Uncle Calvin

Calvin Emil Neilsen died peacefully on September 20, 2019 at the Laurel Groves care facility in Nephi, Utah at the age of 95. Calvin was born August 11, 1924 north of Mona on the family farm that his grandfather homesteaded in 1860. He was the sixth of nine children born to John Strong and Hazel Vest Neilsen, and the last surviving sibling. When Calvin was 2 years old his family moved into Mona to a yellow brick home on Main Street where he lived his entire life in the shadow of his beloved Mt. Nebo.

Calvin served in the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II. Afterwards he attended BYU where he met and married Sarah Colton on June 6, 1950 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was the love of his life for 69 years. He graduated with honors in 1951 and they made their home in Mona.

Calvin became a school teacher, working first in the Mona Elementary School then at Juab High where he helped thousands of students in his 31 years of service. He was active in his church, serving in ward, stake, and regional positions, and he loved his service in the Manti Temple. He also served in the community as Mona Precinct Chair, worked hard to develop irrigation systems, and enjoyed helping kids in 4-H. He loved people and went about quietly trying to improve his community. He was a very good husband and father. He did everything with diligence and accuracy. We will miss him!

He is survived by his wife Sarah, and 7 of their 8 children, Chris (Suzanne) of Mona, Helen (Darren) DuRall of West Valley City, John (Kelly) of Medford, Oregon, Mary (Carl) Furner of Mapleton, Marlaine (deceased at age 5), Amy of Mona, Paul (Jill) of Draper, and Emily (Shawn) Tripp of Taylorsville. Calvin and Sarah have 34 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren.

There will be a viewing on Friday, Sept. 27th from 6-8 pm at the Anderson Funeral Home in Nephi, and from 9:30-10:30 am on Saturday, Sept. 28th prior to an 11 am funeral at the Mona 1st Ward building.

Scenes from the Funeral

Relief Society Activity

On Sept. 21 I was able to attend a Relief Society Activity. It was my first ward activity after moving to Ogden. I went to the home of the White's (counselor in the bishopric) in North Ogden. I got there late because I had work. When I got there they had started the movie The 100 Foot Journey. It was a cute movie. We also ate pizza and other goodies. 

Thanks Relief Society for a fun activity. 

Sasha's Adventure

Today, Sept 17 Dad and John's dog Sasha had an adventure today. Normally when Dad and John aren't home she cries and howls and it can be really loud. Today was no different. When she stopped I assumed she had gone to sleep. A little while later I got a call from John asking if Sasha was here. He had gotten a call from a woman who had found her on Harrison around 25th street, which is like 34 blocks away. When I couldn't find her, John called the woman and had her bring Sasha home. As I went out to figure how she got out, I discovered this hole in the fence. This was the only way I could figure out how she got out. What's funny about this is this hole is it has been there for 3 years now and she has never gotten out before. As John was looking at it he found some of Sasha's hair in the wood. Now we have some bricks blocking the hole.

John and His Siblings Call his Biological Mom

Sept. 16 was a special day for John and his siblings. That evening we went to Mike's house for dinner and because John and his siblings called their biological mother. The phone call went well I think. They learned that when the mother put them up for adoption she requested that all three children be together. That's how/why John and his siblings were able to stay together once adopted. Mike's daughter and I had to say hello per request by Mike and John. I would have been content to just listen. It was a neat experience and I'm glad I could be there to support and witness it.

BYU Football Game

On Sept. 14 I was able to go to the BYU Football game against USC. Meg came with me. I'm not going to lie, I thought we were going to loose, but we came through and one in overtime final score being 30-27. It was a stressful game. Afterwards, we met up with Uncle Boyd and Millie. Aunt Mary didn't come. Paul and Bel were in Provo with the kids so Uncle Boyd called them up to see if he could bring Mille. This was Millie's first football game. At the end of the game she told Uncle Boyd she finally understood why football players where helmets. At the halftime Uncle Boyd texted us telling us there were some seats available by him. So Meg and I moved to go sit in the shade. After about 5 min. the gentleman who had the seats came and was a bit upset that we were sitting in them. Just as a note he was very late. I asked the people we were sitting next to if anyone had been sitting there, and they all said no. Meg and I migrated back to our seats in the sun. After the game Millie wanted to ride with me to Zuppa's for dinner. The only thing I remember from the car ride was Millie describing to me her school's fire alarm sounding like a dead duck blowing bubbles. Needless to say it was an entertaining ride over.

Before the Game

We Won!

My crazy tan line from my new Chaco's

After dinner I was able to meet up with my old roommates from CVS 1. I got to meet my replacement. Her name is JaNae. I think she will fit in just fine. It was fun to do a quick catch up. I sure do miss these ladies. I hope I can catch up with them again soon!

Back Row Left to Right: Leiema, Helena
Front Row Left to Right: JaNae, Me, Carly

Lunch with Becca

Today I was able to have lunch with Becca. It was fun to catch up with her. We went to IHop for a brunch type lunch. I hope this will lead to more lunches and more time to spend catching up with all of the Gordon's!

Labor Day 2019

Happy Labor Day! This year I was able to go up to Price Rec for the annual Mathis Labor Day Party. It was a great time had by all. We also had book club. Our book was Where The Crawdad's Sing. I was not able to read it before the discussion so I didn't participate as much so I wouldn't get spoilers. We also played Badminton, ate s'mores, hiked, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a great way to end my summer. Until next year family!