History of Lois Marie Hawkins
born 1928
The first thing I want to say is, if you start a journal or a history, keep adding on regularly. Life does not stand still and it is so hard to start over where you left off a long time ago. So many wonderful things happen the years you missed and you can't remember, trust me because I know now that I'm trying to catch up. Last year I worked on grandpa's history for a Christmas gift and some of the kids said I left out how we met. Well I went over in the summer to pick raspberries, that is how we met and I ended up being a berry boss for 25 years. It is not that romantic but at least he knew I could work hard. He still thinks I was worth it I was the best berry picker her ever had. One thing for sure is that I always knew that he loved me no matter what. What ever happened in our life I knew that I had him for security. It is so hard to go back and catch up on everything. I am starting this history with a history that I had written back in 1958. I'm adding a few things to this history and a few of my feelings, if I make mistakes that is just me and my weaknesses of putting names and things together. I also revised my history in 1994. I was born on 22 March 1928 in Springville, Utah. My parents were Ivan Hawkins and Edith Simmons Hawkins. When I was born I only had one older brother Junior who was born on May 6, 1926. Pictures were not taken much at the time and especially in my family because we were so poor. I only have one picture of me in my younger years at about age one. Shortly after being born my parents moved to Benjamin Utah back on the family farm where I lived until 18 years of age. As a child I spent many happy hours at my grandparents place. Charles Eli and Clara Ludlow Hawkins they had 13 children and raised a grandchild, Star H. Brockbank. There home was always open to one more. I had two aunts that were living at home and I became close to them. They were Aunt Eva and Aunt Clara which I only knew as "Toots". I grew up in a happy home we were poor but always had enough to eat and my mother was a very good common cook. She was always fixing three meals a day breakfast, dinner and supper our hot meal being at noon. Dad was a farmer so he was always around for the meals. My mother never worked out of the home. She provided a nice clean and neat home for us all. She was a help to dad on the farm. We raised pet lambs she raised poll beans that she would sale also a flock of chickens for eggs to buy groceries. We would separate the cream in the old cream separator and sold it to the Shepherd creamery in Payson for a little pin money. My mother always had a little money and we called it "the money in the stock" this provided us for some extras now and again. Nobody ever knew where it was or how much it just gave her a little security in those poor years. It stayed with here all her life even when she received her social security. My life was very normal as a child my brother teased me like all boys do but if he didn't I was asking him to tease me more. We were close because we ended up being the only two children in our family. My mother had poor health and lost full time and part time babies. Our home was always open to our friends and we had many over the years. We spent many hours playing, swimming fun games with the neighbors. Carol, Clifford and Jack Clark were some we played with a lot. I played more with Clifford because I was a tom boy and Carol was more a house person and loved to read. Jack was just a little tag-a-long. As I grew older and went to high school I made different friends. My Benjamin friends were, Grace Sheppard, Barbara Hansen, Theone Stewart, Peggy Lundell and others. The boys were important too, George Parkinson, Marion Wride, Ron Stewart, Paul Stewart, Ray Ludlow and others. Our lives then were care free and not full of strife although we did work in the fields thinning beets and topping them and hauling them on to a truck. I rode the horse on the derrick which was not my favorite job because I could never stop the derrick on the spot that they wanted it. I herded sheep, picked beans, cherries and later raspberries. I was never allowed to sleep in, even on a Saturday. That was mom’s day to clean come rain or shine; it was always called Saturday’s work. Monday was wash day and I am sure that it didn’t vary much. If mom had to be gone that day she would get up early to wash and hang the clothes on the line. I went to school at Benjamin Grade school 1-8 grades. 9th grade was at Spanish Fork Jr. High then on to the high school 10th, 11th, and 12th. Benjamin was a very small town and most everyone farmed a little land. We had a small grocery store run by the Parkinson Family. A garage was run by the Wrestring family and later by Earl and Reta Brown. We had one ward and one school. The majority of the family’s in Benjamin consisted of the Johnson's, Ludlow’s, Stewart's, Hands, Hansen’s, Shepherd’s, Parkinson’s, Hawkins, Wride's, Seline's, Reynolds, Wrides, and Lundells. There were a lot of Hones that lived in our town too. We were all related somehow but if we were not it seemed as though we were. It was a close knit town and many were the salt of the earth people. I loved them all and each one had an influence on my life as I grew up. We did have a swimming pool which many towns didn’t have at that time. It was called Arrowhead Park. I was baptized there on the 7th day of June 1936. I also spend a lot of hours at my grandmother Simmons in Payson. My mother had four sisters and three brothers and they spend a lot of time getting together especially the girls. We always went to Payson on Memorial Day and Payson Onion Days. We also went to the park in Payson on Sunday nights for a band concert which to this day still takes place. My Grandfather Simmons died when my mother was about 3 or 4 and left a whole family of children. It was such hard times for them. Grandmother Simmons worked hard to provide for her little family. She would take in washing and also worked making hats in a hat factory also selling Excelsis which was a popular brand of makeup. She did everything she could to make a living. She taught me to like Mormon tea which consisted of hot water, canned milk and sugar. My cousin Bonnie and I used to get lots of Mormon tea. Grandma had a little dish that always had gum and candy in it which I visited regularly. She had a little old home that I remember well. How grateful I am for those memories of my grandparents. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of their hardships and how easy we have it now with all the modern conveniences. One thing I do know is that they were very happy to have what they had at that time. They did have hardships but not of the same nature that we have in today’s world. I was a happy child when I was growing up and enjoyed everything and everyone. I had fun in grade school with good teachers like Miss Cloward who later in her years married a Mr. Ludlow from Spanish Fork. I loved her dearly. We had a little doll playhouse in the classroom and made little rugs on a spool with the thread for it. She let us take her hair down from a big braid and we would brush her hair during lunch hour. I thought she was great. I also had Mrs. Stark a very good teacher. Mr. Walker and Mr. Millet who preferred music over math and English. Maybe that is why I love anything to do with music. Music is really a wonderful language that God had given us which is a good way to sing praises unto him and others. I have always liked good music. All of my family back to my great grandparents loved music and played instruments like piano, trumpet, trombone, drums etc. They all had music ability. Most all of my grandchildren play and sing. I remember taking part in an opera called Taffy Ann. I had the lead and it was a fun experience for me. That was in Grade School. I graduated from primary in June of 1940. I then thought I was big stuff and I was all grown up. Grace Sheppard and I used to sing duets a lot. Mr. Millet played for us but sometimes Grace would play her guitar. Her family of ten children were so musical they all sang and played guitar. I remember all of my birthday parties. One in particular was at school. Some boy’s mother bought me some underpants and of course we had to get up in front of the room and show our presents. I was so embarrassed. I think that was my last birthday party as a child. I got my growth fast and was always about a head taller than all the boys. I didn’t like that because when we danced in school or at church functions I was always looking down at the boys but that changed quick as I got older. I started school in Spanish Fork in 9th grade. I made a few new friends and we stayed together through High School. My two closest friends were Grace and Barbara, both have moved away to California but I keep close contact with them. We took 4-H and all made dresses alike one year for the 4th of July. My childhood sweetheart was George Parkinson who I thought I would marry for sure. We had many silly dates and kissing parties called post office. Every birthday party we ended up playing post office. It makes me laugh to think about those days. I later dated Ron Stewart, Ken Pineager, Reed Warner and a few others. Eventually I married my husband of 63 years Doris Francis Hanks is now serving a mission at the Joseph Smith Building in Salt Lake City. Loa Jean Swenson Swartz is living in Spanish Fork. Elaine Dixon married and lives in California. Debbie Argyle Johns lives in Wells, Nevada. Nedra Dart Swenson lives in Benjamin. We later had about 15 in our crowd of girls and we continue to get together once in a while after we all married and went our separate ways. I graduated May 24 1946 from Spanish Fork High School and Seminary. I was engaged in February 13th 1946 to Robert Stratton Wright from Orem and was married on the 5th of June of that same year. It was a special day we drove to the temple with about 48 other brides. We were married by Jessie W. Knight. It was so hot that day and we had no air conditioning in the temple. It seemed like a very long day and I was real nervous like all brides are. We were endowed, married and sealed all in the same day. We stayed at Covey’s Little America and went to the show that night. One thing I really remember is that it only cost us 5 dollars for a room. Hard to believe when I think of what it cost today. We didn’t have a honey moon because Bob had to haul hay. I regret that! The farm always had to come first but we have had many honey moons since then. We left Salt Lake on the 6th of June to come to Benjamin to get ready for our reception. I should make note that it was my mothers 43rd birthday and Bob’s parents 39th wedding anniversary. We had a very nice wedding and dance with many friends and relatives attending. We stayed in Benjamin that night and the next day moved to Orem on a new adventure and a life together. We moved into the basement of Bob’s parent’s home for two years. We had a baby boy William Hawkins Wright born April 20th 1947. When he was a year old we moved to a new small home about 2 blocks away. We were given a small building lot by Bob’s parents and had a home moved on the lot by a company called Ketchum’s. It had two bedrooms a kitchen, front room and one bath. I remember the old cook stove. Most everything was given to us in the way of carpet and furniture all but a kitchen set and a bedroom set which we bought. It was here that I feel we were the happiest. We were poor so I guess we lived on love until we started milking cows and getting a regular pay check. While living in our small home we had a baby daughter Judy Marie Wright born 2nd of April 1950. I’ll never forget the look on Bill’s face when he saw her. I can never explain it but can still see it to this day. We had our ups and downs some days good and some not so good but we always made the best of what we had and look back as it being the happiest days in our marriage. We sold our little home and moved back into the basement in May of 1958. We started to build a new home next door to Bob’s parents. It was on 612 West 1600 North in Orem. That was the busiest time in my life with church callings, building our home, writing and putting together histories and books for my children. This history was started at that time. As I have said that my main interest in life at that time was church work, family and building a home. My family has always come first in my life and continues to be that way. Well we finally moved into our new home and we were busy farming, milking cows, growing fruit and doing all the things pertaining to our work on a farm. We didn’t have a vacation only about once in ten years. The biggest vacation we had was a day and a night and home the next day from Yellowstone. It was so short that we didn’t get to see old faithful erupt or see a bear come across the road. Our new home was completed and we moved in the 21st of May 1959. I loved moving into a new home even though our first home was new it didn’t have all the modern things that my second home did. I took a lot of pride in my home at this time. Bill was in Jr. High and Judy in 4th grade. In the year 1969 November 2nd we had a new baby boy, Jed Robert Wright, weighting in at 8 lbs 11 oz. We had waited so long for him that we really welcomed his arrival. Judy had wanted a little sister so she was a little disappointed so she always tried to put him in a girls dress and a curler in the top of his hair. Jed was a loved baby and was best if everyone just left him alone but he was played with a lot. He didn’t have many patience as a baby he wouldn’t take a binky and when he was hungry you better have his food ready. As he grew up he loved the tractor and spent many hours riding with his dad. He may wonder why we came up with the name Jed. It was Bob’s idea. He wanted a name that was short so he wouldn’t get a nickname. The first time we took him to church our friend Harley Gillman came up to us and said, “Well there’s little Jedediah”! I really encourage all of you to keep a journal or history. I remember a few years after my mother and dad died I wanted to go to the home they lived in and where I grew up. At that time some one was renting it but they were nice enough to let me come in. As I walked around in the home it was not the same. I had a disappointed feeling as it was not the same as it was when I lived there and when mom and dad were there. I realized then that it was not just the home but it was a desire to be with my family and feel the love that I felt when with them when they were alive. Even though the home was not the same the memories hadn’t changed. That is the importance of family for all of us to remember. I have a strong testimony of the gospel. The church is perfect but sometimes we as mortals with many frailties don’t always see that it is perfect but I am seeing it more and more all the time. I know that God lives and Jesus is our brother our Savior and our Redeemer. He died for our sins and wants us to live a more perfect life as he did. I am far from perfect but I try to repent and overcome the mistakes I have made. And because of my Savior and His atonement I feel like I can be forgiven. I do want all of you to know of my testimony and hope you always remember that. I love you all and am happy for all the good things you do.
This history was written by Lois Wright in 2009
