Summary of August, 2008

The month of August proved to be a month of unexpected losses. My friend, Sally Kay Hodges, passed away on August 7th and buried on August 12th in Salt Lake City. We were roommates at St. Mark's Hospital nursing school. Since she had moved back to SLC after her husband Les' death we were able to e-mail a lot and get together at conference time in SLC at least once a year. She would have been 66 Sept. 7th. On the 12th while in Boise attending temple sessions for our stake temple week we decided to check out new Hondas down the street from the Temple. We found a great CR-V and got a good trade in on the Civic. It's silver and rides great, with good gas mileage. We attended the Temple again on the 14th. That evening and after I had tried to get in touch with Tom on his cell phone just to talk, because I hadn't heard from him for awhile, he would usually e-mail us or call, and we got the bad news from his Dad Jerry, that Tom had died. They were treating it as a homicide until the autopsy was completed and then it showed natural causes. We are all heart broken. On August 23, 2008 at 2:00 pm with 22 family members we had a short service in Malad, Idaho at his grandpa Raiford Benson's funeral home (now Horsley Funeral Home). Josh Jensen conducted the services, Dorothy Jensen gave the life sketch, Taralee, Jessica, Ashtyn and Kinsie sang Tom's favorite song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", Judy spoke, Josh spoke and we sang "I Am a Child of God." He was laid to rest next to his grandparents, Raiford and Dana Benson and his mother Irene Benson Wagstaff at the Malad City Cemetery. Prayers were by Kelly Baker of Boise and Adron Parkinson of Pocatello. Josh dedicated the grave.
The rest of August is a blur. We did drive up to McCall wed. Aug. 27th to look things over. Terral very disappointed with the condition of the Stake Church Camp. The grass is all gone. We found a great little area with an old general store, museum and antiques at Roseberry, east of Donnelly. We then stopped at Council to visit with Keith and Jackie Trappett at their hilltop home. September 3 we attended the Boise Temple with the High Council and Stake Presidency and all went to dinner after at the Macaroni Grill. Our friend, Larry B. Hansen, is gravely ill in Utah at his daughter LaReen's home in Highland. He's on Hospice and being kept comfortable. He and his wife Rolaine have been great friends since we moved to Weiser. Larry taught biology at WHS, was a guidance counselor, an assistant coach with Terral, has been a bishop, stake president and now a stake patriarch, also our Home Teacher. He and Terral retired in 1999. They taught together 20 years. When Josh was preparing to go on his mission in Sept of 2000 Larry advised us that he had entered the mission home in SLC on Oct. 10, 1960. I spoke up and said, "Terral isn't that when you went into the mission home?" Terral's journal confirmed it. Larry found that mission home picture and Larry is on the bottom row and Terral on the top corner. Not that they ever met each other then but their paths had crossed. Terral was 20, Larry was 19. I have a new job as grandma in tending Conner on Thurs and Friday mornings. Taralee teaches half day kindergarten and she and Brennan home at 1230. Conner is such a good, good baby. This week-end Gary will be 44 on the 6th and Josh will turn 27 on the 7th. Our 45th anniversary is on Sept 13th. Gary and Yvonne's 19th anniversary on the 6th. Trey is 16 on the 22nd and Lauren is 13 on the 24th. So lots to look forward to. Terral is driving onion truck starting today.