Shortly after my dad came home from the war times were tough in SLC and he thought we could find a job and a home if we moved to Springville, and so we did.
We moved into a small home in "Ironton" just north of Springville. He found a job at Provo airport. My mom went to work picking strawberries. she was able to take us kids with her and we were able to eat what strawberries we wanted, as long as we did not get roudy or cause any problems. So we played and ate our fill of those delicious strawberries. Life was good that summer. Until.........
One day early in August 1944 tragedy became a part of our families life and changed each one of us forever...
My older sister Sue was taken from this earthly life, way too soon,
by a tragic accident that happened within our happy family. I will forever be grateful for loving grandparents on both my Mother's and my Father's side of the family. For my aunt Frieda and Uncle Dick who took me to their home and kept me until Sue's funeral. they were loving and kind and did everything they could for me.
I know my children want to know "how did I feel at this time" all I can tell you is I believe I felt anger, shame, fear, guilt, confusion, and hopefully and mostly love, and forgiveness for my siblings and my parents. It was a very difficult time. I may write more about this later, just not now.
(Feel free to comment or ask questions, I will answer them to the best of my memory in a truthful way.)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
My Siblings, One and all.
No blog would be complete without telling you about my sister and two brothers. Sue, as we called her was the oldest of the clan. She was a good sister, liked to take charge of us all and often did. Sue was a quiet child and never made waves with mamma and daddy. It is hard to remember alot about her as she left this life way too soon. Next in line was Richard, he was always full of life and had new things to try, do or make up. He was good at fixing almost anything or building something from almost nothing. Richard was a big tease and I am sure he kept me crying alot of the time. Then I am next in line and after me came my younger brother Jim. I felt really close to him because we got along well and thought alot alike. I am sure there will be many more times that the reader will be introduced to all of us as we weave our way through this lifetime.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
My Mother January 4, 2012
I thought since I had told you a little about my dad that I should also tell you about my Mother.
My Dad went by the name of Bill and my Mother went by the name of Jenny, She was a quiet, soft and kind lady. My mom was an excellent seamstress and when she worked, (except during the war) she was a Tailor for Utah Woolen Mills in Salt Lake City. She made all our families clothes including coats, boys suits, dresses and anything else we needed. All were made to perfection. In fact all she did was always done to perfection. During World War 2 while my Dad was gone, Mama moved all of us in with her cousin and their family. We were crowded and it was ok because we always had someone to be close to. Times were hard back then and we lived mostly on S&H Green stamps. These were stamps the government gave each family so they could buy sugar, flour, gas, tires for cars and other things. All of the products we could buy were rationed by the government and they were in scarce supply. when we did not need our stamps for things like car tires, we could trade them to someone who needed tires for their stamps for sugar, coffee, or other things we needed. We made it through the War years by surviving. My Mother was very frugal and could make do with almost anything. Through it all she remained positive, kind, thoughtful of our needs, and those of her parents. We were blessed beyond belief during those hard years. Later she went to work for some of the finest Men's stores in Salt Lake City and in Provo doing alterations on men's suits. (During the War Years mama went to work in an Arms Plant in SLC, amking ammunition for the war effort.)
I have to tell you about the blackouts during the war. In all Western large cities it was manatory for people to block the windows of their homes so no light would shine out at night. In Salt Lake City everyone would block the windows at night. It was common place for air raid sirens to go off and scream all over the Salt Lake Valley if there was any indication that there might be any incoming airplanes that could be enemy planes. Sometimes we would hear them at night, when we did all lights had to be turned off in the house. The City became totally dark. I remember times when this happened that we would block the windows, turn off the lights, and turn on a small radio searching for news. When we did this we would huddle around the radio and hide the small orange light it gave off for fear that it could be seen outside. When these very loud sirens would go off it was very scarry for we young children, (we were 9, 7, I was 5, and 3) I remember hiding and crying from being so scared of them, I had nightmares for years well into my teen years because I was still afraid the Jap fighter planes would come and bomb us. Thanks to my very kind Mother, who always tried to comfort us, I did get passed being so afraid.
My Dad went by the name of Bill and my Mother went by the name of Jenny, She was a quiet, soft and kind lady. My mom was an excellent seamstress and when she worked, (except during the war) she was a Tailor for Utah Woolen Mills in Salt Lake City. She made all our families clothes including coats, boys suits, dresses and anything else we needed. All were made to perfection. In fact all she did was always done to perfection. During World War 2 while my Dad was gone, Mama moved all of us in with her cousin and their family. We were crowded and it was ok because we always had someone to be close to. Times were hard back then and we lived mostly on S&H Green stamps. These were stamps the government gave each family so they could buy sugar, flour, gas, tires for cars and other things. All of the products we could buy were rationed by the government and they were in scarce supply. when we did not need our stamps for things like car tires, we could trade them to someone who needed tires for their stamps for sugar, coffee, or other things we needed. We made it through the War years by surviving. My Mother was very frugal and could make do with almost anything. Through it all she remained positive, kind, thoughtful of our needs, and those of her parents. We were blessed beyond belief during those hard years. Later she went to work for some of the finest Men's stores in Salt Lake City and in Provo doing alterations on men's suits. (During the War Years mama went to work in an Arms Plant in SLC, amking ammunition for the war effort.)
I have to tell you about the blackouts during the war. In all Western large cities it was manatory for people to block the windows of their homes so no light would shine out at night. In Salt Lake City everyone would block the windows at night. It was common place for air raid sirens to go off and scream all over the Salt Lake Valley if there was any indication that there might be any incoming airplanes that could be enemy planes. Sometimes we would hear them at night, when we did all lights had to be turned off in the house. The City became totally dark. I remember times when this happened that we would block the windows, turn off the lights, and turn on a small radio searching for news. When we did this we would huddle around the radio and hide the small orange light it gave off for fear that it could be seen outside. When these very loud sirens would go off it was very scarry for we young children, (we were 9, 7, I was 5, and 3) I remember hiding and crying from being so scared of them, I had nightmares for years well into my teen years because I was still afraid the Jap fighter planes would come and bomb us. Thanks to my very kind Mother, who always tried to comfort us, I did get passed being so afraid.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
January 2, 2012
My dad worked hard when we were little and when he would get paid he would bring his money home in cash, we would all sit around the kitchen table and decide together where we could spend the money. Theere would be a pole for rent, one for food, one for the lights etc, he always paid tithing and would try to have enough left to take us down to Snelgroves for and ice cream cone. Life was so good back then, we grew together, and for the most part were happy and content.
December 7th, 1941, the news said Japan had just bombed Pear Harbor. I was four years old and I remember very well the next day the FBI came and took aways our beloved landlords, the Bargeer's. We were told that they were taken to a concentration camp in Utah's west desert. They were only allowed to take a suitcase and thier clothes they had on. We cried of course but they took them anyway, we never heard from them again.
My father was a pilot and had helped to set up the first Civil Air Patrol in the State of Utah. they were know as the CAP and were called to active duty soon after the start of World War ll. Daddys job with others, was to fly and patrol the borders of the United States and watch for any enemy that may attack our borders. He was stationed to fly the coastline in the Gulf of Mexico. They did not have big sofisticated planes back then and most of the ones in his patrol were small aircraft, usually double wingers and open cockpit.They would have planes in the air 24 hours a day, seven days per week. someone was always up there. Many times he would fly over the gulf at 100' above the water, looking for enemy submarines that could be under the water in the gulf. On one early morning pass they spotted a sure enough submarine. They had no radio contact back then with other pilots nor the land. so they did what they knew they must do and dropped a bomb on the submarine destroying it at once. They were credited with saving the coast that day for he had bombed a japanese sub.. We were so blessed to have him be able to come home safely much later.
December 7th, 1941, the news said Japan had just bombed Pear Harbor. I was four years old and I remember very well the next day the FBI came and took aways our beloved landlords, the Bargeer's. We were told that they were taken to a concentration camp in Utah's west desert. They were only allowed to take a suitcase and thier clothes they had on. We cried of course but they took them anyway, we never heard from them again.
My father was a pilot and had helped to set up the first Civil Air Patrol in the State of Utah. they were know as the CAP and were called to active duty soon after the start of World War ll. Daddys job with others, was to fly and patrol the borders of the United States and watch for any enemy that may attack our borders. He was stationed to fly the coastline in the Gulf of Mexico. They did not have big sofisticated planes back then and most of the ones in his patrol were small aircraft, usually double wingers and open cockpit.They would have planes in the air 24 hours a day, seven days per week. someone was always up there. Many times he would fly over the gulf at 100' above the water, looking for enemy submarines that could be under the water in the gulf. On one early morning pass they spotted a sure enough submarine. They had no radio contact back then with other pilots nor the land. so they did what they knew they must do and dropped a bomb on the submarine destroying it at once. They were credited with saving the coast that day for he had bombed a japanese sub.. We were so blessed to have him be able to come home safely much later.
Monday, January 2, 2012
New Years Day, January 1,2012
I promised some of my children I would write my story for them. so this is the beginning of Carole's Story.
Having been born of Goodly parents on a cold and wintery night in Salt Lake City, Utah on f\February 2, (Ground Hogs Day, no less) 1936 I entered the family of William (Bill) Richard Devenish and Emma Genevieve Johnson. I am the third child having an older sister, Essie Mae or "Sue" as we always called her and an older brother, William Richard Devenish, Jr. 2 years later a younger brother was added to the family, James Merrill Devenish.
I told my children I would write the good, the bad and the funny life I have had, so with some of my earliest memories that I personally can remember here goes.
Some of my earliest memories are of playing with and enjoying my siblings, I remember a time when "Poor old grandpa and Poor old grandma came to stay with us and grandma would take me on her lap and rock in the rocking chair with me, grandpa walked around the house on his cane. These were my Grandma Johnson's parents and they were old.
I remember that we lived upstairs in an old farm home on East 21st south, the home belonged to a german couple by the namd of Bargeer. I really life Mrs Bargeer because she would let us go out with her to feed her animals. She had ducks, geese, rabbits, chickens and goats. The goats were my favorites because they would climb everywhere and would play with us. During this time my parents had an old car and daddy would take us to Liberty Park for picnics that momma had fixed, and that would be our entertainment for the week.
Having been born of Goodly parents on a cold and wintery night in Salt Lake City, Utah on f\February 2, (Ground Hogs Day, no less) 1936 I entered the family of William (Bill) Richard Devenish and Emma Genevieve Johnson. I am the third child having an older sister, Essie Mae or "Sue" as we always called her and an older brother, William Richard Devenish, Jr. 2 years later a younger brother was added to the family, James Merrill Devenish.
I told my children I would write the good, the bad and the funny life I have had, so with some of my earliest memories that I personally can remember here goes.
Some of my earliest memories are of playing with and enjoying my siblings, I remember a time when "Poor old grandpa and Poor old grandma came to stay with us and grandma would take me on her lap and rock in the rocking chair with me, grandpa walked around the house on his cane. These were my Grandma Johnson's parents and they were old.
I remember that we lived upstairs in an old farm home on East 21st south, the home belonged to a german couple by the namd of Bargeer. I really life Mrs Bargeer because she would let us go out with her to feed her animals. She had ducks, geese, rabbits, chickens and goats. The goats were my favorites because they would climb everywhere and would play with us. During this time my parents had an old car and daddy would take us to Liberty Park for picnics that momma had fixed, and that would be our entertainment for the week.
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