Rulon F. Tolman Ramsey
My Life Story
by Rulon Ramsey
I was born March 15, 1920 to Lucina Freestone and Rulon Burl Tolman at Marion, just south of Oakley, Cassia County in my Grandmother and Grandfather Freestone’s home.
My first home was a two room house belonging to my uncle, Dan Tolman. It was about 1/2 mile from my Grandmother and Grandfather’s home. (Grandmother and Grandfather Tolman).
My father was a soldier in the First World War and was stationed at Camp Lewis, Washington. When he returned from the army he married my Mother. He worked at several different jobs such as farming and construction work.
On November 25, 1921, my Mother became very ill with typhoid fever. While she was sick we were staying with my Grandmother and Grandfather Freestone. She was very sick for 2 1/2 months. During this time, my Grandparents, my aunts, and my Father nursed and cared for her. In all this time my Father stayed at her bedside as much as possible. On the first day of February, he contacted the typhoid fever and it was complicated by pneumonia. February 14th he passed away. At the age of not quite two years old, I was left without a father. My mother was still so sick at this time that she was unable to attend my Father’s funeral.
After my father’s death, my Mother and I stayed with my Grandparents, George and Alice Freestone and they were very good to us. I always called them Ma and Pa Freestone and called my Mother Lucina, Mamma. Mother had four sisters home at this time and they were all very good to me and I felt like they were my sisters. Mother got a job and worked at the telephone company office and supported us by being a telephone operator.
On April 25, 1924, my Mother married Bill Ramsey and I had a new father. He was a very wonderful man and treated me as well as anyone possibly could. We then moved to a home belonging to Ace Maybey in Marion. At this time my Father was dry farming in Boulder above Oakley. He always had a lot of good horses and did a lot of custom work such as haying and cutting grain with a header. I learned to love horses and to work with them at this time. When I was four years old, he gave me my first saddle horse. Naturally, I was very proud of it.
About this time, we moved to Star Valley, Wyoming and spent one winter and summer there on a ranch. While we were there, I can remember the fun we had fishing and riding horses. After this, we moved back to Oakley. My close friends were Ennie Picket, Randall and Raymond Maybey and my cousin Ferris Freestone. Like most kids we enjoyed playing and spent most of our time together.
In 1925, my Father rented a large farm with a big house and lots of barns, sheds and a granary. We were really happy to be living at such a nice place. While we lived there my Mother’s nephew, Emerson Tolman, lived with us. He was like a big brother to me,
On January 25, 1925, a new baby brother came to our house. We named him Donald. Of course, I was very happy. But, eleven months later he became very sick with pneumonia and on the 23rd of December he passed away. Of course, I missed him very much. However, on January 15, 1927, another brother was born into the family and his name was Robert. I was very happy and really enjoyed tending and helping care for him.
Some of the things I remember while living here were the winters we used to have. There was lots of snow and the weather was very cold. We did lots of sleigh riding in the winter and lots of horseback riding in the summer. Here I got my second saddle horse, a sorrel mare. We also used to drive her in a two-wheeled cart. While we lived here, I started school at the Marion Grade School. It was two-roomed and the first four grades met in one room and the other four grades in the other. The school had two teachers and about 60 to 70 kids attended the school. The school was 1 1/2 miles from my home and I walked to and from school every day. The Marion ward church was quite close to school and I went to church there regularly with my mother. We worked hard to keep things going and there was always lots of chores to do. It seemed as though there was especially lots of wood to be cut and carried in to help keep us warm.
On May 26, 1929, another brother was born into the family. His name was William Ray and we called him Bill. As the two brothers grew up, I had lots of fun with them and also lots of trouble trying to tend them and keep them happy.
During the year of 1931, we moved again to another farm in Island, about seven miles north of Oakley. It was a very nice farm–lots of trees and orchards, plenty of farm buildings, and a real nice house with lots of room in it. I was eleven years old at the time and had lots of colds and sore throats until my tonsils were removed, then I felt fine.
Because of our move to a different farm, I attended a different school. It was a little smaller school, but much the same otherwise. I went to church, however, at the same Marion Ward. It was about three miles to Sunday School and Primary and M.I.A. My new school was two miles from home so I rode a horse to school. Some of the things I did while I lived here were to raise rabbits, break two horses to ride, herd cows on the desert, swim in the canals, help with the farming, milk cows, haul wood and poles from the hills, and help work on the header crew and hay crews. The neighbors that I played with were the Martin boys, the Cranes, my cousins, and the Tolman boys-besides several others. We were just like a bunch of Indians the way we rode horses and played!
When I was 12 years old, I started going to M.I.A. and scout meetings. At this time, one of the outstanding things of my life happened to me. While attending school and chasing around, I met new friends and along with them and some of my old friends, we decided we were old enough to try some of the things our parents had always told us were wrong. So we tried smoking a few cigarettes and even tampering with alcohol when we had a chance. Of course, I didn’t think my parents knew about it, but one day I was helping my father feed the horses. At this time Father had two small colts that looked much alike. They were black with white faces and stocking legs. I told him I would like to have them more than anything in the world. At this time he sat me down and talked to me for a long time. He told me he knew about the things I had been doing that I shouldn’t. He told me that he would give me the two colts I wanted and he would care for them until they were big enough to break if I would never touch another cigarette or alcoholic drink. If I ever did and he found out about it, he would take them back. This was the best thing my Father could have done for me. I never tampered with them again. I will always remember this and love him for it.
When I was in the eighth grade of school my parents moved again to Oakley. I finished the last six months of my eighth grade school year, however, at the Island School. I rode a horse seven miles from Oakley to Island to school every day. We lived in Oakley for two years. These were hard years for us. The depression was beginning to be felt and jobs were real hard to find. My Mother and Father worked very hard and sacrificed much to keep us in school and to give us the things we needed . Dad did all kinds of odd jobs to get along. While we lived here, I spent my first two years of High School at the Oakley High School. While we lived here, what free time I had I spent swimming, horseback riding, and hunting rabbits. We spent a lot of time in the hills getting out wood and poles also.
I had a lot of wonderful experiences and long talks with my Father while working with him in the hills. He was always very understanding and very good to me. He certainly was a wonderful example to me. I loved him very much.
In the spring of 1937, my parents moved to Burley, Idaho. Here my Father got a job and regular pay checks for Dad and Mother were wonderful for a change. My Father worked for Lorin Lewis and K.C. Barlow. I helped feed cattle after school when I could and did other odd jobs to help. In the summertime my Father used to take me and go to Nevada and stack hay on the big cattle ranches. We had many wonderful experiences together here and I really loved to go. We always camped out for most of the summer.
I finished my last two years of High School at the Burley High School in Burley, Idaho. After graduation, I got a job feeding cattle at the same place as my father. By now the team of horses he had given me were grown up and I used them both at the feed yard and in the hay fields. They were an outstanding team of horses and I really loved them and enjoyed using them.
I went to church in the Burley 3rd Ward. I met lots of new friends and took part in most all of the church activities such as: basketball, dancing and drama.
Another brother was born to our home on October 28, 1939, Lloyd Richard Ramsey.
While working at the feed yards, I bought me a car. It was a 1932 used Nash. It turned out to be pretty much of a badly used car and a lot of expense, so I traded it for a 1935 Ford. I felt like I was really living! Of course, the car helped me do quite a bit of dating and chasing around. In 1939, I met Mary Jane Stocks and very much liked what I met. She was just all any man could ask for in a girl as far as I was concerned. So after going with her for about a year and a half, we decided to get married. My parents were well pleased with my choice and her parents also gave their consent. We began making our plans.
At this time, I realized I had been going by the name of Rulon Ramsey, but my name was actually Rulon Tolman. I felt like Bill Ramsey was the only father I had really known, and since he had been so good to me I chose his name. I went to a lawyer and he advised me that the best thing to do was to officially be adopted by Bill Ramsey. By doing this, my name would be Rulon Ramsey. I did this and since then I have used the name Ramsey.
Mary Jane and I were married September 11th, 1940 by George F. Richards Jr. and our marriage took place in the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a wonderful experience and I know it got us started on the right way for our married life. It has also helped us greatly as we have raised our family. At the time we were married, I was working for Lorin Lewis feeding cattle and our first home was a basement apartment in the home of Sister Becky Nelson. We all called her Aunt Becky and she was like a second mother to us. However, six months later, we had a chance to buy us a home of our own. We needed to raise enough money for a down payment to buy the house. As a result of this, I sold my two most prized possessions. My team of horses that my Father had given me and my little red Ford Car. I received $125.00 for the car and $200.00 for the team. We used all of the money for the payment on our home and moved into it. As a result, our only means of transportation for the next two and a half years was a bicycle.
Shortly after this, I left the feed yards and went to work for Dan Howarth in the O.K. Tire Shop in Burley, Idaho. I worked for him until the war started in 1941. At this time the government froze recapping and I was laid off. However, shortly after this the government released recapping and R.O. Rambo hired me to work for him recapping tires.
Two years after we were married, on September 13th, 1942, we were blessed with our first child, a daughter, LaDeane. She was a wonderful baby and we surely did enjoy her. We were so happy with our baby, our home, and the good job I had. Then in August, 1944, I was called into the Army. At this time, we were expecting our second baby. It was really a sorrowful time in our life. However, Mary Jane was so brave and wonderful about it. I knew I really loved her and I was sure that the time would come when we would be back together again.
I was inducted at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City, Utah and took my basic training in Jackson, Mississippi. While training there, I got word from home that I had another daughter born December1, 1944. We named her Marlene. I was very worried about my family and was glad to hear that they were all well. After I finished my basic training, I was assigned to a tire company and was sent to Texarkana, Texas where I spent six months training in an Army Tire Center. Then in 1945, I was given a furlough and had a chance to go home and see my wife and my new baby daughter who was now 8 months old. It was a wonderful, happy time we spent together even though it was very short. Of course, it was harder than ever to leave and go back to the service. When I returned to Texarkana, we received our orders to prepare to ship out. We went to Seattle, Washington by train then by boat to Okinawa, Japan, where I was stationed for one year. I then returned home by boat to San Francisco, then to Fort Lewis, Washington by train where I was discharged. I then went by train to Minidoka, Idaho where my wife and children and my mother met me and brought me home. Of course, this was one of the most happy times of my life. When I returned home, I went back to work for R.O. Rambo in the tire business. We built on to our house and on February 9, 1948, our daughter Barbara was born. Again I realized how blessed I was to have such a wonderful wife and family. I was quite disappointed when our baby wasn’t a boy, but I loved them all anyway.
We were quite happy as a family and with my job and working in the church we were kept quite busy and we really enjoyed the next few years. On April 1, 1951, we were blessed with another baby. I was disappointed because it wasn’t a boy, but was real happy to have another daughter who we named Joyce. She was a lovely baby. However, it turned out that she was quite sick. We had her under doctor’s care for several years after she was born. She gradually gained strength and did very well considering all the trouble and sickness she had had.
In July, 1952, I moved from Burley, Idaho to Rupert, Idaho to take a position as manager for the O.K. Tire Shop in Rupert for Daniel Howarth, the man I first worked for in the tire business. It was a big responsibility for me and a big challenge. For several years I worked long, hard hours to make a success of the business. However, it progressed pretty well and we were real happy with it.
On December 20, 1954, we were blessed with another baby and this time I got the boy I had waited so many years for. Of course, I was extremely happy and proud of the boy and named him Rulon Brent. He was a very nice and healthy baby and has never caused us much concern. About this time, we realized the house we had purchased when we moved to Rupert wasn’t the type of house we needed for our family, so after a lot of planning and a lot of hard work and setbacks, we built us a new home and moved into it on November 15th, 1955. During this time, the business improved and became a great blessing to us in caring for the family we now had.
During all these years, my father was not a member of the church. He wholeheartedly supported mother and the rest of the family in our church work, but just didn’t feel like he wanted to join. However, with the help of the Stake Missionaries, June Hunter and Sister Simmons and Robert, he was baptized into the church on March 26, 1954, and on April 11, 1956, we went to the Idaho Falls Temple and were sealed as a family.
In June, 1958, while father was working in Nevada, we received word that he had passed away. This was a time of great sorrow in all our lives. However, we realized how blessed we were to have been sealed to him and to have had him for a father.
The Lord had greatly blessed me and we were living a wonderful, happy life in Rupert. I enjoyed my work and my church and the association with the many wonderful friends we had made. Then, on January 2, 1959, one of the greatest blessings that could happen to a family happened to us. Our twin daughters, Rula Jean and Mary Jane, were born. Though they have really been a blessing and a joy to the family they have brought lots of work to Mary Jane. They are both beautiful, healthy, little girls.
In September, 1960, our oldest daughter, LaDeane, went away to college at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. At the present time, December, 1961, we have LaDeane in college, Marlene a junior in High School, Barbara in the eighth grade, Joyce in the third grade, Rulon Brent in the first grade and the twins will be having their 3rd birthday on January 2, 1962. At the present time we are a big, wonderful, happy family and enjoy each other very much.
During the time I have previously written about, I have always been active in the L.D.S. church and have held many positions in the wards I have lived in. I know without a doubt that all the success and all the many happy wonderful years I have enjoyed were made possible by the blessings of the Lord. For this I am grateful. I am also grateful for my parents, the good name they gave me and everything they have done for me. I am also grateful for my wonderful wife who has helped me with everything of any worth that I have ever done.
Now I would like to list some of my Church Ordinances during my life thus far:
- Blessed on April 26, 1920 by my Grandfather, Joshua Alvin Tolman in Marion, Idaho.
- Baptized on January 1, 1929 by Alva Read at Marion, Idaho.
- Confirmed on January 1, 1929 by William H. Martin at Marion, Idaho.
- Ordained a Deacon on August 7, 1932 by William H. Martin at Marion, Idaho.
- Ordained a Teacher on May 5, 1935 by David R. Martindale, at Marion, Idaho.
- Ordained a Priest on October 10, 1937 by George R. Williams at Burley, Idaho
- Ordained an Elder on May 26, 1940 by Grandin A. Steiner at Burley, Idaho.
- Received my Endowment in the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah on September 11, 1940.
- Ordained a High Priest on November 17, 1948 by Charles A Callus, an apostle, at Burley, Idaho.
Continuation of the History of Rulon Ramsey written in 1991
I have been very negligent writing my life history, and now I am 70 years old. I am retired from work. My health is not good. I have lung disease which makes it hard for me to breath. I have some back pain, some arthritis, some neck and shoulder pain and my legs ache all the time. I had one heart attack in July, 1976. I had heart bypass operation in June, 1986 and in April, 1990 I had Gall Bladder surgery. I have, however, been able to work and do the things this year I haven’t for years. I just have to take my time and rest often.
Mary Jane and I just had our 50th or Golden Wedding Anniversary last weekend. Our children and grandchildren took charge and made it a very happy time for us. We have, at this time, 6 daughters, one son, 30 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, or a total of 52 in our immediate family counting son and daughter-in-laws.
Since our anniversary, I have done a lot of soul-searching and a lot of thinking about how the Lord has blessed me so greatly and I have decided to try and write my life sketch as I remember. I will just relate things that are important to me and hopefully interesting to someone. Also, I have already written a partial life history from my birth until December, 1961. Also, my daughter, LaDeane, talked to me in May of 1984 and asked questions about my life. She taped the conversation and later wrote another partial life story. Now I am going to try and fill in on some things left out before. In doing so, there may be some duplication and maybe some errors.
Since 1961, where the last story ended, I will try to fill in some of the church positions I have been called too, and also talk about some other highlights of my life. The dates I will fill in as much as possible and as accurate as I remember them. I was called to be a counselor in the Bishopric of the Rupert Ward September 17, 1961 and October 5, 1961. I went to conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. On Saturday, between the morning and afternoon sessions of conference, we reported to the church office building and to Mark E. Peterson’s office where Brother Peterson set me apart as the counselor in the Bishopric. It was a wonderful experience, a special experience.
In October, 1984, we moved into our second new home on five acres 2 miles east of Rupert. This put us in the Rupert 3rd Ward so I was released from the Bishopric and soon after I was called to be a counselor in the Stake MIA organization, a position I held
until October 10th, 1965. At this time, I was called to be Bishop of the 3rd ward. And again I had a very special thing happen in my life. Mary Jane and all my children were called into the Bishop’s Office and in front of my family I wa3 set apart as Bishop by Elder Sterling W. Sill, one of the General Authorities. What a great thrill this was.
While I was Bishop of Rupert 3rd Ward, Minidoka Stake, we built a new church building under the church’s Missionary Building Plan. This turned out to be a very hard way to build, as we depended upon volunteer help from the ward and stake to work under a supervisor hired by the church and with a couple of young men missionaries sent out by the church who were very inexperienced. But after much prayer, hard work, and help of the Lord the building was completed and dedicated spring, 1967. It was a beautiful building and we were very proud of it. The calling of a bishop has many varied experiences some wonderful and some sad. But it was a great spiritual time in my life. After the new church building was completed the church sold the old building. We then held ‘an auction and sold the properties from the inside. I bought the 4 solid oak office chairs from the Bishop’s office and the Singer treadle sewing machine from the Relief Society room, plus other odds and ends. I was released as Bishop on June 20, 1969, and at this time, I was called to be in the Stake Sunday School Presidency, a position I enjoyed very much because we visited the other wards in the Stake each Sunday. This gave me the opportunity to meet many new friends. I held this position until April, 1972, when we moved to Boise, Idaho.
Shortly after we arrived in Boise, I was called to be Historical clerk in the Boise 20th Ward, Boise North Stake. This was a good position for me because it could mostly be handled on Sundays. This was good, as I was very busy in my occupation and it gave me more time to be with my family. I held this position until July,1976, at which time I was asked to be statistical ward clerk. This was a much more time-consuming job and required some evening work to find people home. But I had some very rewarding experiences finding the inactive members and up grading their church records.
As an example, l one time divorced and remarried a women 3 times and added 6 or 7 children to her records in order to bring them up-to-date. While holding this position, I met many interesting people. I was released some time in 1980.
In 1982 I was called to be High Priest Secretary of Boise 20th Ward High Priest Group. I enjoyed being secretary for the High Priest Group. I worked with some great spiritual men and learned much from them.
In December, 1983, I was called to be a counselor in the High Priest Group. This of course made me more a part of the group and increased my duties. But again I had some great experiences and much enjoyment while holding this position until June, 1986, when I had open-heart surgery and I was released. Then in October, 1987, I was assigned to be Temple Coordinator for the Boise 20th Ward. I also took charge of the Church Magazines and Church News drives, and I was the Deseret Industries Coordinator for the ward. I held all these positions until October, 1990, when I was released from all of them because of health problems. As of now, December 1990, I only hold one position, that of Home Teacher. I do not know what is ahead for me in the future. Hopefully, my health will improve and I can become more involved.
I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the church. I know Jesus is the Christ and I am very grateful for all his many blessings in my behalf!!
Now I will try to write about some of the different type of work and occupations I have experienced during my lifetime as I remember them.
From the time I was five years old until I was 10 years old (1925 to 1930) we lived on a farm called the Langloise place. It was in a place called Marion which is 7 miles south of Oakley,
Idaho. This place was 1 and 1/2 miles from my grandmother and grandfather Tolman’s horse, 2 miles from the Mari on Ward church house, and 2 and 1/4 miles from the Marion School I went to first through 5th grades. Even though I was quite young, my father, Bill Ramsey, taught me to work and especially how to work with horses and how to care for them. The place above mentioned was a 60 acre farm which we farmed. Father mostly raised only hay and grain to have feed for the horses and cows we had. This also gave father time to do some other type work. While living here I learned to ride and drive horses. While father plowed the field I would drive the horses and harrow and level the ground to prepare it for planting. I had to walk behind the harrow and leveler because it worked the team too hard if I rode. So it was not a very easy job. I also drove horses on the hay and grain wagons. During these years we hauled many loads of wood from the mountains to burn. We also hauled poles for corrals and fences. Then we hauled cedar trees to make posts for fences because they lasted longer in the ground than the pine trees. Of course, when we got the logs home, they had to be cut for wood. So I learned to handle one end of a crosscut saw to cut the blocks stove length. I learned to swing the ax and split the blocks into stove-size wood, then it had to be carried or hauled in my little wagon each day to the house for burning.
Another thing I helped with was milking and feeding the cows twice a day. I carried water, from our only water faucet which was in our front yard, around the house and up ten steps into the back door for mother to use in the house, and once a week to do her washing. The first washing machine we got had a handle we pulled back and forth to make the washer go. It had a wringer to get the water out of the clothes, which also was done by hand crank. Then the dirty water had to be carried out to the backyard and poured
into a ditch. Another household job of mine was turning the handle on the churn to make butter. I won’t say how I felt about the household chores, except to say I would much rather help Dad farm.
During the summer of 1931, we moved about 4 miles North to another farm. The house was much nicer, but we now lived in a place called Island, still a part of the Oakley Valley. We l:ved here while I was in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. We still farmed, milked cows, and hauled wood, etc, but one thing I should mention, my father did a lot of custom work. He owned a machine called a Header. It was powered by 5 head of horses and it cut grain in the fields and elevated the grain into wagons to haul to the corrals.
He also worked on road jobs hauling gravel and using a fresno to build roads. While doing these things he used to stay away from home a lot. He lived in a covered wagon called a sheep camp. I had many experiences staying with him and trying all the things he did, but mostly I stayed home and did the chores.
In the early spring of 1933, my parents moved to a place 1 mile north of Oakley. They wanted me to finish the •8th grade without changing schools. So for 3 months I rode a horse 7 miles to school and 7 miles home. As well as milked cows and did chores morning and night.
While we lived here we did not farm and Dad made a living doing custom work. It was the beginning years of the big depression and money was very scarce, but we got along with what we had. And I had many great experiences and lots of fun while living here. I went to high school at the Oakley High School. The total enrollment of the 4 grades in the High School was 90 students. While living here I was 13, 14 and 15 years old and when we hauled wood, I drove a team and wagon and hauled my own load of wood home. I had many wonderful times with my father in the mountains. Sleeping out under the stars, working, cutting, trimming, and getting the big logs out and loaded to haul home.
In the spring of 1937, my parents and my brothers moved from Oakley to Burley, Idaho. I stayed with a friend in Oakley and finished my sophomore year, then moved to Burley with the family. My father got a job feeding and caring for cattle at some feed
yards owned by Lorin Lewis and K. C. Barlow. They were by the Burley sugar factory. My father’s job of feeding cattle was mostly a winter job. So each summer from June through August he got work on a large ranch in Nevada near a little town called Deeth which was between Wells and Elko, Nevada. He contracted to stack the hay on two ranches owned by the Wright Brothers. The ranches had a crew of men who did all the mowing and racking of the hay into windrows. Then we would hire a crew of 7 men and bring the hay from the field to fenced stack yards and ~tack it. This was all done with horses. It took about 14 horses to cut and rake the hay and then we furnished 20 more horses that we took with us from Burley to stack the hay by the use of buck rakes. So we would take two wagons, one with 4 head of horses loaded with grain, and one with 2 horses to haul our bedding and hay for the trip and all other things we would need for the summer. I used to drive the wagon with the 4 head of horses. We would travel through Oakley and out through the mountains to Wells, Nevada, and then to the ranches, a trip that took 5 days by wagon. I could write a book about the experiences I had on these trips and in the hay fields with my father. When we were at home in Burley, I went to school and worked part time at the feed yards. Also,in the spring of the year, I plowed garden spots with a 1-row walking plow. I hauled manure from the yards with team and wagon and sold it to people for their gardens after school and on Saturdays.
In the spring of 1938, I graduated from High School and got my first full-time job working at the feed yards with my father, where I worked until 1940 for a salary of $75.00 a month, which was a good paying job at the time. Of course, we worked 7 days a week and all holidays as cattle eat each day.
I need to insert a note here about my father. As you can see, for the first 20 years of my life, I was very close to my father. We spent nearly every day together at many varied types of work. He taught me many, many things. First about the basic rules of getting along in life, such as hard work, honesty, keeping your word, helping others, respect for my mother, and other women and older people. To him, all people were good regardless of their status in life, rich or poor, good or bad. He could always get the very best from any horse and from almost all people. There is just no way I can write about the time and experiences I had with this great man who was so very, very good to me. An example of how good he was to me. He always let me drive the best team of horses with the best harness he owned and he would take next best. He even gave me one of the best team of horses and the best set of harness he owned for my own. I loved him very much. He truly was a great man.
In the year of 1940, when I was 20 years old, and was contemplating marriage, I decided I did not want to feed cattle for the rest of my life. So, I began looking for another job. And for the next year I tried several different types of work, such as working in a lumber yard as a bookkeeper and yard work, working on a hay chopper pitching hay, a grain grinder shoveling grain and finally took a job in a tire shop working for Daniel Howarth in the fall of 1940 at a starting salary of $10.00 per week. I soon got promoted and got an increase in salary to $16.00 per week. Then I felt I was on my way to becoming a success. On December 7, 1941, was the attack on Pearl Harbor plunging our country deeper into war. In the spring of 1942, the government rationed new tires and recapping. As a result I was layed off my job in the tire shop. This is when I got a job with the sugar company stacking sugar in their warehouse, but was only there about a month when R.O. Rambo who owned a service station, sold new tires and had a tire retreading plant hired me to manage his retread plant. I worked here until I was drafted into the army in July, 1944. While in the army, I also worked in a tire shop and worked packing rubber life rafts for the Air Force.
When I was released from the Army in August, 1946, I went to work for Mr. Rambo in his retread plan where I worked until the summer of 1952. At this time, I went back to work for Daniel Howarth as Manager of his retail tire store in Rupert. I managed this store with great success until 1969 when seven tire dealers in southern Idaho formed a corporation called Big-O-Tire of Idaho Inc.
I should insert here that in about 1947 and 1948 I delivered the Deseret Newspaper on rural routes early Sunday mornings to earn extra money as these years were pretty tough for us.
After the tire corporation was formed in spring of 1969, we worked out of the corporate offices and warehouse in Rupert. At this time, I was in charge of the warehouse and shipping of the tires around the state. In the fall, September, to be exact. our offices, retread plant. and warehouse burned to the ground. After this, we did business out of a potato cellar with some office space and then to the old railroad depot in Rupert. During this time, I ran the warehouse. ordered new tires and was in charge of trucks and shipping to all our stores in Idaho.
In April, 1972. we moved to Boise. Idaho where the company was rebuilding offices and warehouses. For 6 or 8 months I warehoused tires in an old army kitchen and dining hall at Gowen Field in Boise. In early 1973 we moved to the new offices and warehouse in Boise. While I was part of this corporation I had several different duties, such as Secretary-Treasurer of the Corporation, Purchasing Agent for the company, supervised our trucking division, including personnel and their qualifications, was Safety Director for 1 year then back to Warehouse Manager and then back to Purchasing Director, the position I held until I retired in January 1986. I feel like I failed to some extent as far as reaching my potential, but on the other hand, I was never in my life out of work. If I did not have a job, I created one. I have never failed to meet a payment on any contract I ever made. I have never had any contract go for the full time. All have been paid off in advance. I have paid everyone I ever owed money too, as far as I know. I always tried to care for my family and their needs. I am very grateful to the Lord for his help. I am also very grateful to my parents and to my family for all their help.
During the years in the tire business, we worked long hours and very hard to make it successful. But we also did many fun things and the company sponsored many trips for Mary Jane and I to meetings and conventions and I will just mention some of them.
We held monthly dealer dinner meetings in southern Idaho. These were always fun and gave us a chance to know the other dealers, and their families.
O.K. Rubber Welders and Big-O-Tires, both companies held annual 3-day dealer meetings with all the dealers in the United States and Canada.
During the years of O.K. Rubber Welders the meetings were held in Denver, Colorado. So Mary Jane and I made several fun trips to Denver. Since the days of Big-O-Tires they have held the annual dealer meetings in various places and I will list some of them here: many in Reno, Nevada; two in Phoenix, Arizona; two in San Diego, California; once at Shore Lodge, McCall, Idaho; two or three times in Las Vegas, Nevada; one in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and once in Maui, Hawaii. Also, 2 different years I was chosen to be on the North West Dealer Advisory Council for B.F. Goodrich Co. One year we held a 3-day meeting at the Hotel Del Coronada, San Diego. And the next time 3 days at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco.
We had great times in all of these places and feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to go.
Some of my special interests and hobbies I will list here.
I suppose horses would have to be my #1 hobby, since I have worked with and played with them for the time I was 4 or 5 years old until 1972 when I was 52 years old and sold my last saddle horse when we moved to Boise. But even since then, I have read about them, have pictures of them, and I love to watch old western movies so I can see and choose the horse I like best. I also like to watch rodeos and horse races because of the horses. Again, I could write a book about riding and working horses. Some of my greatest experiences have included a horse. They have saved my life and nearly cost me my life a time or two. I love horses and would tell anyone who many read this that horses make very good companions, especially if you are alone.
Hunting and fishing have also been a big part of my life and many long hours could be spent telling hunting and fishing stories.
I have always enjoyed sports and sporting events, even though the only time I have taken part was in school yards and on church teams.
Dancing has been a great fun part of my life. Round dancing, square dancing, and ballroom dancing as well as helping Mary Jane teach dancing. We were ward Dance Directors, stake Dance Directors and had a part in several District Dance Festivals. Again, I could write a book.
During my youth, and after Mary Jane and I were married, we did a lot of swimming. When I was a kid in Oakley we swam in the canals. When in Burley, we swam in the Snake River and in many different enclosed swimming pools with the family.
From about 1965 through 1968 I went through the motorcycle phase and spent many hours of fun on them. I finally sold them because of the danger involved. During these same years and up until I had my first heart attack in 1976, I also was a snowmobile rider. This was one of my very most exciting and fun hobbies. The mountains are just as beautiful in the winter as they are in the summer and I have a ways loved the mountains. After my heart attack, the doctor felt I would be at high risk riding snowmobiles, so I sold my machine.
During my married life, we owned three different high performance boats. They, of course, were a wonderful family- oriented hobby that we could all enjoy and we had many good times boating, picnicking, skiing and just having fun together. I still miss them occasionally.
After my first heart attack I looked for something less strenuous to do and decided on cutting and polishing rocks. So I bought some books and magazines a studied them to learn about the hobby. Then I bought some equipment and for a few years I spent a lot of time at this hobby and created many beautiful belt buckles and necklaces. Many I gave away and I sold many of them to friends and fellow workers. But when I had problems with my eyes it was hard to do good work so I sold the equipment. But I still have many of the things I made and this was a very rewarding hobby. It was so fun to take an ugly old rock and make something beautiful from it.
The last few years I have read many books and magazines. From this I have learned many things and have spent many enjoyable hours. Some of the books I loved so much I have read them several times. Some of this reading has led to me going through keepsakes and pictures we have collected over the years and I have spent countless hours dating and organizing our pictures, books of remembrance, and finally to this project of my life history.
One other great hobby of mine and the one most shared by my family, grandchildren and now great-grandchildren would be my life time love for trains and model railroading. In 1950 I bought my first toy train, an 027 gauge Lionel train wit~ smoke and whistle. Over the years I have built 8 different model railroad layouts, the last of which I have in our basement, now in April, 1991. I have mountains, 3 main lines with 6 sidings, 3 ranches, 1 city, and 6 trains that run. This is a hobby popular with my grandchildren and it is a hobby that has given me hundreds of hours of pleasure. It is in H.O. gauge for those of you who know what that is.
Also, during my lifetime, I have owned many good high- performance cars and pickup trucks. I was always very proud of what I drove and now I can see that I spent many thousands of dollars doing so and that was not smart, but I don’t have any regrets.
Well enough for my hobbies and loves, and I must say at this time that my dear wife has put up with all this and NEVER complained or given me a bad time about it. She is so understanding and giving and I love her so much.
Now I would like to talk a bit about health. I suppose you would have to say that through out my life I would have been considered a very strong, heal thy man. other than having my tonsils out and my appendix out, a few colds and sore throats until 1976. At age 56 things changed.
I always fel t good about physical examinations, Army or whatever, because I always passed with flying colors. And because of this, I could handle most any work or play that I wanted. I would tell everyone to care for your body. Do not overwork. Eat healthy and exercise or you may be sorry later in life. Now I will list some of the major health problems encountered later.
1976 MAJOR HEART ATTACK
MY FIRST MAJOR HEART ATTACK
On the 5th of July, 1976, we took the family to the Schaeffer Butte picnic area high in the mountains above Boise, Idaho. After eating a big greasy heavy breakfast, we decided to take a nature walk along a mountain trail. After going about 1/4 mile, we were
climbing a small hill and I started feeling short of breath and had a pain in my chest. I had to stop and sit down for about 5 minutes. Then we walked back to our camp. I still felt badly, so I laid out on a picnic table for a few minutes. After that I felt fine and I blamed the feeling on over eating and walking too soon after eating. Then on Monday the 6th of July, I drove to Jackson, Wyoming to attend a three-day safety and transportation meeting. Two days later I became very sick in the afternoon meeting so I went back to my room and went to bed. The next morning I still did not feel very well so I checked out and started home. At that time, my daughter Barbara, was living in Idaho Falls so I stopped at her place and she rode back to Boise with me. I got home Friday evening.
On Saturday morning I went out to fertilize the lawn using a push fertilizer. After making about 4 rounds of the lawn I again felt faint and had some chest pains, so I laid down in the shade on the lawn. Mary Jane saw me and came out to see what was wrong.
I told her nothing and that I would be okay in a minute. But she felt otherwise and called my doctor, Doctor Frank Root. He told her to get me to the emergency room and he would meet us there. She took me to St. Alphonsas Hospital. After checking me out, they rushed me to the coronary intensive care area and put me on monitors and hooked me up on a pacemaker, as they were expecting me to have a serious heart attack. At 2:00 p.m. Sunday, July 12th, I did have a serious major heart attack. They called Mary Jane back to the hospital and told her the seriousness of it. My pulse went down to about 30 beats. The left main artery had burst and flooded the heart with blood, but with the pacemaker and because they said I had a very strong heart, it kept beating and made new arteries and pumped the blood out of the sack the heart is in. I was in intensive care for five days during which time they were afraid of a second heart attack which some times happens because of the seriousness of it all. They called all my children home to see me, but because of all the prayers and priesthood blessings given me, the Lord heard our prayers and let me live.
In 1978 I was bothered with pains in my neck and shoulders, even in my left arm, and my fingers tingled and felt funny. The first concern was my heart but that was not the problem, so I went to an orthopedic surgeon. He put me in a collar around my neck, then traction in the hospital, took x-rays and all kinds of tests, including sending me to a nerve specialist, hot and cold packs, and finally said they could not completely heal me. So, for the last one and a half years I have lived with pain in my neck and shoulders.
In 1979, I developed a cataract on my right eye. I went to St. Alphonsas Hospital for an operation and was in the hospital for three days.
In 1981 my right eye developed retina problems, so back to St. Alphonsas for another operation in May. Then, in June, the doctor discovered another hole in the retina of the same eye. I was then sent to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon, where Dr. Chenewith found 2 holes in the retina. He operated and closed them both, but since then I only have had about 20 % vision in the right eye.
In ear1y 1982, I had problems with my Left eye developing cataracts. When it got so bad I could no longer read or do my book work at my office, Dr. Peter Peterson sent me to the hospital again. He cut out the cataract and implanted a new lens In my eye and since then I have had 20-20 vision in the left eye. So I get by quite well with one eye. It was at this time I sold both my rock equipment and my model railroad because it was too hard to do the fine work necessary.
On June 8th, 1982, I got horrible pains in my chest and stomach. I went to the doctor and I had a case of pneumonia and pluracy.
On June 11, 1982, I had severe pains in my right leg. The doctor sent me to the hospital where they determined I had phlebitis or blood clots in my leg, so I was in the hospital for a week.
In 1983 and 1984, lucky, no serious problems.
February 12, 1985 I was having trouble breathing and felt faint and nauseated. Went to St. Alphonsas emergency. They were afraid of heart problems but after keeping me there overnight on monitors they decided medication would do the trick and let me go home.
June 9, 1986, I went to Dr. Stott’s office for a checkup. After checking me over he said there was some things that did not look good. So he sent me directly to St. Luke’s Hospital and after more tests they decided I needed bypass heart surgery. The next morning, June 10th, I was operated on for two bypasses and while they were doing it, they repaired the damage done on my first heart attack. I was in the hospital for three weeks and had a hard time coming back, but after I got up and around my heart seems to be better than it was after my first attack. I was lucky.
January 22, 1987 I had respiratory infection.
July 29, 1987 I was riding my bicycle in the neighborhood and as I rode by a friend’s home I took my eyes off the road and ran into a mailbox which caused me a lot of pain and some cracked ribs which were sore for about a year.
September, 1988, I was not feeling well so I went to Dr. Root who gave me a complete physical and x-rays, blood tests, etc. He did not find anything serious wrong with me.
October, 1988, I went to stake conference with Mary Jane and Joyce and during the meeting I started to feel faint, broke out in sweat, was nauseated. I told Mary Jane I must leave. As I was leaving the chapel, I started to pass out. A couple of the brethren could see I was in trouble and helped me out to the couch in the foyer of the church. They called the paramedics who took me to the hospital. Everyone thought I was having heart problems, but after keeping me overnight they ruled this out and sent me home and changed my medication.
March 28, 1989, I had chest congestion, partial pneumonia, but was cleared up by antibiotics.
July 28,1989, I felt sick to my stomach, had trouble breathing, feeling faint, so I checked into St. Alphonsas hospital. I was there for four days during which time four different doctors ran tests on my lungs, stomach (upper and lower) G. I. check for cancer and all other things and again could not find anything threatening so again my medication was changed some and I went home.
In October, 1989, Mary Jane and I took our daughter, Mary Jane Epps and her four little boys to Yermo, California to be with her husband who had accepted a job teaching school there. As we were unloading our suitcases and clothes from the trunk of the car, I slipped on the gravel and caught my leg under the hitch pulling the trailer on our car and badly scraped my shin on the right leg. Then three days later I got infection and had to go to the Barstow Hospital for treatment and for two weeks I was required to keep my leg elevated and had to stay off my feet. This was a very painful experience.
From November 28, 1989 through January, 1990, I was checked into St. Luke’s emergency five different times. Each time with sick feelings and pain in my stomach and each time with trouble breathing. I was treated by seven different doctors. Among them all I took many different medications. At first they thought I had Congestive Heart Failure, but later it was decided it was Pulmonary trouble. I was referred to Dr. Robinson, a lung specialist. He gave me many kinds of breathing tests and put me on an inhaler of Pevental.
He told me my problem was lung failure and that it could not be cured, but could be controlled by medication. As of today, April 16, 1991, this has been true.
April 1, 1990, I checked into St. Luke’s Emergency with pains in my stomach, short breath, and feeling sick to my stomach. They decided it was a blocked stool in my intestine, gave me a laxative and pain pills and sent me home.
April 8, 1990, while we were visiting our daughter, Jane, in Yermo, California, I became very sick, checked into the hospital at Barstow, California. They found I had a badly enlarged Gall Bladder, some gallstones and that the Gall Bladder was about to burst, so the next morning I was operated upon and spent a week in the hospital. The Doctors in Barstow felt that many of the problems I suffered the last two years was related to the Gall Bladder. Why none of the Boise Doctors did not figure this out I will never know, except I think they were always looking for heart and lung problems.
Today, April 16, 1991, I suffer with quite a few problems. I still have pains constantly in my neck and shoulders, I have some lower back problems, my legs ache constantly, and I still have breathing and shortness of breath problems which makes it hard to do lots of the things I would like to do. However, each day I thank my Father in Heaven that I am as well as I am. I can at least take care of myself and still get around quite well and I am able to do some things around our home, if I take it slow and easy. Also during all this time, I have struggled with a weight problem, and I am still trying.
Homes and locations I have lived in:
I was born March 15, 1920, at my Grandfather and Grandmother Freestone’s home. At this time, my parents lived in a little 2-room house that belonged to my Uncle Dan Tolman and was rented by my mother and father in Marion, Idaho, a few miles north of Oakley, Idaho. I lived here until my father died, I was two years old. After that, I lived with Grandmother and Grandfather Freestone in Oakley until my mother married William Benjamin Ramsey on April 24, 1923, when I turned three years old. For the next two years we lived in three different homes. One, the Ace Mayby place in Marion for a short time. Then we lived a short time in a house owned by the Picket Sheep Company in Oakley. Then when I was 5 or 6 years old, about 1925, we moved to a farm in Marion called the Langloise place where I lived and went to school for the 1st through 5th grades. When I was 10, about 1931, we moved to another farm in Island, about 7 miles north of Oakley. Here I finished my 6th, 7th, and 8th grades of school. In March 1934, we moved to a home one mile north of Oakley called the Birch Place. Here I went to Oakley High School for the 9th, or freshman, and 10th, or sophomore, years of High School.
In March, 1936, my parents moved to Burley, Idaho. Here I finished my last two years of High School graduating in 1938 and lived there until September 11, 1940, when I married Mary Jane Stocks. We rented a three-room small apartment in the basement of Becky Nelson home in Burley. Six weeks later we bought our first new home. A small 4-room home on Conant Avenue in Burley. In 1945, while I was in the service, Mary Jane had the basement enlarged and two more rooms built on. While we lived here our first four children were born. In 1952 we sold this home and bought the old Christian Parsonage home and moved to Rupert, Idaho. While living here our 5th child, our son Rulon Brent, was born. Then in 1956 we built our first new home on Meridian road in Rupert and moved on November 15th. While living here our last two children were born. I bought 5 acres of land 2 miles east of Rupert and built corrals, loading shed, saddle shop and moved a large old railroad car on this property, dug a well and bought some horses.
In 1964, I built a new home on the five acres. We sold our home on Meridian Road, lived in a rental for 6 months, and moved into our new home on our little 5 acre farm in October, 1964. We lived here with our children until April, 1972, when we sold the property and moved to Boise, Idaho -into a new home with a basement, 3600 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, living room, dining room, family room, game room, laundry room, storage room, and double garage. This was a beautiful, luxurious home as far as we were concerned. We are still living here today, April 18th, 1991. We have always loved this home. Have had many parties, dinners, Christmases and family reunions here and it seems like home to us. It is in a very outstanding ward and stake of the L.D.S. church. The location is very good, close to shopping, church and on a very quiet street. We love it. The address is 5231 Sorrento Drive, Boise, Idaho.
While living in these places, we have made many wonderful friends and have many very happy memories.
At this point, I would like to write some about families and family ties. I have a very strong feeling for my ancestors and for their struggles in the early history, and for their great desire to live where they could have freedom of choice and religion.
Mine is a proud heritage of outstanding men and women.
Without going into long detail, I would like to mention my great- great-grandmother who was Patty Bartlett Sessions. She was a self- made doctor and midwife having delivered over 4,000 babies during the migration of the saints to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. You should all read her life story. She was a very great woman and personal friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of President Brigham Young. Her son was Peregrine Sessions who was my great- grandfather-on my mother’s side. He was the first settler in Bountiful, Utah, sent there by Brigham Young to settle that valley. Also, read his diary and history. He was a body guard to the Prophet Joseph Smith at one time.
My great grandfather, Cyrus Tolman, was sent by Brigham Young to settle the valley of Tooele, Utah, and later went with the first Saints sent to the Oakley, Idaho valley to start the church there and he was patriarch for many years in the Oakley how my grandfather Joshua Alvin Tolman came to live in Oakley and he married Mary Jane Gorringe and they were blessed with 13 children . My father was their 12th child , born the 26th of February 1898 and named Rulon Burl Tolman. He married my mother, Lucina Freestone, who was the daughter of my very wonderful grandparents, George Freestone and Alice Sessions who were very good grandparents to me. I can remember many wonderful times at their home and they really spoiled me.
When I was just two years old, my father, Rulon Burl Tolman, became very ill with Typhoid Fever and Pneumonia, and passed away February 14, 1922. Then, when I was just over three years old, mother married a very wonderful man named William Benjamin Ramsey on April 23, 1923. I could write a whole book about this great man who raised me as if I was his very own. He was very good to me and my mother. And let me just say they were very good, hard-working, honest, upright, caring parents who never gave up on me and did all within their power to teach me the things that were good and to keep me attending and taking part in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And for whatever success I have achieved in this life, both spiritually and temporally, I owe it to three very special people, my mother, my father, and my wonderful wife. Of course, there have been many other people who also have helped influence my life, such as teachers, friends, family, church, etc.
This brings me to probably the best thing that has ever happened to me, I met a beautiful young lady, Mary Jane Stocks, with beautiful auburn red hair in April, 1939, and of course, I fell in love with this special lady and we were married September 11, 1940. About all I can say about this person is that if you listed all the good things you would want a wife to be to make your life happy, she would be all these things. She has been a wonderful wife, mother, adviser. tender, loving, forgiving, and has given her all to being a successful wife, mother, grandmother, and spiritual daughter of her Father, Mother, and Heavenly Father.
We have now been married nearly 51 years. We have seven children, thirty grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. They are all just wonderful.
Now after this brief introduction, I would like to say I think families and loving is what it is all about. And, in order to stay close and learn to love each other, it takes much effort on the part of all. Things like family outings, reunions, holiday dinners, family pictures, histories, family letters are all things that draw families close together. I remember the many Freestone reunions I attended when I was growing up and they were a special event that happened each year, like 4th of July, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. We very much looked forward to them so we could get to know our grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, and of course our in-laws.
As I grew older, got married, and had children of my own, I was so very proud to take my wife and children to the reunions and show them off. Mary Jane always cleaned and polished, fixed hair, and dressed them so nice and we just knew they were the cutest best children there. Some of the places we held Freestone reunions were Ogden Canyon, Burley Idaho city park, Lava Hot Springs, and Parks in Brigham City, and other places I know I have missed, but I will always remember the Freestone Family and the enjoyment in being part of that family.
Now as our own immediate family has grown and expanded, for many years we have held our Rulon and Mary Jane Ramsey reunions. Some of them that come to mind now are the ones we held in Boise, Idaho; Center City, Idaho in the mountains; Fort Robinson in Nebraska; Ricks College Lodge in the Teton Mountains by Rexburg, Idaho; Wild Rose Ranch by Yellowstone National Park in Idaho; Flaming Gorge and Marlene’s house in Vernal, Utah; Cherry Hill in Kaysville Utah. They have all been so very special. I know that as we get older, family reunions, histories and these type things become more important to us. I have a strong testimony of the good that comes from close family ties and I hope we will always cherish these good times.
I feel I should mention that we have had some great Bill and Lucina Ramsey family reunions with my brothers and their families. Also, Mary Jane’s family have had some very good Stocks Reunions. All of which are part of my life and extends my family further.
During my married life, we have had many wonderful family outings together and we have enjoyed camping, boating and vacationing. Some of the special places we have taken our children on vacations were Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland in California; Crater Lake in Oregon; Yellowstone Park ; Mount Rushmore, South Dakota; Hoover Dam; Minidoka Dam; the California Redwoods; •Salt Lake City, Utah; Grandma Stocks and relatives in California; and others I am sure. But the important part of it all is that I cannot remember there ever being bad feelings at any of these times, and now as I write these things, I have nothing but great love for all my extended and immediate family. I just wish we could all be together more often and I pray we will always have this great love for each other, that we all try always to do the things our Father in Heaven would have us do so that we can all be together in the celestial kingdom.
I love you all very much and I am very much looking forward to our 1991 Rulon and Mary Jane Ramsey Reunion that is to be held July 26-28 in Boise, Idaho. And it is my greatest hope and desire that all our families can be there and that we can have a wonderful time together.
Additional Life Story of Rulon Ramsey written in 1996
Today is January 31, 1996, I have spent the best part of this month writing, organizing and typing into the computer information to put together a history and scrapbook of my Military Service in World War Two and updating my life stories and getting them into a binder for preservation.
I have my life pretty well covered from my birth to the middle of the year 1991. Now while I can I will try to catch it up to the present, 1996.
On the 15th of March 1991, I had my seventy-first birthday. My daughter, Barbara Archibald, and part of her family along with Rulon Brent’s family came and helped celebrate, and of course, the rest of the family sent me cards, money and gifts. Mother made my favorite Banana Nut Cake and cooked a birthday meal fit for a King. Thanks, everyone I sure do love you.
On May 8, 1991, Mother and I flew to Lincoln, Nebraska, compliments of Mahesh and LaDeane where we spent six glorious days with them. We had loads of fun. They are so darn good to us. Mahesh and LaDeane thank you very much!
June 30th our daughter Mary Jane Epps and family came from Okinawa. While they were here, we held our Ramsey Family Reunion the 26-27 of July in Boise, Idaho. We enjoyed three wonderful days of eating, visiting, doing crafts, playing games, boating, swimming, and just plain having fun.
It is now Christmastime, 1991. A time when our thoughts turn to the birth of the Savior and we try to remember all He has done for us. And we try harder to do as He would want us to do.
On December 30, 1991, New Years Eve, we had a special good time. All three of my brothers and their wives came and celebrated seeing the New Year in with us and spent the night with us and helped celebrate the New Year’s Day, the following day. They are Bob and Lillie Ramsey, Bill and Glenna Ramsey, Lloyd and Betty Ramsey. I hope my mother and father were able to look down on us all together and hear us reminisce about old times at home with them when we were kids.
On February 16, 1992, I was not feeling very well so I checked into the Emergency room at St. Luke’s Hospital. After checking me over closely they determined I was have heart problems. So they did an arteriogram and found plugged arteries which the Doctors were able to fix with Angioplasty and Ballooning. I was also having some problems breathing about this time I developed some serious problems after my heart surgery. In February I had a lung infection which required two different antibiotics to heal it. Then I developed a blood clot in my leg and was hospitalized April 3, 1992 for another week.
In May I ran a high fever and was very sick. On Mother’s Day Mary Jane took me to the hospital Emergency Room. They kept me there from nine a.m. until four p.m. Gave me many tests and decided I had a bad infection. They gave me an I.V. with strong antibiotics and enough liquid to take care of the dehydration and sent me home with some three-dollar each pills to take.
During the Month of July we had a special Birthday Party for Mary Jane. This turned out to be a special day for me because our Stake President, Lyman Belnap and High Councilman Mike Warick came to see me. President Belnap said he had a feeling that he should come and pay me a visit and see how I was getting along. While they were here, they gave me a Blessing. President Belnap in his blessing promised me that I would feel better and be able to take part in all upcoming events pertaining to the family ,And that I would be able to attend Sacrament meeting and go to the Temple, AII of which I was able to do. This was really a spiritual experience for me, lt surely did increase my Testimony.
On August 28 and 29, 1992 Mom, Joyce and I loaded our bed rolls food, clothing and ect. and drove up Rock Creek Canyon south of Twin Falls and took part in the Bill and Lucina Ramsey family Reunion.. We ate too much, the programs were wonderful, and Uncle Bill Ramsey my Brother stole the show with his team of horses and wagon furnishing rides for all.
The 1st of Sep.1992, Mother and I boarded a plane compliment’s of Mahesh and LaDeane and flew to Lincoln Nebraska to spend a week with them and Shanti. While we were there we attended a beautiful Marriage ceremony for Shanti and Randall Pruitt. We were able to visit with Asha and Darrell Baker and had the pleasure of meeting Randy and Darrell’s parents. What a wonderful fun trip this was.
The first week in September of the same year we bought us a new Buick Roadmaster car, we drove it to the Mark and Jean Bradley half way house in Bountiful, Utah, where we had a wonderful visit and much fun with their family.
While we were there we went to the Provo Temple to be with Aimee, Jared and their Son Jordon to see them Married for time and all Eternity ,And have Jordon sealed to them. It was a very spiritual day.
Jean and Mark and family came and spent Christmas 1992 with us here in Boise .AII the old family traditions were carried out, and it was a wonderful time for us. and a glorious way to close out the year. While they were here Mark and his boys Chris and James tore down my large model railroad for me. Since I was having so many medical problems I decide I could not keep it up .So I planned to sell it all .However not long after this I felt like I needed a hobby to keep me busy, So I decided to build a small four foot by eight foot table size railroad which I did. However as the year progressed I kept adding to it and by the end of the year it had grown to five foot wide and sixteen feet long.
The first part of April 1993 I spent another five days in the Hospital with Pneumonia and now three months later I am still trying to get my strength back.
During the first six months of this year I have made several trips to my heart Doctor ,and to my lung Doctor trying to get well enough to attend our reunion.
The 1993 Family Reunion was held at Brighton Ski Resort South and East of Salt Lake City, Utah on June 25 -26 -27th.We had a very good Family turn out, And enjoyed a wonderful time together.
December, 1993, I am still struggling with problems that cause me pain and discomfort. But am still plugging along the best I can.
This year we had forty three members of our family here for Thanksgiving dinner and our Daughter Mary Jane called from Okinawa. lt was a little crowded, but everyone got fed and put to bed. lt was a very fun time for all. While Curt and Marlene were here Curt installed a New Filter in our water purifier, While he was working under the sink he noticed the bearing had gone out on our disposal, so he went to the store bought a new disposal and installed it. Then that afternoon he went and bought a beautiful storm door and with the help of his two sons, Scott and Jeff, installed it for us .What a wonderful Son in Law.
While this was happening, our daughter, Jean and her Husband Mark Bradley, went to the store and bought a seven and one half foot Douglas fir artificial Christmas tree. Brought it home and with some help from their children set it up and decorated it for us. How about this for a great family. And none of them would take any money.
As you read this part of my life story you will realize that my health has been a big problem over these last years. As a result we stay pretty close to home and my life is rather dull. Even so it could be much worse.
I should mention that on July 16th 1993 I was in the hospital with a severe case of pneumonia. When I left the hospital Dr. Robinson sent me home with oxygen and I have been on oxygen at all times since.
On 29th July 1994,Mother,Joyce and I traveled from Boise Idaho to Elba a small ranching community in the mountains East and a little south of Burley Idaho. Elba is close to the famous City of Rocks State Park, to attend a Bill and Lucina Ramsey family Reunion including my family and the families of my Brothers Bob, Bill, and Lloyd. We arrived about noon to a beautiful city park in Elba at the foot of the mountains . lt was a great place to hold a family Reunion. And the Reunion was really a good one until Saturday about noon. At this time I became very ill and had to return to Boise. For the story of what happened see the Medical report in the back of this book for the year 1994.
At this time I would like to mention our Wonderful little Daughter Joyce, who was such a big part of my life story. She was such a great spiritual person and taught us many things. Such as being kind to everyone. She loved all people and made friends with them. She never showed any racism. As far as she was concerned they were all God’s children. She lived very close to her Heavenly Father, and she loved her Family and her cat.
In January of 1993 Joyce began to having some medical problems. And over the next two years she suffered severe pain and discomfort. She was put through nearly every kind of test known to the Doctors and Hospitals. She had five different Surgical Operations, all leading up to her death on November 18th 1994. It was very hard for me to understand why she was required to suffer so much. But we have to know that Father in Heaven knows best. Perhaps he felt that I needed to humble myself and learn to suffer pain .Which I really did watching her suffer so much.
During these two years I also was having many problems health wise. So between Joyce and me, we caused my dear wife Mary Jane no end of problems trying to care for us. At one time she had both of us in the hospital at the same time. I must say she was wonderful through it all. We are very grateful for all the help and support our wonderful family extended to us .Also our Ward and Stake Leaders were great support and extended many prayers and blessings in our behalf. Our Ward teachers and other members of the Ward were very good with their help and support. Of course, we are thankful to our Heavenly Father for his kindness to us.
I need to say at this time March 14, 1994, my model railroad is coming along quite well and has grown until it fills a 16 by 16 foot room in our basement.
Year 1995
The big thing in my life this year was the very scary and serious operation I had for the ANEURYSM in my abdominal area, The Surgery took five and one half hours, But the Lord again was very kind to me and the operation was a success. It took months for me to get over the operation and get my strength back. For about two weeks I was very sick to my stomach, I could not even drink water without getting sick. Needless to say I lost about 10 Ibs in that two weeks.
During the summer we watched our Son Rulon Brent and family get a new home built. lt was fun watching the progress from week to week as it became a reality. lt is a beautiful home, and one they can be very proud of.
On June 17-1995 our Daughter Mary Jane on Okinawa presented us with our 12th Granddaughter, Miss Emma Meridith Epps. Then when she was just eight days old her mother, and the rest of the family flew from Okinawa, Japan to the states.lt was so good to have them back home. They plan to stay here in the states now. We were lucky to have them stay with us most of the summer. Then in mid August they moved to Hoquiam, Washington, where they will live and Jamie will teach High School.
In 1995 our Family Reunion was held in Boise Idaho on the 7th- 8th of July. We had an especially good Reunion for two days. We had sixty one of our family members here out of sixty five or 90 percent in attendance.
Mark, Jean and the Bradley bunch came to see us on the Labor Day weekend. They brought me a very good Packard Bell computer. It is a very nice computer, and I have spent countless hours using it since then. l am still a novice on it, But I seem to learn something new on it each day. Thanks, Bradleys, I love you all! See the October Newsletter for more details.
In September Mother and I went to Rexburg to see Barbara and family. While we were there, she took us to the Archibald cabin in the mountains where we stayed overnight. What a beautiful place. lt was such fun. Thanks Barbara, Trevor and Andrew. And thanks to the rest of the family we had a very good time.
Mary Jane and the Epps family came to Boise and spent the Christmas holidays with us. lt was so good to have them here with us again. We had a wonderful Christmas and it was so much fun to have children here so we would have some toys to play with on Christmas day.
I got a lot of nice gifts for Christmas, but I have to mention one special gift I got from My Son in Law Mahesh Jha. He bought me a color printer for my computer. Boy was I happy, thanks Mahesh.
My Brothers and their wives came again and helped us celebrate the ending of the old year and the beginning of the New Year. They stayed all night and helped celebrate New Year’s day. lt is so much fun to be together with them.
We had six new arrivals join our family in 1995 making a total of seventy one members in our immediate family at this time. We love every one of them and just wish we could see them more often. It is now the first day of February 1996. I am feeling pretty good considering I am almost 76 years old, have a weak heart, damaged lungs, pains in my neck and shoulders, pain in my legs and feet, But what the heck it could be a lot worse and I hope it doesn’t get any worse for the next 30 to 40 years .
All my love, Rulon Ramsey
Rulon Ramsey passed away in Boise, Ada, Idaho on February 2, 1998
Visit FamilySearch to learn more about Rulon Freestone Tolman Ramsey. Also visit the Thomas Tolman Family Organization to find out how you can get more involved in family history.