CHAPTER 5
1955 – 1969


Ira and Vyla in 1954
 
        Daddy had a stroke April 5, 1955. Gerald was on his mission. Verlee and Verlynn were living with us. After Ira's illness---him not being able to work, we went back to Southern Utah on July 8, 1955 and had a wonderful time. We went to Manti the first day and slept out under the stars where we could see the temple with the flood lights on it, it was a beautiful sight. The next morning we went through the temple and had lunch in the cafeteria.

 
Vyla and Ira 1957.
What a difference a few
years can make!
        We then drove to Antimony, Ira's birth place. We spent the night with boytime pal, Herb Gleabes and his wife. Also there was another friend and wife there. The next day we drove to Tropic where we spent four wonderful days with Uncle Marian and Aunt Lizzy Frost. They took us to Bryce Canyon and other places. One day we went to the St. George Temple, it was a beautiful drive through the mountains early in the morning, we saw deer in the forest. It was a lovely day. They were having a drought in Southern Utah, that day in the temple they were praying for rain. When we left that morning was the last time we ever saw Uncle Marion and Aunt Lizzy.

        We had a lovely trip over the Cedar Mountains, driving slowly to enjoy the beauties of nature. While driving north we could see clouds raising in the south, then shortly we had rain. We went over the Cedar Breaks and down into Parawan where we visited and spent the night with Aunt Vine Alger. We took her and went to Cedar City to see other relatives. July 19th we drove back to Salt Lake, it was a long hot drive. I had to do all the driving.

        July 20th was Thelma and Jay's eleventh wedding anniversary. Daddy and I, Thelma and Jay, Sister Linford (Jay's mother), and Eunice and Earl went over to the Logan Temple where they were married, we had a very nice day, we came home and the rest went back to Salt Lake.


The Frost Family - 1957. Standing: Lorna, Eunice, Gerald, Marian, and Irma. Seated: Celia, Ira, Vyla, Thelma, and Kathryn
        July 9, 1956 we together with Wilson and Eva Warner went on a genealogical and temple trip. We left home early in the morning and arrived in Salt Lake about noon. The afternoon we spent in the library there. That night we stayed at the home of Thelma and Jay. On the 10th we left early and went to Manti where we got in two sessions and had lunch in the cafeteria. On the way back we visited some relatives, the Allreds in Spring City (the birth place of Ira's father and Wilson's mother). On the 11th we spent more time at the library and spent the night with the Read family (Eunice and Earl). From there we went to Logan and did five sessions in the temple and some research in the library. That night was spent with Keith and Vila Warner. One other time we met the Warners at Logan for temple work.

 

Vyla and her brothers and sisters in the early
1960s: Daisy, Slim, Vyla, Myrl, Jannette,
and Nina.
        In early August 1961 Thelma and Jay were going to San-Francisco to get a house trailer. They asked us to go. We, along with Thelma, Jay, Judy, Renee, and Jaylynn left Salt Lake about 3:00 a.m. And stopped once to rest a while, made it to Davis, California, a short distance from Sacramento, got a motel for the night. After they got the trailer that next day we parked in the mountains, boy it was cold! We nearly froze. We did a lot of sight seeing and driving around, waded in the ocean as cold as it was. On Sunday we went to Monterey to see Tim and Melody, then around the loop. The last night we moved to Redwood City and it was so hot there. It was a nice trip, thanks Jacksons.

        Also in 1961 we went to Yellowstone National Park with all the Lindsay family, stayed in a double cabin with Rube and Zina Lindsay. It was Cold!

        About 1962 John Glenn circled the earth three times. There were other space flights after that. On July 20, 1969 we watched on television as Neil Armstrong and Ed Aldrin walked on the moon, and raised the U.S. Flag.


Vyla and Ira a few years later
 
         On November 23, 1963 President Kennedy was shot and died. A very very sad situation. The whole country was stunned.

        We once went to Henry's Lake with Lorna and Kenneth before campers. It was cold there too. We got there late and set up tents in the dark (the other Turners were there too). By morning there was a lot of snow. Daddy and Roger stayed in the tent while Kenneth, Lorna, and I went out on that rough cold water and tried to fish. I got so sick and vomited. I often think what if I had lost my dentures. I think Lorna was sick too. I was nearly frozen too, but it was fun anyway and an experience I cherish.

 
Ira and Vyla after another of Ira's strokes
        We went with Turners in the camper to Salt Lake to see the Jacksons. They took their trailer and we all went to Flaming Gorge. It was lovely. Ira and I went with Kenneth in the boat in the morning but didn't do much good. The others went out in the afternoon and did pretty well. We also we went into Wyoming to Dinosaur Village Thanks folks!

        Saturday October 6, 1967 Ira and I were visiting in Salt Lake with Eunice and Earl and family, it was a beautiful day. Along about noon we all loaded into the family car, went and picked up Grandma Read and headed for Grantsville in Tooele County, Utah. The birthplace of my father, Charles Wiseman Dayley born in 1867.



The new house overlooking the river
 
        The scenery was beautiful along the way except for one thing, the copper mines were closed because of a strike and pickets were parked at every gate: After about an hour drive we arrived in Grantsville, a small town right on the highway. We drove down main street until we saw a sign that said "COOLY STREET". In former years it was known as Cooly's Lane or Lover's Lane.

        There we were, the giant Lombardy poplars which my great-father had planted when they arrived there to colonize and build up the country in the early 1860s. They were such huge trees with big knots all over the trunks of some of them. We took pictures of David standing by one of them. Looking down the long street to the north it looked exactly as I had imagined it looked.

        We stopped at the church which had been built in 1861. It was a nice building for those days. It has been very well preserved and added to and is still in use. On the other side of the street was another old church. On the grounds of the little church was a log cabin which had been a home of someone. It had a fireplace and many other things in it which were very essential to the family. There was a jail, old wagons, sleighs, and many other interesting things. Some pictures were taken.

 

Vyla and Ira on their 40th Anniversary
        We talked to the caretaker of the church, he told us there was a Mr. Matthews down the street who could tell us about the place and people, he was nearly ninety-six years of age and was a relative of the Matthews in Cassia County, Idaho. We went to see him, as we got there he and his son drove up with a chicken in his arms. He invited us into his house. It was old but very nicely kept by himself, carpets on the floors and all modern things. He told us some things about my people but was more interested in talking about his own family. He also showed us the spot where great-grandfather Cooley's house stood. It was an adobe house and large for those times. It was probably about a hundred feet from the road and had burned down. Grandfather had the best meadow for many years until the water was taken away for city use. The main town is about four blocks south and a few blocks east of the farm.

        We went to the cemetery and tried to find the grave of Great-grandmother Isabell McBride Dayley, but the place is so neglected and so many unmarked graves, some stones were still standing but were worn so smooth they cannot be read. The original cemetery is still being used but is a new section. I enjoyed it even though we didn't find the grave.

        After several wonderful hours we had hamburgers and a drink on Sister Read and a pleasant trip back to the City. Thanks Reads for the nice trip.

        The following day being Sunday, Ira went to Priesthood Meeting and helped advance Bill to a Priest, then we all went to Sunday School and Fast Meeting. We then went to the home of Sister Read where she served us to a very delicious ham dinner. There we met her sister and husband who live in New York and her brother Henry Volker. It was a nice day.

        Our next stop was at Thelma and Jay's and went on out to Gayle's to take some pictures of Collette (the first great granddaughter), the Reads hadn't seen her yet. The little mutt was asleep and would not wake up no matter what we did. We finally got some pictures while she slept. By the time the equipment was all put away and we were ready to leave she woke up. She is such a doll, the mama and papa are very proud and they have a right to be. She is our first great grandchild.

        In September 1969 while daddy could still take care of himself, with the kids help, I had a nice trip to Canada on a Kirkman Bus with a group of people. We went through the edge of Yellowstone Park and stopped at Quake Lake for a few minutes. it was pretty cold there. This was also the time that I visited a Mennonite Village.


The Frost Family - 1965 Standing: Eunice, Kathryn, Marion, Lorna, Irma, and Celia. Seated: Gerald, Vyla, Ira, and Thelma.

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Chapter 6