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A Family Tragedy


A Family Tragedy-From my journal-1962--"Two weeks ago on Saturday night June 2, we had a great shock. Richard's brother Scott died of a heart attack. He was only 36 and left Miriam with six children under 11 and one more on the way. Richard went up for the funeral and stayed a week to help get things in order and their apartments fixed up and managed. Scott had just bought Miriam a new station wagon that day but they later took it back. Scott had been busy all day, they went out in the evening and began having trouble soon after falling asleep. He died before the doctor ever arrived."

The picture is at Scott's college graduation from BYU with Vida.

"A calling such as this is so hard to understand. It will be so hard for Miriam with all those children to raise by herself. I think we will probably be moving to Vegas in August. Richard feels he should be there and is sure he could find job of some kind. He's quite anxious to go, whatever we do I am sure we'll be happy though I've always wondered why anyone would live in Vegas!"

As I remember, my doctor did not want me to fly to Vegas that late in my pregnancy because of the scheduled C Section; so Richard went to the funeral alone.

One thing I do remember is that Richard felt his world had stopped and yet he was seeing people all around going on with their normal lives as if everything was ok...he told me about this when he came home.  This death fell very heavily on Richard's shoulders.  He felt so much responsibility for Miriam and the family and for his mother.  This was Miriam's family a year after Scott's death.  Unfortunately the picture has been damaged but it doesn't mar the beauty of the family.  She managed amazingly with Vida's help and help from priesthood members of her ward for jobs that needed a man's touch.