Lorenzo & Donna Mecham

There was never a day in my life that I ever doubted that my father loved my mother. He was the same age as Aunt Marge and during his growing up years, only knew my mom as one of Marjorie Wilcox's little sisters. He met Donna at a dance. They loved to dance and Preston Idaho had a place that held dances every Wednesday and Saturday night. They had dance cards in which they would enter the dance, fill out the dance card with those people they were going to dance with and proceed to dance with those on the card. You usually danced with your date during the first song and the last song of the night and sometimes before and after intermission. It was just a great way to socialize. I don't know how long they dated, but one night after a dance, Lorenzo asked Donna if she would marry him. Mom told him she wouldn't answer that question unless he asked it in broad daylight. Well, he did.

Lorenzo's dad was worried because he wouldn't be able to help them much. It was at the beginning of the Great Depression and money was scarce. But Grandpa said that when a young man's heart was set on something it didn't matter. They were married in the Salt Lake City Temple on September 13, 1931. (Dad said he had to wait until after mom's birthday, August 31, so she was 18 when he married her.)

Great Grandma and Grandpa Mecham were not able to attend the temple. And Grandpa Wilcox had died when mom was a young girl, so Lorenzo, Donna, and her mother, Julia went together to the temple. Mom said it was rather funny, because after the wedding, her mother took her shopping for some clothes. Lorenzo had to follow them around while clothing and hats were bought. That was the beginning. Lorenzo and Donna spent the next 8 years in the mountains at a sheep camp.

Grandpa Mecham

Well, we will try another blog. This coming week will be the anniversary of Grandpa Mecham's death. (September 9, 2003) So, I am thinking I will dedicate a few blogs to him. Memories of him. This picture was taken a few days before he died. Aunt Julie and Uncle Frank had taken him on a church history tour. He really loved it. He loved the gospel of Jesus Christ. He loved to serve everybody, from Pearl, who he did all kinds of errands, to his family. There were a lot of widows that were pretty sad when he left this earthly experience. I believe he is still serving. Here is my testimony of this truth.

A month or so before Lyric and Scott's wedding, Dad and I were in the Boise temple on a ward assignment. We were doing sealings and happen to be with a couple who had many family names. It was a small sealing room and it was even smaller when I shut my eyes and felt all the spirits in the room. Even the sealer mentioned that he had other records we could be doing, but felt there were many here for this work to be done, so he was going to continue with the family names.

As I enjoyed the feelings of the temple veil so thin, a 'door opened' and my dad's presence walked into the room. In my thoughts, I expressed my love for him and mentioned Lyric's approaching wedding in the temple. I also conveyed that I would not feel his presence as I knew I would be quite caught up in everything else. He conveyed to me that he would be there but that he had things to do now. His presence left the room.

He had worked in the temple for several years after his mission and before mom's death. He loved every minute of it I'm sure he was thrilled with the chance to continue the work on the other side.