to build another home, father went south of Monroe to a rock quarry and hewed the blocks for the foundation. Then he went to the brick kiln and made the clay bricks and burned or fired them for three weeks. After this the bricks were each dipped in a red mineral solution to make them uniform in color. Next he hired a carpenter from Elsinore, who contracted to build the house for $1000. Our old home was torn down and the adobes were used to line the new house. His new home was almost on the same spot where the old one stood.

While this home was under construction we lived for a while in the summer kitchen and the granary. When fall came along, we moved into some rooms in Sweine Andreason's home. Later we moved into a part of the Art Washburn home, where we stayed until the new house could be occupied.

The new home consisted of six rooms--kitchen, bedroom, living room, pantry and front entrance hall, with a stairway leading to the three upstairs bedrooms, and a front and back porch. The house was of brick to the square with frame gables. It was an attractive home and convenient for those times. There was city water piped to each home and we had an outside hydrant. Before this time there had been no water system and all culinary and irrigation water had to be taken from a small ditch which ran through each street in town.

This same ditch was also used for watering the animals, which was done three times a day. Father would get the day's water early for drinking before the animals were turned out to drink.

There was no electricity in our town and we used coal oil lamps until a later time. Later on the townspeople built a power plant up in the canyon; and I remember Vivian telling us how excited she was the first night the lights were turned on. Soon father had our house wired for electricity.

Father was always active in Church affairs, as well as Civic affairs. On April 24, 1904 he was ordained a High Priest by Francis M. Lyman. Monroe had all been one ward until about 1907 or 1908 when it was divided into the North and South Wards. And it was at this time father was put in as first counselor to the new Bishop, Heber Swindle of the South Ward. Later on father acted as Bishop while Bishop Swindle fulfilled a two-year mission. In civic affairs father acted as Justice of the Peace for a number of years, and helped in many ways to develop the Otter Creek Reservoir and build the South Bend Canal, which provided water for the south fields. Father was a successful farmer, and we children grew up helping in whatever way we could. We thinned and hoed beets, tromped hay, helped to load grain and did many other chores around home. Going to and from the farm father taught us many songs and we were able to harmonize while still quite young. Father had a lovely tenor voice.

I think father acted as Justice of the Peace for about 20 years in Monroe and Springville. Mother stood by him and had food, clean clothes and everything was in readiness. She worked hard all her life in taking care of our home and father. She was so attentive to all of her children's needs.

On Sept. 9, 1908, Madge was born. She was the only child of mother and father that was born in the new home.

It was at April General Conference in the Spring of 1900 when father was on his way home from conference that he decided to stop off in Springville to look up his father's grave. He found the grave in the old Springville Cemetery and looking around town he was quite impressed. In fact, he looked at some farms around town and thought he might like to live there.

They put their farm and house up for sale. We were all upset and the townspeople were shocked. Flynn bought 20 acres (south field), making payments each year until it was paid for. Flynn stayed and ran the farm in Monroe and the rest of the family moved to Springville, Utah.

The morning we all left Monroe, Hazel and Vivian thought it would be fun to camp out and to help cook the meals, milk the cows, and whatever else needed to be done. Manford rode horseback, driving the cows ahead of the wagon. The wagon was piled high with furniture and father was driving our black topped buggy was trailing the wagon and Hazel and Vivian were riding in the buggy. It was 125 miles from Monroe to Springville, and it took us five days to make the trip. The camping out proved to be no fun, as we had to camp where there was feed and water for the animals, and the mosquitos nearly ate us alive.

Madge was only one year old when we moved. We used what milk we could and each evening we had fresh churned butter in the milk can. The first night out Hazel and Vivian slept on the ground, but during the night we felt something running over our bed and we wouldn't sleep on the ground again. So we slept on a cot father took off from the wagon.

The farm that father and mother bought was where the Springville High School now stands (August 24, 1980). We arrived in Springville, Utah, in May and bought a nice home in the 4th Ward. It had a barn and corrals. We had a flowing well for our little garden and some nice flowers.

About a year and a half later we traded our home for one near the farm. It was at 698 East 4th South. Marie and Dean were born here. Marie was born on September 25, 1910, and Dean six years later on December 25, 1916. Harvey went for Doctor Dunn to come and assist mother in her delivery of Dean. When Dean was born, Harvey was milking cows and helping father each day on the farm. He milked cows early each morning and would take the milk down to the train in town to be taken into Salt Lake City, Utah, to the dairies.

Harvey and his father were very close working on the farm together. They both loved beautiful animals. Harvey drove a team of horses that were beautiful. He would go out and get different little jobs when he wasn't helping his father on the farm. All of the children learned the true value of work.

Harvey helped build the Strawberry Canal through Springville, Utah, Spanish Fork, Utah and Payson, Utah. Then he started working for the contractors for odd jobs.

Harvey as a young boy bought and earned himself a new bike so he could ride to Monroe, Utah to see his Uncle Fonzo, and Aunt Hulda and his counsin Frank Winget that he had learned to love so while living in Monroe, Utah. He had a terrible homesickness for his loved ones and his old home town.

A daughter-in-law, Ella V. has stated, that mother Hutchinson would always have her family's dinner in the warming oven. She always was found home, keeping the home fires burning. Grandmother always testified to the truthfulness of the gospel and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Lord. She was a most conservative, neat and orderly woman. She tells of Mother Hutchinson working with the men that worked on building the Piute Dam, near Panguitch and Marysvale, Utah. She cooked hot meals all summer, and neither she nor the men that had their teams received any pay for their services. The pay they received was a water right for water to be used on their farms in Monroe, Utah. There is now a state park around the Piute Dam.

Ella V. and Harvey used to take homemade bread over to mother Mary and visit her.

Madge relates that their mother truly lived for her family. Our home was always orderly. We children never heard our mother swear. She would give to all of us and go without things she needed for herself. She was very careful and saving in all she did. She did everything with thriftiness in mind. She even had money saved when father returned from his mission, towards their new home.

Mother always had a keg of homemade root beer for the men when they were in the hay so they could always have something to drink. He had a spiggot on the old wooden keg.

Our cellar was always whitewashed where we kept our milk, meat, fruits, and vegetables.

Marie remembers when Flynn was working construction mother would cook and wash all weekend, so they would be ready to go back on the job Monday morning. A year or two later she had Manford go on construction too, so she had the two to send food and get clothes ready for. I don't ever remember mother ever complaining about anything that she ever had to do for any one of us children. She did it with all her skill and love.

Mother always went to Sacrament Meeting when she could and saw that all the rest of her family was to all of our meetings and on time. I don't remember a time that any of us had to worry about clean or pressed clothes or shined shoes; they were always in readiness.

It seemed at this time most of the women felt that their husbands and their children and homes were their greatest responsibility and they worked from very early in the mornings to very late at night in caring for them.

Mother had an old washer she operated by hand and later on by a motor. She would use a scrubbing board and then boil the clothes in an old oblong boiler to get the clothes clean and bright. Her washday dinner was scalloped potatoes and rice pudding. Mother would put the dinner in the oven, then all she would have to do was to fry the meat. She always had a real good dinner for all of us. The evening meal was lighter. It was well into the afternoon before she would have the washing completed. The many hours of ironing would follow the next day. She taught all of us girls to iron like she did. She was a beautiful ironer--every wrinkle was out when she was finished with an article. We enjoyed helping mother when we could but we had to help father a lot on the farm.

After we were all married, if anyone was ill or had troubles mother would come with her favorite Norwegian dish, red mush, made with fruit juices, minute tapioca, nutmeg, served with thick cream.

I never tasted a better pie crust than mother would make. She would make a dough then roll it out, then she would spread lard with a knife, then she would roll it up and cut it in pieces and roll it out again. She would do this three times. The pie crust was so flaky and light it would melt in your mouth.

When Marie lived in Mapleton, she, LaRue, Marine, and Erman who was just a baby would all ride their bikes down to mother's. Marie would hold Erman and pedal the bike down to Springville to mother's. Marine was 10 and LaRue was 12. Mother would always have goodies for them whey they had finished. She was so kind and appreciative of anything that was done for her. George would pick all of his little family up on his way home from work and put the bikes in the trunk and they would all go home in the car.

One night Marie went down to see mother and found she was ill; and she knew she had to go back home to care for her own little family. She did all she could in trying to make her more comfortable in providing her with those things she needed through the night. She then had prayer with mother and asked the Lord to bless her through the night. She told Marie, I will be all right now, honey. So Marie left. Her prayers were answered and she slept well. She was much better the next morning. Marie has always felt that the wife can hold some of the power of the priesthood with her husband, and can use it in times as these.

When father was on the High Council and serving in the First Ward, in Springville, one out of every month on Sunday morning the Council would meet in the top of the First Ward Chapel for a Special Prayer Circle. They would all wear their temple robes. They were a width and a half wide. Mother would always see that these robes were spotless for him to use at any time. Anything she did, she did to perfection. We all have benefited from this characteristic by the way we took care of ourselves and our clothing. We shall be eternally grateful for her fine example in so many areas.

Father and mother never cared for the riches of life. Whenever we would remember them on their birthdays father would say, "My greatest desire would be for each of you to grow up to be fine young ladies and men. To be loved and respected by all those that we came in contact with, would be our greatest gift to them."

On October 30, 1930 father got up and did his chores as usual. Then he took the cows to the pasture on his farm. When he arrived he didn't feel very good and told a daughter-in-law Ella V. Harvey's wife, that he wouldn't be able to milk their cow that morning. They were living on the farm in their little home at this time. Harvey was away working, and father had been doing the milking. He rested a few minutes and another brother who had wanted to see father about something came up to the farm and talked to him. Father told Manford that he didn't feel good. Manford wanted to take father to the doctor, but it was so near time for him to go to work that father told him to go and that if he didn't feel better soon he would go to the doctor.

Manford brought father down from the farm and let him out of the car. He walked to the house and almost immediately a terrible pain struck him in the arm and traveled to his heart. Mary got the doctor, but he couldn't help him. His last words were, "I can't stand a pain like this very long," and he passed away.

None of us children were home at the time. Dean, the youngest boy, had gone to school. It was a terrible shock to all of us, but father has set a wonderful example for us children to follow. He was kind and loving and always tried to help his children in any way he could. I believe his was the first funeral held in the ward he had worked so hard to build. We shall always remember him. At his funeral one of the speakers said to us children that we would have to live very good lives if we expected to go where our father would be. We are all grateful for such a fine father.

When Dean was old enough to go to work and earn a living as a young man, mother accompanied him and they went and lived with Madge and Nephi Leyshon, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mother and Dean helped pay the rent while living with them. Dean worked for Coleman Paint Co. Dean met Reeve Stewart and they were later married.

The little home that Madge and Glen Jones live in at the present time, 285 E. 4th South, Springville, Utah, was built for mother after father's death by her son, Manfred. He also built the little home next to his and Bernice's on north main street, in Springville, Utah, for her to rent. She had rented the first little home to some folks named Bill Hansen and she was living in the little home on North Main when Dean and Reeve decided to get married. So mother, Dean and Reeve all lived in this little home for a period of time.

Another daughter-in-law Bernice would have Mary bake her delicious pies to serve to her club lady friends. She and Manford really made a team. Both were dedicated hard workers. They had a little store on North Main Street in Springville, Utah, during the early part of their married life. They converted this little store into an apartment house which they rented. Manford ran a service station that was called Shady Corner on North Main Street also. Across the little stream they had a hot dog stand and sold A&W root beer. They made their own carbonation for the root beer. They sold hot dogs for 10� and root beer for 5�. Both Madge and Marie worked in the food stand before they were married.

Bernice would go and get the food and keep all the small change, and said, for Christmas the next year, she was going to have a real surprise for Manford. He told her he had a real surprise in store for her too. But the real surprise was on Manford for Bernice had paid their taxes with the small change she had kept and collected. Manford had bought Bernice a new wrist watch. He said it was her surprise that was the greatest.

Marie tells of Manford giving her a $5.00 bonus when she worked for them which she used to purchase her wedding dress with. He was good to the whole family.

Manford and Bernice bought mother and daddy their first cabinet radio that they had in our home. The make was a Majestic. It was the loveliest piece of furniture we had in our home.

Manford paid mother's taxes each year for her. He built her chicken coops so she could have chickens at her little new home on 4th East in Springville, Utah. He bought food for the chickens and helped her tend them. Manford gave mother her first Springfield mattress. He was always good to mother, doing all kinds of odd jobs.

One night Nephi and Madge went for a ride over to mother's and had dinner with her. Madge said she never remembers of mother being in such a good spirit, and she said they spent such a lovely time with her. As we were leaving, mother saw us to the door and there were a few snow flurries falling. She told Nephi to go back and sweep the walk for mother. He said, "If I know your mother she will never allow that." We left,, and returning home from picking up children we noticed her porch light was still burning. We stopped and tried to go in, but mother's sweet little body had just made it inside the front door and had fallen right there.

We couldn't get in, so we went over to her neighbor's Alma Fullmer's. and got his key that would also fit mother's door, and we found her. Alma Fullmer said, "I can feel Orson Hutchinson here with us tonight." Madge said she was sure he was very near to them in spirit. Mother's services were in the Second Ward Church in Springville, Utah. The viewing was held at Hazel and Leon Harrison's, our sister's home in Springville.

Leon and Hazel were very good to mother after father died. Lynn would go shopping each Saturday downtown for her and get the things she was unable to get to Beardall's corner store. In mother's later years, Hazel would have mother to Sunday dinner and Lynn would take them for an afternoon drive. Then she would have them take her home so she didn't interfere with their other plans. Hazel would clean mother's little home each week thoroughly to help make things lighter for her.

What treasured moments mother, Dean and Reeve must have shared as they lived together. The moments mother and Dean shared as Dean was growing from a young boy into manhood were choice times in each of their lives--the closeness of a son and mother that no one really knew, or maybe understood, but just those two sweet souls that shared this special time in each of their lives together. Dean has always brought a wreath for mother and father since their deaths, to be placed on the cemetery lots in Springville, Utah.

What a wonderful heritage we have all been blessed with and what ideals we have to live up to, so that we might again be united as an eternal family.


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Last Updated 27 April 2011