Maria and Mark Elope, Christmas 1984 and Other News from the Year!

No Christmas card this year, in a disaster zone as far as the business is concerned and Maria and Mark eloped!!!   So I do not know what I am doing about now.  Maria saw Mark at the cash register at a local store and had us check him out.  Next thing they were dating and then went to visit Jimmy at BYU and came back married!  We had a dinner and cake celebration with friends at a restaurant at UTC and I can't find any of the pictures!!!!  

They both appear very happy, came to the L J office to share the news with me.  What a huge surprise!!!  

The only pictures I have of us at Christmas are of Kristi, Linda and Gary; John and Meagan.  Good grief, hope we do better next year!   

John poses with Meagan in her Dance Costume

Meagan at '84 Christmas

News from earlier this year is that my friend Carla from Glendive is also in the financial business!!!  She is a financial consultant for Shearson/American Express.  This, after all her years in the music business and then as music professors in a private school.

Evidently the Wall Street firm is experimenting with teaching highly educated individuals (Carla has her Doctorate) to be financial consultants and use their contacts as clients.

News about the Silver Gate Cabin.  I suggested to Dick sometime ago that we start having family times scheduled every year and that all families contribute to the cost and the ownership of the cabin goes into a Trust for all the heirs to use from now on.  I think we are all on board to finally make it happen.

An Old Boyfriend Visits and The LIST, 1990

Earlier this monnth I received a call at the office and he said it was Bill.  "Bill, the appraiser, or Bill, from high school?", I asked.  He said, "Your old boyfriend, Bill." "Oh", I said.  He said he wanted to see me as he was in town visiting his daughter.  I said, "Ok, do you know where I am?"  "Yes, a friend from your church has kept tabs on you and he told me where to find you."

So, that night, I told my daughters about the call and since I was about 50 lbs heavier that when we dated in the late 50's and I asked my girls for an idea of what to wear.  

The next day when he came in the office, he walked right by where Richard was standing and came to the front where my desk was.  We walked out the front door and over to Dairy Queen and talked.  I am not sure Richard was even aware but I did not take Bill back and introduce him.  I was not sure what he wanted.  But Richard knew all about our relationship and that we had almost married and Bill wrote me after Richard and I were already married as if he wanted to get back together but he did not know I was married, of course.  So we had broken up in May and I was already married in October..."pretty fast," he had commented, when I let him know.

He is divorced and has a 5 year daughter from a first marriage living in Carlsbad and his ex-wife was also in the real estate business.  He said I would enjoy doing loans for her.  Evidently he had a great business in Washington and then his manager got into drugs and monies were mishandled and he lost it all and his wife left him.

At one point he started to take my hand as we sat across from each other and then thought better of it.  He said, "We should have married... but you were saved by not, for sure."  Or something like that.  He did not tell me then but it was not too long after this visit he remarried and to his chiropractor.

Not exactly sure why he visited, just checking as to where I was in my marriage I guess.  He had lost all the weight he had gained when he was under so much stress so wanted me to see him that way I suppose.   He is also selling some pills to help weight loss but he did not try to sell me any.  But he did tell me he had rented a white car with the top down in honor of our visit.  That is what he was driving when we were dating.  I am sure we both have good memories of those days.

I really enjoyed dating Bill but I am so positive it was not right for us to marry.  He did leave me some nice poems and happy memories of sailing and dancing and having a lot of great times riding around San Diego in his convertible.  Great sense of humor, always had me laughing.  I really enjoyed the time I spent with him in San Diego.

Also in 1990 I made a LIST!!!

Death of a Dear Friend, March 1993

I got word of the untimely death of a college roommate this month.  I figure she couldn't have been more than 52 so it was a very untimely and unexpected death.  I had just met with her recently at the Temple.   She looked and acted extremely healthy.  I am so glad we got to see each other when we did.  

I was a junior the year she started as a freshman at BYU and lived with me and 4 others in the new Family Living Center.

After I graduated and taught for a year in Billings, Montana another college roommate Colleen and I traveled through California to find a great place to teach and we found it in San Diego.

Two years later Marta graduated and wanted to come live with us so we changed our residence and moved to Hillcrest from North Park.  She was not a teacher but worked for the big company Convair and it was a very good job.

BYU 1953

Colleen in back, Janet, Marta, JoAnne in front

We still attended the large 4th Ward building in North Park though and Quentin came into our life and was at our house a lot.  He even took the three of us to Grand Canyon and Phoenix one weekend.  He wanted his parents to meet Marta.  Anyway it wasn't long before Quentin and Marta were getting married and she was the youngest of us all!!!  He was a great guy and Marta was a sweetheart to everyone.  She was just a very good friend.  We all loved her.

I married about a year or two later but we both had our first baby boys about the same time and Quentin did bring them all down to San Diego and I have a movie of our little pre one year old boys in a playpen tyogether.  They actually named their first daughter Janet, after me!!!   

What amazed me and even her husband was the huge turnout for her funeral, much more than a ward and family for sure.   This was his words in a letter he wrote to me later.  "I am ashamed that I was so unaware and insensitive to the extent to which Marta had touched peoples lives.  She did not speak often of what she said or did as she talked and helped people, and maybe that was why so many would talk to her in confidence and listen to her counsel.  There were so many like yourself who at great personal sacrifice traveled great distance to be at her funeral.  The service was indeed an indication of just how many people considered her to be their friend.  She spoke of you often, held you in high regard and regretted that she could not see you more often.  As I have been able to step back and view the events surrounding her death I can see the hand of the Lord moving in many ways.  What are the odds for us to meet at the temple the week before that caused you to be able to communicate with her.  I can assure you that it was a special time for to be able to talk to you even for a short time." 

Marta was a great listener, I know, and always comforting with a quiet word of hope or encouragement.

In the autopsy it was determined a cancer she had 20 years ago had returned and her immune system shut down and could not fight the infection in her body, though they were using the strongest drugs they could.  

Quentin said, "Let me assure you that I am comfortable with her passing, she had finished her mission here.  She had received a blessing twenty years ago that enabled her to remain and raise her children after her diagnosis of terminal cancer. " 

Marta was a very precious soul who lived a very worthy life,  she will be missed.

Marta's Mom made us all squaw dresses (6 of us)!

4th Ward 1957

Marta and I with some of the Ward guys.

Quentin and Marta