The Family Called Hyde

 By Marvelle Hyde Noble

Clarence Hyde was a dashing young man about town

Who gave all the girls the big run around.

But a girl named Floy Day who hardly even tried

Made Clarence decide to establish The Family Called Hyde.

They had lots of plans and waited for joys.

Which they thought would come in the form of sweet little boys.

But they were in for four pink little surprises

And discovered joys can come in different disguises. 

Marvelle, Lester Ann, Shirley, Colleen,

Each mother's darling...each Daddy's queen.

Marvelle was the first one to start the group. 

Her mother claimed she was always in the soup.

But every family needs a little spice

And actually, Marvelle was really quite nice.

Lester Ann was the next to appear on the scene,

She wasn't too bad 'til she reached her teens.

Well there was that one time she iced the bread

When Mom had hired men to be fed.

Shirley came when we lived in Rosemary,

We thought she'd been brought by a Santa Claus fairy.

Lester Ann and Marvelle didn't think she was much of a deal

Why all she could do was holler and squeal. 

Then off to Boundary Creek we went in an old Ford truck,

Shirley was put in a shopping bag when we got stuck in the muck.

Mom sat on the oven door and she sure cried.

She thought times were tough in The Family Called Hyde.

Marvelle rode to school on an old tame horse.

Wind, rain, snow, gates and turned saddles were all a matter of course.

We were snowed in for 48 days - we had no telephone lines

Now we laugh and say - - "those were the good old times."

Off to Taber - Daddy bought a farm and home too.

Lester Ann started school - everything new.

Daddy worked at the sugar factory - just for fun,

Worked late at night only to be up again with the sun.

What's this? Mom's wearing dresses that look like a tent?

Another surprise was soon to be sent.

We all waited patiently for when the baby was due,

She came home in pink - we decided we didn't like blue.

Her sisters adored the baby called Colleen,

She had more mothers than you've ever seen.

You can't say Daddy hadn't really tried -

But there were all girls in The Family Called Hyde.

A lot has happened in The Family Called Hyde.

In the past years we've laughed and we've cried.

The family was normal in almost all things - 

We hoed betts, picked cucumbers and beans.

They thought their family would always be thus so, 

But off their oldest decided to go.

She wanted to get married - she wanted free

Of the tied of her home life, Mother and Dad,

And get married to one of those Cardston lads.

But soon the diapers flew free on the line - 

The father pulled thru - the mother felt fine.

The doctor spanked her bottom and she sure cried,

The first grandchild, another girl to add to The Family Called Hyde.

Soon Kelly Ree was followed by two little boys,

All of which were noted for lots of noise.

But that didn't matter cause Kelly, Scott and Brad

Were also noted for never - well, hardly ever, being bad.

Lester Ann was the next one to leave home - 

To Lethbridge she had decided to roam.

Her boyfriend had left on a Denmark mission

And she decided to start fulfilling her life's ambitions.

Then we all remember that dreadful day

When Heavenly Father called Kelly away.

We all sit and fondly reminisce -

As she is still very much missed.

We didn't say "goodbye" - she just went away.

Her brothers still talked to her in their play.

It's hard for us to understand - 

But God must have needed her in another place

To give it beauty, love and grace.

We know she lives in a heavenly sphere

Giving of herself as she did here.

Fulfilling her destiny - an infinite plan -

That we hope, someday to understand.

Time was the universal healer of all - 

Gayle came home from his mission call.

And Lester Ann and Gayle wasted no time - 

Til Gayle could say, "Lester Ann - be mine."

The Noble house just wasn't the same

And so they decided to send in their name.

And got Nickee Lynn - the sweetest little girl, 

All pink, cuddly with pretty long curls.

Because of her mischief she should really be tied,

But she fits right into The Family Called Hyde.

Shirley then flew away from the nest - 

She was ready to put life to the test.

Off to Foremost - she wouldn't shirk

To do the hard County of 40 Mile's work.

But Foremost isn't very far from Skiff

And a guy named Bailie started to drift

Into town every other night - 

And pretty soon as a couple they looked just right.

About this time it was obvious there'd be another child

To add to the grandchildren of The Family Called Hyde.

Little Dawn came all cute, pink and well - 

You should have seen old Gayle's chest swell.

Then there's Gaylene - a cute little pill

Who tries - but just can't sit very still.

She has big blue eyes that really appeal

And that goes double for her brother, a boy named Neil.

Some say that he looks like the Jensen side - 

But he's truly part of The Family Called Hyde.

The Bailies made a decision one day

And so they had our darling Paula Kay.

She's the best baby - why she's never cried!

And she's the latest grandchild - so far - in The Family Called Hyde.

That left only our baby Colleen at home - 

And we hoped she would stay awhile before starting to roam.

She had all the boys on a long long string

And we knew that one of them home she would eventually bring - 

We knew he'd have to be as good as Cliff, Gayle and Gordon -

  (who by the way have been proven and tried)

As we wanted him to fit into The Family Called Hyde.

So now we have our new family - Randy - Colleen,

Isn't she the most beautiful bride you've ever seen?

Our joy and our blessing --our love and our pride,

Go out to you - The Andersons from The Family Called Hyde.

Andersons were soon blessed on a bright sunny day

With a sweet little bundle they called Heidi Rae.

Shirley and Gordon couldn't be outdone

So gave us our angel, Jody, a sweet baby son.

It was soon becoming a family concern.

To see who would be next and have their "baby turn"

Colleen won - a pink banner blew free

And we got out beautiful Kara Lee.

Each family is busy - following paths, riding life's tide,

But each proud to be part of The Family Called Hyde.

Nobles lived through three teenagers - "life was sweet ! ? !"

Marvell and Cliff work together - one goal complete.

Gayle has been to all the world's ports

And still has time to teach his children the love of sports.

Lester Ann is our creator of all arts and crafts

And just for fun makes Relief Society sisters laugh.

Bailies' family is still quite young

Their blessings and joys have just begun

Gordon can make your telephone ring

Shirley can still make your heart sing!

Andersons work hard - and I ain't lying

They couldn't be left behind so they had Ryan.

He's a real man - takes his mom for a ride

And fits right in with The Family Called Hyde.

Four sons-in-law, 12 grand and 1 great for Clarence and Floy.

It's amazing what can be done with four girls and no boys.

Each one represents a talent - a part of destiny

Each a part of our ring of eternity.

We all thought our babies would stay by our side

But time doesn't even stand still for The Family Called Hyde.

New members have been added along the way

For instance when Lani became Brad's bride one beautiful day.

Then we waited and waited for great grand babies to come,

It was worth it! Because we got our darlin' Dustyn John.

Today we pay tribute to our Mom and our Dad

Not only for their example - but their life

For standing together - forever as husband and wife.

And to fulfill their life's ambition

To go far from home to their Nauvoo mission.

Fifty-five years they've stood side by side,

Our parents - the creators of  the Family Called Hyde.

Nickee, Dawn and Gaylene

Princesses - soon to be queens

Of Cameron, Duane and Allen

  new limbs for our family tree

Named Ackroyd, and Nelson and Dudley.

Once you turn the corner of life

By taking a husband and/or a wife.

You can count on there being some more and 

We've got 'em - Dustyn, Ashley, Jessey, Lauren, Jordan, Dillon and of course, Shelbi.

Weddings, anniversaries, births, why we could write a book.

And today we remember and take a quick look

Of our yesterdays, we've been lucky in every way.

Hardly any funerals - until today.

Clarence Hyde, our grandpa has done to the other side - 

Through the veil to establish a home for us, The Family Called Hyde.

He lives on in each one of our lives.

His smile, his hands, or the look in a child's eyes.

He lives on, even though he has died.

A clear stamp left by the man who established The Family Called Hyde.

Goodbye dear brother, husband, father, grandfather and Grandpa Great.

May we so conduct our lives before it's too late

So that when we get to the bright other side

We can still be part of The Family Called Hyde.

Shirley's Trip to Africa, Part 2

When you drive through the village or the big city of Accra, at every intersection at stop lights are buskers trying to sell anything from tools, to bras, honey or peanut butter and furniture.  I was looking at all the stuff they were selling.  Marvelle told me not to look at them.  If I do make eye contact with them, they will come over to the car expecting you to buy their wares.  They could attack the car.   It was hard for me to not look at them.  If Marvelle wanted popcorn or peanut butter, she knew where there was a guy who sold that.  If the guy didn’t have any he would tell us to come tomorrow and he would have some.  

While I was there, Clifford was sick.  He thought it was just the flu at first.   It was on his about the 6th  day he decided he should go to the hospital.  He went in and saw a doctor.  He told Clifford it was Malaria.  He gave Clifford a prescription for an antibiotic.  He had to go to the chemist to get prescription filled.  The chemist filled the prescription and passed the prescription paper back to Clifford.  Clifford told him he thought he should keep the paper.  The chemist told him he didn’t have space to file the prescription and Clifford may have to get it filled again, so Clifford should keep it.  

Clifford and Marvelle had lesson to teach prospective members. The had a fireside in their home.  We made cookies and had a drink of juice.   

One time Marvelle had gone to the School for the Deaf to rent their school bus for  the next Sunday to  go around and pick up members and non members  and bring them to church. Some people would walk up to 15 miles just to come to church.  It a was a stake conference time.  The Africans would get to  church on their own time. When there was enough people to start the meeting, then we would start.   When we went to check if the bus was coming, the lady at the school told us the Master was fired.  We would have to go see the a superintendent of the school.  We got directions to where the Superintendent was located.  So we went there.  The building was like an old movie studio of Bonaza time, with a second floor and a balcony all across the front.  We had to go up to the second floor where the superintendent was.  He had garden chairs for his visitors.  We went in and he ask us to sit.  He was quite snarky with a Marvelle.  He told her the bus had  gone to Accra and broke down.  He was waiting for parts to fix the bus.  This was a Monday or Tuesday.  He told us he would call her if the bus got back by Sunday.  Marvelle told him she would call him.  She felt he was just trying to get rid of us.  Marvelle gave him her business card.  On the card was a picture of Clifford and her.  The guy took her card and looked at it.  He ask her how did she get a picture on the card. She told him she printed it with her computer printer.  He ask if she could make him a card with his picture on it.  Marvelle told him to get her a picture he would like to use and she could print a card for him.  Boy his attitude changed and he told her the bus would be there by Sunday.  Marvelle called him on Saturday and the bus was ready for Sunday to go pick up the members and non members, whoever got on the bus.  

 

One day Marvelle had a notice in her post box that she had a parcel to pick up.  We had to go to another building to get the parcel.  We went to get the parcel and the guy there invited Marvelle to go behind the counter and hunt for her parcel .  The room was filled with parcels.  She didn’t know how big the parcel was or who it was from.  She looked at each parcel and finally found her parcel.  She found out it was a Christmas parcel from Cathy Greep Needham.  It was May.   It took 5 or 6 months  for the parcel to arrive.  We had a good laugh about it.  Christmas in July.

 

We would go to an international hotel to have a Western food meal.  I ordered a combo plate of roast beef, pork chop, and chicken, with American vegetables and mashed potatoes.  The Stake  President and his wife, the Mission President and his wife invited us to dinner one night at the restaurant. The dish I had was 65 cents in CDN dollars.  I had exchanged about $500 from USD to Cedi’s.  I was there for three weeks and I still had money left over.  Their paper bills were much larger than our dollar bills.  

 

Clifford’s mission job was to look after the younger missionaries and pay them.  He had to go to the bank and withdraw the stipends for  the missionaries, including their money.  He had to take a large bag the size of a gym bag to carry the money home. He was always cautious going into the bank, count the money and get back into the car and get home with the money.  He was afraid he would be robbed. He then had  to separate the money in envelopes for each missionary and their companions.  With the money they had to pay their rent and budget their food money for the month. They would run out of money before the time for more and they would call Clifford for more and Clifford had to tell them there was no more money.  They would have to wait till the new month.   

 

One night a  family members of  the church invited us to dinner.  I was very hesitant as to what they would have for dinner.  Was it going to be African food or American fare.  We went and the sister had fried chicken,  coleslaw and cassava.  The cassava looked like our mashed potatoes.  She had peeled the cassava and cubed it up like we do potatoes, boiled it in water and mashed it up like our mashed potatoes.  I tried it and it tasted between a potato and a yam.  It was good.  I ate it.  I was pleased with the dinner.  Africans use a lot of hot spices and hot pepper sauce on their meal so I was hesitant what the sister would serve us.   

It was so hot in Ghana: 53 - 60 degrees every day. It was so exhausting to go out in the heat of the day.  One day we went to the cocoa bean factory.  It consisted of big cooking tubs the size of a tractor tire over a fire in a pit in the ground. The ladies  sat close to the big cooking area and stirred  the cocoa beans till they cooked.  It was so hot around the big pots, I thought my camera was going to melt.  The ladies workers were quite used to the heat.  The ladies had their children at work.  The small babies and children would sit back from the hot pots of beans on a mat to sleep.  The mothers all nursed the children so when the baby would cry, mom was there to feed baby.  

It was such a great trip.  I’m glad I went when I did.  Later there was a war on the Eastern coast of Ghana and other countries.  Colleen did go about two weeks after I left.  It would be very unsafe to go there now.  

The time went by so fast.  Marvelle and Clifford took me back to Accra to catch my flight back to Amsterdam and then home to Calgary.  I had to leave Marvelle and Clifford.  There were tears  shed by both of us.  

When I left back to Amsterdam, I took a Tafalgar bus tour all around the circle of the country of Holland.  I called it Holland but now it is called The Netherlands.  My Great Grandfather Day come to America from Hukelem.  I made it to about 20 miles away from the village where he lived.  On the bus I was with about 30 travelers, so I had lots of other people to talk to.  In the morning, you had to be up early, get breakfast in my hotel and be on the bus by 8 am. We would have lunches on the bus, which was a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a drink.  Every evening we would stop at a different hotel and have supper and sleep, to start the next day by 8 am again for two weeks.  

We stopped one day at the village of the windmills.  I love windmills.  Whenever I drew a picture in my youth, it would have a windmill in the picture.  I went in the windmills and saw them  processing linseed oil.  There were lots shops to shop.  I bought a pair of updated wooden shoes.  The sole was wooden and the top part was red leather.  There was the photograph studio and they dressed me up in Dutch dresses,  a white hat and wooden shoes. They took my picture so I just had to buy a photo.  I bought two wheels of Gouda cheese. 

I went to Floriade, the festival of the flowers.  It was a big, big park with flowers all over the place.  I have never seen so many flower and walked so far to see them.  It was in Amsterdam.  One day we went to a factory of the flowers.  Flowers come in from the flower farms, are put  in big pots of water and shipped out  in big shipping containers within 24 hours to all over the world.  We went to a Diamond  factory where they were grinding and polishing diamonds.  I bought a small Diamond ring.  We were told not to go to a coffee shop, as they could sell and used marijuana there.  We visited the Van Gough Museum.  Outside the museum on the grounds there was a bunch of Chinese monks singing and  playing their instruments like flutes.  Their music was very guteral sounds.  They were fascinating to watch.  We visited the Village of the Minatures.  It was a replica of the capital city, with everything from the sky scrapers to the lake with a fire boat that would put out the fire on another boat in the lake.  It was fascinating to say the least.  I visited the village that make the blue and white delft pottery.  I bought many pieces of the delft.  I bought a cheap ring that had an oval stone in delft with a windmill in it.  When I got home I took it to a jewelry store and had a ring made with good gold and the deft stone mounted in the top of the ring,  

Every night you just fell into bed exhausted from all the walking and sight-seeing.  You had to be up early the next morning to get back on the bus.  One lady from US wanted to see the tulips growing in the field.  The guide on the bus one day said, ok everybody look out your window to the left, so we all looked out wondering what was coming up.  The guide said ok look there are your tulips in the field.  The field was black soil. Everybody was peering out our window.  It was a summer field.  The tulips had been harvested.  The lady from  USA wasn’t too pleased.  It was the wrong time of the year to see tulips in the field. 

At the end of my two week tour of Holland, I boarded my plane back to Calgary.  When I arrived home, it was well after midnight.  Because I had the two wheels of cheese in my luggage and I claimed them, I had to go through agriculture.  I went there and waited and waited.  I finally went back to the guy at customs and told him nobody was there.  He said he would X-ray my bag.  He did and found my two wheels of cheese.  He said to just go home.  

I went home and was exhausted from all my trip and all the walking I did.  After I got home, I had exchanged addresses with Charles.  We corresponded some.  He asked me if I would take Mavis to Canada and send her to school.  I wasn’t keen on that idea.  My kids were grown up  and to take on responsibility of another child 13 yrs old was just too much.  I had work to look after and I really didn’t have money for another teenager.  He wrote to me several times then got quite sharp with me.  I finally told him I was in a divorce and now living on my own in my house and would not look after Mavis.  She would have to get immigration papers in order for her to come to Canada.  He quit writing letters.  

That is my story of Africa and Holland. 

 

 

Shirley's Trip to Africa

 In January 2002, my mom passed away.  At the time, Marvelle  and Clifford were on their mission in Ghana.  They could not come home for the funeral.  After the funeral, I said to Colleen and Lester Ann, we should go see them in Africa.  They thought it was a good idea.  I started to look into flights to Accra, which is the capital of Ghana and that is where you could fly into.  I thought about it and thought about that again.  Colleen told me she could go.  At the time Heidi was working for Air Canada and she could get a fare with Air Canada as a family member of Heidi.  The only thing was she had to go stand by on the flight.  I wasn’t too keen on going standby.  I didn’t want to get stuck in Frankfurt where I would have to change flights to Accra.  I have a travel agent work for me to find a flight schedule. 

I made up my mind to go by myself. I had to get my vaccinations up to date.  I had to have yellow fever vaccination that ready made me sick.   I had to get a visitor visa. I decided to go Calgary to Amsterdam to Accra. When I arrived at the airport in Amsterdam, I had a wait till my next flight.  I had to retrieve my luggage and had time to wander around a couple of stores.  I went into a flower store and I chose a small bouquet of yellow tulips for Marvelle.   I have always liked tulips because of my Dutch heritage.  The girl in the shop put wet paper towel on the roots of the flowers to keep them moist. Then wrapped the, in brown paper so they didn't get crushed. Then I had to run to the gate to catch my flight to Accra.

The flight from Calgary to Amsterdam was a 14 hour flight. Then another 8 hours to Accra, Ghana.  When I arrived in Accra the plane stopped on the tarmac and we had to pick our luggage when they took the luggage off the plane.  We had to board a bus that took the passengers to the airport.  At the door of the airport, you had  get off the bus, retrieve luggage again and go through customs and immigration.  I had to have my passport and a Visitors Visa to enter the country of Ghana.  I got a luggage carrier and a Porter when I got into the airport.  He took me through customs and Immigration. Once I got through that area, the porter told me he could go no further with me.  Marvelle and Clifford told me they could not enter the airport.  They would be waiting for me outside.  They told me to get a porter that could stay with me till I found them outside of the entrance of the airport.  The porter I had  told me I would have to pay for 4 porters.  He found another porter that did stay with me till I found them.  When Marvelle saw me coming down the ramp, she screamed to me and I found her.  By that time it was getting dark, real dark.  They don’t have  street lights.  There were small gas lanterns at the side of the roads.  We put my luggage in their Toyota car and went to a hotel over night.  You do no travel any distance at night.  You could be ambushed, robbed and killed.  

When we arrived at the hotel, I gave my tulips to Marvelle.  She went to the front desk to find a vase.  They gave her a mason jar.  It worked.  She put the flowers in water.  We went to bed.  It was hot but I was tired from the long flight.  The next morning we got up and cleaned out the room.  Marvelle remembered to take the tulips.  She discovered  they were silk flowers.  We had babied them and they were silks.  We laughed so hard our stomachs hurt.  

We drove to the village of Koforidua.  They had a nice house with a bathroom, shower and running water.  It was very comfortable and hot with a very small window air conditioner.  They had a helper about 30 years old, Eric, who looked after the yard.  He planted fruit and vegetables in the whole yard.  They had pineapple plants, mango tree, coconut trees, palm trees, other vegetables and fruit.  I can’t remember it all.  I took garden seeds for him to plant, like corn, peas, carrots, beans, etc.  He was very appreciative as he had never heard of those vegetables.  

The first day we went to the market to find a seamstress to make me some dresses.  I bought the bright coloured material for three different dresses.  The seamstress took my measurements and told me to come back In 3 days.  I had bought enough of one of the patterned material to make a dress for Ashley.  I went out into the street and found a little boy about Ashley’s age.  I took him into the seamstress and told her about this size.  So she measured him up and made Ashley a dress to match my dress.  We went back and she had all the dresses made and head dresses as well.  All the ladies have matching dress and headdresses.  

Clifford ask me if I brought CD’s with me.  I shrugged and said no, why would I bring CD’s with me.  He told me no their currency was Cedi’s.  We had to go to a Fed Ex office to exchange my USD to Cedi’s so I could go to the market to shop.  

Charles was a retired schoolteacher and would go everywhere with Marvelle and me,  as an interpreter from their language Twi to English.  He was a member if the church.  He was very nice to us.   The first Sunday I was in Ghana, I had a new dress to wear to church.  All the ladies at church came to welcome me to their country.   I had one suitcase full if things fir the African children.  I took as many things with the Canada emblem on it.  I took small balls, flags, key chains, pencils, with Canada on them.  I took candy and gum for the children.  I was like the Pied Piper.  I would just go out to the street and the children would flock to me.  Somehow the word got out and I had children asking me for more for their brother.  I told them the brother or sister  had to come to me.  

Before I left for Ghana,  I collected about 35 pairs of used seeing glasses with me.  One day we went to the village of Juno.  Charles had grown up there.  He showed us the school where he studied.  We went in a room where girls were learning to sew.  We went to see an old man in a hut.  Charles told us he needed eye glasses.  He was 95 years old.  Charles and I climbed the ladder into his hut on stilts.  We took a few pairs of glasses to him.  He would try on a pair and shake his head , no that was the wrong strength.  He tried a few pairs till he found he could see.  He picked up a old  newspaper that was yellow from the sun, and he could read his newspaper.  The pair he picked was a white cat eyes frame that was women’s glasses.  He cried, Charles cried and I cried too.  He could SEE!!! He thanked me graciously for bringing the glasses to him.  

Every day Marvelle and I would get Charles and we would go somewhere of interest.  We went to a National park of trees that were the tallest trees I have  ever seen.  We went to the wood carvers.  I bought kinta cloth there.  It was yellow, orange, red and green threads weaved together.  I bought book marks and a necklace in kinta cloth.  Jody wanted a pair of giraffes, the largest I could find.  We I bought a pair that I could just fit into my suitcase.  I bought earrings, bracelets, an African mask for Garry.  I bought ten sets of elephants in about 6 sizes from 2 inches down to about a half of an inch.  I bought 6 sets of giraffes about 8 inches tall.  All carved  from wood.  

It was an average of 53 degrees Fahrenheit every day.  When we traveled, the car had air conditioning but when we hit outside you sweat a lot.  We carried a washcloth to wipe our forehead, face and arms. 

One evening after the heat of the day was cooler, Marvelle and I drove to see the big expansion bridge over the Densu river.  I had my movie camera filming all across the big bridge on one side.  We turned around and I filmed the other side of the river.  We just got off bridge, a big man jumped from underneath a big banyan tree.  He came out onto the road and stopped the car.  He could see we were two white ladies.  He saw me filming with my movie camera.  He ask us where we were from.  Marvelle told him we were from Canada.  He told me to erase my camera.  I ask him why?  He told me I took his pictures and he was a policeman.   I saw no badge to say he was police.  I erased some of my film, but when I got  home and looked at the film, he was still in the pictures I had on the film.  Marvell said later we were lucky, he could have taken us or the car. 

Another day, we went to a village where they grew Casava.  It is like a big yam shaped  vegetables but much longer than a yam.  Charles was with us, and his daughter Mavis.  He showed Marvelle  where to drive.  Pretty soon we were out in a field of long grass.  We went down a steep hill and Marvelle could not turn around to go up the steep hill again.  So she put the car in reverse and said to hang on, and gunned it to get up the steep incline.   I was so afraid but she  made it up the hill backwards.

More to come tomorrow....

Gayle Jensen (1944-2010)

 This eulogy was written by Dawn Jensen Ackroyd and read by Dawn, Gaylene and Neil at Gayle's funeral on February 5, 2010..

Gayle Clark Jensen was born April 6, 1944. Those that know our dad know that when he decides to do something, he does it. His birth was no different.  He wasn’t due for another two months, but he came anyway! He was born with the cord wrapped around his neck. Nana Jensen was a young and inexperienced mother and wisely enlisted the help of Dad’s Grandma, Maud Jensen. She nursed him back to health and began a fierce and loyal relationship with her grandson. Dad continued to be very close to his grandparents and all the Jensen cousins and aunts and uncles as he grew. He spent a lot of time at his grandparents and enjoyed going there to stay. He grew up in Taber and had plenty of cousins and aunt and uncles around and had a great devotion to family. He taught us how important family is.

 

Pat 

When my dad was 6 years old his little sister came into his life. He really did want a brother, but Aunt Pat was a sweetheart so he was happy with her. He did, however, proceed to mould her into quite a tomboy. She became the goal post for them and his friends when they played hockey. Pat did very well at keeping up and became quite a good friend to many of Gayle’s friends.  They spent many happy holidays together camping and traveling as a family.

 

My dad had a “fiery” personality.

 

One day while he was at his grandparents they had a fire in the house. Grandma and Grandpa took Dad to safety and then proceeded to fight the fire and try to save their home and belongings. Dad didn’t seem too worried about the house, just about a little stuffed dog that he loved dearly. He kept yelling at his grandmother, “Save my dog, Grandma!”

 

My dad was always good with money.

 

Well, maybe not always. He didn’t start out that smart with money. When he was young his dad worked on an oilrig and they lived in a trailer at the oilrig. His dad was at work and his mother was busy cooking in the camp kitchen. Dad decided it was cold in the trailer so he started to make a fire to warm things up. The only paper he could find was his dad’s payroll stashed in the cupboard. He had just put the money in the stove and was in the process of lighting it when his parents arrived and, um, “suggested” he use something else.

 

His fascination with fire continued in his childhood.

 

Another time he was home alone when they lived on the south side of Taber. The lights went out so Dad decided to use a candle for light. He sat the candle too close to the curtains in the living room and they went up in smoke. Fortunately, the fire was caught and extinguished before any more damage could be done.

 

Even later fire was fun.

 

He and his friends loved to play knock-out-ginger, a game where you ring the doorbell on some unsuspecting homeowners and run! One particular neighbor always made a big fuss when they did this, so Dad and his buddy, Blaine Burbank, decided to fix home. They went to the stockyards and found the biggest and freshest cow pie they could find, wrapped it in newspaper, and put it on the man’s doorstep. Before ringing the doorbell they lit the paper on fire and hid in the bushes to watch as the poor man came to the door, discovered the fire and proceeded to stomp it out with his house slippers – while they rolled in laughter behind a nearby bush.

 

The games of life

 

In my dad’s life sports weren’t a game. Sports were life. Whatever the game was he’d stick with it until he got really good at it. Even marbles! He started playing marbles in school and in even won a marble championship in Grade 7. He always managed to be on the winning team in the high school house leagues. He and Ron Conrad won the doubles ping-pong every year he as in high school. His intramural team won the championship every year in high school as well.

 

He started playing hockey at a young age on an ice pond in the back yard. He started playing organized hockey in Grade 3 and hockey became his favorite sport. Some of his coaches were Frank Burbank, Bill Westora, Alvin Bissett and Ted Allen. In Midget they went to the Alberta finals. In Juvenile they won the Alberta Championship. He even managed to play hockey on his mission with the Danish National Team. In Kelowna he coached a senior men’s hockey team called The Kelowna Packers. I remember many a bus ride with the Kelowna Packers.

 

He started playing baseball in Grade 6. In Grade Seven he played on a little league baseball team that won the Alberta Championship. They beat Lacombe 1-0. It was a one-man show as Ken Uyesugi pitched a no-hitter and hit a home run. The team went to Trail BC next and lost to them 6 to 3. Trail went on to the Little League World Series that year. He continued to play sports in his adult years. He played ball in Lethbridge for a team called the Lethbridge Financiers. Mom and dad made many good friends with the players and wives on that team.

 

 

He made many friends through sports. In Junior High he struck up a friendship with Blaine Burbank and they would play baseball or basketball for at least 8 hours a day. They played baseball for hours by batting the ball against the side of the elevator until they wore the siding off one side. He has a number of friends he’s made through the years that moved on to play in the NHL. For a number of years we had Junior Hockey players in Lethbridge live with our family and we would attend all the games together as a family. We learned that when the sports news was on the radio we’d better be quiet, as well as whenever there was a power play on a hockey game being broadcast on the radio.

 

He always encouraged us to play sports and coached many of the teams we were involved with. Any vacation was made better if it could include a professional league game of some sort. He was a walking dictionary of sports trivia and would often start his Sunday School lessons with a sports update or trivia question. He attended every game and continued to do that with his grandchildren whenever we could. He was especially proud of Taylor recently when she received the MVP award after a weekend of basketball. He would travel for hours to watch a swim meet, or a soccer game, or any other sport his grandchildren were involved in. He always had a couple tips for them to help them get the edge and thrilled in their victories.

 

 

Mission

 

In September 1963 dad went on a mission to Denmark for three years. His ancestors immigrated to Utah from Denmark when they learned about the church. He was thrilled to be able to learn the language and developed a great love for Danes. He always told us many interesting stories from his mission. Some of our favorites were the group he arrived in Denmark with. There were 12 Elders and one sister. They became known as Sister Dunn and her 12 Apostates. I think that’s because he always believed in having a good time no matter what he did and that continued in his mission. He had great success on his mission. He traveled with a group of Missionaries called The Singing Mormons who helped the church became more known there. He made many friends there and continued those friendships through the rest of his life. We had the opportunity to have two girls from Denmark come live with our family at different times: Christhel  Neilsen and Lina Andersen and we continue to keep in touch with them as well as their families. Lina lives near us now in Magrath! He has kept in touch with  a number of his companions and the people he taught. We’re thrilled that one of his companions is even able to be here today: Richard Dorsey from Utah. Thank you for coming. He took mom back to Denmark a number of times and Dawn even got to visit Denmark with him. He always told us that Danish is the language spoke in heaven – so we’re sure he’s speaking in Danish now.

 

Marriage and Family

 

Mom says some of her earliest memories of dad were when he was in Grade Two, crouched on the ground with his friends, playing marbles. Mom remembers admiring his curly hair. They lived near each other and their families knew each other. In Grade 7 they went on their first date to an Air Cadet dance. They danced one or two dances and then mom says she danced and visited with all sorts of people. When Nana picked mom up from the dance and didn’t see Gayle anywhere she asked where he might be. Mom said she had no idea! It wasn’t until years later that she found out he had gone to the shooting gallery and then home to watch wrestling that night.

 

They did continue dating and mom waited for dad while he was on his mission. They got married on July 15, 1966. They had three children: Dawn, Gaylene and Neil. Throughout their married life they’ve had the opportunity to travel extensively and enjoy many adventures together. Mom says she always felt like she was blessed with the most wonderful husband in the world. Her dad once said that he knew that if she married Gayle she’d always be well taken care of, and he was right.

 

Mom cared for dad while he was ill and took great care to make sure he was comfortable and happy. I’m sure he’ll continue to watch over her and care for her. He was concerned about leaving her and voiced this often to his son-in-law and we promise him that we will take good care of her.

 

 

Work

 

Ever since he was old enough to work Dad always had a job. He worked for Skyway Air Spray Company as a flagman. He worked on farms doing combining and swathing. The major in Taber hired him in high school to take care of his garden and yard. He drove a school bus for the school division when he was in Grade 12. He drove the route that took him past Uncle Arley’s and Aunt Edna’s houses. He only left his cousins a couple of times, much to his Aunts’ dismay. When dad came home from his mission he went to work at Thomas Cook Travel. As a result he had the opportunity to travel extensively. He returned to Denmark several times a year. The head office for Thomas Cook Travel was in England and when he would travel to the head office he would often make a stop in Denmark. While working for Thomas Cook mom and dad traveled to Russia, China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Malasia, Kuala Lumpur, Foromsa, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bahamas, Brazil England, Scotland, Holland, Luxenburg, Belgium, France, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, West Germany, East Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and many places in the USA. He also had the opportunity to fly on many of the inaugural flights for different airlines. He took the inaugural flight with KLM airlines from Amsterdam to Stockholm, the inaugural Air France flight from Paris to Moscow, and the inaugural Qantas flight to the South Pacific. One of his most memorable flights was aboard the Concord during its inaugural flight from Paris to Rio de Janeiro. He moved up through the managerial chain at Thomas Cook until he realized the next move would be to a bigger city like Toronto or Vancouver and so he started to look around for different options.

 

Thanks to his hard work ethic and business-minded ways he often worked one or two jobs and had a business on the side. He was able to build up a nest egg from the office cleaning business he and mom started. We would go as a family and help vacuum or clean ashtrays and empty garbages. He wanted to venture out on his own and after much thought and research ventured towards the motel industry. Mom wasn’t that keen on the idea until she read the life history of President Kimball. He told of how he had attempted and became successful in many different businesses and did very well in some, and lost his shirt in others. Mom decided that if a man as great as President Kimball could try things and accept defeat often, we too could stand the risk. Dad was just waiting for mom to give him the green light because when she told him she was willing to go the hunt was on for a motel to buy. They found one in Kelowna called The Four Seasons and off we were for a new adventure. We all worked in the motel. We cleaned rooms, mowed grass, cleaned pools, worked on the desk and answered the night bell and more. We’ll always be grateful for the good work ethic our dad taught us.

 

They spent many years in Kelowna until they decided to move back to Alberta to return to friends and family. Dad continued in the hotel management industry though and had the opportunity to manage hotels in Lethbridge, Jasper, Calgary, Peace River – but his favorite was Waterton’s Prince of Wales Hotel. It was a beautiful property with a cute little house just down the hill. The staff for the hotel lived in dorms right by their house and they spent their summers enjoying the students that would come work there.  His last hotel he worked at was in Peace River and he always said he was sorry he took so long to find that company as they treated their employees amazingly well and had a great business. He took a leave from the hotel in Peace River when he became ill. He made many friends there and kept in touch with them through his illness.

 

 

Dad loved the gospel and served wherever he was asked to serve. He particularly enjoyed teaching. When he was first married he taught early morning seminary at Bowness High School in Calgary. He spent many years as a Gospel Doctrine Teacher and also as a Gospel Essentials Teacher. He served in the Bishopric, in the Stake Sunday School presidency and on the High Council in different ward and stakes he lived in. He knew the scriptures well and loved to quote them and teach from them. We know that he is happy now. As he slipped away into the next life he had a big smile on his face. I have a friend of another faith who says that her pastor says that people who are ready to meet God always smile when they pass on. I think she was right.

 

He would want us to work hard, to be committed to the gospel, and to family, and to have fun along the way. We are grateful for his example.

 

 

Grandma's House

 by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

When Mom was just a little girl

Grandma used to say

United States was better

In almost every way.

Why it was like a garden

With beauty everywhere.

Surely the street were paved with gold

And people had no cares.

So one day when Mom was older

To go there was her dream

She wanted to see the garden

So great and lush and green.

Now Mother lived in Alberta and 

Montana's just south or the border.

And when she finally crossed that line,

The landscape nearly floored her.

Why USA was quite the same

In each and every way.

She decided Canada was her home

And home was where she'd stay.

The story doesn't end there

There was family there she found.

She learned that she did love them,

And their love for her was sound.

Though she didn't find the Eden

She had expected there

She found the Eden of her family

For whom she learned to care.

And then the moral came to her

Grandma loved her native land

Not only for the greatness

But because of her Van Dam clan.

Heukelum, The Netherlands (part 2)

 by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

The mayor, Jacob A DeJohgh, a dapper looking man with a quick wit, was there to meet us. He seemed as excited about our being there as we were. This quiet little town was not used to visitors. Mayor DeJohgh told us we were the first foreign group to ever officially visit their town. He told us a bit about the 750 year old city that enjoyed its apex of importance during the 14th century. The population was 15,000. He had been mayor for 8 years and it was a full time job. He was also the water minister of the Lingwell district. He served a four-year term after each election. His title was "Dyke Count" and when he gave us this explanation he jokingly said, "I hope you realize I am a very important man." He presented us with a copy of the marriage records of Huibert VanDam, grandfather of Herbert VanDam

We all agreed with the sentiments Sam Bailey expressed when he offered the prayer and blessing on the food. He expressed our gratitude for being "home", for being here together and for the wonderful heritage we received from this place. We all felt very grateful and very excited to be here. It was a dream come true for all of us. 

After a lovely lunch of beef stock soup, cheese, breads, sliced meats and "krokets", a Dutch specialty, and fresh fruit for dessert, we were presented with post cards depicting the restaurant and the city. We mailed them home while we were there so we would have them with the postmark from Heukelum. 

We went exploring up and down the cobblestone streets of the village. Our presence caused quite a stir in the town. The townspeople weren't accustomed to visitors, especially visitors who came 20 or so at a time and were so interested in poking through every nook and cranny of the town. We felt many eyes watching us from behind those pretty Dutch lace curtains. 

Our search took us to the 15th century Dutch Reformed Church and cemetery. We poked around in the cemetary. Lee and Marj remarked that the name "Rust" must have been a prominent Dutch name. However, Kean, who had served a mission in Holland spoke the language, explained that "RUST" meant "rest" as in rest in peace.

Van Voorden, the church organist, came over from his store across the street. He asked if we would like him to open the church. Silly question. We went inside, took pictures of the organ and the pulpit. Kean and Gayle each preached sermons from the enormous and ornate pulpit with the aid of the 15th Century Bible. The organist then took them up to the organ lost where he demonstrated the very small keyboard. Gayle and Tawna also took their turns at playing. Gayle played "We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet" and Tawna played, "How Great Thou Art". As we left the church and bid farewell to Mr. Van Voorden, we went on our way down the street and people came from every direction to chat with him. They must have been curious as to who we were.

We touched city hall. The mayor presented us with gifts and we handled the book that contained the original marriage documents of Huibert VanDam. Many family members had their pictures taken with the book.

Marge Allen then expressed our appreciation and presented the mayor with a copy of The Book of Mormon. Reluctantly, we boarded the bus again for our return to Amsterdam and our hotel. That evening, in our family meeting, we were all in awe over the things that had transpired during the day. We felt like cast members in the movie, Roots, being able to return to the place where this great family started and who knows, maybe we planted a few seeds of our own.

Heukelum, The Netherlands

 by Lester Ann Hyde Jensen

It was March 28, 1990, my 46th birthday. It was also Trudy Brown Racz's 39th birthday and the birthday of our Grandmother, Sarah Evans Van Dam Day. She would have been 92. We were in Heukelum, the Netherlands, the birthplace of Herbert VanDam. How appropriate that we should be here on this day. Trudy and I are first cousins. Our mothers, Verna Dan Brown and Luella Floy Day Hyde are sisters, daughters of Sarah Evans Van Dam Day and granddaughters of Herbert VanDam. Trudy and I felt like pinching ourselves. Were we really here on this special day or was it all a wonderful dream?

That morning, we had taken a narrow winding road by the Ulist River to get to Heukelum. We crossed the river on a ferryboat, thes ame method people had used for centuries as they approached the village. Twenty camera shutters snapped in unison as we approached. The members of our group, all Herbert VanDam descendants, were so excited. The air in the bus was electric.

We had finally reached our destination, the birthplace of our common ancestor. We stopped at the DeWiel Restaurant, which overlooked the canal and several impressive yachts. Just outside the door stood the status of The Ferryman, or in Dutch, "Der Veerman", the symbol of Heukelum. The town was once very important in the canal system and everything came to the city by ferry. Later that day, many of us bought smaller copies of the statue. The tables were set in anticipation of our arrival. It was beautiful, quaint and clean. A welcoming fire burned in the fireplace. As we were not used to the cool moist climate of Holland in March, we were most appreciative of this warm gesture. 

....to be continued

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