I haven't written for way too long but I've had a couple of instances the last couple of days that has had me thinking of my father. I am going to write about my parents separately because that is how how I remember them best. I don't remember them, together it was my mom home all week and dad coming home on weekends.
In referring to my dad I find myself always saying, "he was a good father but a terrible husband." I think many would agree, even his brothers and sister who loved him. He was exceptionally intelligent and they truly respected him. Modern knowledge of the various mental ailments leads me to think he was probably in the autistic spectrum. While highly intelligent, he lacked social skills growing up. This escalated due to the fact that he was very cross eyed and his inability to see clearly. I believe he told me he was around 12 when he finally got glasses and by then he had been teased so much he was withdrawn. His sister, aunt Lillian once told me she felt bad for him because grandpa Pearson had doted on him as a youngster and then became very abusive and much harder on him than on his other sons. I'm sure in school he was a nerd and lacking in social skills so he had few friends. I was very socials and never worried about school and that behavior was rewarded by my father. He would tell my sister Judy, who did worry, go have fun like Carma, and as for report cards he would say I will pay you for "F"s, forget "A"s. He wanted us to step outside of the box, or live for today.
For all of his intelligence he was irresponsible. In school when we were asked what occupation our parents were in dad told me he was a millwright contractor. He actually designed and built feed mills. When I was younger he had a business with his cousin Jack Petersen, it was Pearson and Petersen Construction. They split up because of finances, for a while they had another cousin, Evelene Butterfield do the bookkeeping, but they couldn't make it.
Dad had a love for photography, he had a dark room in the house. It was always kept locked sometimes when he was home we could go in and watch while he developed pictures. He also had slides developed and then printed pictures off them, I think. I know I loved it when he would bring out the slide projector and screen and show us the slides. He would tell us about each one, some were of us, some of the things he built, one of my favorites was a church he put the steeple on. I was so impressed.
I loved it when he came home on Saturday nights we always ate dinner together I remember having soup or ham hock and beans and homemade bread or fried dough as we called it. I truly can't think when we had something different on Saturdays but maybe my older sisters can. As a side note it was actually after I was married that I learned fried dough was actually called scones, I still call them what they are fried dough. Then on Sunday dad took us to Sunday school and mom rarely went but then she took the older kids to Sacrament meeting and dad stayed home with the younger ones. Oh I dreaded turning 12 and having to go to Sacrament meeting, you see I could never sit still. Dad stayed home and sat in a chair reading and telling me one ingredient at a time how to make a coffee cake. He was actually a cook on a surveying team in Oregon. He told me stories about that too. You know he always had a book or the scriptures in his hand but he still told me stories. Then mom came home and we had toasted cheese sandwiches and coffee cake. Some Sundays we would go for a ride in the mountains and in the fall we sometimes drove through the Alpine Loop and ended up in Provo and got ice cream, my dad loved ice cream. I'm not sure of the name of the place but it was homemade ice cream and lots of flavors. It was downtown Provo, I want to say it was Cooks Creamery.
One of my favorite childhood memories was Thanksgiving and Christmas. We often went to aunt Lillian's and uncle Don's house for Thanksgiving and so many people came, I loved it. Such great food, boy could the Pearson's cook, Bagley's to for that matter. When our family became much bigger with older kids getting married and so on Thanksgiving was always full of people, my favorite. Then Christmas was the best. Dad always came home the night before Christmas Eve and
on Christmas Eve we would get up and go to downtown Salt Lake City and shop all day. We had lunch at Kresses snack bar and shopped some more. We would split up from time to time so we could shop for each other or dad could shop for us. We were poor but we always had some presents. Mom stayed home and cooked and cooked.
I want to make sure whoever reads this understands that I'm am telling my story of my dad. I know it varies greatly between the 10 of us but this is my reality and not based on the perspective of others or on things I later learned.
My father was always reading. I used to say he read the standard works every month. I know now I must of thought that because it seemed he always had one of the scriptures in his hand and he could quote them better than anyone one I know. I remember thinking more than once, why don't they call him to be a bishop he knows more than most people, but it seemed he would always be a Sunday School teacher. I remember him teaching my class because he always asked his favorite riddle, "the oldest man that lived on earth died before his father". Well it was of course Methuselah, son of Enoch who was translated so technically didn't die. I loved it when he told me Bible stories. He related a hero or heroine in the Bible to each one of his children, I was Ruth because he felt I was brave and adventurous not afraid to set out on my own. Here are some of things I learned from my Dad. " If you doubt something you hear in church, ask the Lord, personnel revelation is available to everyone. Read and study the scriptures then ask the Lord for clarification. Everything you hear from the pulpit is that persons interpretation of what they have read but each of us is accountable for ourselves and need to find our own personal truth. Never base your testimony on a Bishop, Stake President or even a general authority they are men and not perfect if you do base it on a particular member of the church and they fall where are you then? When the Prophet says "thus sayeth the Lord", sit up and take heed because that is scripture. When it comes to sin remember it is the sin that is bad, not the person, you are not the judge. Good people can sometimes do bad things but there is always repentance. Always remember the Gospel is true never let someone's bad judgement drive you away from the church. The church is made up of people that are not perfect but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect. The scriptures are a gift from Heavenly Father to show us the way to happiness, read them often.
So you see he wasn't perfect, but to me he was a good father. I feel he gave me a strong footing in the church and the Gospel. I didn't go to church for a long time but I knew it was true. If I had followed my fathers advice and read my scriptures I'm sure I would never have robbed myself of the blessings and knowledge church attendance offers. Luckily it's never too late in the eyes of the Lord.
Dad often took us to visit family I loved that we had a large extended family. I felt important because no one elsehad double cousins. I said I was social but I really didn't have a lot of friends as a child but I had lots of cousins and sisters and I got to stay over that their houses a lot and how I loved to play.
I said he worked out of town coming home Saturday nights but he had to have come home on Friday sometimes because I remember going to the canyons to eat and him making potatoes up in the canyon, man they were good. It was bacon, onions and sliced potatoes and just like fried dough they will always be potatoes up in the canyons to me. I loved going to the mountains it was such a fun place to be. We also camped a few times, fun fun.
Because dad worked out of town in the summer we got to go with him and stay usually mom came
with us younger kids but sometimes dad took just us kids. He actually took the older kids too. I got to go to Craig Colorado one time with Anna and Kathryn. My favorite place was Moroni, we spent many a summer there that was another thing I felt set me apart from friends at school.
Dad went through a kind of mid life crisis when I was in 10th grade, mom was pregnant with Kietand from what I understood dad was not happy. He went to California taking Judy for company to find a job and have a change. Judy got homesick or lonesome so dad called and ask if I wanted to come. I was so excited he bought me a train ticket and off I went. I think he had found an apartment by then at least I remember going to one. I got enrolled in school at Gardena high and had a great time, he was so proud of me just getting on a train with no fear it was a great adventure for me. Keith was born December 18, and I was sad I wasn't there but as soon as Christmas break started the 3 of us got in the car and off we went home to get the rest of the family. We returned after the Holiday break. Judy, Carma, Ellen, Dan, and baby Keith. I mentioned thinking dad was having a bit of a mid life crisis, I think when he initially left he actually left mom. He dyed his hair cut it in a funky style and I believe he became a realtor. I remember there being financial problems, mom ironed for people and baked, she made killer pies. At one point dad sent mom back to Utah to ask her brothers for money. Uncle Don who was married to dads sister Lillian has always helped us out before. It's my understanding they said no and mom came back dad got a job as an estimator. He never really liked it and so my senior year in high school we moved back to Salt Lake.
Dad worked for Intermountain Feed store and I think that is one of the areas he taught Roy and Vern, Anna's husband to be electricians. They were Firemen and worked with dad on the side.
I always though it crazy, mom and dad were married for 30 years and had 10 children but when he no longer worked away from home they got divorced. It always made me sad for dad he seemed lonely but he always said he was happy and was glad mom initiated the divorce because he couldn't in good conscience do it.
Shortly after I met LaMont dad began working in Cedar City for Intermountain Feed. He worked in the construction of their buildings as a superintendent remodeling or building new ones. LaMont had been in school for construction and that was where his heart was, dad had him come to Cedar City and work with him.
