Memories of my Grandfather

Ira Wayne Boyer

By Joyce Bradford My grandfather Boyer was a well-mannered, considerate man with high standards of behavior. I considered him the perfect gentleman. He always wore a hat. omehow, I !new as a child that Ira Wayne Boyer was a prominent man in the comm"nity. He wor!ed in the #o"rt Ho"se as cler! of the district co"rt, a"ditor and recorder. I was s"rprised to learn later on in my life that Grandpa had been elected to this position r"nning as a $emocrat. %his proves that even democrats can be gentlemen. Grandpa&s home was one of the nicer, metic"lo"sly-!ept ho"ses in town. I never saw him do any hard physical labor nor wear wor! clothes. %he only physical wor! I saw Grandpa do 'which m"st have been done in his s"it and tie( was to wa) and polish his car. Having a large, nice car seemed important to him. His car was always !ept in the garage. I seldom saw him act"ally drive his car * only for f"nerals or o"t-of- town trips. My grandfather was tall, thin, even frail-loo!ing. My childhood ears pic!ed "p the family comments the he had o"t lived all the doctors who said he wo"ld die yo"ng. He had health habits which were not followed by anyone else in the family. %he ones I observed were these+ ',( eating alfalfa spro"ts and other herbs that he grew in a window bo) in the !itchen- '.( drin!ing only warm water for meals- '/( stirring "p two raw eggs in a glass and drin!ing them for brea!fast- '0( wal!ing bris!ly to and from wor! to the #o"rt Ho"se - '1( ta!ing an e)act ,1 min"te nap in his reclining chair after l"nch. Grandpa told me to eat the marrow in the bones of meat beca"se it was good for me. I don&t remember him giving me or anyone else any other health advice.

Grandpa was a 2"iet man. With all the chatter of family "nday dinners, he didn&t seem to enter in to the conversation. When he did spea!, it was something profo"nd. 3s a yo"ng man, Grandpa had an e)perience which changed his life. $ad told me the story. Grandpa described it bea"tif"lly in his a"tobiography. I wo"ld li!e to relate it here. While wor!ing in the constr"ction b"siness with the 4"nreligio"s element5, and being "nable to resist the temptation to violate the laws of health !nown as the Word of Wisdom, Grandpa s"ffered a complete physical collapse. 3ltho"gh not confined to bed, he co"ld do no wor! of any !ind. He co"ld not wal! the length of a city bloc! witho"t stopping many times to rest. Heart tro"ble was the ca"se. He was ., years old. Beca"se of this physical condition he was not approved for the %ahiti mission where he had been called. In st"dying the Word of Wisdom in the $octrine and #ovenants, he wondered if the promise to 4r"n and not be weary and wal! and not faint5 co"ld apply to him. %hen one night, Grandpa had a vivid dream where he witnessed his own death. He saw everything+ the family sorrowf"lly preparing the body for b"rial- the cas!et with its attractive floral display- the entire f"neral proceedings- the occ"pants of each vehicle in the f"neral procession. He heard one of his former teachers remar! that it seemed so "nnecessary for s"ch a yo"ng person to die when there were so many opport"nities for advancement and service here. 3s he was witnessing the cas!et being lowered into the grave, Grandpa awo!e. He pinched his limbs to determine if he was act"ally alive. %o his great pleas"re, his body responded. His limbs were cold and lifeless when he first awo!e- then a r"sh of circ"lation p"t him in a normal condition. He felt the presence of a

power and personage in his room who delivered this message: You have just witnessed the end of your earthly existence unless you, from this time, strive to live for and accomplish the labors assigned to you mentioned in your Patriarchal Blessing. Grandpa wrote+ 4! did not see a personage yet no person in all my experience has delivered a message to me that was more real or impressive. 6rom that time forward, Grandpa determined to live for and accomplish the wor! assigned to him on earth. %hat wor! incl"ded his marriages and the rearing of si) children. Besides serving as Bishop for ten years, he served in the ta!e 7residency, High #o"ncil, as ta!e "nday chool 7resident, 'the first one in the 8ost 9iver ta!e(, :lders and eventies ;"or"ms, and teacher of many classes. I was si)teen year old when Grandpa Boyer died. He was <= years old. Before he died he was in and o"t the hospital for many long months. His heart was failing. I remember him mentioning the 4hefty5 n"rses who wo"ld literally carry him aro"nd. Grandpa said he wanted to die. He was ready. He wondered why the 8ord didn&t ta!e him. %hen one day, receiving new strength, he came home from a partic"larly long hospital stay feeling 2"ite well. He attended the temple wedding of his oldest grandda"ghter, >ada. He assisted with the blessing of his newest grandson, my brother,

9yan. He bore his testimony one last time in the 3rco Ward. 3 few wee!s later, he died 2"ietly at home. %he wor! assigned him on this earth was completed.

I do not remember ever having a chat with Grandpa. >or do I remember ever giving him a big h"g and !iss. I wish I wo"ld have as!ed him abo"t my grandmother, Jane. I never heard him spea! of her. I wish I wo"ld have as!ed grandfather to tell me

what he had learned abo"t God&s laws of health. %he closeness that comes with visits li!e these was something I missed. While I was serving a #h"rch and 6amily History mission in alt 8a!e #ity, I had a sacred e)perience which involved my Grandfather Boyer. %o gather more genealogical information on my family, I determined to read the 3rco Ward 9ecords. I did not e)pect the e)citement that began to stir within me as I fo"nd the film in one of the large gray drawers located in the ? @ #anada section of the library. %a!ing the film from the white bo) and attaching it to the film reader, I began to t"rn the cran!. %he film read - %he 9ecord of members of the 3rco Ward ,A,.-,A0,. !magine that" #ittle $rco %ard recorded right here in the most famous genealogy library in the world. I began to read the names. %ow. #oo& at this writing. ! wonder who was the ward cler&. 'e did such a good job. ! had never appreciated ward cler&s before. "ddenly this film became alive. It was as if I saw the events. ,A,=. 6rederic! Ho"tB Boyer blessed by his father. (ad)s name wasn)t *rederic&. %e tal&ed about that. It didn&t matter. I saw my Grandfather blessing his son. ,A.0. %he death of Jane Boyer. +y grandmother. I felt grandpa&s pain. I felt my own pain. ! didn)t get to meet her. Grandma 9"by called as relief society president. ! didn)t &now that. My grandpa called as bishop. His #o"nselors were there. Cne was 3.W. Barnes * my other grandpa. ,wo grandfathers serving together. -uch a contrast they were. .ne / strong, confident, broad shouldered, robust, an outdoorsman. ,he other / thin, pale, humble, &eeper of boo&s. Both / spiritual giants. $orothy Barnes, my grandmother, was a member. -he was alive then. #ater she would roc& me and brush my hair. Helen Barnes, my mother, called at a yo"ng age to the M.I.3. 'ow she loves wor&ing with the youth. 3ll my a"nts and "ncles on both sides of the family were

there. #ater they would tease me and call me 0o1uee&y. My father - his baptism. His ordinations - deacon, teacher, priest, elder, his mission call, his ret"rn. Cther families * the Wal!ers, the Braithwaites, the :mory Barnes& were there. +y cousins. +y friends. +y school mates. My parents marriage was listed * ,A0,. %ait. ,he record continued. Cn 6orm :, was the genealogical report for ,A0.. %hree babies were blessed that year+ Joyce, da"ghter of 6red Ho"tB Boyer- Daren, da"ghter of Ira Wayne Boyer, Jr.- and 9ichard, son of 9ichard Mac! Boyer. +y grandfather is so proud 2 three grandchildren all born in the $rco %ard in one year. ! had arrived on the scene. obs were now heard

coming from that small c"bicle in that h"ge library. %he sobs were mine. 6"ll of ine)pressible gratit"de, my heart had t"rned to my fathers. ,han& you. ,han&s to all of you. ,han& you for your example. ,han& you for your faith. ,han& you for your lives. ,han& you for your love. ,han& you for your love for me.