Seventy years ago this couple brought a cute little girl into the world.

Theirs was a pioneer heritage with Scottish ancestry on her father’s line, and English on her mother’s. Her ancestors were some of those who fought in the Revolutionary War, joined the Mormon Church in the early days of its history, and her great-grandfather was even one of Joseph Smith’s bodyguards.

Thankfully her parents didn’t name her after great-grandmother Dorcas. That would have been slightly embarrassing in today’s world. No, instead they gave her a name meaning happy and merry.

She was their sixth child and fifth daughter. (Man, sounds similar to the start of my own family!)

This little blond haired beauty with the freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks grew up in a loving home.

She was taught so many wonderful things by her parents. How to work hard, yes, but especially how to serve others in their community. Letters and journal entries from her parents tell of community gatherings and church functions. When your father is the County Extension Agent for small towns in rural Nevada working right through the depression and WWII you learn how hard, and yet rewarding, it can be to make a living off the land.

So when a handsome young cowboy from southern Nevada started to take notice….

….well she didn’t seem to mind.

Especially when he’d fly his plane up to see her or take her on trips

down to visit his parent’s place in Panaca, NV.

He noticed in her the goodness of a woman with a strong faith in Christ, who was kind and caring, and lived up to her name to bring happiness to others.

She recognized a man dedicated to serving the Lord, who wasn’t afraid of hard work, and enjoyed a little fun now and then because it made her laugh.

They got married, had ten children, and passed on those same qualities and values. Sounds so easy when it is said like that in one simple sentence. It wasn’t. There were years of hard living and sacrifice, of worry and heartache but through it all they had each other and their faith to carry them through. And a lot of happy times too.

And now their posterity has grown, still grows, as we celebrate her life and her goodness and her example.

My mother-in-law is an elect lady. She is sweet and caring, never telling us how to raise our children or what we are doing wrong. She loves books! There is nothing better than going to “Grandma’s Library” because you are sure to find a gem waiting for you to pick it up and take you on an adventure. She loves us each individually, taking the time to know what our interests are and learning about them so she can ask questions and carry on conversations all about what is important to us. Everyone loves to go to Grandma’s house because they are treated as if they are the favorite. We love her dearly and hope that someday we will be even a tenth of what she is.

Happy Birthday, Grandma W!