Sherlie has a conductor of the PHS Band, Cheerleader and Senior High School picture.
A Happy Birthday Wish to Sherlie Smith Talbot
A am sending out a special tribute to my Mom. Mom you have been such a great support in my life. I appreciate all your love and concern through the years. You are the glue that keeps us together. I appreciate your listening ear and your sounding board. I love you so much! I also appreciate that you taught me how to work and to get satisfaction from doing a good job. I also remember you making sure that I was always honest in my dealings. I hope to carry on your legacy and teach my posterity about you and your values. With Love Mitzie
These pictures are of Grandpa and Grandma Smith mom's parents. The collage has pictures of mom's siblings, mom's kids, and her young family. Notice the twin dress! Mom made all of our clothes until I was married. She was an excelant seamstress and made many of our clothes out of old drapery and upholstery samples from the store.
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Sherlie Smith Talbot
Born: I was born May 22, 1935 in the Iron County Hospital at Cedar City, Utah. My folks were living in Summit at the time. I was the oldest of a family of four children. My father was Elden Orton Smith, and my mother was Remola Chadburn Smith. I had 1 brother and 2 sisters. Sheldon Chadburn Smith, my younger brother was born 7th, Oct. 1938. OmahLee Smith was born 26, May 1942. Joan Smith the youngest was born 16, Oct. 1946.
Living conditions as a child: Throughout my childhood my parents had to work hard. Daddy held down three jobs most of the time; National Guard, front end alignment mechanic for Lunt Motors, and he drove the school bus to Summit. Mom took care of her 4 brothers and sisters while they went to school in Cedar. Grandpa Chadburn gave us a cow and other animals to help out with the food and things.
Just after I started the first grade, we got the petitions, floors, and roof on the new part of our house in Summit. Before that time, the 7-9 of us, Mom, Dad, Sheldon, OmahLee, Lloyd, Lois, Melba, Fern and I were living in a two room house. (Mom’s brothers and sisters, Melba, Fern, Lloyd, and Lois were going to school in Cedar.) There was no indoor toilet, so Mom fixed a little potty between the two bookcases for us kids. Lloyd, Lois and I slept across the street in Aunt Clara and Uncle Ellis Bryant's spare bedroom.
I graduated from High School in 1953. I have very outstanding memories of high school. I helped to decorate all the special dances and helped with the floorshows by either dancing or singing. Sara Ward, Merna Halterman, and I were cheerleaders our junior year. My senior year I was photo editor for the yearbook and Drum Majorette of the High School Band. My girl friends and I sang all around the area and I did real well in the Solo Festival. Along with all the school activities, I taught tap, and was the Jr. Sunday School organist and danced in the regional all girls dance and the Gold and Green Ball.
Work: I worked for Daddy at the station in Parowan. I pumped gas, washed windows, checked oil just like everyone else. I had to use a ladder to get to the big diesels. I surprised many customers when I could give them good service. My senior year I worked at LaRoma Café in Parowan.
When the kids were young I tried to stay home. However I have helped my husband with his furniture business quite a bit throughout the years with the deliveries and collections. As he moved into business for himself, we worked hand-in -hand for many months several different times remolding the store and preparing for business. I have done a lot of accounts, statements and cleaning throughout the years. When Brent moved out to Kemp Korners Shopping Center, I worked at least part-time every day. When Beckie is in school I work 9-3:30p.m.
Marriage: I first met my future husband, Brent Gale Talbot, at my girlfriend Anna Talbot's house. Brent was outback fixing his car. It wasn't until my junior year, however that we met officially. He was 22 and I was 17.
One night he honked his car horn several different times outside the house. My father would not allow us to answer to horns, so I went to MIA. After MIA ,Brent was waiting to take me home. We had 5 dates before he went in the service. We went steady for 14 months. ( He was in Germany) Brent sent me a diamond in his parents Christmas parents present. Brent called me from Germany and ask me to marry him.
Brent really impressed me from the start because he had standards and was clean cut.
Brent came home Aug 2nd and we were married August 22nd, 1953 in the St. George Temple. President Harold S. Snow officiated. The St. George Temple was closed for fall cleaning, so we went to Salt Lake and got our endowments. Then we went to St. George Temple and we were married among all the cleaning tools, ladders and etc.
Vision: During the delivery of Natalie the doctor administered a spinal, which did not take. When the doctor began to cut it threw me into shock. I remember feeling so peaceful and tired and I did not hurt anymore. The doctor kept yelling my name and I wished he'd just leave me alone. My Father Eldon appeared to me and I was talking to him. When I finally came to, the doctors ask me whom I was talking to. When I told him he said, I am sure glad I didn't know how near gone you were. I know the Lord wanted me to be here to take care of the girls. That's why he let me stay.
Trials/Blessings:
During this time Brent was on the road for Leighs all the time. He only came home on Sunday. He was trying to start a store for Leigh Furniture in St. George. He had the one in Kanab doing well.
When Natalie was three years old, we decided to move to St. George. Brent had been asked to manage the Leigh Furniture Store in St. George.
Brent lived in the top of the old Arrowhead Hotel, while we were doing the lobby for the Leigh Furniture Store. He came home Sundays for a while, then for 6 months I picked up the kids after school on Friday and drove to St. George. Saturday and Sunday we worked on the house we were building and helped Brent with the store. Monday morning we got up early and drove back to Parowan. After six months, I could not take it so we camped out in the hotel with Brent. We had no sink, so we washed dishes in a washbowl. We cooked on a hot plate. Brent and I slept on a hide a bed. It took us another 6 months to build our home in St. George.
Our move to St. George was good for the girls, they have had a lot of advantages that they could not get in Parowan. All of the girls really improved in their schoolwork too.
Travel: Mom and Dad were lucky to travel across the world to meetings or to go on trips that Dad won trough selling home furnishings. Some of the places that they visited were; California, Mexico, Hawaii, Germany, Hong Kong, Egypt, Israel,China, Canada and many places in the USA.
Church positions: Sunday school teacher, Primary secretary, 1st counselor in the Primary, 26 yrs in the nursery, and a Primary teacher for 18 years, I was a 1st counselor in the mutual, Pianist, Chorister, and Stake Primary Nursery Leader.
I really enjoyed all my callings, but have enjoyed especially working with the children. I also really enjoyed working with the tiny little ones in the new consolidated nursery program. It is a lot of preparation but the little ones are so special and cute.I also have served in 4-h program for 25 years. I have taken all my girls through their programs and have been in charge of the County Community Pride Project for 14 years, and served on the County 4-H Council.
I read Mom’s journals and it is basically years of running, running, running. It seriously made me so tired. Mom always had so many irons in the fire. I feel guilty that I ask her to tend my kids so often. Whenever I ask her to tend she always was so willing, but now I can see that it was a real sacrifice for her to tend.
Mom worked at Dad’s store throughout the years. She started with cleaning, building, organizing, running errands, then she helped with the billing, filling and collecting. With all of Dad’s illness, Mom eventually learned everything about the store. Mom never enjoyed working at the store. She always felt like she needed to be home helping and guarding the girls.
Everyone needed Mom and so she ran around trying to help everyone. Mom also helped Grandpa and Grandma Morris and Grandma Thomas and many neighbors. Mom always had a t least one church calling. Mom served in the Stake Primary and as a nursery worker for 26 years. Mom loves kids and especially nursery age kids. Mom also served with the local 4-H as a leader and advisor and then on the Washington County Board for 25years also. Throughout her time in 4-H she helped teach and she organized 4-H community aid and service projects.
Mom was pretty independent and could do almost everything around the house.(inside and out) She worked very hard to keep a clean organized house and yard. She also worked hard to make sure that her children had every opportunity to explore and build their talents.
If she had a fault it was spoiling and indulging her children to much. She tried hard to make sure that everyone had all they needed and wanted. Mom sacrificed her time and talents to make sure that her children had the things that they desired.
Family tradition included working hard, eating together at lunch and going on trips. Also if anyone in the family had a big assignment we would all try and help the person with the problem or project.
Dad had a lot of illness and arthritis and so this required him to go to Salt Lake City to see doctors and get treatments. Dad also sold many lazy-boys rockers and so he went back and forth to Tremonton to get them. The independent businessman is a hard life. One has to do as much as possible for one’s self. The money is hard to come by sometimes. Life for Mom and Dad was work, work, work.
Mom has all of her children off and on their own. It has not been without much struggle on Mom’s part. There has been illness divorce and money troubles. All of Mom’s children are active in the church and most of her grandchildren. Mom has 4 daughters and 19 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren at this time.
Mom has a good relationship with all of her family. She is a true matriarch. It has been 16 years since Brent passed away of a massive heart attack and many secondary illnesses. Mom has been strong in Dad’s absence and kept everything going. Beckie and Bruce bought the store a few years before Dad’s passing. Mom sold her big house and moved into a condo when Dad passed. Mom continued to help at the store and then slowly tapered her assignments off to just tending for Beckie. Mom has been totally retired for a few years now.
Mom is still active in church and has been extremely active in Relief Society humanitarian work for years now. She goes and helps for several hours every Monday.
Mom also makes all of the gifts that she gives away and has been very thoughtful and caring. She has shared her talents with all of us. It usually takes her 7 to 8 months to make her Christmas gifts every year.
Mom also has a good friend base. She has 6 or so friends that get together 1 time a month to go to dinner and talk. Sometimes they go to a movie.
Mom feels bad that Brent missed out on so many things that the kids have participated in an accomplished. (he probably didn’t) I think that she misses talking and discussing the things with him. Since Brent’s death Beckie has had 4 children. Brent and Sherlie now have 17 great-grandchildren.
Talbot Family traditions:
Dad developed a special way of doing Christmas trees with non-bonded quilt batting. It was laid across the Christmas tree as if snow fell on it and then the entire tree was sprayed with canned snow. We always had lights on our house and we had a Santa and his reindeer (There was a red light on the end reindeer for Rudolph) on the roof and a BIG nativity on the lawn.
Dad would make yummy homemade pancakes on Sunday sometimes. He had a really thin batter and the pancakes where really light and good.
Dad also made a hash brown cakes with grated fresh potatoes and eggs? He made the potatoes into a patty and fried it.
At Easter we had hardboiled egg wars. We would hit eggs until there was a winner.
The 5 pecan trees in the yard played a big role in our lives. We had to knock the nuts down from the trees that were too tall then dry them and crack them and store them.
Mom’s story of getting her driver’s license:
Sherlie wanted to learn to drive. She was more than 16 and did not know how to drive. Her little brother Sheldon 4 yrs younger who worked at the service station was driving all the time. Sherlie complained to her father and told him he was not fair. So after work Eldon, her father brought his stick-shift truck out and told her to jump in and drive it home. She had had no previous driving instruction. Sherlie jumped in and drove the truck in first gear all the way home. When she got home she did not know how to turn it off.
The next day Sherlie called one of her friends and the friend came over and helped her practice driving. After a short time Sherlie hopped in the truck and took it to get her license.
Officer Barton gave her the driving test and he thought it was amazing that she could drive the dumpy truck and double clutch etc., so the officer let Sherlie pass and gave her the drivers license. Officer Barton gave Sherlie’s dad, Eldon a $40 dollar ticket for the truck not passing a safety inspection. Eldon’s service station was a designated safety inspection place.
Eldon was kind of upset.
Desert Mound night guards:
Brent was working regular hours at Eldon’s service Station during the week. He was learning to be a mechanic. On weekends when Desert Mound was closed, Brent and Sherlie were the watchman.
They took pillows and blankets and whoever was not watching could take a nap. Sherlie said it was ok during the day as you could read or walk around but at night it was dark and scary and boring.
Most of the time it was uneventful, but one night a big boss came and tried to get in without papers. He got mad at them at first and then he was grateful.
