Cleon and Vida Moore

This is the wedding picture of my husband Paul's mother and dad. His mother was only 18 when she married his dad. I would have liked to meet Paul's parents, but they both had passed away when I met Paul. The information I know about them comes mainly from Paul, but also from his siblings and his children.

I know that Paul's mother was an outstanding cook. She bottled and canned fruit and vegetables from her garden and orchard. Paul remembers hundreds of bottles lined up in their storage room. The family had chickens, so she would also sell eggs to the public. She made her own soap; in fact, there wasn't much the family had to buy at a retail store. Paul remembers his mom working from sunup to sundown in the house, the garden and on the farm. He also said that she wasn't hesitant to give her strong opinions. One time Paul's dad was in charge of an LDS Church farm project. It required many, many hours of his time in addition to maintaining his own farm. One day Vida called the bishop and said, "You either get people to help with the church farm or my husband will no longer hold the job."

Paul's dad worked long hours to keep the farm going. Paul said that in the summers he and his dad and brothers worked in the fields 16 hours a day. When I have watched my husband working on various tasks around the house or in helping other people, I know that he learned how to work hard from his parents. Even though Cleon only went as far as 8th grade in his formal schooling, he read voraciously. Paul has a clear picture in his mind of his dad sitting in his rocking chair next to the coal stove in the wintertime reading. Cleon also could easily help Paul as a teenager with his algebra homework.

I wish I would have had the privilege of meeting Paul's parents. I would tell them that they have a wonderful son who has a strong ethical set of standards and who is dependable and hardworking. I would also tell his mom that he knows how to stand up for what he believes in and doesn't let anyone take advantage of him. (I think she already knew that!)