When we got home from our Church meetings today there was a message on the phone wanting to know if someone in my family had been a school teacher in Soda Springs in 1953.
We moved to Soda Springs from Tooele, Utah in 1952. Dad had graduated from Utah State University and had a newly minted teaching certificate. In August, 1952, he saw an advertisement on the job board in Logan for an English teacher in Soda Springs. He called, was interviewed over the phone and hired. We packed up and moved to Soda Springs so he could begin his new career as an English teacher at Soda Springs High School. He taught for four or five years and worked at Monsanto during the summer. Eventually he was making more working during the summer than he was as a teacher, so he went full time at Monsanto.
I called the number back and reached a woman who now lives in Oregon but was visiting in Chubbuck (neighbor city to Pocatello) and decided she’d like to see if my dad was still alive. She told me he was her favorite teacher in High School … and that he had taught her how to drive.
I explained dad’s current condition. She said she was going over to Soda Springs tomorrow and would stop in at the nursing home to see dad. That’s very nice!
Dad Update
His condition has actually worsened since the stroke on Friday. He is not able to hold anything in either hand. His left side is definitely much weaker than before. He cannot make words come out. He is very frustrated, but we have no good idea about his mental acuity. That is, we don’t know if his frustration is due to not being able to do things or not understanding his surroundings and situation.
We’ll go over on Monday afternoon to spend a few minutes with mother and see how dad is doing.
During the bingo game at the nursing home this afternoon, dad suffered what is sometimes called a mini-stroke … which is in medical terms a “transient ischemic attack“. Mother called to let us know that something had happened, so Nina and I drove over to spend a little time with mother.
Dad is doing just “OK”. He is quite confused and frustrated. He can’t get words to form and come out of his mouth as they are in his brain. He doesn’t seem to know where he is and doesn’t recognize people. He’s got some weakness in his left side, most noticeable in his left eyelid which is drooping.
They ran a number of tests, all of which came back as normal. He was able to drink and swallow, and when asked by the nurse, he could smile and the smile was symmetric on both sides of his face. Just before we left he recognized mother and responded to her greeting with “Hello!” So he does seem to be improving.
Generally the symptoms of a TIA pass within 24 to 48 hours, so we’ll see how he is doing tomorrow. At the moment he’s not in any particular danger. The CNA’s were taking him to dinner when we left to come back home. More tomorrow!
I really dislike colds. Â This one has hung around for what seems like a very long time … eleven days so far … with no signs of abating. However, yesterday after the funeral (which I conducted amid occasional coughing episodes and lots of nose blowing), someone commented that no one would really know I had a cold. They’d just think I was emotional about Aunt Marj’s passing.
My daughter Heather wrote an outstanding blog entry about her husband’s funeral plans along with a picture of Aunt Marj that is more like her than any other I’ve seen. Thanks, Heather!
I lived in Tooele, Utah for a little less than a year from the fall of 1951 until the summer of 1952. Grandfather Gillett’s third wife (and older sister of his second wife) had a debilitating stroke and we lived with grandfather so mother could help take care of her. She died in May, 1952. In late summer 1952 we moved to Soda Springs as dad had taken a position teaching English at Soda Springs High School. During my growing up years we went often to visit grandfather Gillett and other relatives in Tooele. All of my remembrances of Tooele (pronounced two – ill – uh) are that it was always hot and dry down there. It still is hot and dry! I think I recognized two buildings in downtown Tooele…. Not much has remained the same in that town.
I attended the first grade in Tooele (the school has been replaced with a much more modern facility). My first grade teacher was my Aunt June. I’d often get mixed up about when to call her Aunt June and when to call her Mrs. Gillette.
We had a delightful visit on Saturday from my cousin Merrill Gillette and his wife Jean. They returned in January from a mission in South Dakota and were going to the homecoming of their mission president in Blackfoot. They came Saturday around noon and spent the night before going on to Blackfoot on Sunday morning. I think this is the first time we’ve spent any significant time with them and found they’re just delightful people. We want to do it again!
The list of things needing fixed on our motor home is rather lengthy and most of them will be complex. Time to get feeling better so I can get them done. We’ll be wanting to go camping again Real Soon Now.
I’ve been building up a desktop computer I’ve got here at home, converting it from Ubuntu to Windows XP so I can give it to a relative who really needs a computer. Why does this have to be so hard? Finding the drivers needed to make the computer work is very complicated, particularly the ones needed to connect to the Internet! There’s something wrong with this process.
Funerals for people who have lived a long and good life are more like family reunions than a funeral. Aunt Marj’s funeral fell into that category. I really enjoyed meeting again some people who I’ve not seen for many, many years. “Now, who are you?” was a common question at the viewings on Sunday evening and Monday morning. In addition, the Gillette Family Reunion which normally happens the second weekend in August on odd numbered years was generally planned during the various funeral events. Since Aunt Marj was one of the driving forces behind the Gillette Family Reunions, she was probably morbidly pleased by the planning that went on. The odd year reunion has been held in Hanna, Utah for the past couple of decades, I think. We’ve been once. We probably should go this year.
On the even years, the family holds what is called a “cousins reunion” which is held at a park in Bountiful, Utah on the second Saturday afternoon. It’s mostly attended by my generation as all we do is some potluck food and sit around and visit. The kids don’t particularly enjoy it as there’s nothing for them to do.
Forty years ago the first moon landing occurred. That was one exciting night, glued to the TV and being mesmerized by the TV broadcast from the moon. Forty years later we’ll still asking, “What’s next?” and aren’t getting any good answers.
Marjorie Gillett ObituaryA couple of years ago when Aunt Marj had to go into the hospital from the assisted living center, it was certain that she would die any day. Family members began making preparations, a funeral program was outlined, and an obituary was prepared. Then she rallied and became almost strong enough to go back into assisted living. With that, all the preparations were laid aside … and the obituary was lost.
When she passed away last Thursday, we began a search for the obituary that was written a couple of years ago. I’m sure now that we don’t need it anymore, it’ll surface! Meanwhile, I was tasked with creating an obituary to be put in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News to be run both Saturday, July 18th and Sunday, July 19th. The scan at the left is what ran in the newspapers. Clicking of the image will bring up some additional information. Clicking again on the image will bring up a full-sized view, as is the case with all the pictures in the blog entry.
Marjorie Gillett Funeral Program, FrontAfter I submitted the obituary to the newspaper, and finished making up the program (images of the program are on the left), Nina and I went over to Soda Springs to see mother and dad. While we were there, I saw that mother had a copy of Aunt Marj’s birth certificate. Further, the surname of the birth certificate was spelled “Gillett” with no ‘e’ at the end. That was the way Grandfather Gillett spelled his name. My grandmother (who died ten days before I was born) didn’t like that spelling and she always spelled it the French way with an ‘e’ at the end. So, some of their children have birth certificates with an ‘e’ and a couple have no ‘e’, including Aunt Marj. Interestingly enough, throughout her life she spelled her surname “Gillette”, including on her social security card and drivers license.
Marjorie Gillett Funeral Program, Inside LeftAunt Marj had also left a set of instructions, particularly things she did not want to happen. They were things like “closed casket” and “no funeral service, graveside only.” She also included a couple of musts such as playing “Clair de lune” at her graveside service, burying her with the ashes of her beloved cat Sam, and no ending ‘e’ on her surname on the grave marker. Since funerals are for the living and not for the dead, we left out the “don’ts” and are trying to honor the “do’s”.
Marjorie Gillette Funeral ServiceIn planning the funeral service we thought it would be a good idea to have some time for anyone present to express their thoughts about Aunt Marj. Several did so. It was very touching and gave all who wanted the ability to be part of the program. My brother-in-law Phil (Eileen’s husband) was the last and I very impressed by what he had to say. Phil went to see Aunt Marj often at the nursing home over the past couple of years. He took her on rides, talked with her for hours on end, and they just became very good friends. Phil will really miss visiting with Aunt Marj, I think. He is one of those unsung real heroes.
Outside Back of the Funeral ProgramOne of the big questions was how many people would attend the funeral and would we be able to find six pall bearers without having to reuse people on the program. That turned out to be no problem. We had people volunteering to be pall bearers and the family was well represented.
Aunt Marj never married, although she was engaged a few times, one of which was rather serious when she called it off. She was well known and well liked in the family and a lot of people quickly made arrangements to be able to attend her funeral.
My favorite brother gave a beautiful family prayer. The life sketch / eulogy done by Merrill and Jean was delightful. John gave a masterful talk. Heather played Clair de lune as perfectly as possible. Kathy and Judy preformed a moving rendition of In the Garden. I’m certain that Aunt Marj was very pleased with the thoughts and actions of this day.
Aunt Marj’s health had been deteriorating the past couple of weeks. She went into the hospital on July 7th because she couldn’t walk and a blood clot was found in her groin along with severe stenosis throughout her body. The doctors determined that her health was too frail to attempt to operate and sent her back to the nursing home.
I took mother down to Salt Lake yesterday so mother could see her younger sister. They visited for a bit but it was clear that visiting was very difficult for Aunt Marj. The care nurse at the nursing home told mother that Aunt Marj’s condition was “terminal” and that she didn’t have many more days to live.
My sister Eileen went over to the nursing home last evening to get a further update. After going home for a bit, she felt she needed to go back over to the nursing home. Eileen was able to be with Aunt Marj as she passed away about 3 a.m. this morning. Thanks, Eileen, for a very good thing that you’ve done.
Funeral arrangements are being worked out now and I’ll post them as they become available.
Acute viral rhinopharyngitis, or acute coryza, known as an upper respiratory virus or commonly called the cold, is a contagious, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, primarily caused by rhinoviruses (picornaviruses) or coronaviruses. It is the most common infectious disease in humans; there is no known cure, but it is rarely fatal.
In other words, it is a huge nuisance. And, I’ve got one. I woke up in the early morning hours last Saturday and realized I was coming down with a cold. As the day progressed it got worse. Yesterday (Sunday) was pretty miserable. Today it moved down into my chest and, thankfully, I’ve still got some of the magic elixir that everyone else in the world can buy, except us Americans. That’s right … it’s the stuff that contains enough codeine to suppress the cough:
Codeine (INN) or methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive (cough suppressant), and antidiarrheal properties, and is useful for numbing back pain, and is frequently purchased under this pretence. It is by far the most widely used opiate in the world and probably the most commonly used drug overall according to numerous reports over the years by organizations such as the World Health Organization and its League of Nations predecessor agency and others. It is one of the most effective orally-administered opioid analgesics and has a wide safety margin.
It is amazingly effective. I’m quite happy to have it on hand as otherwise it has to be prescribed by a doctor. Just another symptom of our crazy medical practices which seem to be driven by big pharma and not by what makes sense for the patient.
It’s very interesting to me that all the folks hard-over opposed to universal health care are those that already have company-sponsored insurance. They seem to not be interested in people like Nina and me who have no access to affordable health insurance.
It’s been a bit over a month since the last time we have been to see dad at the nursing home in Soda Springs due to the Big Trip East. We drove over to Soda Springs this afternoon and did a few things at the house for mother and then visited with dad at the nursing home. Some random thoughts:
The sprinkler people did a very good job putting in the sprinkler system for mother. We had B&B Sprinkler in Pocatello do the job and I’d recommend them to anyone. They did the job last Wednesday, were there when they said they’d be there and were finished by about 1 p.m.
Dad definitely isn’t acclimating to the nursing home. As we left he told me he wants me to take him to the house so he can measure the doors and verify that a scooter will work so he can go home. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.
His hearing is definitely a problem. Most of the time he can’t hear what’s happening and what he does hear is often wrong.
His memory is getting much less reliable. Events that he used to be able to recall clearly are now quite mixed up in both names and places.
He enjoys playing in his drawer, however. The items there are still interesting to him. However, the DVD’s he enjoys watching seldom make it back into their cases and three of them are cracked and not playable. We’ll be seeing about buying replacements.
Meanwhile, our granddaughter Kendra has been here for several days. So far she’s dealing rather well with the very different lifestyle here at our house. Things move much more slowly and much more quietly here!
I’ve come down with a cold. I’m definitely looking forward to a day when colds are a thing of the past.
