Chronicle of Mike (His Obit that never made the paper)

Michael Lafe Jackson was born August 12, 1952 in Alamosa, Colorado to Hyrum Lafayette and Mary LaRee Boice Jackson. He had the honor of making Lafe and LaRee parents. Soon after his birth, his family moved to the Los Angeles area, where his sister, Mary Lynn was born. Shortly after her birth, the family moved back to Manassa, Colorado where another brother, John Edwin was born. in 1957, the family moved to southern Idaho where Lafe homesteaded north of Paul. Soon after moving, his sister, Susan Jane was born, followed by Steven Boice a year later. In the early 1960's Mike started 1st grade at Paul Elementary. Just before he entered Paul Jr. High, another brother, Jay Eldon was born. Laura LaRee was born 18 months later. In the fall of 1967, Mike and Mary started the Freshman year at Minidoka County High School. Both graduated from Minico (as it was more commonly known) in 1971. After high school, Mike attended Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho for two years. After that, he lived in various places such Salt Lake City, Utah, Burley, Idaho, Evanston and Rock Springs, Idaho. At the time of his father's death in 1980, Mike was living in Burley. Eventually he moved back to the farm north of Paul. In 2015, he moved to Sandy, Utah to live with his brother, John. He stayed there until his death August 4, 2019.

Traveling With Mom

September 2003, I was with Mom and her sister, Gladys in Illinois. We started the day by going to church and then it was on to Carthage. After our tour of the Carthage Jail, we headed headed south and a bit east, then west. It was like an extended ride in the country which was a favorite past time of Mom's. After our trip in the country, we returned to Nauvoo, where we had been staying the few days.

I remember Mom saying something about this being the last chance to see Nauvoo and that she didn't expect to live much longer. It disturbed me hearing this and when she would say things like that on the trip, I would try to ignore it. You might say I was in denial that she was an old lady and she could kick the bucket.

A year after Mom passed, I took a ride on the Trax red line. When the train got to the South Jordan Parkway, I decided to get off instead of continuing on to the end of the line,which was the next stop. I was glad I did. I looked east and saw the Oquirrh Temple. Mom would have been pleased to see that. She always loved to see a temple. She always made in a point to go to the Idaho Falls and Boise temple when the Paul 2nd had temple trips. She even made regular trips to the Logan temple with a group of friends. When Mom went to Nauvoo, we did a session each at the Winter Quarters and Nauvoo temples. And when the Twin Falls temple opened, her home teacher, Clint Harper took her often.

Each September my thoughts will return to the passing of my mother, just like each February when I think of my father. I felt such a huge void when Dad passed. But I have noticed that it has become less noticeable as time passes. And it will be like that with Mom.  I will always miss my parents, but I will always feel their love for me; looking forward to the time I will see them again. The voids will always be there and I realize nothing will fill those in my life, but the pain will dim. I will continue to move on in my life. My parents have set an example that I can follow as trials and opportunities come my way.

30 Years

I was going through my old emails and I came across an email that Laura wrote on February 16, 2010. 3 1/2 years later I was still touched with what she wrote.
Susan

Brothers and sisters  (sounds like I'm giving a talk in church:)

So I'm pretty good about forwarding missionary letters,  (sigh--nothing from Brian today), but not so good at sharing WA news.  To be honest it feels like there isn't too much new ,but here's the latest.

(Laura writes about what her two youngest sons were doing)

Sunday was busy with church, valentines and Kevin got his patriarchal blessing or I might have thought about it being the Sunday before Pres day and the 30th anniversary of Dad's death.  Tomorrow is the calendar anniversary and that has been on my radar for awhile.  I was 13 and in some ways it seems forever ago because my life has went through so many changes.  But, in being able to recall random details it doesn't seem as long ago (what dress I wore, what John's friends made me for breakfast as we traveled to Colo, my friends' response on my first day back to school, and of course my feelings of that evening etc).  Sometimes I try to remember what I can about Dad and realize that all my memories are not only 30 yrs old, but started from a young perspective and so might not be accurate.  But,I came to the conclusion that the most important deduction I've made is true--he loved and wanted what was best for me and you his other children--thought I'd share that.

Wish you all a good day!

Love,

Laura

Some Random Thoughts of Mom--

Laura (9/18/12) When Laurel visited Mom she told of a time Mom walked over and brought her some soup.  That's a good walk carrying soup.  She also told of Mom letting her hide Christmas gifts and Mom remembered her painting homemade gifts there to keep them a surprise.

Random fact was she did horseshoes in High School and enjoyed CA beaches.  She was 25 when sister died of polio

All I remember (of homesteading) was how primitive a start and she had no comments about that being that way--she wasn't a complainer and it probably took people like that to make a go of homesteading.

I know Mother went without a lot of things for herself as she raised us children --we weren't well off, but she made do and I don't recall her complaining about the situation.  She was willing to sacrifice and was very unselfish.  (Now I can't believe how often she let me take the only car to school etc)

One of the things I most appreciate Mom for was making sure we had scripture study, FHE, and went to church.  I know this isn't easy and even harder when doing alone as she often had to do.  Maybe she's like me and proud she raised 3 missionaries?

I remember her taking tailoring classes and something with preserving food.  She liked to learn and utilized what she learned I remember her helping at the fair after she earned certification in the other thing that I can't remember the title of (had to do with proper food canning etc)

Also I was so impressed when home and into Mom's things how organized she was with her belongings and she was certainly detailed her planning for death.  Her organization made everything easier for us (Susan’s name on bank acct as example, maybe worth mentioning. She was a widow for 32 years--that is a long time

I'm glad she came to Connecticut when I had Isaac. (she had permission to leave her mission)  She also saw me there on a visit to her friend Elizabeth.

Laura (Oct 5, 2012) She enjoyed taking community classes.  She did tailoring, and food preservation among others. She liked learning.  When my family went to places (St Helen's, Game Farm etc) with her she would often buy a book about it to read more about it.

After Dad died she worked at DI for awhile.  I think she enjoyed having co-workers and dressing up to go to work.  I think it was problems with her feet though soon after that she didn't pursue further employment.

Steven's Memories

In regards to his sense of humor I remember dad when he would be putting his boots on in getting ready to go to work he would quote the scripture "No rest for the wicked"

I do not remember dad ever spending much time in leisure but if my memory serves me right he liked reading the humorous comics in the Sunday newspapers.  I think he liked reading comic magazines/books.  I remember seeing him read the scriptures and reading the book Jacob Hamblin which I think he read a couple of times, because he seemed to have an interest in the book I read it.  He did a time or two go down to St. George with Mom in the winter when he was not working the farm.  I never remember my dad raising his voice at me.  He was very frugal in his spending, I think he once bought pants that were to long and then just rolled them up all because they were cheaper than the size that fitted.  Dad as I remember him was very concerned about us, was sparing in preaching to us, teaching more by example than word, but the one thing he did instruct us boys on was to be respectful to women including putting the toilet seat down when we were done.

Note: Steven was born on his dad's 41st birthday, July 29th.

Recollections of a Younger Brother by Isabelle Jackson Coleman

Lafe was christened the same day as I was baptized - Sept 2, 1917.
After 3 daughters Father was probably proud and grateful to at last have a son - Lafe.
Though I often heard Father say if there's anything sweeter than little kids, it's more little kids. He said he couldn't wait until Lafe was big enough to go with him, but when that day came, Father was suffering too much from the cancer to take him. Lafe, Reta, Inez and Kelland stayed Grandpa and Gramdma Schofield and Aunt Lucille, when Mother went with Father to the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. (I stayed with Grandma Jackson, so I could go twice a day to tend chickens & look after home.)
When Father died Lafe couldn't understand why he didn't come home and after Mother explained he had gone up to Heaven to live with Heavenly Father, Lafe would ask Mother why they couldn't get in the car and go up in the clouds where Daddy was.
And when Lafe was a small boy, Uncle Will took him and Kelland with his boys on the father's & sons outing. Some one returned shortly after for supplies and Lafe came home with them. I don't remember the excuse he gave Mother for coming home, but she said she saw him standing in the yard and knew it was because he was missing his own father.
As he grew up he like to tease his sister Inez. One day he did something that aggravated her very much, so she took running to catch him. But he out run her, Kelland was near by so she pulled his hair. Kelland didn't know what he had done to make Inez so angry.
Lafe, Arlo (Brady), Lynn (Boice)* loved to ride their horses. Some times they would be gone most of the day, which was a great wory to Mother. They loved to go to Flat Top Mountain several miles east of Mansassa and try to round up or catch wild horses.
Always when he got near home, Lafe would give Pet, his horse free reins and she would go full speed for the corral. Mother held her breath for fear the horse would cut too close and the gate posts would scrape Lafe off, but they always made safely.

*Lynn Boice was a uncle to Lafe's wife, LaRee.

Dad's Love

As I look at this picture, I realize how handicapped my dad had it as a father. When my dad was two, his dad passed away from cancer. But yet, Grandpa Jackson passed on the legacy of loving children to his two sons and I am pretty sure, his daughters. Aunt Isabelle wrote how Grandpa Jackson loved children and the only better than children were more children. My dad was like this as my siblings and I were growing up. I even saw that example in my Uncle Kelland, who was the youngest child of Lafayette and Jane Schofield Jackson. Even though my dad has been gone for more than 30 years, I still feel of his love.