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.
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 20th 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!
