Monday, December 26, 2005

E Knudsen


Dear Myrna and Trauntwein
We hope you had a very merry Christmas and that the new year will be as
happe as this one sounds

Thank for the news of the family. I know I am not good at writing, it seams
like I never get time, I probably are not good at planning, or just tired of
doing my planning. It seams like I never get around to doing what I really
want to do. I made two Christmas socks this year. One for Erling and one for
me, and then we told our kids we thought it was time for us to get a
kalender. They were pretty good about if, there was something in it almost
every day of December. We have a kalender we got from Janne 3 years ago,
that I love to open every year. She mad a big kræmmerhus, with 24 harts in
and on each hart she had written " I love you because and then a reasen,
like you taught me the gospel, or I love you because you made the wacations
of our childhood memory able. I just love to read them again every year.
That is what Christmas is about, The same old traditions, I love to decorate
for Christmas. We have nisser, harts and stuff all over the house and a big
nativity scene cut in wood, so that the children can play with them. 
We had all the children with their kids, except Janne and her family because
they were in Silkeborg with Mikkels parents. Then we had 4 missionaries, and
Rita and Jesper, Henrik is in the Utah. Jesper brought a friend from
Ukraine, he did not have anybody to celebrate with and then we had Jytte
Martinussen, our Momsemor. She was my mother frien, and do not have family
except a son, she never sees. because they were in Silkeborg with Mikkels
parents. They will be here tomorrow so they will be Janne and Mikkel wil be
here to morrow, so they can celebrate my 60 years birthday the 28 of Dec
with us. I just can't belive I am already 60 years old. But I feel it
Love Else og Erling

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

The Old Folks at Home, Dec. 6, 2005


The Old Folks at Home, Dec. 6, 2005

Dad and Jim are into bees, big time. They are making many trips back and forth to California. It is time to haul all the little hard-working critters to a warmer climate. (What do I have to do to be included in the warmer climate part?) Of course, I don’t want to make three to four trips a week. I just want to stay and bask in the sun.

My bathroom should become a reality this week (Dec. 6). We will see. The plumbing is in, the floor is ready, the drywall is up and painted. Now all we need are the fixtures. I am ready for the joy of not needing to race upstairs. The only sad thing about it is that the stairs do give me forced exercise several times a day.

Sunday, Dec. 11, we are having our temple devotional. (That is the same day they picked for our Primary program so Maryanne Woodbury is sitting with my class.) Dad and I are singing with our shift for two numbers. I am glad there are so many other good singers that you really can’t hear me. President Monson will be the speaker at the devotional. I think that should be a wonderful experience. 

Auntie Helen also stood in line at the ticket office in Salt Lake at 3 a.m. to get us tickets to Joseph Smith’s 200th Birthday celebration on Dec. 23. Then, we are looking forward to having all our family home for Dec. 24th. What a wonderful month!!!!! (It was made even more outstanding by the birth of another grandchild to share the glory of the birthday month. (Todd and Amy haven’t decided how to
spell Hailey so don’t go by my spelling.) She was born on Monday, Dec. 5 at 4:23 ET. (That was 2:30 p.m. in Utah and during county commission meeting so I may have been the last to know. I knew I should have stayed home!) I am so excited.

What a great life! I am so glad that I am alive and that I have such a great family. Thank you all.

My money from Dad (Howard Pitts) is now all safely invested. It should make money unless I lose it all. (I never have trusted money. It comes and goes too quickly, to my way of thinking. It is like counting your chickens before they hatch. Actually, it is more like water. You can dam it up for future use, but the dam doesn’t always hold and there are dry times when there is no water.) The money is invested in Smith and Barney, where HTP kept his money. If either Dad (LHT) or I need it for future medical expenses or because we need to be kept in a nursing home, it is there. If not, then you will all inherit it. All the papers are signed, sealed and the money, which I never saw (either as cash or as a check, just as figures on a paper) is delivered. It is nice to know that, hopefully, it would be a cushion so that your parents (LHT and MT) would never need to be a burden on you. AnnMarie is going to write a trust for us and that will be filed with Smith and Barney as well as however else it is done. I should be thankful that my father actually took care of me, and my sisters, this way. However, I would rather have him still here on earth. Dividing up his earthly goods and leaving his home an empty house was not fun. It wasn’t fun when Grandma Smith died either. It wasn’t fun when the Trauntvein grandparents (Dad’s folks) died. I suppose it never is for anyone. OK, that does it. I am done being maudlin.

Grandma Smith used to make Christmas so much fun for all of us. She always really got into the spirit of the holiday. There are years of trees, cooking and gifts to remember. What a legacy. The only thing I didn’t like was having to go out into the cold and stand in line to see Santa. Price used to have Santa show up in the evening. Garth, David and I would get warm clothes on and stand there waiting for a bag of candy and a chance to sit on Santa’s lap. I told Aunt Rene one year that the line standing was over-rated. I would just as soon write Santa a letter and buy my own candy (with money one of them gave me, of course.) But we kept up the tradition until we got too old. Now the tree was something else. We used to go to a tree lot and pick out two trees, one for the Smith house and one for the Childs house. Then Aunt Renee and Grandma would MAKE tree stands and the decorating would begin. I always loved that. At LHT’s house, they usually cut their own tree. We may have done that once or twice, but not often. LHT’s family did it every year. That is why, I suppose, we used to do it as well. I hope each of you are making wonderful memories of this Christmas for your families to remember as they get to be Dad’s and my age. We hope to be able to see you all sometime during the coming season, or close to that. In addition to all you wonderful Utah kids, we hope to see the Boltons in Massachusetts when Mikaela is baptized, the Trauntveins in Ohio when Hailey is blessed and the rest of all of you at your homes just because we want to.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We love you all.

Those Old Time Christmases!



Grandma Smith used to make Christmas so much fun for all of us. She always really got into the spirit of the holiday. There are years of trees, cooking and gifts to remember. What a legacy. The only thing I didn’t like was having to go out into the cold and stand in line to see Santa. Price used to have Santa show up in the evening. Garth, David and I would get warm clothes on and stand there waiting for a bag of candy and a chance to sit on Santa’s lap. I told Aunt Rene one year that the line standing was over-rated. I would just as soon write Santa a letter and buy my own candy (with money one of them gave
me, of course.) But we kept up the tradition until we got too old. 

Now the tree was something else. We used to go to a tree lot and pick out two trees, one for the Smith house and one for the Childs house. Then Aunt Renee and Grandma would MAKE tree stands and the decorating would begin. I always loved that. At LHT’s house, they usually cut their own tree. We may have done that once or twice, but not often. LHT’s family did it every year. That is why, I suppose, we used to do it as well. I hope each of you are making wonderful memories of this Christmas for your families to remember as they get to be Dad’s and my age. 

When Grandma Smith was a little girl, they used to look forward to an Orange, some peaked chocolates and some hard tack in their Christmas sock each year. Great Great-Grandma Wilson (She was a Pritchett and was Great-Grandpa’s mother. Her first husband was murdered for his money, kept in a wall safe and she remarried.), ran a boarding house and was famed for her cooking. She would usually have the family at her home for Christmas dinner, which Great-Grandmother Mina would help fix. She worked for her mother-in-law in the boarding house.

There were aunts, uncles and cousins at the dinners and there was always a lot of fun and teasing. Grandma Smith had an Aunt Afton, about her age, who was G-G-Grandma Wilson’s youngest child. G-G-Grandma Wilson would always ask Grandma Smith what she wanted for Christmas and then she would get the same thing for both girls. It was, quite often, a doll but could be something else like a dress or shoes.Whatever, there were always two. They would be different colors, usually, but were always the same gift.

When Grandma Smith was teaching in Idaho those first couple of years, she would remember winters as fun times with fellow teachers. All were single. There were a couple of single guys who liked to come to enjoy desserts at the women’s dorm or apartment. One of the things they liked, when it snowed, was fresh snow which was scooped into a clean dishpan, then served covered with cream, vanilla and sugar. Another favorite was Grandma’s divinity. I have included that recipe this month. Think of how much I loved her when you make it! They also made panache and fudge. Those girls could not have visits beyond a certain time of the night and they must always be all together. Remember, she graduated from Brigham Young Academy in 1910. Times were much different then.

She was a talented dancer as well as a basketball player and track team member. She lettered at BYA and received one of the first block Y’s given to a woman. When she was dancing ballet, she was selected to be one of two girls to dance with the famous Pavlova when she appeared in Provo. She and the other girl were both offered jobs as back-up dancers. The other girl accepted but G-Grandpa Pritchett would not let her take the offer. The other girl danced for years and then taught ballet in New York City. Grandma Smith went on to graduate and became a teacher. She would wonder, from time to time, what would have happened had she been allowed to accept. She always ended up saying she wouldn’t change anything so it must have been for the best.

Monday, December 5, 2005

Working on the Farm

Dear Louise, One story that I loved to hear about was the time my Dad decided that he didn't want to stay at home in Price with his sister, Bernice. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Ruth had gone south so Grandpa could work on a construction project. They left Dad (Howard) and Bernice home to look after the vegetable garden and the domestic animals (a cow and pig). After a couple of days, Dad decided he had had enough of that and decided that Bernice could take care of things around the house without him. So he hitchhiked with a guy from Price who drove freight back and forth to and from the Unitah Valley. It was late in the day when Dad got there, to the Edwards grandparent's home, and everyone was glad to see him. BUT, the next morning, Vernon woke him up at the crack of dawn. They worked all that day and for a couple of others from sunup to sundown getting the hay in. Finally, Dad said, he thought they were done and was so happy. After supper, Vernon told Dad he might want to turn in because they had a big day ahead of them the next day. "I thought we were done," said Dad. Vernon told him that they had more hay to get in on another part of the farm. "When we got done there, it was time to start over. I never worked so hard in my life!" Dad said. They kept mowing and stacking and the hay kept growing. Dad said he was about 14 or so and was, most likely, a big help by the end of the summer after he had developed some muscle from the experience. At the end of the summer, his Grandmother Edwards gave him a very small amount of money as pay. However, the money did buy some overalls and a few things for school that fall. Right then, my Dad said he decided that he was NOT going to be like Vernon. He was not going to be a farmer. He started tinkering around with cars and fixing them for people and started buying trucks while he was still a teenager so he never did work as hard as Vernon, he said.

Howard Thomas Pitts

Howard Thomas Pitts was born in Myton, Utah, on September 27, 1918 to Thomas Vivian and Ruth Edwards Pitts. He was the second child in a family of what would become seven children. Bernice Ruth was just older than he (1917). Following him, in birth order, were Morgan (1920), Kenneth Vivian (1922), Vera Pearl Pitts (1923), Patricia Evelyn (1927), and Robert Leonard (1931). 

Howard and Bernice grew up around the animals and farm life for the early years of their lives. The Edward’s family, Ruth’s family, owned a ranch in the Myton area and that was where Ruth grew up. After Vera was born they moved to Price. Vera died shortly after her birth, within 11 hours, and was buried in Myton. The last two children were born in Price.

The Tom Pitts family lived on the north east part of town when they first moved to Price. Later, they moved to the south west section of town, just off Carbon Avenue. They were still living there when I was born. Tom Pitts actually built the house they lived in. It was just two blocks south of where his mother lived on Carbon Avenue.

On his way home from school, which was located in the center of town, (Central School for the younger grades and Harding School for the older grades of elementary school) Howard would stop by the library and read books. (The high school was east of the town along the irrigation canal.) As a young man, his favorite hobby was reading though he also liked working on cars and any engine. In those days, there were few garages where automotive work was done. He found he had an aptitude for it and, even as a boy, could figure out why equipment wasn’t working and what could be done to repair it. People would bring their cars to him to get them repaired.

It was his job to keep the old treadle sewing machine his mother owned, which she used to make much of their clothing, in good repair. Because of that, he learned to sew and, even as an older man, still liked sewing. He took all of his flair-legged pants and cut them down to regular legs once they were no longer in fashion. He also helped Edna sew. He could take a complicated pattern and make it into a simple thing to understand and construct.

The Pitts family bought a farm in Carbonville where they worked as farmers and had cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and grew fruit on their own trees. Ruth Pitts added to the family income by selling milk, eggs, peaches, apples, garden produce and sewing aprons (which everyone wore during the late 30s and early 40s). She also made bread daily. They built a house on that farm and moved there. Howard was an adult by then but Bob, who is nine-years older than Myrna, and Myrna loved playing about that farm. By this time, Howard, who was building up a trucking and construction business, also used the farm for a shop for his trucks and, later, as an automotive repair shop.

The family had always had milk cows. Howard’s job was to milk and separate the cream from the milk. Each milking, he always had a glass or two of fresh, warm milk which he highly enjoyed.

Howard graduated from Carbon High School, where he had played football, and then moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked for his uncle as an apprentice in the plumbing business. He did not like the work at all and returned to Price where he began his own trucking business. 

He met Elaine at a dance in Huntington where she was singing with a trio, After their performance, they joined in the dancing. She saw him and told her mother, who was present, that was the man she was going to marry. He saw her and told his buddy that that was the girl he was going to marry. It must have been love at first sight. Two years later, he married Elaine Smith on December 3, 1939. Incidentally, during their courtship, they sang together. Howard was a baritone and Elaine an alto.

Howard and Elaine had a rough time making a success of the trucking business but kept on working at it. Howard started to do lots of construction work to keep the roof over their heads. One time Vivian Smith (Elaine’s mother) went to one of those job sites  in Salt Lake County and found them sleeping under a dump truck. She owned a recreation trailer which they promptly “bought.”

Howard enlisted the help of his father, Tom, to drive truck back and forth to Vernal hauling coal. They made quite a bit of money doing this but they had to load the coal by shovel, human-manned. 

Prior to Myrna’s birth, December 24, 1940, they moved into a house just below the irrigation canal in northeast Price. They were living there when Howard became very ill with pneumonia and was moved to his parent’s house and into his parent’s care. Mom stayed at the little apartment. When it was time for Myrna to be born, she called Morgan who drove Elaine and unborn Myrna to the Price Hospital a few blocks away. They went in style in one of Howard’s dump trucks. 

Elaine died November 24, 1940 as the result of an automobile accident. They were at the Pitts’ home in west Price and, with friend Ferron Gardner at the wheel, were just pulling onto Carbon Avenue when they were T-boned by a speeding northbound car. Howard and Ferron had spent the day working on the car, had it running well and decided to take their wives to a movie using that car. Myrna was left with the grandparents so that Howard and Elaine could have an evening out. Elaine was pinned under the car and Howard and Ferron were thrown clear and suffered “road rash” only. Howard pried the car off of Elaine using a light post that had been standing at the corner.

Her death occurred just a few days before Pearl Harbor. Howard, was torn between providing for his daughter and, as a healthy male, serving his country. He finally left his daughter in the care of his mother-in-law and enlisted. He was trained first in California and, for a time, in Newport, Rhode Island. He served in the Pacific Islands as a Seabee in the Navy during World War II. One of his duties, was to help construct the airstrip on Tinian that was later used for the landing and take-off of the Enola Gay which dropped the atomic bomb on Japan.

He married Edna Pilling on March 4, 1946. The Pitts and Pilling families had been friends for many years. Both were dairy farmers, among other things. Great-Grandpa Pitts was less of a dairy farmer than the Pilling family, who ran the Cloverleaf Dairy, just outside Price. At any rate, Howard had known Edna for many, many years.

Howard and Edna became the parents of three daughters: Charlotte (Wallace) Kilfoyle, Boise, Idaho; Laurel (Thomas) Marinos, Cydney (Michael) Anderson, both of Price. Myrna, his daughter by his wife, Elaine, married Leonard Trauntvein, lives in Nephi, and has eight children.

He and Lieb Miller opened a shop on Carbon Avenue. Later, his brother Kenneth joined him in forming a construction business. During this time, along with Lieb Miller, they built the two large water tanks still in use in Price. They built bridges in Utah and Idaho and completed many other construction projects. He also hauled coal for many businesses in the county.

In 1953, he and Kenneth also began another business, Pitts Brother's Wrecking and Auto. He operated this business, even after his brother's death, until he was 75 and then retired.

At first, he and Edna rented apartments and homes. They then bought an older home on 100 East. Howard began a construction project on the home that took several years. First on the agenda was to build new kitchen cupboards and update the space to accommodate modern appliances. The then living room was remodeled. Two small spaces, one a bedroom and the other the existing living room, were combined by removing a wall. Built-in bookcases were built along the north wall. Two upstairs bedrooms were made in the unused attic. The attic had to be enlarged and dormer windows added to make it a usable space. Howard then tackled the basement. There wasn’t one under much of the house--just a small space for a washer. He added a furnace, connections for a washer and dryer and dug the entire space out under the home to make a basement. He added a master bath and then put shingles on the outside of the house. He also built a huge shed for woodwork and automotive work. Added a carport and a storage area attached to the rear of the house.

He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed boating and camping. He enjoyed hunting. He always loved photography and had many cameras over the years. He kept track of each photo by mounting them in scrap books. He was good at gardening. He and Edna always had a well-kept yard. After her death, he won the monthly best-kept yard in Price award two times, once in 2004 and 2005.

He and Edna had a home where many friends loved to gather. She was an excellent cook and they were both storytellers who could recount the past with humor and enthusiasm. Edna died March 14, 1997 after 50 years of marriage. They were headed back from a visit with his brother, Morgan, in Arizona when she suffered an aneurysm. In the hospital, in Salt Lake, where she was lifefighted, she told the doctor prior to surgery: “If you are not successful in saving my life, I want my money back.”

He was a hard worker, successful businessman, loving husband, father, grandfather and a well-loved neighbor and friend. He will be missed by his family and his many friends.

Howard had 14 grandchildren, Shawn (Kimberly) Trauntvein, Layton; Melanie (Howard) Bolton, Milford, Mass.; Todd (Amy) Trauntvein, Johnstown, Ohio; Eric (Amy) Trauntvein Payson; AnnMarie (Brandon) Howard, Provo; Julie (James) Jones, Nephi; Kirsten (Jared) Waite, Colorado Springs, Colorado; David (Arbree) Trauntvein, St. George; Brenda (Nathaniel) Golden, Boise, Idaho; Bridget Campbell, Boise, Idaho; Ursula (Cris) Pereira, West Jordan; Gust T. Marinos, Price; David M. Anderson, Las Vegas, Nevada; Terri Pierce, Price.

Howard Thomas Pitts, 86, passed away peacefully at his home in Price on Sunday morning, September 18, 2005, of pneumonia a sudden illness. He was buried in Price with full military honors.

Friday, December 2, 2005

Working on the farm


One story that I loved to hear about my father was the time Dad decided that he didn't want to stay at home in Price with his sister, Bernice. Grandpa Tom and Grandma Ruth had gone south so Grandpa could work on a construction project. They left Dad (Howard) and Bernice home to look after the vegetable garden and the domestic animals (a cow and pig). After a couple of days, Dad decided he had had enough of that and decided that Bernice could take care of things around the house without him. So he hitchhiked with a guy from Price who drove freight back and forth to and from the Uintah Valley. It was late in the day when Dad got there, to the Edwards grandparent's home, and everyone was glad to see him. BUT, the next morning, Vernon woke him up at the crack of dawn. They worked all that day and for a couple of others from sunup to sundown getting the hay in. Finally, Dad said, he thought they were done and was so happy. After supper, Vernon told Dad he might want to turn in because they had a big day ahead of them the next day. "I thought we were done," said Dad. Vernon told him that they had more hay to get in on another part of the farm. "When we got done there, it was time to start over. I never worked so hard in my life!" Dad said. They kept mowing and stacking and the hay kept growing. Dad said he was about 14 or so and was, most likely, a big help by the end of the summer after he had developed some muscle from the experience. At the end of the summer, his Grandmother Edwards gave him a very small amount of money as pay. However, the money did buy some overalls and a few things for school that fall. Right then, my Dad said he decided that he was NOT going to be like Vernon. He was not going to be a farmer. He started tinkering around with cars and fixing them for people and started buying trucks while he was still a teenager so he never did work as hard as Vernon, he said.

Story from the Past


When Grandma Smith was a little girl, they used to look forward to an Orange, some peakedmchocolates and some hard tack in their Christmas sock each year. Great Great-Grandma Wilson (She was a Pritchett and was Great-Grandpa’s mother. Her first husband was murdered for his money, kept in a wall safe and she remarried.), ran a boarding house and was famed for her cooking. She would usually have the family at her home for Christmas dinner, which Great- Grandmother Mina would help fix. Mina worked for her mother-in-law in the boarding house. There were aunts, uncles and cousins at the dinners and there was always a lot of fun and teasing. 


Grandma Smith had an Aunt Afton, about her age, who was G-G-Grandma Wilson’s youngest child. G-G-Grandma Wilson would always ask Grandma Smith what she wanted for Christmas and then she would get the same thing for both girls. It was, quite often, a doll but could be something else like a dress or shoes. Whatever, there were always two. They would
be different colors, usually, but were always the same gift.


When Grandma Smith was teaching in Idaho those first couple of years, she would remember winters as fun times with fellow teachers. All were single. There were a couple of single guys who liked to come to enjoy desserts at the women’s dorm or apartment. One of the things they liked, when it snowed, was fresh snow which was scooped into a clean dishpan, then served covered with cream, vanilla and sugar.


Another favorite was Grandma’s divinity. I have included that recipe in a separate post. Think of how much I loved her when you make it! They also made panache and fudge. Those teaching girls could not have visits beyond a certain time of the night and they must always be all together. Remember, she graduated from Brigham Young Academy in 1910. Times were much different then.


She was a talented dancer as well as a basketball player and track team member. She lettered at BYA and received one of the first block Y’s given to a woman. When she was dancing ballet, she was selected to be one of two girls to dance with the famous Pavlova when she appeared in Provo. She and the other girl were both offered jobs as back-up dancers. The other girl accepted but G-Grandpa Pritchett would not let his daughter, Vivian, take the offer. The other girl danced for years and then taught ballet in New York City. Grandma Smith went on to graduate and became a teacher. She would wonder, from time to time, what would have happened had she been allowed to accept. She always ended up saying she wouldn’t change anything so it must have been for the best.

Thursday, December 1, 2005

Dear Children


Christmas 2005,
Dear Children:
Dad and I want you each to have something to remember Grandpa by. We kept just enough out of his
estate to pay for a bathroom downstairs for me (selfish) and for each of you to have $300 to spend
for something to remember Grandpa Pitts.
We would like you to spend the money wisely. We would also like you to get something material to
remember Grandpa. That means, we would like you to get something that would last for awhile. It
might be a second-hand piano, a second-hand electronic keyboard, a grandmother’s clock, a curio
cabinet, a cedar chest, a television set. It could be almost anything that $300 would buy We would
like it to be something you, and your spouse, can appreciate for many years to come.
We know that it is not a lot of money, but it is something. It will not buy an expensive leather sofa,
for example. However, the rest of the money is invested and we are not taking anything out unless we
need it for medical care. That will spare any of you having to assist us with financial needs--the older
person’s worry. For the next few years, any profit we make from the investment will roll back into the
account.
We are not thinking that you will have a party or do anything fleeting that will not last long enough
for you to look at the item and remember Grandpa. It is our hope that you will remember him each
time you look at your purchase and reflect.
I hope that each of you know that you are precious to us. Dad and I count you as our greatest gifts.
We treasure you and the time we get to spend with you. Your spouses and children are also considered
as part of the wondrous gift. We are blessed to have you all. I remember those days when I feared I
would never have children. What an awful and sickening thought! I am so thankful Heavenly Father
blessed me with all of you.
Spend this with joy. Make memories. Help one another. Be loving. Be happy. Do all you can to be
productive and useful and, while you are doing so, remember our love goes with you.
Love, Mom and Dad