[Twinkletoes]

Okay, it is a very small town, but the local newspaper did a write-up on him anyway.

Warning: very very LONG, but also very interesting.

By Bill Anderson, Staff Writer

DeVere *, as far as I have been able to determine, is the oldest male resident of *. On August 5 he will have his 95th birthday. He has virtually lived from traveling by covered wagon to seeing men travel to the moon. He has seen the first telephone in the area where he lived and has lived into the age of computers and the internet. [When Dad saw someone using one of those old phones, he thought they were talking to someone on the other side of the wall, Lol!]

The first thing that one becomes aware of when meeting DeVere is his complete retention of his mental faculties. He is sharp and bright and has phenomenal memory. The second thing that one notices is his physical condition. He gets around very well and until recently was making remarkably beautiful wood objects in his work shop.

DeVere was born in his grandmother's log cabin in Mountain Home, Utah, a small community near Roosevelt. When he was five years old, the family moved to Duchesne and then to a small town near Sunnyside where his step-father worked in a coal mine. While living in Sunnyside and when DeVere was seven years old, an uncle came to visit the family. DeVere and his nine year old brother asked the uncle to take them to their grandmother's house in Mountain Home. There was some dissension between the two boys and their step-father and they asked to go live with their grandmother.

The uncle had arrived at Sunnyside in a covered wagon pulled by horses. The two young boys had to walk whenever the road became steep [to give the horses a break]. DeVere says it took them three days to travel from Sunnyside to the uncle's home in Talmage. Upon arriving at Talmage, the uncle pointed to a trail and said that they should start walking; the grandmother's house was about 5 miles up the trail.

DeVere and his brother lived with their grandmother at Mountain Home and later moved into Roosevelt. he remembers that many of the houses, including that of his grandmother, had dirt roofs. When it rained it was his job to put out pans and buckets to collect the muddy rain water and keep it off the floor and furniture.

When DeVere was 15, and aunt sent word that her husband had been injured and she needed him to help her. Later his parents had a farm near Myton. He says he worked from sun-up to sundown and never received any pay for his work [not even $15 for his school tuition].

A defining time in his life was when a neighbor with two boys invited him to accompany them on a fishing trip into the Uintah Mountains. While fishing [he had never fished before], DeVere noticed a family on the other side of the river. The whole family was laughing and having such a good time, and DeVere thought that he would like to live like that family.

During that period in DeVere's life, he was attending high school in Roosevelt. He had to arise early each morning, milk the cows, ride a horse three miles, tie up the horse and catch the bus to school. He would then reverse that process when he returned from school. [Dad says the only clothes they wore when working the fields was shoes and a pair of jeans. Nothing else, not even a hat. In the summer they would sleep up on top of a shed on a blanket in their birthday suits! Dad remembers he and his brother got in a tussle and were wrestling on top of that straw roof. Dad was overpowered, but that changed when he reached out and attacked his brother's behind with a handful of straw! ]

When he arrived home [from the fishing trip] he told his mother that he was tired of working in the hay fields and receiving nothing for his labor. He said he was going to leave. His mother asked him where he was going and he replied, "I don't know, but I want to find something better." When he went to look for his second pair of shoes and some pants, he discovered that one of his brothers had "borrowed" them. He left with just the clothes on his back and fifty cents. He walked to Roosevelt where a brother was working. The brother gave him fifty cents and DeVere was off on his adventure with $1.

DeVere began to walking toward the area where he had seen the family having such a good time. He met a man named Pete Hunt who was part of that family. At that time Pete and his father were living together and farming nearby. DeVere accepted the invitation and worked with Pete and his father for a time.

Meanwhile, DeVere's mother had leased some farm land in Central in Sevier County. She asked DeVere and Pete to help her move to Central and help work the farm. They accepted and loaded some cattle and went off to Central. DeVere showed his athletic prowess while in Central by playing on the community baseball team and later on the Richfield team. [He was a good pitcher and was known as Lefty. Mom didn't much appreciate his "prowess" when he pitched the day after she gave birth to their first child.]

While working on the farm in Central, DeVere received a letter from a girl in Roosevelt who had been in the same freshman class as DeVere while he was attending high school. [If it weren't for that letter, I might not be writing this!]

DeVere says that the girl, Emma *, had been flirting with him while they were in class together. After corresponding with each other for several letters, DeVere began to hitchhike to Roosevelt to visit Emma.

DeVere was trying to save enough money to marry Emma and start a family. On one of his trips to Roosevelt, he discovered that an older brother who had a cream route, was getting ready to attend BYU and needed someone to take over his route. The timing was perfect for DeVere and he took over his brother's business. DeVere and Emma were married on May 10, 1935. They were sealed in the LDS temple in 1954. DeVere finished high school after he and Emma were married.

Over the course of the next several years, DeVere had several jobs, including running a milk plant and operating a cream business, in Vernal. With the advent of WWII, the government wanted milk instead of cream. The demand for cream suddenly declined and DeVere found that he had to close the cream plant. A brother called from Portland, OR and told him that there was work in the defense industry there. DeVere, Emma and the two boys they had by then, loaded up and headed for Oregon. DeVere worked as an electrician and eventually became a foreman. Emma worked alternate shifts as a welder [she was very proud of having been a 3-plate welder and had a nifty dime-sized scar on her foot from when a piece of hot slag dropped down her boot!]

DeVere was told by the Draft Board that he had to stay home and help the war effort in bulding war material [ships--they actually produced one ship every day]. DeVere and Emma and the two boys lived in Portland for two years, until the end of the war. They then returned to Vernal [with $5000 savings in their pockets] where DeVere purchased an old truck and began hauling items from Salt Lake City to Vernal to stock stores there.

Sidenote: That wood-panel truck that Dad purchased was a piece of junk. He agreed to haul a 1000 lb. pig for someone and had quite a heart-stopping experience. The dirt road was windy and steep and the big pig got to stomping around in back. When Dad hit the brakes to slow down for a curve, his foot went clear to the floor! There were no brakes.

Just then the whole back axle jerked loose and the tires bounced down the mountainside. The truck (thankfully) came to a quick stop. Dad had to walk to town and get someone to tow the truck (while he steered facing the opposite direction). When he arrived in town, someone offered to buy the pig for $100, which Dad accepted.

He slept in a cheap motel that night, and when he reached the lobby the next morning, there was the man who bought the pig. "I want my money back: that pig died!" So he had to refund his money. But at least Dad was still alive after that frightening experience!!!

DeVere was inviited by some friends to move to Stockton, Calif. and join them in the real estate business. He moved there and after working as a salesman for 5 years, he obtained his broker's license and opened Dennis Realty. It was while in California that the third child, Rochelle, was born. [My brothers were 18 and 14 years old when I was born.]

Dennis Realty was extremely successful. However, the wanderlust came back [but they stayed there for over 20 years!] to DeVere and he and Emma moved to Provo, Spanish Fork, and St. George. In 2000 they moved to * where they built the beautiful home where he lives today. The home is filled with the beautiful wood objects he has made in his workshop. DeVere is an avid golfer and has had a total of 12 holes-in-one during his golfing days. [When he was 81 he shot his age.]

DeVere and Emma had three children. Alan, Ron and Rochelle. [Skipping over details.] All together, DeVere has 13 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren.



Mom and Dad were married 71 years, until Mom died 2 years ago.

Also, the article didn't mention that Dad's Mom had 9 more children with her new DH. 12 kids! And my Mom's parents had 13! I have 100 first cousins!


Thanks for reading! You deserve a medal!!! Here's a trophy for you

[tkrik]

Twink, what a great story. Thanks for sharing and I hope you Dad has a great birthday. What time should I be there for the big party? lol

[Kitty]

Oh my goodness....I enjoyed reading that SO much!! I love stories like that. Just to think of all the changes your father has seen in this world is amazing. Thanks for much for sharing it with us here.

So, what kind of birthday bash are you having for him?

[Twinkletoes]

Geez, you guys are fast readers! Glad you enjoyed it.

When you think about it, over what other 95 year time period have more things been invented?

He remembers during the Spanish Flu epidemic around 1918, that his mother asked him to accompany her to the neighbors (about half a block away) because the whole family was sick. They hollered from the front gate and left a pot of prepared food for that poor family.

Dad's family never did suffer from that flu, but he had bad Scarlet Fever after he got married. Guess I'm lucky to be here!

[weegot5kiz]

that was so cool twink, I would love to sit and chat with him, he sounds really awesome, thanks for sharing this

[tkrik]

Originally Posted by Twinkletoes

GGuess I'm lucky to be here!

We are lucky that you are here too!

[houghchrst]

Wow what an awesome story. I really enjoyed it. What an amazing change in times he got to see in his life.

[Bannet]

What a great story Twink. I love to read or listen to stories from back in the day.

My grandma will be 99 in October! I've spent alot of time with her lately and I just love listening to her stories.

I just recently learned that her mother (my great grandma) was a madam in a brothelLOL I was shocked but oh so intrigued.

I didn't realize how interesting my family really is

Thanks for sharing.

[soxmom]

I read the whole thing Twink. What a wonderful life story.
Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

[Twinkletoes]

Originally Posted by Bannet

What a great story Twink. I love to read or listen to stories from back in the day.

My grandma will be 99 in October! I've spent alot of time with her lately and I just love listening to her stories.

I just recently learned that her mother (my great grandma) was a madam in a brothelLOL I was shocked but oh so intrigued.

I didn't realize how interesting my family really is

Thanks for sharing.

Oooh! Skeletons in your family's closet! How interesting!

Thanks everyone for reading this -- I really do appreciate your comments!