compiled BY Rey devon longhurst (private page)
Born December 24, 1946 at 3:43 AM
I Was Born Under a Crying Sky
I was born in 1946. I cried most of the time when I was awake because there was something wrong with me. The doctors were unable to pinpoint the problem so the crying continued for close to three years. I slept in a crib in my parent’s bedroom so they could care for and nurture me. Having raised seven children of my own, I know something of the pain this must have caused my parents. I remember one night my parents were hosting a “Shrimp Fry” party for some of their friends. The shrimp were extra-large jumbo breaded and deep fat fried in oil. The extremely satisfying smell filled the house, including the bedroom I was in. I was standing in my crib, crying, as usual. Not because I was left out of the party but because I was in pain and there was no way for me to communicate to my parents except to cry. My mother came to the bedroom, picked me up, dried my tears and took me out into the dining room where I saw those huge shrimp for the first time. She placed a small bite of the shrimp into my mouth. I must have loved it at first bite because now after 70+ years, shrimp is one of my favorite foods. A couple of the women in the room touched my cheek and offered some comforting words. One of the men seemed disgusted that I was interrupting their party, casting a long look of disapproval right at me.
There were about a dozen people in the room and they must have pooled their money together for the party because my dad was a mechanic and worked for Garrett Freight Lines in Pocatello, Idaho. His wages were not all that great and at that time we lived in a basement house with no upper level. I had a four year older brother, Warren, but I don’t remember him at that time. I believe I was so self-absorbed with my pain and crying that I didn’t even notice him. And, I can imagine that he didn’t have a clue what to do to help me and wasn’t at all interested in my particular situation. Knowing now that my dad’s nature was very impatient, it must have driven him stir crazy.
The comfort I felt from my mother’s breast feeding and her holding me for long hours at a time is indelibly fixed in my memory. I remember the chair in the living room we sat in. I remember the rocking chair in the bedroom going back and forth with her in the chair and me in her arms. I remember the bedroom was small and crowded with stuff. I remember the warm flannel blankets. I remember the clean washed diapers. I remember the stinky dirty ones too. Disposable diapers were not yet invented. We had what was called diaper pails. Ones that had the really dirty diapers in them that needed to be washed out in the toilet. And then the ones that had the diapers in them that had been washed out in the toilet but needed to be put through the washing machine. Washing machine? No. No washing machine! They were washed by hand and hung on a clothes line to dry! Most of the time they were hung in the furnace room. And sometimes when the weather was good, they were hung outside to dry. How many diapers does a baby need per day? That thought is staggering! And, believe it or not, my wife and I raised our first two babies the same way. No disposable diapers.
The comfort my mother gave me outweighed my pain but it only lasted while I was being held. I don’t know all the heartache my parents went through. But what I do know is that my mother loves me.
Medical science, as good as it was, was still fairly primitive at that time when compared to now. And the doctors were not able to diagnose as they can now days. The incredible advances in all sciences over the past seven decades have made diagnostics and modern methods of medical treatment almost unbelievable.
Can you imagine taking your child to the doctor’s office today and leaving there not knowing that your child has an ear ache? Yes! I had a simple, very common ear ache! The upside was that they finally figured out what was wrong! After that, I and my parents thought we had had a new lease on life! We had a very happy home after that 3 year episode and after that, my younger sister, Karyn was born. I now remember playing out in the snow making snow men and riding on the sled being pulled by my older brother, Warren. The downside was what medicine they gave me to fix my ear ache! More about that later.
Tithing
I was about 3 years old and I remember well! In those days, to pay your tithing - In the foyer of the Church House (now called Meeting House), the Ward Clerk sat at a table with a cash box and a pad of receipts. I took my 3 pennies to the table, raised myself up on my tip toes, looked up over the top of the table, smiled at the Clerk and handed him my tithing. I have always, faithfully paid my tithing throughout my entire life. I give honor to my parents for having taught me that correct principal at a very early age.
The Polio Epidemic
In the early 1950s a pandemic of Polio ripped across the globe. I was 6 years old. My older brother, Warren was 10. My younger sister, Karyn was 2.
My dad’s employment had better hope now. Transport Refrigeration was the BIG up and coming thing. Since my dad had been an aircraft mechanic and later during WW II a pilot in the US Air Force, he had become the Top Mechanic for Garrett Freight Lines. Because of his mechanical abilities and other talents, he was selected by GFL to go to Refrigeration School. He became the “go to” person for many freight companies. He advanced in pay and was able to begin construction on the upper level of our basement home.
Dad loved hunting and fishing to provide for our family and was able to purchase the necessary equipment to be very successful at it. My brother, Warren loved going hunting and fishing with dad. I did not.
My physical strength was limited. My parents were again puzzled and the doctors? Well, they didn’t know it at the time, but the medicine (Penicillin) I had been given for my ear ache had affected my overall health. It killed both bad and good bacteria in my entire body and I developed a Candida condition – a fungus overgrowth of the bad bacteria. These were the symptoms: Exhaustion, Cravings for sweets, Bad breath, White coating on tongue, Brain fog, Hormone imbalance, Joint pain, Chronic sinus and allergy issues, Digestive problems (gas and bloating), Weak immune system.
Because of my health issues, I declined over and over again going out and exerting myself on outdoor activities and field trips. When I did go, I was absolutely miserable. I became known as a Pansy at a very early age. That was the opposite of a strong Macho Kid.
By this time, the construction of the upper level of our house was well under way. My dad had hired my uncle Lyman Hale, a contractor, to do the job. My dad assisted him with the work to help defray the costs.
Because of my weak immune system, I was the first in our family to contract the Polio Virus. I lay on my side in bed with my whole body in a reverse arch position. The virus had attacked my spine! A few days later, Warren and Karyn contracted the contagious virus and then all three of us were in the same condition!
A Miracle from Heavenly Father
The Polio vaccine had not yet been discovered! All three of us lay there on our beds, on our sides, unable to straighten to an upright position. This was gloom and doom for our family. Three children facing a life full of pain, agony and complete physical incapacitation. What kind of life would have that been?
Mom and dad plead with Heavenly Father to get help for what looked like a total family disaster. My dad received an impression in his mind to ask my Uncle Lyman to give each of us kids what was known as a Priesthood Blessing. Lyman was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and an Elder in the Church’s Priesthood. Lyman proceeded to give each of us an individual Priesthood Blessing.
We were all three miraculously HEALED! Within a few days all the symptoms of the Polio virus had disappeared!
Many, many years later at Lyman’s funeral, his obituary was read to those in attendance. It was revealed that Lyman, when he was a youth, had been given the Gift of Healing in what was called a Patriarchal Blessing. A practice not well known to those outside the Church’s membership. None of us including my Dad and Mom knew of this Gift that Lyman had been given – until his funeral.
In the mid 50’s the Polio Vaccine was discovered. It was administered to everyone! The vaccine was a pink color and was given by adding a few drops of the vaccine to a sugar cube. Everyone ate the sugar cube and the pandemic was halted. It was later discovered that Polio was caused by the chemical DDT, a spray used for agriculture purposes.
I firmly believe - Had my dad not been living right, he would have not been prompted by the Spirit to ask Lyman to give us the blessings.
Post-Polio
I grew up with two friends that had not faired as I did. One was Danny Wynn, my same age. He had Polio in both legs. He wore metal braces from his hips to his feet. His legs were about 2 inches in diameter. He supported his lower body with metal crutches attached to his arms. I can still hear the click-click, click-click sound while he walked down the halls going from class to class at Pocatello High School and at Church while passing the Sacrament to the congregation.
Another friend was Paul (Pete) Mottishaw, my next door neighbor and my same age. Pete’s right leg had Polio. It was also about two inches in diameter from the knee down to his foot. He wore a shoe with a three inch lift on his right foot shoe and he limped as he walked. I spent a lot of time with Pete during High School. I was fortunate to have a car (1954 Candy Apple Red and White Chevy) to drive to and from school. I gave Pete rides so he didn’t have to walk a quarter mile to catch the bus.
During my High School years our family had a small dairy farm. Pete helped us on the farm. We also were some of the first to learn to water ski at American Falls Reservoir a few miles from Pocatello. Pete learned to ski on one ski with his right leg dangling in the wind. I remember launching the boat at Rainbow Beach with the Willeys Jeep before there was a boat launch pad and dock at Seagull Bay.
The Blessing from Heavenly Father healed my Polio. But it did not heal my Candida. During my middle school years I suffered greatly from that long list of symptoms. My physical strength was less than desirable. I could not get up on water skis. My dad fixed a pole that stuck out of the side of the boat for me to hang on to. I did not have the strength to hang on to the rope and pull me out in the water. It was NOT the Polio. It was the Candida. And no one knew that was my problem. So I ate sugary candy and anything else with sugar in it which worsened my condition. My bad gut buddies really liked the sugar! The addiction seemed normal at the time because everyone was eating lots of white sugar. Like it was a ‘staple food’ at the time. And so it is for many people today. Still – no one knew what Penicillin was doing to people.
The Promise
Jim and Bill Woodland were Aaronic Priesthood Advisors. Their family owned a farm Northwest of Pocatello and it was located within our Ward boundaries. One Sunday, Bill gave a lesson in Quorum Meeting about Temple Marriage. Reece Price and his family owned a horse farm out on the South side of West Quinn Road (West of Hawthorne Road). Reece had married a blond girl in the Temple. He let the blond girl go and took a liking to a slim trim brunet girl who loved horses. This was the "Talk of the Town" and a HUGE upset within the Ward Family. The gossip justified the Sunday Priesthood Lesson! This whole thing had an enormous impact on me. Next to our cow's loafing shed was a straw stack used for bedding the cows. I had built a secret fort inside the stack of bales. I used a piece of plywood the size of the end of the bales and tied it to a 6 inch thick piece of the end of one of the bales. This was the secret entrance to my fort. Inside the fort I had stashed snacks and treats from mom's kitchen cabinets. Packages of all flavors of Jell-O and home made chocolates were my favorites. On that Sunday, I went home, went straight to my fort still in my Sunday clothes. Once inside, I knelt down on my knees and promised Heavenly Father that I would keep myself worthy of a Temple Marriage if He would show me whom to marry. I kept my promise, and so did He! Reece Price later admitted, publicly, that his decision was the worst he had ever made.
Christmas Cards
My mother got me into selling Christmas and Greeting Cards. Around Halloween time she instructed me how to do it. I took a catalog and went door to door and took orders. My best customer was Mrs. Siebert who lived on the South East corner of Quinn and Hawthorne roads intersection. The cards sold for $3.00 a box and they cost me $2.00 a box. They were very high quality and were an easy sell. I collected the money upfront, paid for them upfront and then delivered the cards to the customers when they came in. Mom was really big on greeting cards! I remember stuffing and stamping and return addressing them. I think she had a fan club of about 250. Her fans sent cards back through the mail and they were posted all over the house for the holidays. Gas was about .20 cents a gallon back then so a profit of $1.00 a box was really good. I remember thinking way back then that going to school was a waste of time. I could do my own business, what ever I wanted, to make money. Why waste time going to school? I have to give my mom credit for planting the entrepreneurial seeds inside me.
Cherry Chocolates
Garrett Freight Lines' main terminal was in Pocatello. That's where dad worked as a mechanic. Occasionally, a truck and trailer would end up in an accident out on the road. The insurance company would pay for the damages to the load and leave salvage items for the taking. As a result, stacks of cases of Cherry Chocolates were positioned in our kitchen! I set up a table in the hall way of Alameda Junior High School and opened for business during the lunch hour! Even the teachers spent their lunch money on boxes of Cherry Chocolates!
Pocatello Flying Club
When dad completed his military service in the Air Force, he and mom bought 3 1/2 acres from grandpa Quinn - the address was 311 West Quinn Road in Pocatello, Idaho. Dad loved to fly! He partnered with the two Manning brothers who were morticians at Manning's Funeral Home who also loved to fly. This gave dad access to the small planes. Warren and I both took some flying lessons from dad. Some rolls and stalls made me puke all over the inside of the airplane. That was NOT "my cup of tea". One wintery day the two Manning brothers booked a charter flight with two of the small planes for some customers who wanted to fly from Salt Lake City to Pocatello. It required a flight to Salt Lake to pick up the passengers and bring them to Pocatello. On the way to Salt Lake, they ran into bad weather. Both planes crashed into the mountain side. Dad was asked to help figure out where the planes went down. When they found them, both Manning brothers were killed in the accident and both planes were destroyed. This experience raised the hair on mom's neck and she put her foot down! She told dad, "It's either me or the flying, take your pick!" This is where dad gave up flying as a hobby and took up boating. He bought a hard wood boat kit, hauled it from Salt Lake, glued, screwed, sanded, fiber glassed and painted until he had a boat to float! The rest of boating is HISTORY! Including the fact that dad's burial services were performed at Manning's Funeral Home.
Grandpa Warren Longhurst
Our basement home had a kitchen (outside South entrance), storage room, living room, wash room, furnace room, bathroom, 2-3 bedrooms and a 2nd storage area in the Northwest corner. Clothes were hung mostly outside on the clothesline to dry. During bad weather, they were hung in the furnace room on the pipes. Clean clothes were stiff and needed to be ironed on an ironing board in the living room. Grampa Warren sat on a box in the furnace room. He was a thin person by stature. He unlaced his black, high top boots/shoes and set them next to the furnace to dry. I think he had just came inside from helping dad plant and graft an apple tree on the East side of the house. That apple tree eventually had Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Yellow Delicious apples. The tree also served as a place to climb for fun and it was the pride point on the property. Grampa Warren had university training in horticulture and had established a thriving family nursery business in Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico, where dad was born. Ashton (dad's oldest step brother) took over the nursery business and then it ended up in the capable hands of Ashton's youngest son, Marvin.
Chinchilla Farm
In the 3rd bedroom of the basement home (Southwest corner) were about 30 wire cages with gray colored chinchillas. This was an investment opportunity for dad. Each cage had a slide-out bottom tray with saw dust on it to catch the poop. The trays were periodically pulled out and cleaned. Drip watering bottles and feeders were maintained daily. This project stunk up the whole house! Much like a rabbit farm! When it came time to build the upper level of the house, dad hired Lyman Hale, my uncle, to do the work. Lyman was a carpenter by trade. When the work was finished, dad traded Lyman the chinchilla farm for his services. Lyman hauled the cages full of chinchillas over to his house and placed them on his porch, outside. The temperature dropped and all the chinchillas froze to death.
Apostle Next Door
Lyle P. Anderson and his family lived across the highway from The Green Triangle (a restaurant/dining and dance hall) on a road named Shady Lane. They had a few milk cows. Lyle and his wife had two sons, Alan and Neil. They were my age and were in the Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and activities with me. Lyle was our Bishop and dad was his 1st Councilor in the Bishopric. Lyle had lost his arm in an accident and wore a hook on his right arm/hand. He always shook hands with his left hand. One day Lyle was climbing the bale elevator while stacking hay. He slipped and fell. He was in the hospital for a while in traction for his leg and hip to heal. Dad ran the Ward while he was laid up. I helped milk their cows for a few days. Alan was the oldest of the two and ended up with a large registered Holstein cow dairy breeding farm in Aberdeen (West of Pocatello). Neil, the younger of the two, was a quiet kid and didn't seem interested in the cows. He ended up an Apostle for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Streak The Dog
Seems like we always had a dog. Dad used them for hunting. Freckles and Streak were pointers. Stub was a Black Lab. He had his tail pinched off when he was a little pup, so he had a stub tail about three inches long. Dad had salvaged the box off of a large trailer over at Garrett's where he worked. We called it The Boat Shed. And some times it was called The Tool Shed. In the back of the shed were used, wooden cheese boxes on shelves. Inside the boxes were tools, plumbing and electrical parts. The outside of the shed started to look weathered and the Garrett Logo was starting to show through. Time for a paint job. Who better to do it than me? Of course! I had ENERGY TO SPARE! 5 gallons of silver colored paint, rollers and brushes. Streak hung around me like a buddy waiting for attention, snacks and treats. I took the brush and painted Streak's balls with silver paint and sang Silver Balls to the tune of Silver Bells. One of the very few times I remember mom and dad laughing together into a state of tears!
DeVon's Quirt
You just wait 'till your dad gets home! Dad was raised in a whipping environment. That's how they did things back then. A quirt is a braded leather horse whip about 3 feet long. We had one. It hung in the grain shed next to the milking barn. And it wasn't there for horses! It had one person's name on it! MINE! At the exact moment dad would say to me, "go get the quirt". Dad grabbed my left arm, we went 'round and 'round in a circle counter clockwise as I was yelling, "I love you, daddy", repeated about 6 times. Over the years, I have come to realize that most of my whippings were not because dad hated me. They were because he was dealing with personal issues that frustrated him to anger. I was the escape mechanism for him.
Warren's Willow
Warren was 4 years older than me. He was really good at pulling practical jokes on other people and blaming me for the resulting damages. Most of the time I took the rap for them. One time dad told both of us to go down on the ditch bank and cut each of ourselves a willow for a double whipping. I might as well take the rap for it again, so, I cut myself a really big willow. Warren, out smarted me and cut himself a really small willow that couldn't cause any hurt! We handed the willows to dad and he traded places with the willows and Warren got the whipping of his life with my great big willow! That is the only time I remember Warren ever getting a whipping.
Sunday BB Gun
Lance Traughber was my age and we went to Church together. He was a friend of mine because he had a BB Gun with an unlimited amount of BBs. On several occasions, I was invited out to the Traughber's for Sunday dinner. They had a small farm Northwest of Pocatello - out on Chubbuck Road. One Sunday he came to our place for dinner. The loafing shed for the cows had places where the sparrows would lay their eggs and hatch their little ones because those places were packed with fiberglass insulation they were ready made nests! The sparrows were a nuisance. They would fly and land, lining up on the top of the wooden fence on the South side of the cow's chorale. Hundreds of them! Perfect for target shooting and parent approved!
Wally Stewart's Grocery Store
As far as my dad was concerned, Wally's was a huge distraction! It was located about half way between our place and Alameda Junior High on Hawthorne Road. We walked to and from school. YEP! Wally got a lot our lunch money. He wasn't suppose to, but he got it anyway! To try and remedy the situation, dad got off work at the exact same time school was out for the day. Dad would drive down Hawthorne Road, watch for us, and pick us up and take us home. We would run out of the school the second the bell rang, and run as fast as we could to Wally's and get our candy before dad's pick showed up along the road.
Wiley’s Jeep
Back then, you didn't need to push the clutch in with your foot in order to start the motor in the vehicles. Also, back then, the joints on the tie bars on the steering mechanism on all vehicles needed to be greased periodically to keep them from sticking and wearing out. One day I was under the Jeep with the grease gun, greasing the joints as per dad's instructions. Karyn, my sister, 4 years younger than me, snuck into the cab of the jeep and turned the key in the ignition. The jeep jerked forward, crammed the u-joint bolt on the spring/axel assembly into my head, ripped open my scalp 3 inches long and scraped my scull really good. My leg was against the front tire so when the truck moved, it went up on my leg. Dad had to start the truck to back the tire off my leg. To be continued >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ditch Water Skiing
(coming soon)
Starlite Drive-In Theater
(coming soon)
Pigs Across The Road
(coming soon)
Horses Around
(coming soon)
Those HUGE Thistles
(coming soon)
Church Building Fund Raisers
(coming soon)
Mrs. Clark
(coming soon)
Violin Lessons
(coming soon)
Severe Hailstorm
(coming soon)
Jay and Ramona Eskelson
(coming soon)
Christmas Eve Birthday
(coming soon)
Ice Skating
(coming soon)
An Unfortunate Accident
(coming soon)
Lawrence and Della Mineer
(coming soon)
20 Acres
(coming soon)
Dairy Cows
(coming soon)
Chickens
(coming soon)
Raspberry Starts
(coming soon)
Hauling Hay
(coming soon)
Jared Wirkus
(coming soon)
High School Government Teacher
(coming soon)
High School Study Hall Teacher
(coming soon)
High School Prom
(coming soon)
Bobbie Green
(coming soon)
Judy Chandler
(coming soon)
Janie Reynolds
(coming soon)
Anna Nestler
(coming soon)
Lynelle Sharp
(coming soon)
HEY! - I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!
(more coming soon)
MY VARIOUS PRIESTHOOD CALLINGS
* POCATELLO, IDAHO - WARD
Deacon's Quorum President
Teacher's Quorum President
Priest's Quorum Assistant
Ward Teacher
* REXBURG, IDAHO - WARD
Ward Teacher
Sunday School Teacher
* SOUTHEAST MEXICAN MISSION
* TAPACHULA
Junior Companion
Senior Companion
* COATZACOALCOS
Senior Companion
District Leader
* PUEBLA
Senior Companion
District Leader
* VERACRUZ
Executive Secretary to the Mission President
* POCATELLO, IDAHO - WARD
Elder's Quorum Instructor
Ward Teacher
* MILLINGTON, TENNESSEE - WARD
* NAVAL TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTER
Sunday School Teacher
Ward Teacher
* HANFORD, CALIFORNIA - WARD
* LEMOORE NAVAL MASTER JET AIR STATION
Priest Quorum Advisor
Home Teacher
* LEMOORE, CALIFORNIA - BRANCH
* LEMOORE NAVAL MASTER JET AIR STATION
2nd Councilor Branch Presidency
Home Teacher
* MILTON, FLORIDA - BRANCH
* NAVAL AIR STATION WHITING FIELD
Branch Clerk
Branch Membership Clerk
Branch Financial Clerk
Home Teacher
* POCATELLO, IDAHO - WARD
Scout Master
Elder's Quorum President
2nd Councilor Bishopric
Home Teacher
* BOISE, IDAHO - WARD
Scout Master
Teacher's Quorum Advisor
Varsity Coach
Home Teacher
* DRAPER, UTAH - WARD
Scout Master
Home Teacher
* WEST JORDAN, UTAH - WARD
Deacon's Quorum Advisor
2nd Councilor Bishopric
Stake High Councilor
Scout Master
Home Teacher
* SHERIDAN, WYOMING - WARD
Ward Mission Leader
Home Teacher
Stake Young Men's President
Stake High Councilor
Stake Addiction Recovery Specialist
Stake Institute Instructor
Stake High Councilor
Ward Ministering Brother
Stake Financial Auditor - Current
