Richard Stucki Personal History Online

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Richard
Childhood Memories
The earliest memory from my childhood is the house and yard
where we lived, because all of the things that happened thereafter
are in that memory background. The first house I remember liv-
ing in was located at 1456 Logan Avenue in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At the time it was near the outskirts, but now it’s buried in the
center of the city. We lived in a typical house for that era which
was brick with a raised first floor about three feet above the
ground. There were windows in the basement that you could
see out of without a window well. The front porch was also
raised with stairs and a low brick wall on either side. We often
stood outside on the porch during rain storms and watched the
lightning.
In front of our house there were two sycamore trees. Now
when I drive by the home, the diameter of the tree trunks is huge. Then it was only six inches or
so across. When I was a boy, it seemed to me that we had a pretty large yard. I realize now that it
was tiny little yard in the front and just a little bigger in the back.
One of our favorite childhood activities was to play Andy-I-Over. We would throw a ball over the
top of the garage and see if the person on the other side could catch it. Another favorite game was
Run Sheepie Run which we played just as it was getting dark. We would all hide and then run to
try and touch the central goal without getting caught by the person defending the goal.
The Hinckley family lived across the street from us. Their daughter, Colleen,
was my age and went to grade school when I did. Many years later, I learned
that Neal A. Maxwell, who is a member of the Twelve had married Colleen
Hinckley.
One day we saw a team of horses coming down the street and heard their
hooves on the asphalt. They turned into the lot next to our neighbor’s house
across the street, and began to excavate a basement for a new house. The
horses seemed so big to me when I was a small boy. They were beautifully
muscled horses, and they really impressed me. There was a big scoop, shaped
something like a snow shovel. The driver directed it in such a way that it
dug down in the dirt as the horses pulled. It would scoop the dirt and then
the horses walked up an earthen ramp. The driver would tip the scoop and
dump out the earth. After a time, they got a big hole dug. When that was done, carpenters came
and framed up forms in the big hole, where they could pour walls for a cement basement. The
forms were built with 1 x 6’s and 2 x 4’s. It was framed so it would hold the cement in place until
it set up and then the forms would be removed.

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To me, they had just built the most magnificent castle to play
on, I could imagine. My little sister, Bonnie, and I began to
play on the forms after they were finished. Mother said to
me,“You’re not to go over there. You mustn’t play on that.
You could really get hurt.” I told her,“Mother, they have
those 2 x 4’s sticking up, and if I had a problem, I’d just grab
onto them.” So I knew Mother didn’t want us there, but it
wasn’t long before we went back to playing there again. One
of those 2 x 4’s that was supposed to save me, tripped me,
and I went head over heels. I can still see myself spinning,
until—WHAM!—I landed on the bottom. There was a cross
bracing of 2 x 4’s and apparently my head hit on that. To this day, I still have a knot on the back of
my head from my fall.
When I woke up, Mother was standing at the top with my little sister who had run home to get
her. I hurt very badly when I tried to get up. I had broken my collar bone. I learned a lesson that
Mother knew more than I thought she did, and I knew less. I learned that I ought to pay attention
to her advice. That was my thought when I was young.
I remember a little swimming pool Daddy formed of cement in our backyard. It had a wall about
eight or ten inches high, and was about six feet square. We would fill it up with water and when
the sun warmed the water and we could play in it. A little drain could be
opened to let the water out. We enjoyed playing there.
In our backyard was a grape arbor that gave us shade as we played in the sum-
mer. Under the arbor was a sand pile. Now this was something that got used
a lot! I found that if I turned the hose on it just a little in a fine spray, I could
form the sand into castles, roads and whatever I wanted. It would stay the way
I built it until it dried out. So I had a lot of fun making every kind of imagin-
able thing; roads for my cars, castles, and so on. This sand pile was one of my
favorite things.
I had quite an experience with my tricycle when a very young boy. I loved
riding my tricycle, but I got tired of pumping. I found that where our
road sloped a little bit, it was easy to coast down without having to pedal.
Of course, I had to pedal back up, but it was worth it just to coast down.
As I looked around the neighborhood, I noticed there was a really steep
slope on the street a block below our house. I thought that looked like a
lot of fun. So I started down the hill on my tricycle. At first I was pedal-
ing, then the wheels were going faster and faster. I couldn’t keep my feet
on the pedals they were turning so fast. So I took them off, and away I
went—lickety cut down the hill with no control. The worst part of it
Mother and Richard

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was that at the bottom was a cross street with curb and gutter. I went sailing across the street as
cars buzzed by. I barely missed getting hit by one of them. I hit the curb and landed in a heap on
the parking next to the curb. Fortunately, I didn’t get hurt seriously although I could have been
killed. That was on 13th
East in Salt Lake City, a very busy street. I never tried that one again!
As a child, I seemed to have fragile bones and experienced quite a few breaks.
The first broken bone was when a sister lifted me up to look out our kitchen
window and dropped me. I fell on the floor and broke my collar bone.
I had other broken bones during the time my family lived on Logan Avenue.
My sister Margaret came down with scarlet fever. That was a very serious ill-
ness then and very contagious. Everyone in the family had to move out except
Mother, who took care of Margaret. I went to my Grandma Sorenson’s house
with my dad. My other two sisters stayed somewhere else. We had to stay away
until Margaret got better again. When someone got sick like that in those days,
a quarantine sign was put on the house to avoid the spread of the disease. While
staying at Grandma’s house, I was on my hands and knees on the lawn one day playing with some
of the neighbor boys. One of the boys jumped on my back cracking my left elbow. So that was
another broken bone.
I broke my right wrist another time, although I can’t remember what I was doing. People worried
about me quite a bit at school, and what might happen because of all the broken bones. Fortu-
nately at some point, my bones got stronger. I’ve not had any broken bones since, which I’m glad
about.
I had three sisters and no brothers as a boy. Each of us
children was about two years apart. My two sisters, Barba-
ra and Margaret were older and quite interested in older
things. My younger sister, Bonnie was my best friend.
She was my best friend until I got into high school, and I
thought I was getting too old for her. Then as she caught
up to me, we continued to have a very close friendship,
and it exists still to this day.
There was a playhouse that Daddy made especially for the
girls. I didn’t play in it much. One day, my little sister and
I noticed on the hollyhocks, with their pretty big blos-
soms, the bees were busy getting pollen. We discovered if
we hurried and pulled the leaves together over the bees,
it was a trap from which they couldn’t escape. So we had
fun throwing about a hundred bees and leaves into the
playhouse and hurriedly closing the door. When Daddy Richard and Bonnie

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came home, we didn’t get a spanking, but he said,“Do you know
how much trouble I had getting those bees out? You won’t do that
again will you?” That was one of the mistakes I thoughtlessly made
when I was a little boy.
A very early memory is how my two older sisters found me to
be quite a bother. When Mother would go to town and take my
younger sister, she would say to the older girls,“Now you take
good care of Richard.” Then she would tell me,“Don’t you bother
your older sisters.” After Mother left, they would go into the front
room, close the door, and have a lot of fun. They told me to stay
out, so there I was all alone. I would open the door and want to come in. They would say,“You get
out! Momma said you can’t come in!” I wanted to play too, and I got to be a nuisance, I’m sure.
At least one time I can remember (although it probably happened more than once), they put me
in the closet in the bedroom and closed the door. They told me I would have to stay there until
I behaved. As you can imagine, I made quite a fuss. When Mother came home, she would ask,
“How was Richard?” My sisters would reply,“He was naughty today!” So Mother would give me a
scolding. I thought,“Me naughty? I was locked in the closet! They wouldn’t play with me. They’re
the naughty ones!”
After that went on for a while, things suddenly changed. I don’t know who gets the credit, but my
older sisters started treating me nice. I believe my sisters just decided they were going to be kind
to me. From then on, we were best of friends. I’ve thought since that when somebody makes up
their mind to do something good, like the Savior would want them to do, it changes circumstanc-
es and makes other people’s lives happier. It has a greater influence than we often realize.
As we got older, Barbara, who was four years older than me was
into older things. Margaret preceded me into high school and
college. When I got into the University of Utah, Margaret was
there and she was a lot of help. She told me all kinds of things I
needed to know at the university. She was a good friend.
As a boy, I really liked to play with modeling clay. It was quite
pliable, and you could make almost anything out of it. I would
roll it out into fairly long ropes and make walls for magnificent
houses and castles. Then I would make people to inhabit the
buildings, but my “people” were little ducks. They had a little duck head, a rounded body, and
a duck’s tail. I’d make all kinds; soldiers, a king and queen, and others. One time, I made a little
block store with all of the fruits and vegetables out of clay.
When I got a little older, I was fascinated with vending machines. I marveled at how you could
put money in and something would come out. I decided I was going to make one, and so I did
Margaret, Bonnie, and Barbara
Daddy and the children

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with cardboard, tape, and glue. I figured out how to put candy on one side with a little slanted
shoot, and drop a penny in. The weight of the penny would lift up the door to the shoot. I could
actually get candy to fall out. The bigger the coin and the more it weighed, the better it worked. I
had a lot of fun inventing this.
I liked dogs, and one day Daddy told me he had a dog for me.
Somebody he knew at Southeast Furniture, where he worked,
had a German police dog in need of a home. He was gentle and
friendly, not like those ferocious watch dogs. I got to like him
very much. My dog would follow me to school every day. When
I got out of school, he’d be there waiting to follow me home. (I
went to Garfield School at that time). One day, he wasn’t wait-
ing for me outside the school. I never saw him again. I looked
everywhere I went to see if I could find him. Once in a while, I
would see a German shepherd and I’d hurry over to see if it could
possibly be my dog. Later the word got out that the dog tore up
Daddy’s gardens and flowers. I overheard Mother tell someone
that they had to get rid of him. I guessed they gave him away to
someone. I forgave them though, because they were wonderful
parents in spite of having to get rid of my dog.
When I had my dog, I would ride my bike to the grocery store a few blocks from our house, and
ask the butcher for a dog bone. He would give me one, and I would lay it across my handlebars as
I pedaled my bike home. One day as I was riding home, a young man came along. He was one of
the nicest looking men I had ever seen. He impressed me because he had a suit on, and because he
smiled and stopped to talk to me. I was surprised. No one paid much attention to me—I was just
a dumb little kid. He asked my name, and I told him what I was doing. I told him about my dog
and he was interested. He thought it was so neat that I would get bones for my dog. We had a nice
conversation and then he went on his way. Later, I learned that he was the big brother of a friend
of mine. He had just returned from a mission. That’s the way a lot of missionary’s are, out in the
mission field, and hopefully when they get back home. He really made that day for me because of
the interest he showed. I had never had anyone do that before. I thought about that experience,
and felt it would be great in life to try and give a lift when I could to people that are blue, feel un-
important, or are lonesome, the way he lifted me that day. I’ve tried
to do that.
Early in my life, we didn’t have television. I remember a little record
player we listened to. We would crank a handle as the record went
around and it would make screeching music. Eventually we got a
radio and could get a few stations. After school, we would listen to
our favorite children’s programs. We had Little Orphan Annie, which
was pretty good. I remember sending for the decoder from Little
Bonnie, Richard and Margaret
Swimming with the family

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Orphan Annie. When you sent in box tops, you would receive
a decoder for secret messages. Another program we listened to
was Old Ma Perkins. Jack Armstrong The All-American Boy which
was sponsored by Wheaties,“The Breakfast of Champions,” was
exciting. We also listened to The Lone Ranger with his faithful pal,
Tonto. He was always doing good and getting people out of trou-
ble. I liked that program. But the program that intrigued me most
was about the mounted police in Canada, Renfrew of the Mounted
Police. He was up in the frozen North area and always going after
escaped convicts, poachers and such.
One day, Bonnie and I were playing Renfrew of the Mounted Police.
We were pretending there were murderers that were after us, and we
were trying to get away. I was on the porch and I said to Bonnie,“I’ll
throw you a gun—catch it!” I threw her a gun, but she didn’t catch
it. It hit her right in the middle of the forehead. It left a bump and a
scar on her head.
Mother would say to Bonnie and I when she would hear us start to quarrel,“If I hear you quar-
rel, you’ll have to go to separate rooms and play. If you stop it now, you can stay together.” So we
rarely quarreled, because we wanted to stay together.
Something we liked to do was to make root beer. We stored the bottles in the basement fruit room
where we stored bottled fruit. Mother knew how to make it with root beer extract and sugar. It
would build up carbon dioxide inside the bottles and once in a while a lid would pop off and
squirt all over.
I had pneumonia twice, and I had asthma and tonsillitis. In that day, people felt like tonsils were
responsible for a lot of health problems. Mother and Dad felt that if Bonnie and I got our tonsils
out, it would help with all of our throat infections. They made arrangements and the doctor came
to our house. A sheet was laid on the kitchen table where we laid. A little thing with ether on it
was placed over or mouth and nose until we went to sleep. When we woke up, our tonsils were
out. That’s not the way it’s done today.
After Margaret had scarlet fever and had gotten over it, the doctor told Mother to burn every
book, toy, or doll that Margaret had. The only things spared, were those that could be put in the
oven, and heated to a high temperature to kill the germs. So that’s what they did. Years later there
were new antibiotics and sulfa drugs for treating such diseases.
Later in my adult life, I contracted scarlet fever. This time I only required an antibiotic and a cou-
ple days of bed rest. It makes me realize what a blessing it is to live in the fullness of times, when
God has given knowledge of so many ways to help us with health problems.
“Cowboy Richard”

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Richard
People had a great fear of polio back then. Many people died from it and others had to go into an
iron lung. An iron lung was something like a coffin with windows in it, and it breathed for them. I
had a friend whom I met in college. When he was a boy, he had contracted polio and it had para-
lyzed him. His legs were useless and he wore braces on them. I went on a couple double dates with
him. He would sit on the couch while various friends would dance with his date. He was a pretty
remarkable person that I admired a lot. His name was Reid Page. Eventually a vaccination was de-
veloped for polio and the fear of it went away. Hardly anyone gets it today.
When we lived on Logan Avenue, I had a bedroom in the basement all by myself. The rest of the
family had rooms upstairs. At night when it was dark, I would imagine monsters coming out
from behind the furnace. It was real to me, and I was scared to death. I would lay there in such
fear every night, that I finally wondered what I was to do. I remembered stories from Primary
and Sunday School that I had heard about angels watching over us. I told myself that I would try,
every time those horrible thoughts of monsters came into my mind, to put my mind so firmly
on the thought of guardian angels standing round about me, that I wouldn’t have any more fear-
ful thoughts. So that’s what I did, and it worked. Years later, Boyd K. Packer spoke about this very
thing. He said, when you get bad thoughts in your mind, or temptations or impure thoughts, you
can push them out by replacing them with good thoughts. You can have your patriarchal blessing
handy to read, or a favorite song to sing. You can have something you’ve written about yourself
and the kind of person you are and want to be; a child of God. You can replace every evil, fearful,
or incorrect kind of thought with something positive and good. Many people, who have learned
to do that, have found they were able to get over some pretty bad habits and problems. By follow-
ing Boyd K. Packer’s advice, I learned it early as a little boy sleeping in the dark basement.
A Family Portrait

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My parents were frugal and thrifty. They avoided debt. They had experienced the work required
to pay ones bills and to succeed financially. It wasn’t handed to them. Whatever they got came
from very hard work.
We had prayer together at every meal, and otherwise, as a family.
One by one my sisters got married, and finally I was the last one
home. I had good relations with Mother and Dad because they al-
ways demonstrated caring, service, and helpfulness; qualities that tie
people together.
Mother and Dad went to a study group once a month where they
would study church history. They also went with a group to the tem-
ple once a month. I don’t remember very many lectures from Moth-
er and Dad, but I do remember the many things they did which were
examples to me. Consequently, I developed strong feelings about
some things. One of them was that I was absolutely going on a mis-
sion. Another was that I was absolutely going to be married in the
temple. Those goals saved me from some mistakes later on.
Elementary School
I attended Garfield Elementary School on 15th
East and a few blocks from 21st
South. When I
would get out of school and head for home, there were two boys, one about my age and one
older, who would wait so they could twist my arm and bully me. I got so tired of that. I was lucky
once in a while and had a big sister heading home at the same time. They would put a stop to it
fast, but many times I was on my own. I told myself, I had to solve this problem. I realized that
if I went the opposite direction from home, went down a block and then headed back, I could
miss the trouble. It took me more time to get home though. I started doing that and it ended the
problem. However, having been bullied as I was, I decided I was going to be the person that stood
by to help anybody who was being put down, bullied or made fun of. I would be there for them if
I ever had an opportunity. So I think the experience did me good. It’s made me want to help the
“underdog,” ever since.
In the winter, we were supposed to wear long, brown stockings. We sure hated them. When we
got to school, we felt strange and old-fashioned because not many of the other kids wore them. I
didn’t like feeling like an odd ball. We all like to be accepted by the crowd. With my long, brown
stockings, I gained my first experience with those kinds of feelings.
One day, the school custodian helped me get home after I had broken my arm on the play-
grounds. Some time later, he came and said that since he had helped me, I owed a debt to him.
He asked me to help him empty all of the wastebaskets in the classrooms every day. I thought that
was fine, I liked to help people. Then one day a friend said to me, she hadn’t thought I was the
kind of person to be doing janitor work. Well, custodial work is honorable, but at the time my
Fishing with Daddy

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friend’s comment turned me off. So I told the custodian I was through and wouldn’t be helping
him anymore.
I was not athletic in school. When they chose teams, I wasn’t chosen until about the last. I did play
certain kinds of ball though. One time I got hit in the eye with a bat. It didn’t hurt the eye, but it
sure gave me a sore head for a while.
I did excel in “milk caps” though. Back then, we used to get our milk in glass bottles. They were
narrow at the top, and came with a cardboard cap about 11⁄4 inches in diameter on the top. When
you wanted to get the milk out, you could pull a little tab and get the cap off. Boys would save and
collect the milk caps. I got milk caps from many different dairies, and some very interesting ones.
To play, someone would throw down a cap. Then another boy would throw one down and try to
land on the other boy’s cap. Pretty soon there would be a lot of milk caps on the ground and one
cap could land on three or four at once. That boy would get all the caps his cap landed on. I had a
lot of fun playing with milk caps.
We played marbles too, on the school grounds at lunchtime and recess. There were stone marbles
made from agate we used to shoot with. If you hit other boys’ mar-
bles out of the ring, you got to keep them. I liked playing marbles.
I was sick quite a bit in grade school. I had pneumonia twice, bro-
ken bones and other ailments that kept me home from school. So, I
got behind a bit. The principal told my mother she thought perhaps
they ought to hold me back. But Mother refused, and I guess in
the end it was the right choice. The big problem was that I had no
motivation to study or do anything in my classes. I was just putting
in my time. I loved to be home. If you had been sick and then came
“Kindergarten Soldiers”
Richard and friends

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back to school, you always had to go see the school nurse. You would
sit on a bench until it was your turn, then the nurse would put a stick
in your mouth and you’d say,“aaaaaaaah.” If your throat was still sore,
she would send you home. Well, if you sat on the bench and coughed a
bit, when the nurse saw you she would ask,“Are you the one that’s been
coughing?”“Yes.”“Well, I guess you better go home.”
My attitude about school finally changed and I learned something
about the importance and power of motivation. It’s a difficult thing to
get people motivated. Sometimes it happens by chance. This is how it happened for me. When
in the sixth grade, if you were one of the chosen ones, you got to be a traffic police. That meant
you wore a white belt or band around your waist, with a strap over your shoulder, and a badge.
You carried a red flag. Whenever kids were going or coming from school, the traffic police would
go out to the road and stand one on each side. When it was time for kids to cross the street, you
would step into the street holding the flag out to stop cars. I wanted to be one of those traffic po-
lice—that was prestige! When they announced who the traffic police would be for the next year,
my name wasn’t on the list. I felt so bad. But I had the gumption to go to the principal and tell
her I wanted to be a traffic police. She said to me,“Now Richard, I’m looking here at your record.
How are you doing in school?” Well, I wasn’t doing very well. Back then you didn’t get an A, B,
or C, for grades. You got S for satisfactory and NS for not satisfactory, and I had a lot of NS. The
principal said,“We can’t let someone who doesn’t apply himself in school have a leadership posi-
tion. But if you will settle down and get to work, I’ll find something for you to do.” So I settled
down and got to work.
Some time later, the principal called me in and said,“You’re doing a lot better in school. I want
you to head the color guard, and put the flag up and take it down every day before and after
school.” She chose two others boys to help me. The three of us would go out every day with the
drum and bugle corps as the flag was put up or taken down. We were the ones who folded and
retired the flag. Everyone in school would stand, put their hand over their heart, or appropriately
salute the flag. I felt really good about that assignment. I began to like school and liked being
a good student. I continued to try harder each year thereafter, until in high school, I reached
straight A grades during my junior year. I learned what motiva-
tion can do. That principal in middle school, bless her heart,
started me on the right path.
Middle School Years
By the time I began junior high school, we had moved to a new
house on 22nd
East. It was a two story house with white painted
horizontal wood siding. There was a nice front porch and entry.
As you entered the house, to the right was the front room, and to
the left was the dining room. Beyond that was a kitchen, the back
door, and a half bath. Upstairs were four bedrooms. In the base- Richard and a friend

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Richard
ment was a game room, an auxiliary kitchen for canning, a small sewing room for Mother, and
another bathroom.
We had a nice yard at our new home. At the property line
of our backyard, there was a rock barbecue and patio sur-
rounded by lawn and gardens. We often had supper there
together and sometimes invited friends over.
We had a double garage next to the house. The car was
parked on one side, and on the other Dad had tools and
things. I had a little shop set up there. I added more tools
as time went on. I did projects there, and that’s where I
built my rabbit pens.
As I related earlier, I had gotten motivated to do well in my classes. I recall a couple noteworthy
experiences during this time. In one class we were given the assignment to make a Utah note-
book. I spent considerable time in finding picture postcards and other information to make a
pretty good historical Utah notebook. I worked hard and got a good grade on it. So, even though
I might not have been able to remember all the questions on a test, I found I had a talent for this
type of assignment.
Another class I had was Latin. I decided I might like to be a doctor when I grew up, and many
medical terms come from Latin. So I chose to study Latin. I couldn’t always remember the lan-
guage well, but we also got some assignments. One assignment was to do a Latin class project
duplicating something that might be found in old Italy. I decided to make a beeswax tablet like
they used to write on. They would write on the tablet, and then it could be smoothed out in order
to be written on again. In that way messages were sent to other people. I made wood styluses to
write with. I got a board, fixed the edges, melted beeswax and poured it on. I had quite an impres-
sive project. I got a good grade on that also.
I remember a lesson I learned from my art teacher in middle school. She was quite a talented art-
ist, although I didn’t realize it at the time. She did some beautiful artwork that was hung in one of
the chapels, and later put in a temple. One day, I was whistling or humming a tune from one of
the popular songs of the day as I worked. It wasn’t really an appropriate type of song. The teacher
didn’t like it and she said to me,“Richard, you’re too good to be whistling that kind of a tune.” I
learned a lesson from her that I’ve thought about often since. I realized I needed to think more
carefully about some of the things I did.
I had the opportunity once, to give a talk in an assembly at school. As I recall, it was a patriotic
program. That was a notable event in my middle school years. We also had school elections and
school officers. One of my friends ran for office and I got involved in helping with the campaign.
Our house on 22nd East

Richard
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During my middle school years, I heard many boys using bad language. It seemed like I was aw-
fully different from them. At one point, I decided I wanted to be like the rest of the boys. I started
using some of the same inappropriate language in my conversation. It went on for about a month,
until I got so disgusted with myself and so disliked the person I sounded like. I told myself I didn’t
want this any more. I cut it out and never used language like that again.
About my last year in junior high school, a Dr. Archibald taught a couple special classes and had a
homeroom class. It was rumored that the students who were assigned to his homeroom were the
talented students. I was assigned to be in his homeroom. I don’t know if the rumor was correct,
but it gave me the feeling that if I just tried, I could excel. So I continued to try my best in school,
and the more I tried, the better I did.
One time, I got an inexpensive baby Brownie camera that I took photographs with. I learned how
to develop the film in our downstairs basement bathroom, where I set up a photo lab. I didn’t do
a professional a job, but I learned quite a bit. I enjoyed taking pictures and developing them my-
self.
A few of my friends and I liked making sling shots. We would find a branch with a fork it, cut it,
and attach a big rubber band cut from an old inner tube. We got pretty good at shooting rocks
with our sling shots. I also enjoyed bow and arrow and target practice with my BB gun.
I liked bike riding, too. If I remember correctly, my folks paid for
half of a new bike and I paid for the other half. I got it for Christ-
mas one year. I learned to take the whole bike apart, paint it, and
reassemble it. When I began working for Grandpa at Southeast
Furniture, I would ride my bike down 21st
South to Sugar House to
work. On the way home, I would often find a bus going the same
direction and try to race it. If the bus had enough stops, I could
keep ahead of it.
An experience that touched me for good during this time in my
life was when a group of us children were invited to the tabernacle
to sing in a pageant. I didn’t really have a good singing voice, but
somebody thought they’d like to have me go sing. So I went with
some children from our ward. When there, we sat behind the stage,
a little to the side. I never saw what was going on the stage. I just sat
in my seat and I sang. One of the songs we sang was “I’ll go where
you want me to go, dear Lord, over mountain or plain or sea. I’ll
say what you want me to say, dear Lord. I’ll be what you want me
to be.” As I sung this, a wonderful thing happened in my mind and
heart. That pledge became a part of me for the rest of my life; “I’ll go where you want me to go,
dear Lord.” It was amazing that although I couldn’t see the speakers or what was going on, I was

13
Richard
greatly impackted by the song we sang.
As a boy, I had assignments from time to time to give talks. I had terrible fear of doing that.
Daddy would write the talks and try to help me memorize them. Finally, I decided I’d like to try
writing my own and eventually give talks without writing them out, but by using outlines. Later
in my life, I had a great desire to be able to give talks and spread the gospel without any fear. The
things that we learn, and the progress we make in our lives through opportunities the Church
gives us are a wonderful blessing. It makes me think of the promise that if we continue in follow-
ing the Savior, the things which are weaknesses to us will instead become strengths in our lives.
I still remember some of the things Dad had me memorize after all these years. These things I
learned as a boy are of remarkable value to me, because they have touched my thinking for all of
these years. Two of the poems I memorized as a boy are as follows:
To every man there openeth a highway and a low.
And every man decideth which way his soul shall go.
The high man climbs the highway, and the low man gropes the low.
And in between on the misty flats, the rest drift to and fro.
But, to every man there openeth a highway and a low.
Every man decideth which way his soul shall go.
Isn’t it strange that princes and kings, and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And just plain folks like you and me are builders for eternity.
To each is given a bag of tools, a shapeless mass, and a book of rules,
And each must build ere life hath flown, a stumbling block or a stepping stone.
During this period of my life, I became a deacon and eventually a teacher and a priest. I was presi-
dent of the deacons’ and teachers’ quorums. I had experiences in church meetings that greatly
inspired me. We had a good ward choir, and some excellent singers would sing duets and such
from time to time. I was often very touched by the talks, especially once when a returned mission-
ary told in a very effective way, the story of Joseph Smith’s first vision. I gained a testimony that it
was true as I sat there and listened to him. Then the next time I heard it told, I was moved in the
same way. I had very little knowledge then, and I could hardly tell you how I knew it was true. As
the years went by and I gained more knowledge, I found that the witness of the Holy Ghost could
be trusted. Many people join the Church simply because of the wonderful testimony that comes
through the Holy Ghost.
There was a family in our ward named the Neeleys. The husband got sick and in time passed
away. About that time, Sister Neeley had a baby boy. One day when I was at church she said,
“Richard, we have watched you and we want to name our little boy, Richard, after you. I hope you
won’t ever do anything that would make us feel otherwise.” I was glad they wanted him to be like
me. I’m afraid sometimes I let them down, which gives me grief. It was something to aspire to
though, so they wouldn’t feel sorry for their choice.

Richard
14
About this time, Hitler came to power and World War II had began with bombings in England.
One Sunday morning as we came out of church, word came that the Japanese had bombed Pearl
Harbor. The United States was then in the war. There was a family named the Bernsteins living on
21st East. They had a son and daughter a few years older than me. They were both outstanding
students at East High and very much admired by those of us who were younger. The son got into
the Air Force, and one day we learned that he had been shot down. Everyone was very sad, and
especially we could see sorrow in the face of his dear mother. She seemed to never smile after that.
I was active in Boy Scouts. I was especially interested in first aid, and I studied it quite a bit. In our
patrol, I was the person who carried the first aid kit. I progressed from time to time with merit
badges and rank advancements. I would go to the scoutmaster’s home
after school. His wife was there, and she would let us boys go into the
basement, one at a time, and borrow weights to do weight lifting. Of
course, as you exercise you get a little stronger and you increase the size
of the weights. I wasn’t really a muscular kid. But the amazing thing is
when I did weight lifting everyday, I had such vitality. I just felt so good.
It was helping me be healthier and I could recognize that in the way I
felt.
My best friend during my middle school years, was Oliver Richards Jr.
When we got into high school we continued to be friends. Oliver and
his father, and my dad and I went deer hunting together a few times.
Chores
In our house on 22nd East, there was a furnace which burned little, fine pieces of coal. The coal
was dumped into a cement walled hole. Then, a special mechanism picked up the coal and put
it into the furnace automatically. At the end of the day we had to take the clinkers out of the fur-
nace. I helped Dad with that. Sometimes we had to open up a manhole cover, and push in the
coal that was stuck on the sides, so it would go into the furnace. One time as I was doing that, I
dropped the cover on my toe. Boy, did I have a sore toe! I got some advice to put my sore toe in
cool water. I got mixed up, and put it in warm water instead. That helped swell the toenail right
up and off. To this day, I still have a problem with that toenail.
Galvanized ducts went from the furnace to all the rooms of our house. It was very well heated.
One day, I had some very wet shoes, I thought if I put them on the furnace duct where it was nice
and warm, it would dry them. When I came back to get them, they had turned crisp through the
sole area. They had gotten too hot, and I ruined my shoes instead of drying them.
We had as modern a washing set up as you could get at the time. There was a washing machine
that would agitate the laundry similar to machines today. But when it was through, you had to
put the laundry through a wringer. The wringer consisted of two rubber rollers that fit tightly to-
gether. You would take the wet laundry, one piece at a time, and put it through the wringer. This
My friend, Oliver

15
Richard
squeezed the water out and then the item would fall into a rinse tub. You
would stir everything around a bit. Then everything was put through the
wringer again, and this time the laundry fell into a basket. Finally every-
thing was hung on the clothesline outside to dry. As I got older, I would
wash my own clothes. I got pretty good at using the wringer washer.
We also used a mangle iron. This was a machine with a padded roller
that turned and pressed down against a hot metal plate. You could iron
sheets, shirts and just about anything. I would sometimes iron the family’s
washed and dried clothing. I got pretty good at that, too.
I tried my best to never leave my room in a mess. I was anxious to have things in order. I made
my bed and kept my clothes put away. Dad did the gardening, but it was my job to mow the lawns
and edge them. It was also my job to keep the hoses coiled and neatly arranged.
Holidays
One year at Christmas time having seen many people skiing, I sure wanted some skis, and I told
my parents so. I had a room in the basement, and one day I found a pair of old wooden skis be-
hind the furnace. It turned out, that was my Christmas present, the polished up old skis. The skis
were abandoned ones that had once belonged to my uncle. They were the old type of skis with a
slot where a strap would go through. Your foot went through the strap. I found it difficult to ski
with these old style skis. Years later I got new skis and ski boots and they worked much better. My
parents didn’t have a lot of money early on, but they did the best they could.
Mother told me I could go skiing if I was careful where I went. I told her I knew the best place.
There was a little creek that went through a ravine with slopes on either side. I told my Mother
where I wanted to go to ski. I had tried sledding in this same location before. Mother said,“Don’t
you go skiing over there—you could get hurt!” I thought to myself,“What does Mother know
about that?” Kids were all over there, sledding and skiing, so I decided I was going over there
anyhow. I skied down one side, walked across the creek, and started up the other side. Suddenly
I slipped, and as I fell, slid down towards the creek. The worst pain hit the upper part of my leg.
There was a broken bottle, or can lid there. I got a cut of about two inches or more right through
to my skin. My pants were torn and there was blood on my leg. I turned around and went straight
home. When Mother saw me, she asked what happened. I told her,“I didn’t do what you told me.
I went skiing and I got hurt.” She called our family doctor, and he came over to our home. He laid
me on the bed and without anything to deaden the pain, he took something like a bent needle
and sewed me up. Afterwards he put a bandage on my leg. I got over it, but I still have a scar on
my leg. I learned I ought to pay a lot more attention to what my mother and father tell me.
Christmas time was quite notable. We always had a tree with lots of lights on it. We would open
presents on Christmas morning. One Christmas I had told Mother and Dad that I wanted a flash-
light. My heart was set on getting one. When Christmas morning came, I got some warm winter

Richard
16
boots, gloves, and such, but no flashlight. I began to bawl and Mother suggested that I look in
the toe of the new boots. I reached in and there was the flashlight! So that stopped those tears on
Christmas morning.
On Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving Day, we would always go to Grandma and Grandpa Soren-
son’s home. It was a wonderful event where all the relatives meet. There was plenty of room to
set up tables for a scrumptious dinner. I especially looked forward to this, because Grandpa and
Grandma had more blocks than I had at home. Wow! Could I build things with them! The more
blocks I had, the more imagination I had for building things. They also had about three times as
many little metal soldiers as I had. I loved playing with the soldiers and building blocks there.
Jobs
I would sometimes tend children for families in my ward. There was one little boy in particular
that I often tended. I was able to earn some money this way.
Our next door neighbor had a relative who lived in Bountiful. Back then Bountiful was just farms,
orchards, and a few scattered farmhouses. He needed young people to come and help pick the
fruit in his orchard. He would come very early in the morning and pick us up at my neighbor’s
house. We picked fruit all day, and then he would haul us back. I was usually one of the ones who
picked the most, because I spent less time talking and messing around. I remember there was a
reservoir where we would swim at lunchtime, and there were salamanders in the reservoir.
About the time I had completed requirements for a star scout, something else came along. School
let out for the year, and I was looking forward to summer scout camp and all of the other activi-
ties, which I really enjoyed. My folks told me that Grandpa wanted me to come and work for him
at Southeast Furniture. I understood it was something I was going to do, whether I wanted to or
Family get-together with Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson

17
Richard
not. I began working in what was called the “will call” department. Whenever somebody bought
an item that they wanted to take with them, they would ring a bell and I would find the ticket.
Then I would look through the warehouses to find the lamp, stool, night stand, or even mattresses
that were purchased. I tied the items on people’s cars for them. Often it was busy, and other times
I had time on my hands. In addition, I unpacked and polished furniture.
Frequently I worked next to a man who refinished any damaged furniture that came in. I would
whistle church songs while I worked, and he would tease me a little about it. I didn’t know, at the
time, whether he was in the Church of not. Later on, when I was older and working at La Rie’s,
one day that man came into the store and asked where I was. I hadn’t seen him for a long time. He
told me,“I came in to tell you, I’ve got a son going on a mission.” I was glad I hadn’t disappointed
him by something I did or said, when working with him at Southeast Furniture.
One spring before school let out, my next door neighbor asked me to work for him. His name
was Jay Eldridge and he owned a furniture store. So I worked for him.
During the war, business at Southeast Furniture dropped. With all of Grandpa’s sons working at
the store, there wasn’t enough money for everybody. He bought dairy farms for his two younger
sons. In the summer, on a couple occasions, I went out to help my Uncle Gordon with the dairy
cows. That was an interesting experience.
Also when the war was on, I got a job with a manufacturing company. They built sturdy boxes
for manufactured products, sealed the boxes so they were waterproof and could be shipped to a
war zone. The boxes were made and shipped to this assembly point. I was part of a box crew that
would unload the boxes, and then reload them once they had been packed. I worked at that war
effort for one summer.
I had another job with Fulton’s Market which was a wholesale fish and chicken market. They
brought in chickens from farms, butchered them, and got them
ready to send to grocery stores and restaurants. I was the one that
drove the truck and made deliveries. They also did some retail
business. A man and his grown son got orders ready and also did
selling at the front counter. I found in that experience what one
often finds in the work-a-day world, men with very vulgar lan-
guage and minds. I found it really obnoxious to have to listen to
the things that went on when I was around them.
As I recall, I was working for Fulton’s Market doing deliveries on
the day the war ended. When the announcement came that there
had been an armistice and the war was over all the businesses
closed all over Salt Lake City. Everyone went home and there
was a day of rejoicing.

Richard
18
High School Years
Living where we did, we had the choice of which high school to go to. My two sisters who were
older chose to go to East High. When it came my turn, I thought East High had too many rich
people attending, and I preferred the more common people. So I chose to go to South High. My
younger sister chose to do the same. It’s a building still standing on State Street in Salt Lake City,
although for many years it hasn’t been used as a high school.
We rode the city bus to get to school. In that day there were hardly any students that drove cars to
high school. You could see a few old rattle traps outside the back where the auto shop was.
My junior year in high school, I decided I wanted to get straight A’s. And so I set myself with that
goal in mind. I tried different things until I found out what helped me get the best grades and
was most effective towards my goal. In most classes we had a text book. Usually the teacher would
lecture on a subject then assign us to go home and read the text book chapters on the subject.
We knew day by day what that reading assignment was going to be. I started reading the assigned
chapter the day ahead; picked up what I could and wrote down the questions I had. Then when
I went through the lecture if that didn’t answer my questions, I went up to see the teacher right
after class. When I was through, I had all of the answers that I needed. I also decided that when
I went home form school, before I played basketball, did chores, or anything else, I was going to
do my lessons first. They weren’t that big or long usually. A lot of students would put their assign-
ments off and come back without them done. Having it done and done well made a big difference
in my grades. Consequently, I reached my goal of getting straight A’s in my junior year.
Because of the war going on, there was a very prominent reserve officer training corps program
in every high school. Then it was referred to as R.O.T.C. Every boy could choose whether to take
R.O.T.C. or athletics. About half chose R.O.T.C. The man who was in charge of the program was
a regular sergeant in the army named Sergeant Redmond. He was rather stern, and I was always
afraid of him. I hardly ever remember a smile on his face. Discipline was very evident, and we
were all expected to be completely obedient and dedicated to what we were learning.
I suppose, because I had gotten good grades in my junior year, when I came to check out my
uniform at the beginning of my senior year, Sergeant Redmond asked me to go to the end of the
line after I got my uniform. That made me nervous. I had no idea what he was going to say. After
the other students had gone, He said,“Richard, if
you want to, you could become the commander
of the officer’s saber drill team (Is this a name that
should be capitalized?) during your senior year.
That meant becoming the commanding officer
as far as the R.O.T.C. student organization was
concerned. That was quite an eye opener for me.
I think he must have talked to a few others in a
similar way.

19
Richard
As the year progressed week by week, we were anxious to find out what was going to happen.
Finally on the bulletin board was posted a list of sixteen cadets who had received the rank of 2nd
lieutenant. I was on that list. A week or two later, on the board was another list of eight 2nd
lieu-
tenants being advanced to 1st lieutenant. Soon another list was on the board naming four 1st
lieutenants being advanced to captain. My name was on those lists, too. We knew that the next an-
nouncement was going to be who would receive the rank of lieutenant colonel which commanded
all of the R.O.T.C., and major which was second in command. We continued in our classes, and
with drills, testing, and so on. The day came for the expected
announcement, and it was posted on the bulletin board. An-
other fellow in the group of four captains became lieutenant
colonel and commanded the drill team. I became major and
second in command. So the choice of officers for the year
had been completed.
One thing that happened almost immediately is the prin-
cipal, vice-principal, and Sergeant Redmond arranged that
the lieutenant colonel and major be freed from whatever
class was necessary. We were to be given a passing grade in
that class, in order to be free for the two periods of R.O.T.C.
which met at different times.
Years later, after I had completed high school and college,
and was married with little children, a man came into
Southeast Furniture one day when my dad was working. It
was Sergeant Redmond. Dad happened to be his salesman and they got talking about the fact
that I had been one of his students. He said,“Tell Richard that since he was there at South High
School, I investigated and joined the Church.” That was quite interesting to me and I was happy
about that.
At the beginning of my senior year in high school, I met a girl that lived in the Sugar House area.
I got to like her a lot, and she liked me. We would go to dances and places together. She had the
lead in the school play which was a special thing for her.
My friend was a Baptist and we would often get on the subject of religion. She told me that I,
being a Mormon, had been terribly deceived. She said there were many things Mormon’s believed
that weren’t in the Bible and weren’t correct. Some of those things she outlined. This was very
challenging to all the things that I had been taught. So, I became most interested in reading the
scriptures. I had done very little reading of them before. I was especially interested in studying the
New Testament to find answers to the question of what the original church did believe, in con-
trast to what she was telling me and what I had been taught. I went with her often to her church,
and took her to our church sometimes. I began an intense investigation of all different churches.
I was somewhat limited by time and the transportation I could muster. I visited several different

Richard
20
churches in Salt Lake including the Catholic Church masses. I got the anti-Mormon literature and
began to study intently. I got quite familiar with all the anti-Mormon claims.
When I went with my friend to her services, there was always a talk in the evening worship ser-
vice centered on Christ that ended with an altar call. Everyone who had not accepted Christ as
their personal Savior was invited to come up to the altar. Those in attendance that night consid-
ered that person had been saved. I wondered why it was that a person like myself who had gone
to church often, had been baptized, and had completely accepted Christ as the Savior, why that
wouldn’t do. It had to be there at the Baptist Church, or almost any other Protestant Church to
count, but not if it was in the Mormon Church. That was something that rather amazed me.
Having my faith challenged, and having heard all the criticisms of
our doctrine, I was highly motivated to begin a quest to find the an-
swers for myself. It began there and then, because of that conflict.
All the rest of my life, I have had a great interest in doing what is
best described by Peter (1 Peter 3:15) where he said,“Be ready al-
ways to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of
the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” So I hungered and
thirsted for the answers, and I found them.
I examined every one of their claims against what the New Testa-
ment said. To name a few: They claimed that God had no body,
and that he was something indescribable as a spirit. My friend
and her group believed that the Savior and Father were all one
and the same, some kind of essence which manifested itself as the Savior on Earth at one time. I
marveled that when she would offer a blessing at a meal, she would pray to the Father and then
she would talk to the Son as if they were one and the same. But I found that in the Bible, God the
Eternal Father and his beloved Son were separate. The Father had a glorified body, and the Son
after he had resurrected and finished his earthly mission had a body like unto his father.
There was much said in their meetings about being saved by grace. One scripture was quoted in
particular,“by grace are ye saved through faith.” And that—meaning that faith—is not of your-
self, but is a gift of God. I didn’t understand that very well at first. I asked my good bishop, but he
couldn’t explain it. I asked my father, and he couldn’t explain it. This was the only doctrine that I
didn’t find an answer for immediately. But I have since found the answer. I found that the Book of
Mormon teaches that through the grace of Christ, we are given salvation, something that we have
no ability to do for ourselves. We can’t forgive ourselves. We can’t bring about our own resurrec-
tion, to name a few gifts. The Savior will not give the gracious gift of salvation to those who do
not repent and follow him. That became very clear to me as I read the New Testament.
There was much said about what a blasphemous doctrine it was that we could become like God.
Yet as I studied, I found that it was taught in the New Testament. When I studied the first century
Richard and friends

21
Richard
church, I learned they taught and believed the same things the Mormon Church does on this
doctrine, and on many other doctrines unique to our church. I found that the Greek Orthodox
Church, the early Catholic Church, and today even the eastern Catholic Church, all still believe
that man’s ultimate destiny is to become like the Father.
I was also told that Joseph Smith was quite a scoundrel. In my quest, I have found well over a
hundred different firsthand statements by people who knew Joseph Smith very intimately. All of
them verify that he was prophetic in his ability to foresee the future, and that he was a virtuous
and good man, and indeed a prophet of God.
They said that if there was to be another book of scripture, the Bible would have said something
about it. If there was to be an apostasy as we claimed, and a restoration with the great magnitude
we claim in the latter days, the Bible would say something about that. Well, I found out, contrary
to what they were claiming, the Bible said a lot about it. There are a number of scriptures that
speak about an apostacy, the restoration in the latter days, and the coming forth of additional
scriptures. There’s much more, but I’ll leave it with that.
In consequence of this quest and my study, I became so converted that when it came time to go
on a mission, I was really anxious to go.
When I invited my friend to go to a church meeting with me, particularly a sacrament meeting
in the evening, I was anxious that it had some really useful, inspiring talks given. I hoped for talks
that would center around Christ and his mission,
which would appeal to her. Unfortunately, the
speakers often got sidetracked on other subjects.
Not that they aren’t important. Certainly the pio-
neers, the prophet Joseph Smith, and Brigham
Young were important, and so on. But when the
main talk left out the Savior, it did not impress her.
I began to be taught by the Holy Ghost to un-
derstand what was right and what was wrong in
many circumstances. At that time, I realized that
something major had to be done in order to not
get sidetracked with all of the side issues, but keep
Christ in the forefront. It’s easy to do, no matter
what the subject. I’ve noticed over the years how
the brethren have emphasized that. They added to
the title of the Book of Mormon the words, “An-
other Witness of Jesus Christ.” They’ve directed
that every sacrament meeting should have its focal
point in the talks as well as the sacrament, the

Richard
22
Savior and his mission.
Through the example of my parents and teachings I had received, I had a determination that
nothing would stand in my way of going on a mission and a temple marriage. Because of that, I
decided I was going to stop going with this friend. I could see that it was never going to happen
with her. Soon after graduation, I made that decision.
I made a couple other resolves because of my own experiences and that of many friends during
my senior year. I realized we should have listened more to the wisdom of our church leaders who
counseled young people to postpone dating to a later age. They also counseled us against steady
dating in high school, which was a prominent practice back then. The brethren spoke against it
until we were of such an age that we were ready to marry, could support a wife and children, and
had a vocation we could make a living at. I determined that hereafter, I wouldn’t spend time dat-
ing courting someone who I would never be able to marry and have the kind of life I wanted. I
wanted a life of being fully active and participating in all the things of the restored church. I de-
cided that until I had gone through my college career and returned from a mission, I wouldn’t do
any steady dating with any one girl.
When it came time for graduation, I was called in with a few oth-
ers to see Miss Dyer, the assistant principal. She wanted us to all
sit down in a classroom and write a patriotic talk, and then they
would chose some to be given as valedictorian speeches at gradua-
tion. After we turned in our essays, and waited a while, the answer
came and ten of us were chosen. I was one of the ten. These were
to be short talks as you might imagine. That was an interesting
experience.
About this time, the officers of the R.O.T.C. decided to have a
year end party. We set the date and time, and made assignments.
The officers were responsible for all the food, and were to
bring a date if they could get one. It was planned for a particular
evening at Fairmont Park in Sugar House. When the day came for the party,
we got there early to set up tables, put the paper plates out, the
drinks on ice, etc. We had different kinds of soda pop, and there
was never any thought of serving beer or anything else of like nature. Just as the cadets and their
dates started arriving, and to my great amazement, the assistant principle and the dean of women
came walking briskly down the lane. They walked immediately to the tables and looked to see
what our drinks were. As soon as they saw it was all soda pop and not any beer, they turned
around and walked over to a couple of us. The assistant principal said, “Richard, I should have
know that with you in charge, we didn’t have anything to worry about. Have a good time, and
good night.” And away they went. That pleased me that she would think of me in that way.
Bonnie and friends,
(Richard in back)

23
Richard
My sister, Bonnie, was a year behind me in high school. She had a great interest and talent in lit-
erature and poetry. She and a friend were editors of a South High periodical. Towards the end of
her senior year, there was a big dance was planned. She came to me and said her friend never got
asked out, and hadn’t been invited to this dance. She asked if I would
take her. I tried to talk her out of it. I was in college then and I didn’t
know her friend. I told her I really didn’t want to do it. Well, Bonnie
prevailed. She wanted her friend to have one happy dating experience
during her high school days. I finally told her I would do it. Bonnie
and her date, and Bonnie’s friend and I went to the dance. I honestly
did the best I could to show her a good time. I wasn’t really the ex-
citing dance that I might have liked to go to, but I did my best to be
kind to her and see that she traded some dances, and so on.
I’ve thought since, that of all the times I’d thought of myself when
I made a date or went to a dance, that this was probably the only
unselfish thing I had ever done in this regard. The best event of my
high school experience actually occurred after I had left and went
back to help my sister, Bonnie, make somebody else happy. Doing
something unselfish for someone else brought continuing joy into my life. A lot of things that
we do which eventually blossom into joy and real happiness, at the time require some sacrifice.
But in the end it leaves us permanently filled with joy. The things that give us quick gratification
often leave us empty and with a guilty conscience.
The University
When I attended the University of Utah, we were still living on 22nd
East. I would take a bus
down 21st
South and transfer to a bus that ran past the university. At that time, most of the build-
ings were in the old horseshoe shaped campus. In time the university grew rapidly and expanded
into the buildings and property that used to be Fort Douglas.
Perhaps the most important thing I did at the university was going every day to one or more
classes at the LDS Institute of Religion. At that time, there were only two teachers and we met in
the old university chapel. One teacher was Brother Lowell Bennion who I took a special liking
to. He was the one who started the first university Institute in the Church, under the direction of
the brethren. Now it’s grown to more than 2000 university campuses over the country. Brother
Bennion was a very pleasant person with a happy attitude, and a constant smile. When I left for
my mission, he was a speaker at my farewell.
The reason these Institute classes were the most important thing is because they taught me about
the purpose of life and gave me direction and answers to challenges which came hot and furious
from some of the U of U professors. There were professors who delighted in trying to break the
faith of the Mormon students in particular.
Oliver and Richard

Richard
24
I majored in biology and took classes to fulfill pre med
requirements. I enjoyed a number of those classes as
well as others required for graduation. I had interest in
sociology and philosophy, and so I took a number of
classes as electives in those fields. I encountered some
especially bad professors who delighted in trying to
shake the faith of students, and their belief in religion
and Christ. They particularly liked to challenge the
LDS students. One of the professors called philosophy
a religion. This was disgusting to me. However going
to the Institute of Religion where those questions and
challenges were addressed, I got excellent answers.
They helped me past those troublesome professors
and helped me to keep my thinking on track.
I had a great experience when I took a class called the
Philosophy of Democracy. The class was taught by a
professor named was O. C. Tanner. I didn’t know too
much about him at the time except I knew that he
operated a jewelry business. Years later his business
became a large and prosperous operation. O. C. Tanner was a doctor
of philosophy, and he taught because he had great interest in the subjects. He was interested in
helping students understand important philosophical subjects. He helped us get through the maze
instead of trying to get us lost in it. I admired him for the fact that he left his growing business in
order to teach the truth about these things. He was always a good, active Latter-day Saint in years
to come. He was the one who built many beautiful fountains throughout the country. He built the
water fountain in front of the Church Office Building in Salt Lake.
The Philosophy of Democracy class went into the good and bad aspects of communism and
socialism, and explored their differences. We also studied our American form of government,
which is not a democracy as talked about today, but is much better than that. It was established as
a republic where God gives man their rights, not the popular vote. That doesn’t control the des-
tiny of the land as a democracy does. God has given us certain unalienable rights that cannot be
taken away from us by popular vote in our American system. Every principle that Brother Tanner
had taught and concern in relation to the various systems of government, I saw realized through
actual experience over the years in wars, the Cold War, and so on.
I didn’t have any interest in the regular fraternities at the university, but I did join the Lambda
Delta Sigma. We had a weekly meeting and met in the Institute building. There were several so-
cials throughout the year. We were able to meet and work with a lot of different people who had
the same standards. At one of the socials is where I met Marjorie.

25
Richard
I also joined a service fraternity called the Intercollegiate Knights. The college women had a
similar organization called the Spurs. Members wore white sweater with red U of U emblems on
them. We ushered for various activities including plays and other events held at the university.
At the end of my college days prior to graduating, the Intercollegiate Knights had their final
party of the year. There was a social and dinner arranged for just the fellows. At each place set-
ting there was a big cigar and a bottle of beer. It was very different from the socials we had at
Lambda Delta Sigma. I enjoyed the socials and the company of the latter a lot more.
Halfway through my university studies, I went on my mission. I went to college and a mission
for two years each, then back to college for two years more. When I returned to the U following
my mission, I learned that a new, large facility had been built for the Institute of Religion. There
were more teachers and classes, and more room for social activities. The new building was very
impressive. Today, Lambda Delta Sigma and the Institute has grown beyond anything we imag-
ined back then. After my mission, I got involved again and with one of my friends ran for chapter
president of Lambda Delta Sigma. There were seven or eight girls’ chapters and three of four
boys’ chapters. Over all of these was an interchapter presidency. My friend, Dwayne Schmidt,
became the president. After another contest, I became president of our beta chapter in my last
year. I made many good friends and it was a good experience.
My Father, William Theophil Stucki
The main thing that is really significant in my early memory is that I adored my father. He played
with me, paid attention to me, and made me feel like someone worthwhile. In fact, he was so glad
he had a son who could carry on his family name. It seemed really important to him. As I got
older and more serious things were a part of my thinking, I never wanted to let my father down.
I wanted to pass on to posterity a good example and help him achieve his goal of having a righ-
teous posterity. So that was on my mind in crossroads in my
later years.
When I was very young, Daddy went off to work when I was
still in bed. Mother would usually call me and I would run to
the front door and give him a hug and a kiss. If as sometimes
happened, she thought,“Richard is tired, I won’t call him this
morning,” and Daddy got away before I woke up, she had
a crying boy on her hands until noon. When Daddy would
come home, I would rush to the door to greet him, and often
he would play horse with me around the dining room table.
I would be the rider and he was the horse. One time I got
bucked off the “horse,” landed on my shoulder, and broke my
collar bone.
I had great respect for my father. I sometimes marvel at how

Richard
26
close I felt to my father when he had no interest in sports—he had
never played sports. All he had done as a boy was to work on a
farm. We didn’t go to ball games together, although we did watch
major boxing matches as I got older. At that time all of the men
and their sons seemed to have great interest in that. I remember
the “unbeatable” Joe Lewis.
Mother and Daddy wanted me to learn things about electrical wir-
ing so I could do things like change a light switch, and carpentry
so I could build things. When my father was a boy he only learned
about farming. He never had a chance to learn any of these types
of things. He didn’t know how to change the car oil, but he could
get on a horse and ride it up in the hills and herd cattle. He could
irrigate, pick fruit, and prune the trees. He knew all about that.
One of the reasons I felt so close to Dad, and he had such an influence on me was because of
my respect and love for him for the kind of person he was and what he stood for. I never heard
him once profane the name of God or the Savior. I never heard him swear. He never used vile
language. He never cheated on his wife. He never told a dirty story. I never heard him tell a poor
joke. He never brought any worldly magazines to the house. He was a man of solid goodness. He
cared about others, and I saw that in him. He cared about his family. He was a dedicated, kind and
faithful husband and father.
Typical of his concern and caring for his wife, when I was ending my mission and it was time to
return. I got a little letter from Daddy and he wrote,“You’re coming home now.
Your dear mother has worked her heart out” (at the time she was working) “to
send you money for your mission. She loves you very much and I don’t want
her to feel overlooked. So when you get off the train, I want you to run to her
first and give her a hug because she deserves it.” Dad was constantly thinking
about the welfare of mother and he showed it.
As the children were getting older and we were getting to college and mission age, there was need
for more money than we had in the family. Dad decided he was going to have to take a second
job. He spent a whole day down working for South East Furniture. At first it was six days a week.
Then finally he got a day off and got some vacation time. He went to a bakery in Sugar House and
got a job after hours. He worked late into the night cleaning baking pans and getting everything
ready for the bakers when they arrived early in the morning. Well, his intention was good, but it
was too much for him. He couldn’t handle that many long hours of hard work, and working that
many days of the week. So mother realized that she needed to find a job too, and that’s when she
started working.
I learned a lesson during that time. I had worked and I saved quite a bit of money. I spent my own
money for the materials I needed for raising rabbits and building pens for them. When I finally
Daddy off to work

27
Richard
got into high school and started dating, I’d buy corsages and spend whatever I needed for dating.
One day Dad talked to me about that. He was not a critical person and he was always gentle and
considerate. He said,“It seems to be a mistake you’re making to spend so much on these girls
when you should be saving more of your money for the girl that someday is going to really count.
You’re going to have to go to college, and you’re going to have to buy her a ring. You’re going to
have to be able to make a down payment someday on a house. You ought to think a little more
carefully at how freely you spend your money.” Then he told me,“I won’t
even buy myself a package of gum because it’s so hard to try and pay the
bills.” I remember that, and it was during the time when he was working
at two jobs. I began to think more about the consequences of some of the
things I was doing. I learned to appreciate more what Dad was sacrificing to
help the family.
Dad’s main hobby was gardening. He loved to garden all of his life. He
made a beautiful yard and planted beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, he liked
it so well that when Mother got out there she found it was hard to do any
creative gardening. She determined she had better not interfere. She just left the gardening to him
and found expression with her other talents, which were many.
One Sunday, I remember Dad helping some hitchhikers. We were on our way home from church
at Parley’s ward on the corner of 21st
South and 21st
East. We started up 21st
south, which was a
main road then. It went down through Sugar House in one direction and clear up into Parley’s
Canyon in the other, so quite a few hitchhikers could be seen along the road back in that era.
There were a couple men standing there as we walked up the street. He stopped and asked them,
“Have you men had something to eat yet today?” They said,“No, we haven’t.” He said,“Well,
c’mon home and we’ll have some dinner for you.” Mother had been home fixing dinner and
doing things. When we got home, she really didn’t mind helping them, but she was scared to
death of strangers. She was afraid to have them come in the house. However, she agreed if they
would just sit and eat on the porch. They didn’t mind doing that for a
good meal. They ate, and dad talked to them and treated them well. They
appreciated it very much. In fact, one of the men chose to write back a
time or two and express his appreciation to Dad.
Dad had a health problem that I didn’t know anything about until some
time after his death, when Mother told me. Early in his life, he had some
type of illness that left him with a rheumatic heart. He went to the doc-
tor and the doctor told him that he was going to be limited in what he
could do. But he wasn’t limited. He gardened, worked, and lived a full
life. Later in his life, after he had retired from work, he went to see the
doctor. The doctor told him,“Bill, you are remarkable because you
had a full and normal life with a bad, rheumatic heart. We felt like that
couldn’t happen with your condition.” He then asked,“Would you

Richard
28
mind if I take your story when I go back to a medical conference, and refer to that as we discuss
rheumatic heart problems?” Dad didn’t mind.
I believe Dad felt he lived as well and as strong as he did, because he was dedicated to following
the Word of Wisdom. He ate very healthy all of his life. This was a fulfillment, in my opinion, of
the promises in the Word of Wisdom. Dad wished that he might have continued in school and
gone into the field of preventive medicine. In that day, there were very few people who talked
about what to do for good health with diet and exercise. There really wasn’t a medical school that
taught it. There were a few health lecturers who did.
Along with those interests, Dad joined the Anti-Cigarette League. They which sent him an ap-
paratus to be used in lectures. A tape was put into a projector, and turned by hand from slide to
slide. It showed how a person who used cigarettes tied himself up in a very difficult habit to break.
It illustrated the various poisons besides nicotine found in tobacco. It showed the difference be-
tween a healthy kidney and one from a habitual smoker; the difference between a plum and a
prune. It showed the difference in the lungs and heart of a smoker versus a nonsmoker. I used to
go with Dad when he gave the lectures to youth. The highlight of the lecture was a demonstration
with a white mouse. Dad would use the apparatus by putting a cigarette in the tube and lighting
it. The smoke would go through the tube, and he would collect the nicotine. The nicotine would
then be put it in an eye dropper and given to the unwilling mouse. By the end of the lecture, the
mouse was be dead. The desire to smoke is one thing I never had a problem with. I was cured of
that by just watching those films and listening to the lectures. It was very convincing to me.
I think about the great sacrifices my parents and forebearers made for me, and the great example
they set of complete faithfulness to the Savior and His teachings in their lives. Now it’s my turn. I
would surely feel amiss to pass on to my posterity something less.
Mother & Dad

29
Richard
My Mother, Lucy Marie Sorenson Stucki
As a young woman, Mother was a vivacious and talented
person, and interested in all kinds of homemaking skills.
She was a good cook and she did a lot of canning. She
sewed, and knew a lot about fabric. She learned what she
could in school, and she learned a lot from a good mother.
She went to college, and that is where she met Dad. Moth-
er’s knowledge was enhanced by having gone to college.
When mother and Dad decided that they wanted to get
married, they were from quite different family backgrounds.
Mother’s parents didn’t really approve of her marrying my
dad. Mother saw a lot of good in him, and wasn’t going to
be told she couldn’t marry him. So they got married in spite
of some objections. Well, I don’t think it was a mistake,
though sometimes mistakes happen when we go against the
advice of parents. Their first home was on the avenues in
Salt Lake City, and that’s where they lived when their chil-
dren were born.
Mother also knew something about nutrition. Since I was often sick as a boy, she did everything
she could to change my health for the better. She’d give me the best school lunch you could imag-
ine. She would put in carrot and celery sticks, nuts, and some dried fruit or raisins. She would
make whole wheat bread sandwiches, although they sort of crumbled and fell apart at times. The
sandwiches would be made of nutritious things like cheese, lettuce leaves, and other good things.
On occasion I’d have a cottage cheese sandwich. She just wanted to put the best things in my
lunch. It would seem like too much to eat at times. I noticed some of the other boys would open
their sacks and take out a stack of about six white bread sandwiches, each one with jam on it,
and that was their lunch. I came to appreciate my mother and all the extra things she did for me.
Some threw the leftover part of their lunches in the garbage, but I could never do that.
Mother had little sayings that she would quote on certain occasions. One I remember is “If you
get a lemon, make lemonade.” She was such a positive thinker; she believed everything could be
turned to our advantage. My, I’ve used that bit of advice often and it’s helped a lot.
Around the time I got into junior high school, we moved from Garfield Avenue to a house in a
better neighborhood, with bigger homes and larger yards. At that time, Mother and Dad began
had an economic crunch because of the demands for clothes, school costs, college, and so on.
Mother talked to Dad about it and said,“We’re going to have to do something. Why don’t we get
out and start our own business?”“What kind of business would you think of?” Dad wondered.
She said,“Why don’t we start a carpet store. That’s something there is great demand for. You
could do well—you’re an excellent salesman and I’d help you. I could help with the books and

Richard
30
advertising and things.” She encouraged him, and they talked and thought
about a number of different options. But, Dad never felt like he was quite
ready to do it. It seemed too risky to him. He worried about not having money
to pay the bills. He was working at Southeast Furniture at the time, and he
had a steady income. He could count on it, and he knew it would be there. His
background was farming, so there were some things he didn’t feel comfortable
with. Mother came from a business family, and it was second nature for her
to think about doing this kind of thing. Although, in that era, women didn’t
very often venture out as she had proposed for her and Dad.
Since Dad just didn’t feel like he wanted to take that step, Mother decided
she’d better look for a job. She applied at the ZCMI store in downtown Salt Lake City, which was
the big store of that era. They were happy for someone with her background and offered her a job
in the fabric department. She was to start work the next day, as I remember. She was told what
the pay would be, and she weighed things out in her mind. When she got home, Mother said,“If I
can’t earn more on my own than what I’m going to get paid working in a fabric department, then
there’s something the matter with me!” So, she decided she was going to start her own business.
But of course, this would take a bit of financing.
From the time Southeast Furniture had opened, to this point in our family’s history, the furni-
ture company had grown and prospered. Grandpa Sorenson, who was the owner (his sons had
become involved in the business, too) had enough money to give each of his daughters a duplex
or something similar. In my mother’s case, it was a duplex with a little house adjacent. It took too
much time and care, and eventually they sold the duplex. With the money from the sale, Mother
had enough to start her business.
She opened a dress and gift shop called La Rie’s in Sugar House. The name was a blend of Moth-
er’s names, Lucy Marie. Sugar House was the first really suburban Salt Lake City shopping area.
This was where Southeast Furniture was also located, and their slogan was,“Drive out and save!”
La Rie’s was one of the very first, if not the first ladies dress shop started in suburban Salt Lake
City. Actually, it didn’t start as a dress shop, but at first sold hand-made gifts and infants things. In
a matter of a few months, Mother realized there was a lot more to be made buying, stocking, and
selling a complete line of things for women rather than just hand-made items. The handmade
things were nice, but she realized she couldn’t derive the income needed from them. She took a
plunge, and began going to the merchandise market and buying goods. She had a couple of kind
friends who gave her help and advice. And she had courage enough to do it! Dad supported her
all the way.
After the first store in Sugar House was prospering and she was able to save some money, she
opened another little store in Murray. A third store opened in a newer area called Rose Park, and
finally another in Midvale. Dad would deliver the new merchandise. He’d put things in his car,
carefully laid out, and drive them to the different shops. That’s what happened for a number of
years until the business got bigger and bought a delivery truck.

31
Richard
There was a price though, to Mother’s business venture and that was her time. She had a lion by
the tail! And, she was trying to do it alone. It took much more time and energy than a person
had, and she needed more help. At times, Dad would be home alone, and lonesome in the eve-
nings when mother had to stay and write orders or take care of business matters. She did get an
accountant and hire an office girl. Then she hired a second office girl. She had several sales girls,
but it still required her involvement in many ways including buying the right merchandise.
There were rewards too. Eventually, Dad and Mother had the chance to take some wonderful trips
to different parts of the world. They wouldn’t have been able to except for the extra financing that
Mother was able to contribute.
She could also do things to help her children. If
we knew all the things she had done for children
and grandchildren, with her ability to help finance
things, it would be quite a story to tell. She kept
it very quiet when she helped a sister’s husband,
struggling to get through college and about ready
to quit. She helped with some finances. Then there
was a granddaughter who wanted to be an artist so
badly, but never had a brush or any paints. One day
Mother took her to an art store and told the clerk,
“I want you to give her everything she wants for
studying, practicing and working at oil painting.” She bought her all the things she needed. This
granddaughter later became a very famous artist. Mother did things for every one of us, but she
never talked about it. Some of these things I’ve come to know about. I appreciate how she utilized
her ability to assist members of the family, and even many others.
Mother’s sister, Faye needed a job when her husband passed away. So Mother hired her, and put
her in charge of the children, infants and maternity department at La Rie’s. She worked there with
Mother for years.
A lady I knew from my mission; someone I knew very well and admired, Sister Bigney, was leav-
ing Nova Scotia and moving to Utah with her husband and family. She needed a job. I asked
Mother if when Sister Bigney got here she would give her a job and Mother did.
I was impressed with how Mother dealt with another situation. A young woman applied for a
bookkeeping job at La Rie’s. She looked like just the type of person Mother would like to handle
the books, so she hired her. After a little while, it became obvious that this young woman, who
was not married, was expecting a baby. In those days, even when a woman was married and in
the best of circumstances, when she got pregnant and started showing, her job ended. Back then,
that’s the way it was. Mother sat down with the girl one day, and said,“I think there’s something
La Rie’s in Sugar House

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32
you need to talk to me about.” The girl admitted that she was pregnant. She pled with Mother to
not fire her and she didn’t. Mother told her that if she did her work, she had a job. The girl’s fami-
ly had disowned her. When it came time for the baby to arrive, the girl needed some help with the
bill. She had saved some money, but when the hospital found out she was an unwed mother, they
told her she had to have someone to guarantee the bill in case she couldn’t pay it. Mother told the
hospital to take care of the girl, and she would pay the bill if the girl couldn’t. As I recall, Mother
was at the hospital with the girl when the baby arrived. The girl’s own mother wasn’t there. Some
time later, the girl made some improvements in her circumstances, moved to a different job, and
married a nice young man. One day, this young man came into the shop and wanted to see Mrs.
Stucki. He told her,“I just wanted to come in and tell you how much you did to help my wife
when she was in desperate need. Thank you for being her friend.”
When Mother was actively working in her business and opening the various branch stores, she
would hire good people. It didn’t concern her if they didn’t have training for the particular job if
she saw potential in them. She would work with them for a month or more, teaching them the job
and how to serve customers. Some people that you might think would never be able to pick it up,
became good, capable salespeople and store managers. Mother saw the best in people, unpolished
though they were. I see a parallel with the way the Savior sees people. The development we gain
from church service, assignments, and many other ways, helps us to become something we have
potential for but wouldn’t otherwise achieve.
One of the most notable of those circumstances was a lady in Rose Park. She became one of the
most successful and capable store managers. Eventually she gained all of the skills that she was
lacking when she started out. It has impressed me over the years since then, how the Lord does
that as a manager of our lives and of our earth experience. If we follow him, read about him, and
utilize his teachings and example, then when our life has ended, we will have become trained and
skilled like that store manager.
On occasion, when an employee would get irritated with Mother about something, and tell her
off. Mother would just listen, and when it was over she wouldn’t say anything. She didn’t retali-
ate or fire the employee. Others who were present and noticed her kindness, were impressed and
came to admire her for this. After many years, when the business was going to close and the em-
ployees heard of it, most of them said they would stay to the last day. She had some very dedicated
people working for her because she had earned their respect.
Mother had a special attachment to her grandchildren. There isn’t anyone I know who loved
their grandchildren more. If she was working with a salesman and a daughter or daughter-in-law
came in with some of her children, Mother would drop everything and ask the salesman to wait.
She always gave the children a hug and talked to them. It was an amazing thing to see salesmen
stand and wait, while she spent time with her grandchildren. She would find either a little treat
or something the grandchild needed in the way of clothing, and give them special attention. The
grandchildren always came first.

33
Richard
It was a unique thing, in my mother’s day, for a woman to get into the
merchandise markets. Mother was always a lady. Also, the salesmen
knew she wouldn’t take a drink. Later on I became part of the com-
pany, as did my brother-in-law, Lynn Christensen. When we would
go to the market, the salesmen wouldn’t even ask us. They knew from
Mother’s standards, the standards we had. Mother had shown by her
example, what we all stood for.
Dad would often go with Mother to the markets, especially if it ap-
peared she might be walking into a situation that may not be a whole-
some one. Sometimes, when she left for an appointment, she would
arrange with my dad to call him if she found she needed him with her.
One time she went to the merchandise market at the Hotel Utah. As she
was about to enter the salesman’s room where the merchandise was,
she noticed the lights dimmed, a candle lit, and a bottle of champagne
or wine on the table. She slipped back to the elevator, went to a phone
and called my dad. She asked him if he could get there very quickly.
As soon as he got there, they both went up to the room. When the salesman saw she had brought
her husband with her, he had a whole change of attitude. The lights went on, the candle went out,
and the champagne went in the back room. Mother never violated the fidelity and goodness that
would be expected of a Latter-day Saint woman.
As Mother was engaged in this growing business, with most of the responsibility on her shoulders
alone, one day she became so weary and tired from staying up late to get orders done that she just
collapsed there in her office. Through this, we were alerted to the fact that the burden on her was
more than we had realized. I was still in school then, but in due time when Lynn and I came to
help, we were able to take much of the responsibility to lighten her load.
There was an experience I had with Mother when I was seventeen. It was when she was working
and would go to the merchandise markets in California, Chicago, or New York. The first time I
went with her was when I was still in high school. I was out of school, so she invited me to go with
her. She made a reservation for us at the LaSalle Hotel in Chicago. A check was sent and she got
back a confirmation. She always had to make reservations early because so many people attended
the markets that the hotels would fill up.
We flew to Chicago and drove to the hotel by taxi. We went to the front desk, Mother gave her
name and told them we had a reservation and wanted to check in. They told us they couldn’t
find it. Mother told them,“That can’t be, because I sent my check and you sent me back a con-
firmation for a room with two beds.” They looked again but couldn’t find her reservation. In all
the years, that never happened to her before of after. This time it was lost. Mother felt like they
just had to make a place for us. But they told us they were completely filled up and didn’t have
one room left. The sympathetic desk clerk told us she had a friend who owned some furnished

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34
apartments, and that she would probably have an empty one. She called her friend and made ar-
rangements for us to stay there, so we did. In the middle of the night, we were awakened by lots of
fire engines. They came across a bridge over a river and headed down the same street as we were
on. We marveled at how many fire engines came one after the other. We wondered where the fire
was. The next morning, the bold newspaper headlines told about how the LaSalle Hotel, where
we were supposed to have stayed, had burned. Fifty-two people had died and two hundred were
injured. This was one of quite a few times in my life, when the Lord spared me, and I am most
grateful.
When mother was in business with her first dress shop, she needed some stock room shelves. She
bought me a saw and asked if I would come help her. I went out and helped her put the shelves
up. I still have that saw and it’s my favorite one. I’ve had it all these years. I always think of my
mother and our experiences together when I use that saw.
My respect for Mother grew as I got older and appreciated all she did for people, and her gentle,
kind and loving nature. One of the last years of her life was spent with Margie and me in Castle
Valley. In all of the time that she was there, I can’t remember once when she complained. Some-
times, I’d cook dinner (I’m not very good at that), but it didn’t matter how poor it was or how
late it came, she never had a word of complaint. I was busy working and wasn’t home all of the
time. But, when I came home, I found if I spent 20 minutes or so with her, talking about my day
and other things, she loved to sit there and listen. I enjoyed being able to talk to her and express
myself without lectures or comments, just listening. I learned a lesson about being a good listener
from her example.
My Grandparents
I never really knew my Grandma Stucki because
she had passed away. Grandpa Stucki lived down
in the Santa Clara area of Utah. He came up
to Salt Lake City on rare occasions. I was very
young and barely remember seeing him before
he passed away. I have a photograph that shows
he apparently went on a trip with my family
once when I was young.
I know my Grandpa Stucki very well though, because he wrote a journal and told much of his
life’s experiences. I am so grateful for that. If I were to lose everything I had, and could only save
a couple things, I’d grab my scriptures and I’d grab John S. Stucki’s Journal. It means that much
to me. I’m sorry that my grandmother hadn’t written anything. She would have had so much of
interest to tell from her perspective. My great grandparents who left their families in Switzerland
and eventually came across the plains with handcarts to Utah, I wish I had something from them.
I remember more about my mother’s parents, my Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson. My first rec-
Grandpa John, Mother, and the Children

35
Richard
ollection of them is when we would go to their home
for Thanksgiving and for Christmas Eve. They had
wonderful dinners, and I had fun playing with the
toys they had in a large basement room. They seemed
to have quite a bit of money, because I remember they
had a very nice, spacious house, and a big yard with a
fish pond. It was on about 13th
East, below the Univer-
sity of Utah.
They started out their marriage quite humbly. Grand-
ma told us that early on, when they had a young
family, they lived above a store in an apartment. She
would carry their water from ground level up all those
the stairs, for washing, cooking, and laundry.
Grandma also told about Grandpa wanting to get started in business, and selling Monarch ranges.
These were the old-fashioned wood or coal cook stoves with a water tank on one end where you
could heat water. He was very successful at it and sold stoves all over the state of Utah. As he trav-
eled about in his car selling stoves, he would often come home with his car sold. Sometimes he
would come home in someone’s old jalopy that he had sold his car to. Then he would buy himself
a new car, and on the next trip he would sell it. He was quite a salesman. Grandma told about
when he once drove home in a car that he had traded his for, and the car was in such a condition
that he couldn’t figure out how to stop it. When he arrived home, he plowed into the garden be-
fore he got the car stopped.
My Grandma Sorenson was a good cook and she always made the most delicious things. She was
famous with her grandchildren for her sugar cookies. She used a special rolling pin and rolled
them quite thin. The rolling pin made little ridges running the length of the cookie. We always
looked forward to a visit to Grandma and a treat, often those sugar cookies.
Grandpa seemed to have a special liking for a little rounded, flat, butterscotch candy. I hardly ever
saw them anywhere else, but he always had a box of them on the top shelf of his closet. So when
we went to visit, we got one of Grandpa’s special butterscotch candies.
When Grandpa started Southeast Furniture, he
had his son Horace, my dad, and my Uncle Har-
vey (Mother’s sister, Faye’s husband) who were all
involved in the business. They did all the selling,
the unpacking of furniture in the evenings after
the store had closed, the deliveries, the cleaning
of the store, etc. Little by little, it grew until it was
a very large and successful establishment with
Grandma & Grandpa Sorenson
Southeast Furniture Company

Richard Stucki Personal History Online

Richard Stucki Personal History Online

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Richard Stucki Personal History Online