Virgil Family Memories

Virgil Nathan Sayre

This is an attachment for a video of Virgil N. Sayre, Sr. talking about the happenings of his life. The film was taken at Bernice and Richard Gudmundsen’s home. Nello was there encouraging him to talk. Filmed by David Allen.

Comments and explanations of that interview were written by Virgil Sayre’s daughter, Barbara. Joyce Richardson then put the events in order and made the notes into complete sentences and paragraphs.

-----------------------------------------------------------

When our family traveled to Oregon to visit our Horsley Grandparents, the ice was so thick on the window that Mother kept her hands on the window in front of Daddy, thawing the glass so he could see through.

During the Depression we were living in Lennox on Osage. There was an earthquake, so we slept outside to be safe.

Virgil Jr. was born at home while the family lived at Lennox. Daddy sold Watkins Products while he was out of work. When he got back to telephone work, he had to move because he, along with many other people, had been unable to ray the rent of $50 per month. He looked into purchasing the house but he was told it had termites.

The family moved to 343 Hardy Street. Linda was born across the street in a Maternity hospital.

The house was too small, so Daddy and Mother decided they might sell. They painted the rooms and got new wallpaper for the bedrooms. The war broke out and people rushed to California to work.

During the war, Daddy was the neighbor monitor making sure all the homes were blacked out at night.

Homes were scarce. Someone saw our house and told the real estate people they would buy it, so then we had to find a new home. The orange grove across the street was taken down to make room for new homes. We found a new home on Laraway St.

Each time the Horsley’s came to visit, they left the Bible open for Daddy to read.

Brother Sorensen, a stake missionary, came to our house regularly and Daddy was soon baptized, along with Bernice and Ruth. The other children where not old enough yet.

Our family traveled to the Salt Lake Temple so we could be sealed together. We kids were kept downstairs and entertained and kept busy until it was time for us to go up for the sealing.

Daddy arranged for genealogy groups to go to the St. George Temple. Grandpa Horsley came along too. While the others were in the temple, Grandpa and I wandered around outside the temple. We went to the visitor’s center and he bought me a tiny New Testament just 4 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches and I take it to Sacrament Meeting to read during the passing of the sacrament. It is still just like new.