Tough as nails- this is where we get it [Gaylen Matheson's Life History]

Melissa here. So last week Sean was going through one of the binders that Grandma Matheson had put together of our family history stories and photos, and came across Grandpa's autobiographical life history. He scanned it over to me and I started transcribing it this week (actually, on the floor of the Charlotte, NC airport which I was stuck in overnight!). Today while we talked about what to post, I thought "maybe lets save posting grandpa's life history until an occasion, like his birthday." I opened up the document, and, come to find out, his birthday was this past Friday! Additionally, tomorrow marks 2 months since his passing. I think the timing couldn't be better.

On a more current note with our family right now, Grandpa ends his life history acknowledging that the spiritual gift he had been given in this life was the ability to give powerful blessings of healing and comfort to his family and people around the world- blessings that came to pass. For a moment, I wished he was here right now to administer to our little Archer boy (follow the blog on his journey battling childhood cancer here). But then I realized how much more intimate and real his power to bless his family is right now, as he is on the other side. I would imagine much of what he is concerned with and actively doing now is for all of our good, but at the time most particularly pulling some strings to help Archer fight his battle with cancer. 

With that, Grandpa's life history:

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Life History written by Gaylen Matheson

15 February 1999

At this time I desire the spirit of my Father in Heaven that I will be able to write my life’s story so that my posterity will know their father and grandfather’s comings and goings.

I was born in Cedar City on 5 September 1929 to Owen Evan Matheson and Verda Jones Matheson. I am the oldest child of six children. Their names are Floyd J., Cleon, Vernile, Karen and Avey. Being the oldest child, great responsibility was placed upon me, at a very early age, to see that the farm and the animals were well cared for.

I was raised in the days when everything was done with horses. There were many times, as a very young boy, that the horses would be scared, causing me to be in serious danger. They would be running away with a machine behind them. The first time I came to know God I was alone in the field with no one close. I would kneel down and ask for help. One such time my father had me harrow some new plowed ground with the horses. Dad went with me to the field to get me started, as he left me he said “I will see you later.” I must have been about 9 or 10 years old at that time, and as I rode the harrow, the dirt was so thick I could hardly see where I was going. I got too close to the fence and the harrow caught in the wire and there was no way I could life the harrow again. I knelt down and asked Father in Heave to send my father to help me. Just then he drove up and said “I felt you needed me.” He then lifted up the harrow and I went back to work. There has been so many times my prayers have been answered.

Growing up my love for the farm and the animals was great. We always had dairy cows, chickens, pigs, horses, etc. I learned to milk by the time I was five years old. I would start on a cow, then dad would finish it. We had to get the milk off early before the school bus came to pick us up for school. A man picked up the milk, which was in 10 gallon cans and took it to the creamery.

My father was born with a leak in his heart, the doctor told him he wouldn’t live to be 20 years old, but he outgrew the problem. When I was very young my father came down with rheumatic fever. He was sick for a long time, so it was my responsibility to take over, with my brother Floyd, all the chores and the farm. Dad’s heart was weak the rest of his life, but he worked hard right up til the day he died, at age 74.

Going back a little, in the early 40’s we bought our first tractor, a new Farmal H. Oh, what a thrill to be able to do the farm work without using the horses. One neighbor told my father, “You’re working those boys too hard, they will rebel.”

I had a good childhood. Money was very scarce, as it was during the depression year.

Dad worked on the road with his horses for a dollar a day and out of that had to pay for feed for the horses. We were dirt poor but always had food to eat. One time we had one of the diary cows bloat. Dad said “Cow hides are bringing a good price, if you and Floyd want to skin the cow, you can have the money for the hide.” In those days we would try anything. We worked all day, and being very young, we got the hide off one side, but what do we do to roll the cow over to get the other side. Dad just happened by with the team of horses and a chain, he rolled the cow over and we finished the job. The hide brought us ten whole dollars, which we divided between us.

In the course of growing up, we pitched and tromped tons and tons of loose hay, and through it all we learned the value of a dollar., and if we wanted anything we had to earn it for ourselves.

In my teen years I bought my first car. It was a 1939 Chev for $300. I paid for it so much a month. On my first deer hunt the neighbors took a big truck loaded with horses. I was 16 years old at the time. During the night I had to get up. As I walked in the dark, on a tree was a piece of wire sticking out. I could not see it, and it stuck in my eye. When I pulled it out, I realized it was in real deep and that I was in trouble, and that I might lose the sight in my eye. I prayed most of the night that Father in Heaven would hear my prayer and save my eye. As I woke up in the morning, all I could feel was a little prick. Today at age 69 I still have the sight in both eyes.

When World War II broke out I was too young to go. Our little ward here in Enoch was about 240 members. I was called to go on a mission in October 1949 after my 20^th birthday. There were 13 missionaries from the Enoch ward out at that time. When I went into the mission home there were 5000 missionaries in the field. I served in the East Central States mission, in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia. Here I got my first experience with the power of the Priesthood. While out for only a short time, something happened to my companion. As we walked to the post office to get the mail, he said that he didn’t feel good and for me to wait for the mail, and he would go back to the apartment. I got the mail and started back to our apartment. As I was passing over the railroad tracks, I saw him lying in a pool of blood. I felt for his pulse but couldn’t find one. I was all alone and a spirit whispered to me “administer to him.” I knelt on the ground by the railroad tracks, laid my hands on his head, and administered to him. He opened his eyes for a moment and just then a man in a car came and asked if I needed help. We took him to the hospital. He had a fractured skull. He got well enough to finish his mission.

I had the special blessing to work in the country without purse or script, which meant no money or belongings, relying solely on our Father in Heaven. Many times my companion and I would walk miles and miles in the rain, having to humble ourselves enough to ask strangers for a bed and a meal. I spoke at street meetings where people would jeer at us. I had many great experiences on my mission, and returned home in October 1951.

I was drafted into the Army on 22 January 1952, and was sent to Camp Pickett, Virginia, where I did my basic training. During that very brief time between October 1951 and January 1952 I met my sweetheart, we had a very short courtship, and wrote letters to each other for six months, then I returned home on a furlough and we were married on 25 June 1952.  Ten days later I shipped out to Germany and was gone for 18 months. I came home Christmas day 1953, and was released from the Army on 22 January 1954.

For the next four years I worked at different jobs around northern Utah. Hillfield, service station, selling Filter Queen Vacuums, various dairies. Also during this time three of our children were born: Marie, Evan, and Carol. I had such a burning desire to return home to the valley where I was born, and the rest is history.

We bought 3 acres of land from Uncle Lamar Matheson for $60.00. He also gave me a water right to go with the land. During this time six more children were born to us. Elaine, Janet, Sharon, Gaylen, Sue, and Gaye. We had very little money, but lots of faith. I had all of us kneel together, and I dedicated the ground that we would find water. When we drilled our well, in a spot near the home we had built, we hit a vein of clear, pure water, and all these 34 year it has been there, our water and well has never failed us.

During this time I built a dairy barn and bought and raised a herd of good Holstein cows, but the dairy was not producing enough to pay for itself and support my rapidly growing family. I put my application in to the Iron County School for a job but was told it was not possible for them to give me a job as my father Evan, and my brother Floyd were already employed by them. I prayed in my closet in private and with my wife and family that the Lord would intervene in our behalf. Just after the new year in 1971 the superintendent of schools, Clair Morris, and my brother Floyd came to our door and told me I was hired and to come to work Monday morning. How I fell to my knees and thanked my Heavenly Father for answering my prayers. I called my family around and we all knelt and thanked Him for hearing our prayers.

For the next 20 years I got up at 3 am, milked the cows, then was at work at the school by 8am. Returned home at 5pm and milked the cows and did my chores until 9 or 10 at night. I could not eat enough or sleep enough during this time but there was plenty of work and chores for my nine children to do. The dairy and farm was not money-maker but oh, did it raise good kids.

In the course of my life I always had more energy than other my age. I loved every minute of my life and as all nine children came to bless our home, we had many times when there was not enough money for the things we needed. As a growing family I gave my special wife and sweetheart the credit due her as she made things go. Oh how I love and appreciate her. She saw that all nine children had piano lessons, paid for by milk, eggs, and other things. They all play the piano, and have been honor students.

When we built the diary, it was a life long dream. I bought many dairy cows, ran my father’s farm. We had some rough times when the milk check was zero, after everything was taken out, but it was a good place to raise and teach out kids responsibility and dependability.

I retired from the school in 1991, and since our children have all married and are no longer living at home, we have been able to serve two couple missions, one in Osorno, Chile as fellowship and teaching missionaries. The other at the Guatamala City Temple, and now we have a call for our third mission to Guayaquil, Ecuador Temple. [Note: due to his heart conditions, they returned some months early from this mission, and finished their mission labors in the Washington, DC temple]

I have been able to give father’s blessing to each of our children and priesthood blessings in time of sickness. Those times were the most important times of our lives. All our children are active in the church.

I bear my humble testimony, I know God lives and hears and answers our prayers. My patriarchal blessing states that I would live to see great manifestations and would bless people. This has been my great blessing, to lay my hands on many people throughout the world, and give them a blessing. The Lord has blessed me with this special gift of healing through the Priesthood. May this be a blessing to all of my posterity I humbly pray.

Gaylen J. Matheson

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And- personal indulgence- my favorite photo of me and gramps. Aww. While our parents may remember much from the tough farm days, us grandkids remember grandpa by his sweet teary sentiments of gratitude for our family at every gathering, teaching us the importance of prayer, his ability to eat his weight in food at every meal, running into him in the St. George temple (nearly evvvery time, since he was always there!) and his power to comfort and heal through priesthood blessings. Love and miss you, grandpa!