Dedication of the Final
Resting Place of Josephine Mitchell Neeley
Our Father In Heaven, by the authority of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood, which I hold, I dedicate and consecrate this spot of the earth as the resting place, beside her husband, of Josephine Mitchell Neeley. I pray Lord, that this spot may be hallowed and protected from all fell things and remain a sanctuary of peace until the time of the resurrection when the body and spirit are united, and that the family may find peace and comfort in knowing that the dear persons lying here are united again and will be there to meet us when we all leave this mortal world.
A
Brief History of Josephine Mitchell Neeley
The Parowan Years
Our
Mother was born
on august 31, 1902, the eighth of twelve children to William C. Mitchell III and
Laurette Orton in Parowan, Utah. 51
years after Brigham Young sent the saints to the area under the direction of
George A. Smith, and only 55 years after the pioneers came to Utah in 1847,
Parowan was much the same when Mother was born as it was when it was settled.
How did news get around about gatherings like this?
But Parowan was a magical place as Mother told to her children in story
form. There was Paragonah (of Santa
Claus fame), Beaver, ‘The Gap’ (where the ancients left undecipherable
messages on the canyon walls), Little Salt Lake, Parowan Canyon (the most
beautiful and sweet smelling canyon of all), the ‘jump off’ (where Mother
said her cousin slid down the vertical walls, leaving red streaks on them from
her red pantaloons), the Vermilion Cliffs, Sidney Valley, Monument Mountain (or
Brian Head as it is now called), Uncle Walter’s saw mill (where the skiers now
swoosh down the mountain), Bear Flat, the ranch, Summit, and Cedar Breaks
Mother
was well educated: up to high school in Parowan, a season The Normal School in
Beaver, a year at the church college in Gila, Arizona, and two years at the
University of Utah -- meant to be four, but Dad came into the picture and
changed all of that.
Note: Also be sure to visit: Stories of Josephine M. Neeley -- the early days (and then some)
(She)
married Parley R. Neeley at the Salt Lake Temple on December 21, 1928, (and)
lived in Coalville at Dad’s folk’s house (while) Dad on the echo dam project with USBR, until moving to Kamas
while Dad was a field engineer on the Kamas Valley Project.
First child: Parley M. (Pat), born at this time 1930, in Salt Lake City.
Mother (was) always sensitive about her age ( she was 1 year older than
Dad). To illustrate this, my birth
certificate (Dad married Mom 3 years after I was born, but Mom married Dad 2
years before I was born).
The Colorado River Storage Project Years
From
1930 to 1933 Dad was an investigation engineer on the Colorado River Storage
Project. We lived in Welton and
Blythe California and Yuma, Arizona in the winter, and Big Piney and Lyman,
Wyoming in the summer.
The Ogden Years
In
1933 Dad was transferred to Ogden as the construction engineer on the building
of Pine View Dam, and of course Mother and I came with him.
At Ogden, Barbara was born in 1933 and David was born in 1937.
The Glendive Years
In
1937, Dad was appointed the project engineer for the Buffalo Rapids Project near
Glendive, Montana and we all moved there. Douglas,
Mother’s last child, was born in Glendive in 1939.
The Williston Years
In
1939, Dad, Mother and all 4 children moved to Williston, North Dakota where Dad
was the project engineer on the Buford-Trenton project near Williston.
In
1943 Dad, Mother, myself, Barbara, David and Douglas moved to Price, Utah where
Dad was the chief engineer on the Schofield Dam Project,
The Spanish Fork Years
In
1946 Dad was appointed the area engineer of the Central Utah Project and Dad and
Mother moved to Spanish Fork with all of us and where Douglas lived until
July 23, 1966 when he
was killed, and Dad lived until May 28, 1986, until his death in Canada, and where Mother
lived alone in
the house Dad had built for her on Escalante Drive until October 21, 1997.
In
1986, Mother had the part time help of very nice people from a home health
organization, and also in 1996 a very good and capable woman, Zelma Clayton,
came to stay with Mother full time. At
Easter time in 1997, Mother suffered a stroke and after an extended stay in
Mountain View Hospital, went to stay in a rest home.
Just over 2 weeks ago Mother contacted pneumonia and seemed to suffer
some more strokes and slipped away from us very quietly, and with dignity on
Tuesday, October 21, 1997 at the age of 95 years, 1 month, and 21 days.
Mother had surely endured to the end.
During
this time, Mother had accomplished more things than I can tell, among them:
·
Made 15
major moves of relocation
·
Married
in the temple
·
Worked in
the Sunday School
·
Worked in
the Young Womens
·
Worked in
the Relief Society
·
Directed
music
·
Sang in
the choir
·
Completed
a full time mission with Dad
·
Wife to a
bishop
·
Wife to a
bishop’s councilor
·
Wife to a
branch president
·
Wife to a
high councilor
·
Long time
temple worker
·
Wife
·
Mother
·
Grandmother
·
Great
Grandmother
·
Great,
Great Grandmother
·
Telephone
messenger
·
Telephone
operator
·
Mercantile
clerk
·
Cancer
drive chairperson
·
Heart
fund chairperson
·
84 direct
descendents
·
110
family descendents (spouses plus direct descendents)
Mother, the children will surely miss you on Halloween and
we all will miss you so very, very much -- we needed you.
Amen