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Show WW 57 VOLUME KUMDER phi 19 & la & & - id suit mzz fa FEBRUARY 84337 TREMONTON, UTAH 10, 1977 Sisters Find Each Other After Years The vague memories of a three d girl were all a Tremon-to- n woman had to remind her that she had two sisters somewhere in one of them shothe world-un- til wed up at her home recently. Mrs. Clain (Sheri) Smith, is still trying to catch up with herself since being reunited with one of her long lost sisters and talking to the second by telephone. Three weeks ago, Mrs. Smith's husband received a telephone call at work at Thiokol's Wasatch Division from a man named Larry Braithwaite who told him, "My wife is your wife's sister." ','He couldn't believe this was really happening," she said, describing his reaction. . "At first I had all kinds of doubts... anybody could have said my wife is your wife's sister," Mrs. Smith recalled. A bit bewildered, Mrs. Smith said she tried to reach her adoptive parents in Farmington when her husband came home and told her, the news, but couldn't immediately get hold of them. She also tried to reach a lady who had assisted in her own adoption when she was in the third grade, but couldn't. She did talk to some welfare officials about 7 p.m. that evening but got no help. Finally, she phoned Braithwaite back. "I wanted to know some facts, but some that only a sister would know," she said. The alleged sister proceeded to describe an incident when Mrs. Smith almost drowned in her aunt's swimming pool as a child. She cited another incident which occurred when she and her husband had handcuffed themselves together at their wedding reception to keep pranksters from whisking them off to different parts of the state. Both incidents were remembered in the mind of a young sister who was less than three years old at the time. "We've got some pictes here of you when you were smaller.'s' the sister told Mrs. Smith. Convinced now that she was for real, the two sisters agreed to meet Jan. 26 in Tremonton. Residents of Mesa, Arizona, d Tammi, Mrs. Smith's sister, and her husband had come year-ol- n, Ipfoidul new-foun- Mo Young IMmm MRS. SHERI SMITH of Tremonton has been able to trace a little of her own genealogy recently after coming face to face with her sister who she had lost track of and after talking by telephone to a second sister she's nev er seen since age three. ation. Former state president of the association, Paul Pali of Elwood, was named Utah Young Farmer of the Year, cash award ' Emsm River Bear The Young Farmer Chapter garnered its share of awards recently at the state convention of the Utah Young Farmer Associ- $200 make the trip. "We called her that night and talked to her for about 45 minutes," Mrs. Smith said. The two sisters plan to get together in Arizona ' later in the year. For Mrs. Smith, the reunion answered a lot of unanswered questions from her childhood. "I've never know what my last name was," she explained. She found out it was Arnold. cont. on page three .Top '''"Nik f from Intermountain Farmers Association and a trophy. An Elwood farmer, Jay Hardy, brought home the Young Farmer Beautification Project award along with a $100 cash prize and a trophy. Hardy, the chapter president this past year, also accepted a trophy naming the Bear River unit as Chapter of the Year. That award also carried a $100 cash prize. He was also named state secretary. Trophies were furnished to the winn-er- s by First Security Bank Corp. Nine members of the Bear River Chapter also received Master Farming diplomas in recognition of their service to the organization and Dave' Weston of Howell competed in public speaking. The state convention was held in Salt Lake City at the Hotel Hilton, with Pali presiding. The awards mark the third time in a row that a member of the Bear River Chapter has won the beautification award and the second time in four years that a chapter member has been named young farmer of the year. Carlos Christensen of Howell won the honor four years ago. To gain the young farmer of the year award, Pali competed against representatives of seven other chapters in Utah. Last year in the same competition, he finished second. He won the cont. on page three ' - :v.S a know how this is going to go." The second sister, Joyce tire, lives in Long Beach, Calif., but is pregnant now and couldn't When the two met, "she came towards me with tears in her eyes and gave me the biggest hug," Mrs. Smith recalled. "I wasn't emotional or anything,.. I just thought is this happening to me?" "When they left...I still couldn't believe it was happening, but I was crying and my mom was crying," she added. After talking to her sister on the phone, Mrs. Smith had called her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Nielsen in Farmington and finally managed to reach them. She had invited them up for ' winning moral support, noting, "I don't to Ogden to attend the funeral of her grandmother-- a grandmother Mrs. Smith didn't know she had. County commissioners apparently are not ready to get into a county-wid- e animal control program. Commissioner Reed Nielsen, who earlier this winter, said talks were underway with various communities about a possible county role in animal control, Tuesday said he doesn't know what that role would be. "I don't know how the county could take it on a county basis," he said. "I've talked to a few of the outlying areas and they don't seem to have too much problem," he added later. Asked if he felt that the county would not participate in a county-wid- e program, Nielsen responded, "That's my feeling, yes." Commissioner Don Chase said, "We've said we'd be happy to talk about problems." But he said the biggest problems appear to be in cities although he was quick to add that animal control is not ' , ' V ; Y . ":r-- l ' Compact . .A FUNERAL HOME doesn't necessarily have to be a frightening place as funeral director Ward Taylor attempts to tell young people who tour the facility. Taylor spent about an hour speaking to the various groups about their feelings about death and some of their fears. A group of Bear River City teens recently toured the mortuary. People Are 'Scored subject of death from the viewpoint of a local funeral home director. People ar,e "scared to death of death" especially children, says a local funeral home director, and no pun is intended. Ward Taylor of Roger's Mortuary says grownups instill a sense of fear about death in children almost inadvertantly by trying to protect them. Taylor, a counselor in the Tremonton Stake presidency, citing Elizabeth Kubler-Ross- , Taylor points out her contention that nursing homes and hospitals should let children have access instead of excluding those under a certain age. "We've removed small children from aging or death," Taylor said, Figures show, he added, that "80 percent of people who die, die in a hospital or nursing home." The result is that children can be isolated from death in today's world by simply not taking them near it. "Many years ago, funeral directors would go to the home," Taylor exof plains to various groups-ma- ny them young who visit at Rogers Mort -- ; The Golden Spike Humane Society has asked to meet with commissioners to discuss "some of these things," Chase said. In other action during a commission day with no appointments, Chase said the latest estimates are that the county of will not get any payment-in-lie- u taxes money until at least September. The county stands to get approxima-el- y $730,000 annually from the federal government as payment in lieu of taxes it would receive from federal lands in the county if locally owned. Chase said the Bureau of Land Management is in the process of verifying the amount of federal lands in the some 1,000 counties nationwide which will be eligible for payments. Commissioners are still reluctant to make any promises as to what they intend to do with the money. "We'd really like to see it become a reality before anyone gets counting on it," Chase said. "Weiivould hope to see a reduction in the mill levy," he added. He also cited a need to update some county equipment. Turning their attention to the state legislature, Commissions discussed a couple of bills which will affect the county. One is a bill which would make indigent medical care the state's responsibility. Currently any indigent injured while in the county who can't pay the bill becomes the county's problem. "I think it's the responsibility of the entire state more than just one county," Chase said. "We get an unfair burden to some extent because of the fact that we're such a large county" and have so many highways running through, the commissioner pointed out. He cited one instance where the county had to foot a medical bill of about $27,000 run up by an inebriated man who had hopped a freight train and fell off in western Box Elder County. The commissioner also noted that another bill has been introduced by Senator Cap Ferry of Box Elder which would give the State Aeronautical Board the right to regulate aircraft landings on county highways. . Funeral Home Director Says Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles dealing with the ' just a city problem. To uary. They'd take their equipment and do the embalming "right in the home in the kitchen." "The family could all see it," he explained. Health laws eventually moved that process into operating rooms in mortuaries. Years ago viewings also used to be held in the home where youngsters were bound to be conscious of what was taking place. But, as people became more sophisticated that too was moved to funeral homes. For one thing, the family of the deceased "had no place to go after the A meeting to discuss the final amendment to the Bear River Compact which will be put before Utah Death of Death' viewing was while. over'' to get away for a There was also a problem coping with large crowds and providing parking Taylor pointed out. "Years ago, all funeral homes Meeting Is Slated need- ed was an operating room and a place lo have caskets. That's why. ..many... mortuaries were part of furniture stores." A building in Garland still bears a sign on the outside reading, "Jensen's Furniture and Undertaking." Jensen eventually sold out to a man named Shaw who operated a furniture store and mortuary where Western Auto is today in Tremonton, Taylor said. Children are also isolated from death for another reason, the funeral director contends. "All their lives we tell kids if they're going to cry. ..we're going to leave you home," Taylor said. But, when adults are faced with death and realize they may lose control of their emotions they tell their children "they're too young to understand, or, I'll explain later." And more often than not, the youngster is left to be tended. com. on pan three legislators this session will be held Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at Bear River high school. The meeting has been called by State Senator Cap Ferry and Paul Holmgren, Utah representative on the Bear River Commission. Also on hand will be Dan Lawrence, director, Division of Water Resources; Dee Hansen, Utah State Engineer; Ed Skeen, compact committee attorney; Dr. Norm Stauffer, Bear River Compact engineer; and other officials. Holmgren said the amendment being proposed as added a guarantee that the level of Bear Lake will not be lowered below a set point at the expense of down stream water users. Local water users fought for that provision in earlier hearings. "We will have a guarantee of two years (reserve) in the lake even if we don't get a day of rainfall," Holmgren said. The original amendment contained no specific guarantee. |