For a long time my standard reply when asked how I am doing has been, “Pretty good for a kid of 97; can’t believe I’m that old but that’s what the calendar says”. On January 24, 2010 I entered a new sphere of living where I can truly say I am a kid again. But if you’re reading this you probably want to know a little about my mortal life.
I was born on May 7, 1912 to Victor Orin and Ada Estella Rex Jackson on my grandfather’s ranch in Randolph, Utah. When I was two, my father bought a cattle ranch in Woodruff, Utah and I became more aware of my surroundings and the capabilities of my mortal body. I learned to love my mother and father and I appreciated the freedom they gave me to play in the fields and get to know the animals. I had a dog named Curly that was my partner in many adventures. One day my dad brought home a baby antelope from his range riding. We fed her with a bottle and named her Petty. She soon became one of our playmates. She even protected me when the neighbor men tried to pick me up and take me back to the ranch house. They thought I was too young to be roaming the fields on my own but I had my “bodyguards” Curly and Petty to protect me.
I was soon blessed with many brothers and sisters and lots of new playgrounds as my family moved to Randolph so I could start school and later to Ogden for the second grade. When I was 10 we moved to Driggs, Idaho and when I was 12 we moved to Belfry, Montana where my dad had purchased a farm. We settled down in Belfry and worked hard on the farm all summer. The next fall I enrolled in school in the fifth grade. I got in a fight the first day of school but I held my own – even bit the other kid’s ear! You know how it is, kids always picking on the new kid in class.
I graduated from Belfry High School in 1932 in the depths of the Great Depression. A couple of years later my dad started a dairy business in Cooke City, Montana. I helped with the dairy and also got a job working on the highway construction crew. Later I worked in the mines around Cooke City. I was saving my money to go on a mission for the LDS church.
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In January 1940, I was called to serve in the Central States Mission. I had many wonderful experiences while serving as a missionary. While serving in Columbia, Missouri, I met a lady missionary named Marguerite Wagstaff who played a key role in meeting my future wife.
When I was released from my mission, World War II was raging. Uncle Sam said “come hither” so I went into the Army. I served in the 531st Engineers Shore Regiment and made 4 invasions: North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Normandy, France. I saw people die but I also had many spiritual experiences. I know my guardian angel was watching over me. The war in Europe ended on May 7, 1945, my 33rd birthday. In August we boarded a ship bound for New York. One of the most thrilling sights of my life was seeing the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor. I shed tears of gratitude to be back in America the Beautiful.
When I got home, I was eager to get married but there weren’t many eligible LDS girls in Montana so I went to Utah and found a job as a carpenter. I thought I would look up Sister Wagstaff from my mission. I sent her a valentine but she was married by then so she gave it to her sister Naomi to answer for her. (O, the power of the referral program!) We started dating and got engaged on Pioneer day. On November 19, 1947, I married Naomi Wagstaff in the Salt Lake temple.
After the war my dad encouraged me to go into business for myself so I ordered some machinery to make concrete building blocks. I bought an acre of land outside Bridger, Montana which is north of Belfry and set up my block plant there. I built a house with my own blocks and there we raised our family of 5 boys and 1 girl. In the winter time when it became too cold to make blocks, I would work as a union carpenter in Billings on various construction projects.
Our family has been the highlight of our lives for Naomi and me. Our oldest son, Victor Leland (Le) lives in Spanish Fork with his wife Marlene. Harold lives in Provo with his wife Verla. James (Jim) lives in Idaho Falls with his wife Laurie. Andrew lives in Tullahoma, Tennessee with his wife Linda. Morgan lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife Jean. And my favorite daughter Bonnie lives in Mesa, Arizona with her husband Dave. They have blessed me with 33 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
In 1980 we moved to Bountiful, Utah where Naomi took care of Sister Green, Ardeth Kapp’s mother. In 1984 we bought our house in Springville and lived there until Naomi died in 2001. I still have the house which I rent out now, but I get down there occasionally to check on it. (See my earlier blog when I was picking peaches there on Labor Day)
I have four brothers and seven sisters. My sister Phyllis and brothers Richard and William have preceded me in death. My brother Clarence Jackson lives in Filer, Idaho, sister Freda Leckie lives in Spanish Fork, sister Mary Grebe lives in Denver, Colorado, brother Ned Jackson lives in Logan, sister Alice Allred lives in Springville, sister Carrol Grover lives in Provo, sister Hope Krum lives in St. George, and sister Jean Vance lives in Meridian, Idaho. .
My funeral will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Edgemont South Stake Center, 350 E. 2950 N. in Provo. A viewing will be held Friday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and again Saturday morning from 9:00 to 10:45 am. The funeral service will start at 11:00 am. I will be buried next to my sweetheart Naomi in Springville Evergreen cemetery at 1:00 pm. For those of you who have known me for any length of time, you know I am a frugal man. That is why I used this blog to publish my obituary instead of the high priced newspapers. Now I make one final request that you not send flowers but make donations to the LDS church Haiti relief fund, the perpetual education fund or the church missionary fund. I wish to express my thanks to my personal physician Dr. Jonathan Nebeker at the VA hospital, my personal care aid Sergio DeJesus, nurse Candace Kinser and all the fine people with Alpha-Omega Hospice care who made my transition from mortality more comfortable. Thanks also to the Alternative Society of Utah for handling the funeral arrangements. (877-259-3980)
