Grandma Norman's Autobiography

Zada Howell Norman 

I was born in Fairview, Utah, in Sanpete County. People down there are called carrot eaters. Yes I like carrots! My folks had a small farm with 2 or 3 gardens, a fruit orchard, and a bee yard. I didn't like the bee stings! We lived about 1 1/2 miles east of town, so we did a lot of walking to school, church, grocery shopping, and to dances. 

We had to make our own fun, so we went sleigh riding in the winter, had candy pulls, and played inside games. In the summer, we played outside games, went swimming , took hikes, and herded the cows so they wouldn't get in the gardens. 

When I was in Junior High, my friend and I were walking home from a Halloween party. When we got to a spot called the camping ground, a couple of older boys jumped out of the trees and attempted to grab me. My friend, who was dressed in a witch costume, yelled "Let her go or I will hit you with this broom." The boy just laughed and said "Let it fly". Somehow we got away and ran to the nearest home and pounded on the door and explained our fear and they drove us home. That was my most frightful Halloween. 

My uncle, Charley Terry, had a big strawberry farm in Orem, Utah, and my 3 sisters and I used to go up there in early summer and pick strawberries. Some of the girls talked us into climbing Mt. Timpanagos with them. The glacier was unusually high that year. We were supposed to spend sometime at a campfire program, but we lost interest and left early. When we got part way, we had to wait by a bonfire until daylight and it was cold. The path was narrow some of the way and scary. We met some nice boys on the way and they were helpful. When we finally got to the top and signed our names, we realized the only way we could get down was to sit down and slide. My younger sister was braver and went first. She thought she was in a bad way until she saw me come bouncing down, then she had a good laugh. We were so tired when we got back to Uncle Charley's, we slept for hours! 

I graduated from the North Sanpete High in 1936. I worked in a few private homes off and on for a couple of years. One of them was the Marion C. Nelson home where Apostle Russell M. Nelson was raised . He was 12 years old at the time. I remember his father driving him on his first date with Dansel White, and you know that he married this childhood sweetheart. His parents were raised in Sanpete also. 

I went with several young men and even stepped Rex's brother a time or two. I also knew his sister Miriam. I met Rex at a dance and liked him right away. We had one date, then I went from Fairview to Springville to help my Aunt Furn who just had a new baby. Rex had a new car and brought my sister Bertha and her boy friend up to see me. We courted for a few months, and he always kids me because I said “yes” on girls day. We wanted to get married on my birthday, which is April 6th, but the Manti Temple was closed; so we waited a week and were married on April 13th . We lived in Faiview for about a year where our baby girl was born on March 20th, then we moved to a larger apartment in Mt Pleasant. 

Rex worked for the Young and Smith construction company for two or three years, so we lived in various towns in our trailer house that he and his dad built. Marjorie was born in Salt Lake City about 3 1/2 years later. We were expecting our only son when world war II came and Rex had to leave for the war. He moved me and the two girls back to Mt. Pleasant to be near our folks , where our boy was born. Rex was given a 15-day delay in his transfer from basic training in Denver to his assignment to the First Air Force base at Mitchell Field, New York. He was able to be with me when our son Merrill was born. He was in the service from Feb. 1st 1944 to Dec. 20, 1945. That was a happy day on his coming home. 

We bought a home in Murray where we lived until Nov. 1959, at which time my brother Bert Howell built our present home. I taught primary for many years in Murray. We moved up here the weekend the Stake Center was dedicated. I gave the visiting teachers message and the Teacher Training lesson for awhile up here. 

Rex worked for the Department of Employment Security for 34 years retiring as a Computer Operations Supervisor. 

I worked in the Salt Lake Temple for over 14 years (two days each week) and quit to take care of my aging mother and Rex’s aging father. I also served as librarian for 31 years and was awarded a beautiful figurine when I retired. 

A few years ago, I decided to enter a few foods in the State Fair. I baked white rolls and wheat rolls which won first place and I also won first place on my pralines. I took 2nd place with my chocolates, Divinity, and fudge. What a nice surprise! 

We have enjoyed raising a garden, 3 kinds of berries, and a few fruit trees and I canned fruit and vegetables for winter. I even pickled beets 2 or 3 times in the summer. 

We are proud of our three children who have married in the Salt Lake Temple and are happily married and raising wonderful families. 

We both like to fish and we miss our successful trips on the old Strawberry. 

Rex has been an ideal companion and we look forward to at least a few more happy years together.

Check out the full life history (31 pages)  PDF. 

A Poem Written March 27, 2007 (age 89)

MY LIFE 

   

When I was a young girl about three or four 

We lived on a farm and had chores galore. 

I liked to feed the chickens and gather their eggs. 

The only transportation we had was our feet and legs. 

  

One day I came in just in time for prayer, 

and an announcement made: 

"Dicky Dicky Dare there were no eggs there". 

This was the beginning of the poetry craze 

That has stayed with me the rest of my days. 

    

In the English class in my High School Days 

I composed a poem that the teacher gave praise. 

It was so much fun to get a good mark in her class 

By keeping and reading the poem to the class. 

     

Years hurried by and Golden Wedding time neared 

We needed invitations to mail to our peers. 

I picked up a pencil and wrote the message, we had. 

Then the printer did the rest--they were nice--we were glad. 

        

I now have Arthritis and pain is a close friend 

I pray it won't follow me around until the end. 

My dear hubby and three children make life still worth while. 

I dearly love them and their families and try hard to smile. 

                                 

By Zada Norman 

Here a video created by Nikki ... Norman Family History

Goodbye Grandma ... Obituary and program from the funeral