Interview with Julia May Williams Wilkinson

Julia May (Williams) Wilkinson was interviewed on May 21, 1968 in St. George, Washington County, Utah by Fielding H. Harris, a representative of the Voice of Remembrance Foundation. She related her personal history of living in various parts of Utah.

FH:Would you please give your full name?

JW:Julia May (Williams) Wilkinson.

FH:[What is] your birth date?

JW:[I was born] on May 9, 1890.

FH:[Where was] your place of birth?

JW:Kanarraville [Iron County], Utah.

FH:[What was] your father's name?

JW:Reese Jones Williams.

FH:[What was] your mother's [full] name?

JW:Martha Mariah (Davis) Williams.

FH:[Would] you tell what you remember about your early childhood?

JW:My parents had ten children and I was the eighth child, and I had a good childhood. I had very good parents and they were very religious. Mother at times would have bad cramp spells. My father had poor health when he was younger. I remember when he had poor health, but eventually he got over this with the doctor's care. He was a very religious man [and] did a lot in the church.

FH:How long did you live in Kanarraville?

JW:I lived in Kanarraville until I was twenty-one [years old]. I went to high school in Cedar [City, Iron County, Utah].

FH:Did you move over to Cedar [City] to go to high school or did you go by bus?

JW:We [rented] a place and stayed right there and went back [home] for the summer. I went to high school [for] two years.

FH:Are there some teachers that you can remember that were especially nice or good teachers?

JW:There were a few that were nice. Do you want me to name them?

FH:Yes, if you can remember their names.

JW:There was Ellis Pickett ─

FH:Well, he was your teacher!

JW:─ and Viola Redd.

FH:Where was Viola Redd from?

JW:She was from Harmony [Washington County, Utah a] town southwest of Kanarraville.

FH:I know a Viola Redd but [she] might not be the same one. Who else do you remember? Do you feel that they were good teachers?

JW:Yes, they were good teachers.

FH:Were they strict? How did they discipline the [students]?

JW:They disciplined the [students] and were respected [by] the students. There 00:04:00was Mrs. Decker. She was an outstanding teacher and I liked her [very] well. There were others but I [can't] recall [them].

FH:Was this trip to Cedar City the longest trip you took in your youth? Or did you go farther than that some times?

JW:I went to the Grand Canyon [Arizona] with my husband before we were married. There was a group of us that went. It was [at the time] when [people] went down in buggies and on horseback.

FH:Was this a long trip?

JW: We were gone three weeks. It was a very nice trip and I enjoyed it very much. Some of our closest friends went. Brother Thorley was the oldest one and 00:05:00he formed the group. He had a son and three daughters along on the trip.

FH:Was this kind of an adventure?

JW:Yes, it was.

FH:How old were you then?

JW:I was about twenty years old.

FH:Did you have any serious illness when you were growing up?

JW:I had a case of pneumonia once.

FH:Were you quite sick with that?

JW:Yes, I was quite sick. They didn't call in the doctors in those days like they do now.

FH:They doctored themselves.

JW:I had an uncle that was very religious and he would come and administer to me every day [with] my father. He was a very good uncle.

FH:That's wonderful. What was his name do you know?

JW:William Williams.

FH:What did your father do to make a living?

JW:My father, by trade, was a carpenter. Also, he had a farm and he had a ranch where he ran sheep and a few cattle. He used to take us down to help with the haying early in the morning. We enjoyed that.

FH:[You were] putting up the hay for the winter?

JW:Yes.

FH:Did you have a garden and grow a lot of your own food?

JW:We had a garden [with] all kinds of vegetables. Father raised everything [inaudible].

FH:Everything [that] you used you had to raise and produce it yourself. Did you have some livestock, a cow, or chickens?

JW:Yes, my family had a few chickens. Mother was quite handy at storing her foods. They didn't used to have basements like they do now. They had cellars and she kept her milk down there. It was always kept [very] clean and cool.

FH:[Did] they dig a hole in the ground, put a roof over [it] and cover [the 00:08:00roof] with dirt?

JW:[No], it was down under the home. You went down the steps.

FH:Did it keep things nice and cool down there?

JW:Yes.

FH:When you lived in Kanarraville, were you close to the mountains?

JW:We were quite close. We weren't right up against them; we were out a little distance.

FH;When you were growing up, did you go for hikes in the mountains?

JW:We used to go to the canyon quite often on trips when we were in school.

FH:What do you remember about church in your life?

JW:I [was] always taught to go to church. I always attended my Primary and Sunday school [classes]. My parents went along with me.

FH:You were LDS [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]? [Were] your parents before you?

JW:Yes, my folks [came] across the plains.

FH:They were pioneers!

JW:Pioneers.

FH:Tell me about your first recollection in the church?

JW:I remember going to church all the time when I was a child. The thing that was outstanding to me was my baptism. The baptism was outside in our neighbor's lot. They used to make a big hole there to dam up the water and took the youngsters there to be baptized. That is where I was baptized, outside. We 00:10:00didn't have a baptismal font then.

FH:Was the water [a] little cool?

JW:I was eight in May, and I think it was in June I was baptized.

FH:It was in the nice part of the early summer then.

JW:Yes.

FH:Did you work in the Primary organization?

JW:Yes.

FH:Tell about that.

JW:I worked in the Primary. The president asked me to take over the Trail [Blazer] Boys. That was what they were called in those days. When I commenced, I wouldn't have more than three boys in the class. So the president of the Primary and I visited every family in the ward that had boys [of] Trail Blazer age. I worked with those boys for about a year. I loved every one of them and they 00:11:00seemed to have a deep respect for me. When I left that class I had twenty- two enrolled [and we met] every Saturday.

FH:Sounds like you were a success.

JW:I loved the work and I loved those boys. They showed me a lot of respect when [they] met me on the street.

FH:That was nice. Did you work in [any] capacity other than that?

JW:Not too much; I just helped in the Primary.

FH:You said you always attended Sunday school and enjoyed that. What about Relief Society? Have you been active in Relief Society?

JW:I acted as visiting teacher in the Relief Society for a few years. Then I 00:12:00lost my husband. I had the three sons and the oldest one had married. The Relief Society presidency came to see if I wouldn't act as a counselor. I said, "I don't think so. I don't think I'm qualified enough to do that." They said, "You are all right and we've come to ask you to do that." I said, "I don't want to say no." We were going to have [a] Relief Society [meeting] the next day. So I said, "I'll give you my answer tomorrow." They said, "Okay". It bothered me. It almost made me sick because I was afraid I couldn't measure up. My oldest sister 00:13:00was there at the time and they asked her. She said, "I have nothing to say, it is up to her. I'll be glad if she accepts it."

We went to town that afternoon and my youngest brother happened to be in the store. She went up to him and said, "Wells, your youngest sister here is upset." He said, "What is the matter with her? Is she sick?" She said, "No, they asked her to work in the Relief Society as a counselor and it has just about made her sick. She is afraid that she can't measure up to that." He said, "You leave it to me; I'll talk to her." He came over to where I was and said, "How are you, sis?" I said, "Oh, I'm fine." He said, "What is bothering you?" I said, "You've 00:14:00been talking to my sister haven't you?" He said, "Yes, I have. Take my advice and accept this pleasure of working in the Relief Society."

I worked under the one president by the name of Hattie Hunter. Ella Holyoke was the first counselor and I was the second counselor. Belle Armstrong was the secretary. I worked with them for a couple of years. Then they divided the ward and put Sister Ella Holyoke in as president. She asked for me to be first counselor, so I worked with her as first counselor for about two years. I enjoyed the work very much. I loved every sister in that ward. I was blessed. I 00:15:00had the Lord's blessing with me and He helped me very much in this calling. I appreciated it and was very grateful. [Emotional]

FH:Wouldn't it have been a shame to miss that lovely experience?

JW:Yes, it would. I've always been thankful that I had that experience.

FH:Have you done some baptisms for the dead?

JW:I have done initiatory names. I went down two evenings and I remember one night I did nine names.

FH: Have you done quite a bit of temple work?

JW: Yes, I guess you would call it quite a bit. I have done five hundred and seventy- two names.

FH:That's wonderful! Have you kept track of them?

JW:I have kept the names. I'm going to put them in my Book of Remembrance.

FH:One of these days, when the proper time comes, you'll meet those people and you'll have some wonderful friends.

JW:I hope so. I hope I have pleased each and every one [that] I have done.

FH:Tell a little bit about your parents, [events] you can remember of special importance in their lives. You [said] that you were the tenth child.

JW:[I was] the eighth [child].

FH:The eighth of ten children, that is [right]. How many of those children were boys and how many [were] girls?

JW:There were six boys and four girls. My mother took her sister's girl and raised her and we have always called her sister.

FH:Actually [there were] eleven [children].

JW:That made eleven [children as] we have always called her sister. She lives in California.

FH:She is still living?

JW:She is still living.

FH:How many of the others are living?

JW:My other sisters are all dead and I only have two brothers living. My other brothers and sisters have passed on. They were all wonderful people. My oldest brother had a terrible tragedy. He lost his foot and it seemed so bad for us all.

FH:Was this early in [his] life?

JW:He was about twenty-one when he lost it. He went on a mission after that.

He married and had a few children.

FH:It didn't stop him then! [Laughter]

JW:No, and he would work as hard in the hay field after he had his foot taken off as any of them.

FH:What was his name?

JW:Reese James Williams. That was a misunderstanding. My mother gave the name Reese Jones because she wanted him named for his father, but they [used] Reese James. They [had] him blessed [as] Reese James.

FH:[Laughter]. He got the James part inadvertently.

JW:My father had an uncle by the name of James, so I guess it was alright.

FH:What about your mother? Will you tell something about your mother?

JW:She was always kind to everyone. She was always sending something to 00:19:00somebody. She has called me many a time and said, "Come on, I want you to take this to so and so. I don't believe they have any butter and I want them to have some." She was always sending something to somebody. She was a [very] good mother and was [very] good to her sister's girls. [She treated them] just like her own daughters. Then she took care of her father the last eight years of his life. [She] took care of him and a brother, too. When her father died, her brother said, "I'll take Phillip [Williams] and [care] for him. You have done your part. I think you have done a wonderful thing, so I'll take Phillip and 00:20:00[care] for him."

FH:What did you do for a good time when you were growing up?

JW:We used to have a little party once in a while, just the [other] youngsters. The most recreation that [our] little town had was dancing. I used to love to dance. We used to do quite a bit of dancing. The dancing was different then from what it is now.

FH:Did you do square dancing?

JW:We square danced [and] we did the Schottische, the two-step and all kinds of dances.

FH:What did you have for music to dance by?

JW:We had someone play the violin, the guitar, and the piano or an organ.

FH:Where did you dance?

JW:We used to go to the basement [of] the church.

FH:[Did] they use [it] as a recreation room?

JW:Yes, they used [it] as a recreation room.

FH:Tell about your courtship and your marriage. How did you happen to meet this man?

JW:I met this fellow [Percy Newton Wilkinson] when I went to school in Cedar [City]. He lived in Cedar [City]. That was the first year I went to high school 00:22:00and he was a [very] nice young man.

FH:Did you feel like you knew right away that he was the right one? Or did [it] take awhile?

JW:He used to go with one of my sisters before he [went with] me. She said, "You don't want to go with him." I said, "I do too. He is a nice young man and I would as soon go out with him as anybody." We kept on going together and when I 00:23:00moved home for the summer, he would make a trip once in awhile to see me. My folks liked him and my parents knew his parents. They were good friends, especially our fathers. He was good [in] sports [and] was an all-around athlete. I met him in the fall of 1910 and we were married June 5, 1913.

FH:Nearly three years [later].

JW:Nearly, over two years. I enjoyed going with this young man and he was real 00:24:00straight and very attentive. He was respectful to my folks and my parents loved him. They said he was a wonderful fellow and a real genius. He was very handy at doing everything. He was a carpenter, too.

FH:[That was] half the battle then [if] your parents were sold on him! [Laughter]

JW:Yes. I'll never forget the night that he came to see me and asked my folks for me. My father said, "I haven't any objection whatever. This has been a good 00:25:00girl, she's old enough, she knows her own mind, and she's been good in the home. I don't have any objections whatever [about] this girl marrying you."

FH:That made you feel good.

JW:I felt real good. My mother had a good cry, but mothers do that!

FH:[Laughter] You settled down and [were] married, Where did you get married?

JW:In the St. George Temple.

FH:Where did you [go to] live?

JW:We went back to Cedar City and lived on First East [Street].

FH:Did you get a little home or a little apartment?

JW:His brother had a little apartment [that] joined on to his home [and] we rented [it]. He was a good photographer and took a lot of pictures for the 00:26:00schools. We got along fine and had a nice family. We were thrilled to death with every [child] that came. I lost two children. My oldest girl was premature and I lost her.

FH:She was born alive?

JW:Yes, she was born alive and lived long enough to be blessed. Dr. Leonard waited on me. He was a LDS man and had been on a mission. He said, "This little thing wants a name right [away]." So he blessed her [and] called her Mae. He wanted to know what the grandmother's names were and I told him. He said, "We don't want to pin that on this little thing. What's her mother's name?" I said, "Don't call her Judith." He said, "What is your name?" He said, "We will call 00:27:00her Mae." So she was blessed as Mae. My last baby was a little boy born in 1927. He was twenty-three days old when he took quick pneumonia and died. I have the three boys, and I love all three of them, they are wonderful boys.

FH:What are their names?

JW:My oldest boy is Lex Percy Wilkinson. That was my husband's name.

FH:Is it Lex?

JW:L-E-X, Lex. Lex Percy Wilkinson. My husband's name was Percy Newton 00:28:00Wilkinson. [The] next [son] was Kay Williams Wilkinson. [Then] Jay, and he lives in Riverside, California. His name is Jay Cedric Wilkinson.

[END OF TAPE SIDE ONE]

JW:Unfortunately, his first wife left him and he remarried.

FH:How many children does he have?

JW:He has three of his own. His first wife had a little girl four years old when he married her. They went to the temple and this little girl is sealed to him. She clings to her daddy and thinks the world of him and he does of her. This girl married twice. She married a fellow and they separated and she remarried. Both fellows she married were converted to the church.

FH:Is she sealed to one of them?

JW:She has not had any sealing done. She had two boys by her first husband. His name was Williams. The next fellow she married was [a] Mexican and he joined the church recently. They were sent to Spain because he was in [military] service. The [government] sent them to Spain two years ago this month and they [returned] 00:30:00home to the states before Christmas. She has two children by him. He joined the church while they were in Spain. They are going to go to the temple next month.

FH:And have all the children sealed?

JW:[To] have the children sealed to them.

FH:Fine. [Are] they coming here to the St. George Temple?

JW:He is in San Francisco [California]. I don't know yet if they'll have it done in [the] Oakland or Los Angeles Temple.

FH:Do you know his name?

JW:Johnny Reyes. She had the two boys by her first husband and then she had a little boy. Just before Christmas she had a little girl born in Spain.

FH:She has four [children] then. Tell about Kay's family.

JW:Kay has five children. The oldest one is Randy [and] I think his middle name is Woodbury. Then they have Kay Lynn and she married a Johnson. Then they have Lail Rae and she is still a young girl. Then there is Bradley. I don't know whether Bradley has [a middle] name or not. I do know that Scott was named Scott 00:32:00Percy for his grandpa.

FH:Does Kay Lynn have any children?

JW:No, she doesn't have any children. She is teaching school in [Las] Vegas [Nevada].

FH:Tell about the other son and his family.

JW:The oldest son was Lex Percy Wilkinson and he has one son.

FH:How old is the son?

JW:I think he is around twenty-eight [years old].

FH:[Is] he married?

JW:He has been married twice.

FH:How many children were there? [Did] he have four?

JW:Who? Kay?

FH:No, the grandson.

JW:Oh, Lex, the oldest son, has one son. Kay has five [children].

FH:[Is] Lex's oldest son married?

JW:He was married twice and he had a little girl by his first wife and they separated. He [doesn't] have any children [by] his second wife.

FH:This helps to know about your descendants. Are they all somewhat active in the church?

JW:[Do] you mean the grandchildren?

FH:All of your descendants.

JW:Kay and Jay are active in the church. My oldest son used to be very active in the church but he hasn't been the last few years. Jay is active; he is the one 00:34:00[that lives] in California. He just finished a stake mission. Twice he has been superintendent of the Sunday school there. He has been very religious. He is called out [a] lot [of times] to administer to the sick in the hospitals.

FH:Tell about some of your own likes and dislikes. Do you enjoy music?

JW:Yes, I like music, if it isn't too loud.

FH:You like quiet music?

JW:I like quiet soft music.

FH:What do you like to read?

JW:I like church stories. I read The Daughter of the North and The Daughter of 00:35:00the South. They were quite religious books [and], I think, they were written by Anderson. I have read other stories but I do love the church works. I get things so tangled up and get the characters mixed up and I can't distinguish them. There are some very interesting things in the church works. I do love to read to know about [events].

FH:Good. What would you like to do most from here on in your life?

JW:I would like to be a little nearer my families, but I can't [travel] very much. I'm going to [continue] to go the temple as long as I can, as long as my hearing will [allow].

FH:[Do] you enjoy this?

JW:Yes, you have a wonderful feeling [when you are] doing something for somebody else. That is what I like to do, give a helping hand to somebody, if I can in any way, in the world.

FH:[Do] you have five great-grandchildren?

JW:[Pointing to pictures] Randy has one [child]; that is Kay's boy. This girl [was] adopted [by] Jay [and] she has four [children].

FH:That is five. That is wonderful! Your posterity is growing.

JW: I hope they do.

FH:[Laughter]. Is there any thing that you have missed? What about some faith- promoting experiences in your life? Have you had something like this that you want to talk about?

JW:I told you about my son's experience.

FH:You didn't tell that on the tape, though, [and] I want to hear that on the tape.

JW:When my oldest son was a little boy, he swallowed a shingle nail. I was very 00:38:00worried. He was about six [years old] when he swallowed [it]. I don't know how in the world he came to do it, unless he put things into his mouth. I don't know what else. I prayed and prayed and the doctor said to give him whipped potatoes. He lived on potatoes until he [was] rid of that shingle nail.

FH:That took care of it.

JW:I was very grateful for my blessing [and] having my prayers answered. When he was a young boy, he went to Mutual [Improvement Association] one night. He was 00:39:00playing outside with the youngsters. It was the fall of the year and they had some pine nuts [and] they had given him a few. He was laughing and cutting up with the rest of [the youngsters]. He came home in a little while. I said, "Lex, what are you doing home so soon?" He said, "Mom, I hate to tell you this but I've inhaled a pine nut shell [in] my lung." I said, "Oh, no!"

FH:Was that here in St. George?

JW:[It was] in Cedar City. I have only [lived] in St George the last three years.

FH:You came here from Cedar [City].

JW:I was so frightened. I called the drug store to ask my brother-in-law to see if my husband happened to be there. He used to go down there and talk to him 00:40:00quite a bit. My brother-in-law, Mike McCormick, said, "Julia, Percy isn't here. What is wrong?" I told him and he said, "I'll [go] right out and find him and I'll send him home." He sent Percy home. When he came, I said, "What will we do?" He said, "Get a doctor." We called Dr. Prestwich. My husband had a brother living in Cedar [City] who was a doctor but he happened to be in Salt Lake [City, Salt Lake County, Utah] on business, so we called Dr. Prestwich. [He] said, "We can't operate here. We don't have the [equipment] to do [it]. I would 00:41:00advise you to get in touch with your brother, the doctor, in Salt Lake [City]. You have a lot of confidence in him and he will do all he can for you." He said, "Have this boy develop a cough and one of you give him a right-smart slap on the back when he coughs and that will probably jar [the shell] and he might [cough] it up." So that is what we did. He said, "You [should] get [in] touch with your brother, right [away], Percy. If there is anything I can do, I'd be glad to do it." He left and we called Dr. Wilkinson in Salt Lake [City]. He told us to be 00:42:00sure this boy developed a cough and slap him on the back when he coughed.

I stayed right there with my son all night and lay down on the bed by him. Every time he coughed, I would give him a smart slap on the back. The next morning I was up early and my husband went to work. I couldn't keep off my knees. I felt like I had to be on my knees praying every minute. We didn't have a big home, just a few rooms. I would kneel down in our dining room. Finally, my son called 00:43:00and he said, "Mom, come in here to pray. I want to hear you pray." I knelt down by his bed and did my praying. I fasted and prayed all morning long.

At noon, his father came home for his lunch. He said, "How is Lex?" I said, "[He] still has the pine nut shell." He said, "What should we do, should we call the doctor?" I said, "I would call Dr. Wilkinson and let him know how he is." While we were talking, Dr. Wilkinson called us from Salt Lake [City]. [He] said, "I want you to put this boy on a bus and send him to Salt Lake [City]. I was 00:44:00coming home today but I'll stay over and meet [him] at the bus [station] and I'll take care of him. I'll take him to the clinic and we will do all we possibly can for him. I'll do for him just like I would my own son."

We were talking about it and Lex started coughing. I ran into the other room to give him a slap on the back. He looked up at me and smiled and said, "Mom, here is the pine nut shell." I said, "Thank [you], Heavenly Father for that." I ran to the other room and said, "Daddy, Lex got rid of his pine nut shell." He said "Hold on, Doctor." He told the doctor that Lex had coughed up the pine nut shell.

FH:That was a relief!

JW:It was a big relief! My husband said that Lex told him, "Daddy, Mama has been 00:45:00on her knees all morning. She never ate a bite, she has fasted and prayed all morning." Percy said, "That is a demonstration for you. I've never seen any thing work out quite that fast." We were all very grateful.

FH:How long did your husband live? How long was he with you?

JW:He died February 24th. He would have been fifty-two the following August.

FH:[Did] you live in Cedar City all of your married life?

JW:Yes. My husband had wonderful parents. [He] had a wonderful family as well as I had. I was grateful for that privilege [of] marrying into a wonderful family.

FH:What was his method of making a living in Cedar City?

JW:[He did] mostly carpenter work. He was a very good carpenter and [did] some of the outstanding work on [the] First Ward church in Cedar City. He built the pulpit and the grill.

FH:I have heard a lot about that chapel.

JW:He spent his time there. He would go down before daylight in the morning and start [to work] on [the] chapel and work until late at night. He put his whole soul in it. Someone asked him, "What on earth are you digging at this for?" He said, "This is where my family is going to be. This is the church where they will come." There [are] not [any] of us that go to that chapel now. I used to 00:47:00before I [moved] to St. George, three years ago. We all went to that chapel until [the children] began marrying and leaving.

FH:Well, this is normal! [Laughter]

JW:I stuck with it, I tell you. It was a wonderful chapel and they had a wonderful ward.

FH:Is there anything else that you can think of that you would like to talk about?

JW:When my youngest boy was a little child, he had a case of pneumonia. We called the doctor in Cedar City, Dr. Macfarlane. As soon as he came in he looked 00:48:00at the little fellow, shook his head, and said, "I'm afraid your little boy's licked." That was like a stab to me. He [checked] him over and said, "He has a bad, bad case of pneumonia. I don't know what to have you do." He didn't tell us much or do much and then he left. At the time, my husband's brother, the doctor, was living in Hurricane [Washington County, Utah]. [This] was before he moved to Cedar [City]. I said, "Well, Percy, if I had a brother that was practicing medicine, I wouldn't [waste] two minutes getting on that phone and getting him here." He said, "Julia, do you feel like that?" I said, "I most certainly do!" 00:49:00So he went to the phone and called him.

It was in the wintertime and a terrible night. He said, "Percy, it is a terrible night but I'm coming anyway. I'll be there as soon as I can make it in this storm." We stayed up and waited for him. I never wanted to close my eyes. I would not lie down while that baby was so sick. My husband wouldn't either. When he came in he was chilled and he said, "I'm not going near the baby until I'm warmed through." He got warm, went over and said, "Your boy has a bad case of 00:50:00pneumonia, but we'll see what we can do for him. I think we can help him." He started in doctoring him. We stayed right by that child. He [didn't] leave until the next day when he found that the child had made a turn for the better. He went back to Hurricane. I stayed with that child and gave him his medicine regularly, night and day. I soon had him up and around. He was a little tiny tot.

My husband said, "Come on Mom, let us kneel down and have a word of prayer for this little boy. Julia, you have so much faith I want you to do the praying." I 00:51:00said, "You're the one that holds the priesthood." He said, "You hold it through me so will you do the praying?" I said, "Yes, I will," so I did. We thought we saw a little difference in his appearance before the doctor came. When the doctor came, he told us he had a very bad case of pneumonia. Those two things have been outstanding in my life and I've never forgotten the help of our Heavenly Father.

FH:After all this wonderful lifetime of experience, can you give some counsel and advice to your descendents, those that come after you that they might hear? Maybe, after you have done this, you would like to bear your testimony to them.

JW:My advice to my family, each and every one of them, is to live the gospel 00:52:00[and] to keep the Lord's commandments as best they can. Always live clean and righteous [lives] in every way. Keep all the right paths at all times. Any time they can give service to anyone in need, I would like to see them do that, because that is what the gospel is, love for our fellow man. We should do what we can to help one another.

I have a strong testimony [and] I know that this gospel is true. I have had so many experiences in prayer and other [events] that I know that the gospel is true, that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. We have to have the faith. We 00:53:00have to show our faith to our Heavenly Father that we have faith in Him that He will hear and answer our prayers. When we do that, I think we are heard and answered. I am as sure as anything in the world, that the gospel is true and that our Heavenly Father lives, our Christ is our leader, the one that redeemed the world is still living.

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I am truly grateful for my wonderful husband. I am grateful that my two sons came back from the war, clean and in good health. I am grateful to my wonderful families, for their love and kindness, and for the many things they do for me. Each and every one is very dear to me. I love my friends and neighbors. I am 00:54:00grateful for the privilege of going to the temple and partaking of the wonderful spirit in the temple. I'm grateful for my foreparents, who are the means of me being in this church. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for His many blessings, and may I always live worthy of my membership in this true and wonderful church. I know this gospel is true.

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FH:Is there anything that you would like to add to your story?

JW:I would [like] to say I am proud to be the mother of a wonderful bishop, 00:55:00Bishop Kay Wilkinson. He is loved and respected by everyone. He has worked [as] Sunday school superintendent and other callings in the church. My other two sons, Lex and Jay, are wonderful. They have worked in the church. Jay, my youngest son, has just finished a stake mission, has been superintendent of the Sunday school a number of times, and has worked in callings in the church. [My] three sons [have] always been wonderful [to me] in every way. I am very proud of my sons and their families and love them all very dearly. They had a wonderful 00:56:00father. We always had love and all that went with it in our home. We had two other children, a girl and boy, but they were taken [from us] while babies. We were sorry for not having the privilege of raising them. I am very grateful to my Heavenly Father for [the] many blessings He has given me and my family.

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