January 24, 1968 Tucson Arizona

Dear Family,

Several weeks ago, when the weather was real cold here, Mother made me a present of a new sweat shirt, fleece lined, to wear at night and in the mornings. It has a big 70 on front and back. I didn’t not know what that signified, as I am only an elder. This morning I realized that she got it knowing that I would grow into it. It now denoted my aged.

I was surprised when Mother remembered my birthday and gave me my present and card before I got up for breakfast. Then Marion and her entire brood called and wished me a Happy Birthday. I don’t feel such different than I did 10 years ago, except I huff and puff a little more.

The Stobbe family sent us a roll of tape they had evidently recorded about Christmas and thinking that we had heard it and knew all the news about them, Rina had not written. We could not get a tape recorder so we will take it with us when we go to S.F. Maybe we can borrow Lloyd’s recorder along the way. I also received a birthday card from them.

There is very little of note since I last wrote. We received letters from the Rice family including Roberta and Robin. They, (including Queenie) are well again and expect to meet us at Marion’s next month when we go to David’s “fandango”.

Mother banged her knee a few days ago and went back to her cane for a while. She seems O.K. now, but we are going to take it easy going to S.F. We expect to leave here on Friday the Second, arrive at Marta’s on the third and rest up a few days before going on to S.F. The weather permitting, we hope to stay several days with Marion. We read now of the nice warm weather there and in L.A. Both places were reported to be warmer than Tucson yesterday, but just wait until the “stormy petrels” get there!

Marion I don’t know if David had an invitation sent to the Jenkins or not, but you might call Dorthy and tell her that we have included them on our card if they wish to go to the Ceremony.

We love you all and pray for you daily,

Vaya con dios,

Dad

Tucson, January 9, 1968

Dear Family,

Bill, your Birthday present to Mother was kike giving an Irishman a gold plated pick and telling
him; “Sure now Pat, it will be twice as sissy diggin with this beautiful instrument”. (He has signed up for
a genealogical excursion once a month to S.L.) Mother is required to get a lot of information for him and
has scattered her papers along the family. She says to tell you, that she appreciates all the work you will
do as we have reached a dead end and have been dragging our feet. She will send you the dates she has
now and more later. We know that this work will cost money and we suggest that those of you who are
interested, send Bill a couple of bucks to help defray the expenses he will incur.

Bill is the only one who has written us this year, (we heard over TV that your hots is 120 below
the goose egg, brrrrrrrr rrr!), but we did get a very splendid invitation from the navy brass, inviting us to
the commissioning of David’s Ship Feb. 10th. Before we answer the invitation David, we would like to
know if the Meekers and Rices received an invitation or if we include their number on our card. If so
just who are going? Expedite this information as we should return our card as soon as possible.

Mother and I seemed to have a lot of business all of a sudden. She is quilting director of the R.S.
and I am all bogged down with the work of The General Secretary of the Senor Aaronics. Mother is
helping me with my reports but I have to attend a lot of meetings.

Hey David! I note on this invitation that all military personnel are required to wear full dress at
your shindig. Does that mean that I will have to rent a soup and fish? I am about to back out!

I hope you will pardon the appearance of this letter. After being washed in a Mexican river and
bounced over those miles of rough roads, this old typewriter “ain’t what she used to be” I tell Mother
we need a new one but she says no!., not until we have a color TV!, (That will be when the rivers in
Tucson freeze in July, because I don’t like them). So if the deckers stop, you will know that the old grey
mare gave up the ghost.

Love,

Dad

PS Lloyd, we did not send Brian’s hat. We will bring it when we go the first of Feb.

News Year Day, 1968

Dear Family,

It looked for a while as though Mother and I would spend New Year’s Eve in a river or mud hole in northern Mexico. After a week of deluge we finally took off on that Mexican job Wednesday. We had to go to Cananea and Hermosillo. Cananea is the mining town whose lights we saw Marta, when we were living out on that ranch near Ft. Huachuca. There is a paved highway that runs from Cananea to the Nogales highway. When we turned off on this road our troubles began. Bridges were washed out and we had to drive for miles over rough sandy, boggy detours. I think Mother splintered the floor boards she pressed so hard.

It took us about six hours to drive 50 miles. We had to return over the same road to go on to Hermosillo. We were stuck in the middle of a river on this part of the journey and had to wait for a truck to come along to pull us out. I know the Lord was with us or we would not have made it. We helped several people who had damaged their cars badly. We were one day in Hermosillo. Our Hotel was near the Market. (we had stayed here with Rina once before). Mother shopped while I worked.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank you all for your thoughtful Christmas gifts. Marion your package did not come until after Christmas – just as we were taking off. We took them with us and believe me those flaming night shirts and caps, (flannel) came in mighty handy in those cold Mexican Hotels. We wondered if the maids cleaning the rooms, seeing those red and white night caps and night shirts, thought that Santa Claus had been there.

We returned to Tucson Saturday Evening and we are still tired. We do not intend to do a thing this New Years day except sit here in our cozy Apartment.

Saturday night the Bishop called me in for Tithing settlement. I was so tired that I could hardly wriggle. I guess he thought it would be a good time to hit me when I was groggy. He asked me to take over the secretary of Senior Aaronics job. Last night the old Secretary dropped off a stack of books two ft. high. Mother promised to help me with the book work, but now that she has seen all the work to do, I think she has reservations.

Hey David! Just when is the commissioning? Just because you have a new girl you don’t have to desert us altogether.

We love you. We pray that Our Heavenly Father will watch over you and guide you during this New Year.

Dad

PS

Lloyd, we go Brian a cowboy hat in Mexico. We want a pic of him in it.

December 11, 1967

Tucson

Dear Family,

Mother gets hard to get along with this time of year. She wants to send everyone nice presents

and is so frustrated when finances won’t permit her to do it. “Thank goodness.” she said, “This year I will

have my own money to spend as I please.” Meaning her SS check. Then to top it all off, our December

checks have been lost, destroyed, or stolen. We are going to the SS Office to make a claim to-day, but

the man said there was little hope we would get them before Christmas.

So we are staying in our own little igloo for Christmas. It will make us sad to be away from our

Grandchildren, but another deterrent is that my health has not been so good. The weather has

been “Blah” and I have been feeling pretty bad recently. I don’t feel up to fighting that “Mad muddle of

mixed up motorists” who will be on the highway during the coming days.

We have heard from no one since my last decker. We did get your nicely wrapped, (Mimi?)

Christmas Package Marion, which we will open on Christmas. Mother talked to Bill Sunday and he and

Fran are becoming more reconciled to their loss. He promised to write, so we may have more news from

him also.

We send our love to each and every one of you and we hope and pray that you will have a

wonderful Christmas.

Vaya Con Dios,

Dad

December 15, 1967, Tucson

Dear Family,

The best “Christmas” we could possibly have received was a letter from Betty, telling us that,

after many x-rays, more tests and your prayers, the Doctor concluded that Renee did not have Hepatitis

after all, but probably had some gall bladder infection, not nearly so serious. You may be sure that we

thanked Our Heavenly Father. I told Renee that she was in luck to be a member of a family, some of the

members of which live in such a manner that they can expect their prayers to be answered.

It has been raining cats and dogs here for the past two days. Night before last I was called on a

case which involved visiting Hermosillo and several other northern Mexican towns. Yesterday morning I

went to get gas and had a hard time getting back to the Apartment, so I called the boss and we agreed to

postpone the trip until next week- if it quit raining by then. We were all packed and I was set to take

Mother with me.

I have held off writing this “Good news” letter, hoping that we would hear from some of you, but

nada! Mother was worried about the “bug’ biting the new baby and/or Marta, so we called. Everyone

was alright. We got the pictures we took in L.A. I am proud of the pictures of the baby, the rest of them

are just so, so. We will send them to Rina. She can send them to Betty. Lloyd, you or Bob send some of

your pics of the Baby and “Brian on to Marion.

Carol, the pics of Mother and I, I wanted to blow up, turned out very malo, either the one of me

was bad in one shot or the one of mother squinty in the other. If yours turn out good be sure and send

us the negative or slide.

We are braced to have a rather lonely Christmas- no Grandchildren. I think this the first time in

our lives that we have ever planned to eat out on Christmas day. Marion wanted us to go to her, rather

fly to SF. But we concluded that we could not and do the things we want to do this summer too.

Mother and I hope this finds you all well and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that our

Lord will watch over you during the coming New Year.

October 7, 1967

Dear Family,

Believe it or not, the Smoggy McKays are responsible for this decker. As Lloyd said, Carol finally
bugged him into writing. Thanks Carol! The only news from that pall of Smog is that Brian is walking or
as Lloyd says; “he looks like a drunken Charlie Chaplin leading a band, while trying to walk the wrong way
on a conveyor belt.” Lloyd passed the Sgts exam—just. He thinks he just possibly might make it if we all
pray for him.

I had quite a hectic time in Mexico City. I had had a hard day in Guadalajara I had to do a lot of
walking. We got into Mexico about 9:00 P.M. and had to walk about a mile from the plane to the
Customs inspection point. Then my baggage turned up missing and I had to walk all the way back to the
Areonaves Office before I found it. I got to a hotel about 11:00 P.M. and had charley horses all night.

I know now what happens to old Mexican cowboys—they make them into jet pilots. They take
off like a vaquero spurring his horse—straight up! They land rough, like a Vaquero pulling his horse back
on his haunches and making him crow hop.

I had a bad scare when I got on the plane last Thursday morning to come home. We left very
early and a copy of the morning paper (Mexican) was lying on each seat. I had not heard the outcome of
the first game of the World Series so I quickly turned to the sport section. When I finally turned back to
the front page I saw a black bordered box in the middle of it. And caught the word Gua… It said that a
professor in Mexico had caught the record of a bad earthquake in the vicinity of Gua… on the
seismograph. He said it was nine pint something intensity and that the tidal wave would probably wash
out Hawaii.

I read the item over half a dozen times. You may well imagine I was in sweat and a dither. When
we got to Tucson I rushed to the telephone and called Mother. “What about our children” I croaked.
“Well, what about them?” Mother answered. “What about our children?” She knew nothing of the
earthquake, there was nothing in the morning paper. I called the FAA and they knew nothing either.
The manger here was very kind. He called Los Angles and advised me that it was not true. The only
thing we could conclude was that the Mexican Professor got drunk and stumbled over his Seismograph-
jiggling the graph. Anyway it could happen, so you Stobbes keep it in mind and be prepared.

I was very happy to find upon my return, that Mother’s knee is much, much better; she had
abandoned her cane and was swinging that leg like she wanted to dance. I don’t know if it was the
cortisone taking effect or my being away.

Just before I left for Mexico we received a very tristul letter from Debby McKay. Tell her that we
will answer her soon, Fran and while we are not going to promise her anything, to keep her fingers
crossed.

We love you all

Dad

(Look Lloyd, Page #1!)

October 20, 1967

Dear Family,

I have been rather hoping I would hear from some of you before writing you with the news of
the new member of this family. Bob called us Thursday evening and told us that their daughter had been
born at 2:00 P.M. that afternoon. Mart a came home Saturday and called us. Mother talked to her and
has all the details of the new baby. She is quilting at the church now. If she comes back in time I will
write the details in the margin.

David is the only one we have heard from since my last 666 two deckers. He must have a girl
friend again because he only wrote a few lines. I must be, when he is between girls, that he writes such
nice long letters.

The big news here is that day before yesterday Mother played nine holes of golf. I rather held
my breath the next morning to see if she was going to complain of added pain, but it did not seem to
hurt her.

Again I include all of your addresses so that you can send each other a Christmas Card at least.

Bill & Fran the same

Betty P.O. Box 7306 South Tahoe

Marion

Lloyd

Marta

Rina

David,

We received a letter from Marta giving us the complete scoop- here it is

Gwendolyn Rae Wilson born October 12 1967 at 2:05 P.M. weight 7lbs 4 oz. 20” long,
(Marta’s note-“and lovely!”)

The plans are now that, we will go to the Wilsons for Thanksgiving and be there to help bless the
baby on the Dec. Fast Sunday.

Marta says she is doing fine. The way she tells it Bob is treating her like it was the first baby,
flowers, diaper service, pampering and the whole bit. She says the girls have been wonderful and help
her a lot. We are very proud of them.

Vaya con Dios,

same

same

12042 Schmidt St. El Monte, Cal

210A Karen Drive. Finigayan, Agana Guam

B 801707 (DDG-34) S. F. Navy Ship yard, Hunter’s Point, San Francisco, Cal

Dad

November 2, 1967

Dear Family,

We received a three (count’em! Three!), page letter from David yesterday. He says that his ship
will be commissioned sometime in February and the Captain has invited the families of the crew for
a “Coming out party”. He thinks it will be about the tenth. Mother and I had tentatively planned to go
visit the Meekers for a couple of days after Thanksgiving, but we will wait now until we go to
David’s “Fandango”. We will be able to stay longer. It would be nice if Betty and the girls could come
down for this “Commissioning”. It would be very educational for the girls, to say nothing of a peek at a
bunch of good looking “Swabies”. Can you put us all up Marion? We would bring our own trailer of
course.

We received a nice long letter from “Queenie” and did she give us the low down, from the
canine point of view, of the Rice family. I answered her under separate cover and I can’t disclose the
secrets we discussed, except they are all well and Bob went antelope hunting in Wyoming.

Rina, we received your letter telling us about the typhoon alert. You never did say that you
received my letter telling about that Mexican report of earthquake in Guam. I won’t forget that for a
long time.

The Bishop read my “Home Evening” effort to the assembled Priesthood at the monthly Home
Teaching session. I don’t have another copy. If Frank is through with your copy will you please send it to
Bob and Marta. Boy! You want my biography 10 years ago. You said you wanted it by Christmas 1958.
As Mother says I have not “done one lick”. I have been waiting for cold weather to come, that will keep
me in the house and pointed toward the typewriter. I blame your Mother a bit too. I am reading the
Fourth Thousand Years to her and every time she becomes engaged in some of her doings, like dish
washing or rug making, or quilting, she wants me to read to her. We are enjoying this book very much.
It covers from David to Christ and has given us a new and more thorough understanding of that part of
the Bible.

Tell our Grand Children that I hope they did not get sick on “Trick or Treat’. We were not visited.
There is so much foliage around the house that it was too “Spooky” for spooks to dare.

Maybe it is just that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but as we look around us we are
more appreciative of our own family and thank the Lord for them.

All Our Love,

Dad

November 10, 1967

Dear Family,

We received letters from Rina, Marta and David this week, so you know who is going to get the
first three copies of this decker. Rina did not have much to say, except everyone is well and that Scot
and Julie won prizes at the Church Halloween party. She says there is a Negro family there who are
members of the church. I am anxious to receive a report on them, whether they are active etc. I noticed
in this morning paper that Dick Gregory says he will back Romney.

The Wilson family are fine. Bob is working his head off in school trying to make up for the time
lost during “Operation Stork”. The Smoggy Mckays, the Wilsons, (Elder ) and us will meet there for
Thanksgiving.

David is “between girls” again and wrote us a nice long letter. He got a government driving
license and is assigned part time as a driver. You never did say David, whether or not the full crew was
aboard, but you talk of sleeping barracks so I take it they are not. I hope you get your camera back by
Christmas.

For the benefit our teenage daughters I want to pass along a definition of a “Hippie” I heard the
other day; “He is a man who thinks he looks like Tarzan, but who actually looks like Jane and who smells
like Cheetah”.

Mother is feeling a lot better, although her aches and pains shifted to her shoulder last week and
it was quite painful for a couple of days. We attributed it to the weather, which was unsettled and
cloudy. We play golf at least once a week and sometimes work on the new chapel. I was out last week.
They issued me a shovel and it almost killed me. I have not been back since. Last night Mother did not
take any pain killer and she slept quite soundly all night. She is trying to get along without medication as
much as she can.

We talked to Marion the other night. Bob, who has had a long siege of work stoppage, is
working again and Marion too is on the go for Sears. She wants us to come out for Christmas, but I don’t
think we could go then and in February too. It would be just too much traveling for Mother. We went to
Phoenix last Monday to see your Aunt Grace who was visiting Gene and family. She looked quite skinny,
having recently been operated on in Portland for gall stones, but was very chipper and feeling fine.

We are just about through reading Skousen’s “Fourth Thousand Years” which covers from David
to Christ. I was amazed at my ignorance. He includes recent archeological discoveries, and weaves their
translation into the story of the Jews. The prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah make us wonder if it is
not; “later than we think”.

Mother joins me in sending our Love,

Vaya Con Dios,

Dad

December 6, 1967

Dear Family,

I am finally convinced that the L.A. Smog acts as a sheath over the town, through which, not self
respecting flu or cold germ can pass. We were there 14 days and the City was free from smog during the
whole time, but the flu bug zeroed in and we all caught it. I think that Lloyd was the only one who was
healthy. Both Mother and I caught it. I was quite ill for two or three days and Mother is still coughing.
She lost her voice completely the morning we left L.A. I think from L.A. to Yuma was the longest I have
ever driven without a smidgen of back seat driving. It made me nervous. I had to look at her once in a
while to see if she was giving me any dirty looks. We got some “yarb” tea in Yuma and the next morning
she was able to talk again.

In spite of our “aches and pains” we enjoyed our visit with the Wilsons. Lloyd and Carol came
over again last Sunday and Lloyd and I assisted in the Blessing of “Wendy”. She grows on one. Gets
prettier each day.

Carol was having a hard time throwing off her cold. Brian was not feeling so hot either and
wanted nothing but his Daddy. We took some pictures with three cameras after church Sunday. Some
of the pics should get passed around.

We found letters from Betty and Rina awaiting us here. We also received your letter Rina from
Hawaii. All of the women were oohing! And aahing! About how fortunate you were to be able to make
the trip. How nice, etc, etc. but I could not help feeling sorry for your abandoned family. Sometimes I
wonder if you get our letters. I wrote to Scot, telling him about how scared we were when we heard
about Hilda and how we prayed for your safety. Grandma will undoubtedly write them and thank them
for the birthday cares. They were very cute. She is also very pleased with the “cat-eye” rings.

Betty in the letter we found here, you made no mention of Renee’s illness. Did it come all of a
sudden? We have remembered her in our daily prayers and would like to hear from someone who can
tell us about her condition. We were also sorry to hear that Queenie was so sick. Was it just
housesickness for the Master or something she ate? You censure us for not driving a 1000 miles to the
bay area for a short visit and you make a big deal out of driving about a hundred miles to the same area-
with a new car yet! You never did get around to telling us what kind of a car it was, or rather is.

Marion I want to abjectly beg your pardon. I was looking through our file and found your letter
that you had written just before we left for L.A. I had forgotten all about it. I got a kick out of John’s
gruesome “pome”. I think Bob is right to do something else while waiting for construction to begin
again. Congratulations on winning the Sears award. Is there any tangible compensation? Or is it all on
paper?

I got chills and fever when I got this far and went to bed. Must have been one of those mutant
L.A. bugs. I had a rough night but felt better when Marion called this morning. She told us that David
has the duty Christmas and cannot come home. She wants us to go there, but I don’t think we can make

it. By the way Betty, Marion told us that you had an “esplendido” 1967 Dodge Wagon. She had not
news of Renee. Please keep us posted. It only cost 75 cents between Midnight and 0700 to make a
phone call. Tell Boo and Robin we are convinced that they don’t love us or they would have written long
since.

Love,

Dad

In almost every neighborhood where respectable people live there dwells a certain type of
scalawag, seemingly devoid of any trace of conscience or principle, whose conduce makes him the
subject of a lot of gossip, especially among the women.

Morals don’t mean a thing to him. He’s unmarried and lives openly with a woman he is crazy
about; and doesn’t care what the neighbors say or think. He has no regard for truth or law.

The duties of this so-called good citizen are just so much bunk so far as he is concerned. He
doesn’t vote a t all. He never thinks of paying a bill.

We have seen him take a two dollar taxi ride without giving the driver so much as a pleasant
look. The driver only stared a t him and muttered something silly.

He won’t work a lick; he won’t go to church; he can’t play cards; or dance or fool around with
musical instruments. So far as known he has no intellectual interests at all.

He neglects his appearance terribly. He is so indolent that he’d let the house burn down before
he’d turn in the alarm. The telephone can ring itself to pieces and he wouldn’t bother to answer it. Even
on such controversial subjects as the liquor question, nobody knows exactly where he stands, because
one minute he is dry and the next minute he is wet.

But we will say this for him. In spite of his faults he comes of a darn good family. He is our new

baby.

I did not sent one these to Marta as I did not know how to change it around to apply to a girl.

Dad