Wendell and Geraldine Merrill - Thoughts

Thoughts about Columbia Basin Ward for the 50th Anniversary

Wendell and Geraldine Merrill

In April of 1956, we had just been married a month and were on our honeymoon when we came to visit the Hope’s. We had spent some time in Moses Lake with Wendell’s Uncles and Aunts there and Grandma Davidson, she guided us over the Radar Hill to the Hope’s, in a terrible wind storm. At that time the road was just a dirt (sand) road. There were snow fences to keep the sand from drifting across the road. We could hardly see her in front of us for miles. When we arrived the Hope children had just arrived home early from school as they had let it out because of the sand storm. It just happened that the Domestic water was hooked up that day and so they could bath without hauling water to the tub. Everyone including us was covered with dirt. We all took turns bathing and the water was soooo soft that I couldn’t get all the soap off so had to rinse off several times. It was so good to get out of the dirt. Never did we dream that we would be living across the street from them.

We met all the people who were here at church the next day. I remember the Barrow girls sang in the meeting and they sounded so good. Everyone made us feel quite at home. I went with Aunt Verna to the Bishop’s Store House (where the Regional Family History building is now). She was the RS President. We crossed the river on the Ferry. The road from their home to the ferry was just a gravel road.

We went back to St. Anthony, Idaho and Wendell’s parents come out for a visit too and they found the Eltopia Grocery store for sale and decided to purchase. They moved here on the 3rd of July We followed them but to Moses Lake on the 15 of August. Driving back and forth from Moses Lake to Eltopia to be with his family, I was getting pretty homesick. There was an opening with the Bureau of Reclamation in Eltopia and Wendell qualified for it and was hired to start work on the 1st of January 1957. We lived in the trailer house area in the camp where the workers were provided with housing. We became acquainted with our neighbors and loved the branch. We started going to church at the old Eltopia school. My callings were to help teach dancing for MIA. They were preparing for the General Dance Festival in Salt Lake. Brother and Sister Welch from Connell were stake directors and helped get us started. Sharon Merrill, George Bakon, LaRae Woodard, Bob Coltrin. *And others???

I was also asked to teach the 6 year olds. Danny Merrill and Dixie Robison and others were in my class. They were such sweet little kids.

Wendell and I were the youngest couple in the ward for several years. There were special families that took us under their wings and included us in their activities, inviting us into their homes. We spent a lot of time with the Withers and Baker families. Our children eventually took piano lessons from Sister Withers.

The old school was special in that there was a group of women in the community that played volleyball for exercise. It was fun to be with members and those who were not.

We had Tammy and Mike while we lived there in Eltopia. Wendell was transferred to Royal Camp for 3 years. We had Terry and Bruce while we were there. We made the trek back and forth to be with Wendell’s family on weekends that Wendell had Army Reserve meetings once a month in Pasco. About a month before we moved back to Eltopia, we were making trips each weekend with our belongings, Bishop Rigby ask us when we would be back for sure every week. He wanted to get our memberships so we could start with new callings. He waited until we were all settled before he ask me to be a counselor to Sister Bertha Roylance in the Young Women’s MIA. The ward had grown and there were young kids that had grown up and new ones moved in and I felt so inadequate because I didn’t know the girls that well, Colleen Ferguson was the other counselor. We put on a great production for the young women who were leaving MIA and those new ones that were coming in. It was a great few years with the young women.
We had been asked to help purchase a Barracks building from Richland about that time to meet in. We didn’t have a very large budget and so the Relief Society made the drapes for the windows and the men built banquet tables for all our activities. I remember I got a big sliver in my leg from the wood. I couldn’t get it all out and several years later it festered and popped out.

I was in the Primary for about 25 years straight. Teaching classes, Secretary, I also was chorister for Primary with Sister Jean Withers as organist. She helped me with my calling by reminding me to have the children sit up straight so they could sing better. They were quite the singers too. One of my classes was the older girls. One of our activities was going for a bike ride and picnic off Sagemoor Road next to the river. There were some cows that joined us and the girls had fun petting them. We made arrangements for a couple pickups to bring the bikes back up the hill. We never would have made it back.

I was Primary President for a couple years, under Bishop Eppich, with Sharon Roylance and Colleen Ferguson as my counselors, and also Sheryl Records and Janet Russell. They were both new converts. They all did so well in their callings. We had some challenges as we had so many children we had to meet in the chapel. I gained a testimony of changes that the first Presidency made in the Primary Music. I was so disappointed at first that we gave up so many little songs that I had loved when I was young. I can now see the gospel songs that they have now help the children learn of the Savior and how to live the gospel and gain testimonies. What inspiration!
When we built the building we are in now we were blessed to pick up the building missionaries and take them to work each day. We grew to love them lots. We were able to spend some time staining wood and doors and scraping the excess mortar off the bricks are a couple things that I remember.

After we had the new church for a while they decided we could have our own Baptismals in our ward on the children’s birthdays. Our Tammy was the last child in the ward to have a Stake baptism.

I was a teacher of the Mia Maids: Rosie Hartelius, Kim Records, Misty Phillips, we had them overnight at our home, swimming party at the Hartelius pond. I also went to girl’s camp several years with some of the most wonderful women and young women. Lostine, Oregon, with Julie Mathews and Cleo Mann, some of the young women were: JoAnn Withers, La Dawn Naef, Kathie Ririe, I think they were all first year girls, It wasn’t easy to get them to go to Girls Camp the next year, it rained from the time we arrived, until we were packing up to come home. The sleeping bags were wet, clothes were wet, and shoes had been wet and dried and fried at the bonfire. I remember LaDawn , Sister Mathews and I took up the back of the station wagon to keep dry. We took Sister Mathew’s long johns and joined them with the flag; we shared some of our clothes with the girls that had nothing that was dry. I wore pedal pushers with a pair of long johns under to keep warm, I had given someone my jeans to wear. Somehow Sister Mathews ended up with pinecones in her sleeping bag one night. Sister Mann’s group lost their woodpile that was the perfect pile, but put in the wrong place and it was washed away with the washout that came though the camp in the night. Girls learned that digging a trench around their tent was one of the musts of camping -- the stream came through their tents. We needed moats that year. I don’t remember what the food was like but must have been the best part of the week.
Catherine Creek was much better in that we were in the lodge. The whole stake was awake all night, except the Stake Leaders. But they met their challenges as each day their long army tent got lower each day with the help of some ward leaders that just slipped by to pick up something off the ground near the tent. Sister LaVon McGary lost her trumpet after the first morning and all she could find was notes with hints of where it could be. It seems like there was something about her boots too. The last hint was given about pack up time. It had been hoisted to the ceiling of the lodge.

We graduated from the lodge and had camping spots around the grounds. I loved working with the girls.

June 16 1966, the day that our Todd, was born involved all the young women who were going to girls camp that year. We needed physicals to attend camp and we had a terrible time getting an appointment. All the girls were at the Doctor’s office ready to have their physicals and Wendell and I walked in, I was ready to have my baby and needed to see the doctor. All the girls said, Oh, Sister Merrill, you can’t have the baby until we get our physicals all done. I didn’t take long and went straight to the hospital. The doctor just had enough time to finish up the girls. Todd was born about 4:30 in the afternoon. We had a great Doctor in Dr. Thompson and his nurse was Colleen Ferguson.

Wendell worked with the Young Men in the basketball and softball teams. We have a large box of trophies for Stake and regional championships. We wore out 2 big suitcases carrying stinky sweaty uniforms home to wash. One of the basketball tournaments was in Seattle.

One of my most memorable teaching times was teaching Dixie Robison and Alaina Monson. They were Daughters of Bill and Bonnie Robison and Nolan and June Monson.

I had them for about 2 years. We met in the girl’s dressing room, no heaters, blackboards or comfortable chairs. They loved the children’s story of the life of Joseph Smith, and a children’s picture book about prayer. They loved to sing and color pictures. They both enjoyed these two activities the most. They knew who Joseph Smith was and could point him from the book and other pictures. These two young ladies brought me great pleasure.

One of my most spiritual experiences happened just after Wendell had been released from being Bishop. The MIA put on an activity for the ward called Flight 202. We and others had made it through close to the end and we were told that Wendell and Lane McGary and a few others were not going to make it to the Celestial degree. We were sitting with Jan and Lane (they were newly married). They had asked Wendell and Lane and a few others to leave the room for different reasons, and we were to go on without them. By that time I and Jan had been so caught up in the activity that we asked each other, where do we go without our husbands? I and I think Jan had never felt such a desperate feeling of being separated from our husbands. I have since hoped that I never will have to have that feeling ever again. I gained a testimony of being together forever. The young MIA kids did a great job that night.

I was in the Relief Society counselor to Jesse Hobbs. While we were in that calling was when we had our last bazaar. Our goal was to raise enough money to get a water heater installed in the kitchen so we could have instant hot water. I was released when Wendell was made bishop and was called as Relief Society president later by Bishop Ferris Naef. My dear counselors were Josephine Steele and Audrey Davis, and Lee Ana Naef as my secretary. What dear committed women!

I remember the things I did but don’t recall all the things that Wendell did. He went on many hikes with the scouts, kayaking, they lost a borrowed new kayak in the river. Wendell still feels bad about that. He loved working with Brother Shelton and Brother Hobbs. He worked in the SS Presidency with Ron Steele. When we went to Utah he and Ron did some fishing there.
Wendell went Salmon fishing with Bishop Eppich and his brother Glenn. Wendell was sick the first day and they didn’t want to come in. The next day Wayne and Glenn were sick and guess what they did? Came in. Good memories!

The couples would go to the dances and movies and out to eat. Whoever didn’t go, we would gang up on them and go to their home for midnight breakfast or any treat they might want to fix at that time of night. You didn’t want to miss many activities.

Temple trips to Idaho Falls with the Seminary kids were great. The Spirit was good with the young people. They were very faithful in attending Seminary and their meetings. They loved going to the temple. We managed the end of the trip to spend some time at Lolo Hot Springs, One trip Terry had his 16th birthday. Denise Mathews wanted to give him his first kiss but Jan Eppich beat her to it. Denise was very disappointed.

One of our favorite Temple trips to Idaho Falls was when Vern and Sheryl Records were sealed and had their children sealed. Karl Eppich had his Endowments before his mission. It was a special time.

Wendell loved being a ward clerk. He took it very seriously. He didn’t mail his reports to the Stake Leader, we would drive to Richland to give it to him. He said many times that he loved being with the brethren and enjoyed the spiritual talents that they all had.

Our lives had come to a point where we were comfortable in our ward callings and in our work on the farms. We had purchased farms from the Thayle Nielson family. That was a great opportunity for us. Then Arthur Purser ask us to buy his unit that joined the Nielson place. He was so willing to help make it as easy as he could for us. Then another miracle in our farming was purchasing the Headman place. Heavenly Father was really looking out for us sending such good “angel neighbors.” Our lives were in order for Wendell to be called to be Bishop.
Wendell was called to be bishop by President Keith Barber. He had called to come visit. He was our insurance man and come to visit quite often so Wendell didn’t think it was anything to do with church. I felt it was to be called but didn’t say anything. President Barber was such a wonderful man and we loved him dearly. He made Wendell know that he was worthy and capable of the work ahead.

Wendell loved the people in our ward very much and was loved by the ward. His counselors were Will Robison, after Melvin Cook was Vaughn Johnson. Wayne Woodward was Ward Clerk. They managed to get the baseball diamond and lights for night games. Families helped get the grass cut out, bleachers, built a backstop, and eventually built the Scout Building. Big Bend Electric employees donated time getting the lights set up. The fun was just beginning.
Wendell preformed several marriages and conducted some funerals. Our ward sent a lot of missionaries during this time also. Many spiritual experiences were enjoyed by him and as a family.

There isn’t enough paper or time to bring to memory all that was great and good in this ward. We have helped with the community when needed and I think that as a ward we are respected.

Our Children: Tammy married Gary Ivers. They have four daughters: Jennefer who loves this ward. She came to help Todd and Lisa two summers. Julie, Allison and Alicia. Tammy is teaching Special Education. Her husband works for Frito - Lay. They live in Mantica, California.

Mike married Lisa Dixon from Kennewick. They divorced and he remarried Susan. She is from Palmyra, New York. He has 5 children: Cameron who passed away this last April, Aaron and wife Calie, Christi, Brooke, and adopted son Tanner from Tonga. He lives in Provo and has a pool and spa maintenance business. Susan is his right hand man.

Terry married Shelly Charlton of Montana. They have four children: Micaela, Macie, Maura, and Kent. Terry teaches earth science in Jr. High. Shelly is in the High School administration as a counselor. They live in Rupert, Idaho

Bruce married Celyn Carter from Pingree, Idaho. They have 5 children: Dillon and wife Hidie, Landon, Tashia, Taya, and Beau. Celyn is a RN and works with the family business: Yike’s sports catalog and American Sports Store in Idaho Falls. They live in Shelly, Idaho.

Todd married Lisa Casper from Basin City. They have six children: Kyle, missionary, Kiersten, Kelsy, Korbin, Katie and Kory. They bought the Gar Calaway farm and all but 90 acres of our farm. They all have their farm jobs. We get to enjoy them as they are the only ones that are close.

We have had all our grandsons go on missions so far. We have 24 grandchildren

My mother has been living with us over the winter for a few years now and is now a member of our ward and she loves to tell everyone that her bishop is her grandson.

We need to thank all those who helped raise our children. Our home teachers and visiting teachers, seminary teachers, all their teachers in SS, MIA and Primary you all have had a great impact on our lives.