Photo Memories from Steven Leavitt

Grant, Steven & Grandma Leavitt

Steven and Grant

Hyrum and Agnes Smith Burgess

Jim

Jim and Emerald

Jim and Steven

Steven, Jim and Grant

Ken at Ox Valley

Ken, Emerald and Leo

Grant, Steven and Leo

Leo

Leo

Dear Ken and Afton

Dear Ken and Afton,
       Guess you already know I Love you both very much and I wanted to thank you for the many times you have come to my rescue.  Like the times you totted me up to Utah county to see the doctor, and took me down to Dixie country to see our folks.  I have appreciated all of it so much. The many times we visited you at the ranch and the fun it was to be with your family.  It is always fun when you come to see us. You and Afton always have fun stories to tell. 

Memories of Ken by Joy Lundgreen August 2014

Trying to describe my dad, Ken Leavitt, is like opening up a treasure chest of memories, each memory requires time to savor and experience again.

I remember Dad as a young man when we lived in St. George,

Way back when........

It has been told that when the Leavitt family had their meal, Ken sat between Jim and Lila at the table. They always had to "clean" their plates and not waste any food. Whenever they had beans, which Ken didn't like, he would sweeten the beans with sugar and then he'd push them right over on Lila's plate and she would just eat them without saying a word. It was during the Depression and they had many meals consisting of beans! When Lila married, Ken would proceed to push the beans on to Jim's plate without him knowing. Jim would take one bite and taste the "sweet beans" and exclaim "That damn kid can eat his OWN beans!"

Afton’s scares by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Afton's scares

It seemed that my mother had some scares when it came to being sick. She first had to have a hysterectomy in 1974 in American Fork hospital and a short while later had to have a bladder repair surgery. She had to stay close by so she spent a few weeks with Grant and Susan (they lived in an apartment in Springville and Amie was just a baby and David was 2 years old). Susan and Afton had quite a lot of time to visit together. She would give in detail how awful it was to have these surgeries that Susan was bound not to ever have to go through any kind of surgery (which later in life she had several herself). The scariest part was when she had to take out her catheter right there in Susan’s bathroom. Neither Afton or Susan knew what to expect – but it turned out just fine and they worried for nothing.

August 1969 by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

August 1969     

Grant spent the summer in California with Susan and her parents while they planned their wedding that took place on the 2nd of August in the LA Temple. Grant worked at the same place he did the previous summer that his family spent in California and also helped Susan’s family fix up their yard for the reception. The day before the wedding, Dad, Mom, June and Joy came to California. Dad and Mom stayed in a motel in Burbank while June and Joy stayed with Aunt Dot and Uncle Charlie.  It was special to have Dad and Mom drive Grant and Susan to the temple really early on the 2nd. They didn’t have their temple recommend so they dropped them off at the temple but were there 7 hours later with Susan’s Dad to greet them as a married couple. By them doing this, they were a very good example to Susan’s parents who were not LDS.  It showed what integrity Ken and Afton had to be honest even though it meant they couldn’t see their son be married.  After pictures were taken at the temple, Dad and Mom took Grant and Susan out for a late lunch and then to get ready for the reception.

January 1969 by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

January 1969

Grant went to his dorm room in Helaman Halls and found a note that his Dad (Ken) wanted to talk to him. Manson, his roommate, was no where to be found. When Dad called, he read a note that he had received from Manson – at least it had Manson’s name signed to it. Some of the people in the dorm had played a practical joke by sending the letter. It was filled with a bunch of nonsense making it sound like the girl he was dating was a fluzie. Of course, they didn’t dare sign their own name but signed it Manson’s without him even knowing about it. This little prank made it hard for Susan to meet Dad and Mom for the first time!!  Dad arranged to meet Susan shortly later. Grant and Susan met Dad at a truck stop in Lindon for lunch. Soon after, Grant and Susan went to Richfield to meet the rest of the family. From January through the end of May, Grant and Susan spent many weekends in Richfield so Susan was able to know the family quite well before they were married in August.

Christmas 1968 by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Christmas 1968

Several of the Wayne County BYU students were going to ride home with Grant for Christmas vacation. The morning that they were suppose to leave, Mom (Afton) called and said not to go to Wayne County because they lived in Richfield now. Dad (Ken) had taken a job with Hatchco hauling crude oil out of Escalante so they rented a house in Richfield.

Thanksgiving 1968 by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Thanksgiving 1968

When Grant went to the Ranch, Mom (Afton) told him Dad (Ken) had to go back on the truck but had left something for him to take care of. By the time Grant left on Sunday to go back to BYU, Mom had three more. Grant believes her words as Grant left were “if you guys think you’re going to come here and leave me in this mess, just don’t come back!!”  

Summer 1968 by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Summer 1968

In the Spring of 1968, Dad (Ken) had decided to move to Las Vegas for work. Grant was still at BYU when he received a phone call that they were in Lakewood, (between Long Beach and Orange County). When school finished for the year, Joy & Grant traveled down in the ‘53 Chevy. Mom had gone back to the Ranch with the younger kids. Darwin and Kelvin stayed almost all summer. Dad & Grant both worked nights so in the afternoons they would go down to the beach as it wasn’t very far. They must have been quite a sight – Dad wore cowboy boots with his swimming suit while he carried truck inner tubes marching through the sand towards the ocean. They had a good time and cooled off before having to go to work. Before Labor Day, they loaded up and headed back to the Ranch.

The Boys by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

The Boys

One summer Mom had walked up the upper fields to check on Grant. It was late afternoon and Grant was just getting the water set for the night. By the time they headed back to the house, it was getting dusk. As they crossed the bridge, they saw Darwin and Kelvin fall off the horse (Old Blue). It looked like they just fell off at exactly the same time – it was quite the sight! Their version is a little different – like Old Blue jumping but the only movement Grant and Afton saw was the Boys falling off at exactly the same time.

Holidays by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Holidays

Dad was gone on the truck most of the time. Some times we had our Thanksgiving dinner a day early because he would have to meet the truck Wednesday night. I never remember him not being home Christmas. I’m sure he had to drive night and day for several days just to get home. Sometimes we went to bed Christmas Eve without him home but Christmas morning he was there. Dad was the biggest kid of all. He would get us up early Christmas morning and by 8AM it felt like lunch time.

Dad vs horse by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Dad vs horse

I think if was the first year we lived at the Ranch. Dad saddled up a horse. Evidently it wasn’t broke very good. It started to buck. He rode it clear to the bottom of the field toward Hickmans. Just when he had it under control, Joe came riding over to help and the horse started bucking again. By the time Dad rode back to the house, the rope he had been trying to control the horse with had dug through his fingers making them horribly sore.

Old Dandy by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Old Dandy

The summer I was 19, I worked on the farms again. We used “Old Dandy” to do about everything. It was easier to ride her from one end of the farm to the other to change water than walk. Uncle Wesley brought some of his horses up that summer and put them in the pasture. Old Dandy was easy to catch if she was alone but with the other horses she’d run when they did. One day all the horses walked out into the lower hayfield by Joe & Ida’s. I walked down with a sack of grain. I walked right up to Dandy, she liked grain.

I took off my belt and put it around her neck. It didn’t quite go all the way around so I just held it together making her think she was caught. About this time the other horses took off. Old Dandy raised her head. She was a big horse and when she did that I wasn’t long enough to reach the ground. I did hang on for a while. When I lost my grip, I rolled out through the Alfalfa. I resolutely got up and headed for the house. It was close to a half mile walk and my mood didn’t change much with the walk.  When I walked in the house, I looked for the guns we always had hanging on the wall. I asked Mom where the guns were and she just said “you’re not going to kill that horse!” It seems like mothers can read minds. She and Aunt LaVerde had been watching the whole event. I suppose they laughed on my trip to the house. I think Aunt LaVerde was still smirking.       

The irony of the whole thing is that a couple of days later, the dog run into a skunk down where the horses were. They came thundering out of the pasture to get away from the smell and right into the corrals by the house. I didn’t have to walk the rest of the summer. If Mom hadn’t hid the guns, I would have.

Dad’s 60th by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Dad’s 60th

The family had a nice party for Dad (Ken) on his 60th birthday. Susan made him a “girlie cake” and everyone got together. Grant and Susan and their kids were staying with them there in Monroe and before the party Mom said she was going to take a bath and get ready. Dad offered to help her and she assured him she didn't need his help. Dad said – “I’m just 60, I’m not dead!” He always could get off some good one liners. Grant to this day uses that particular line all the time (just changes the age as needed).

Wandering feet by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Wandering feet

Dad (Ken) always seemed to have wandering feet.  Looking back it is no surprise that he found the Ranch in Wayne Co. And moved the family up there.  It was May 1955 and Grant wasn’t quite 7 years old.  He remembers how green everything was when they first drove up the road to the house.  They moved back and forth between St. George/Veyo and the Ranch.  Dad would try a new enterprise almost every year only to have to go back to truck driving each Winter.

A Bomb Tests by Grant Leavitt written in April 2003

A Bomb Tests

Grant remembers getting up before daylight and sitting on the front step. There would be a flash in the western sky. It would look like the sun coming up. A few minutes after the flash, the ground would start to rumble just like an earthquake.

Sheep by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

Sheep

Grant isn’t sure what year Dad (Ken) bought the sheep was it was about 1962. Grant bets Mom (Afton) knows the exact date! Their fences were designed for cattle and hardly slowed the sheep down. Mom chased the sheep up and down the farm and over the hills towards Torrey. One day the Banker drove up to the house wanting to check on his collateral. When he asked where they were, she pointed to a white spot going over the hill and told him that was the tail and of the last one. The Banker asked if they would come back - Grant doesn’t know what Mom told him but it wasn’t too long before they only had a few left. To this day the sheep subject can bring up a lively discussion.

Thoughts of Veyo by Grant Leavitt written in 2003

Thoughts of Veyo

One of the first things Grant remembers about Veyo is that it felt like one BIG family.  Everyone seemed to take care of each other. He remembers that Steven and him were always together and always in trouble especially for racing. Dad (Ken) and Uncle Leo bought a couple of old horses for Steven and Grant. They had some old army saddles that they modified for them.  They’d run the horses up and

June 2001 by Grant Leavitt written April 2003

June 2001
One June day in 2001, Grant got a call from Eric that they were life flighting Dad to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center because he had an aneurism. Grant rushed over to the hospital so someone would be there that he knew when he got there. He was in surgery for four and a half hours. He didn’t have too much time left if they hadn’t started operating on him as soon as they did. A couple of days later Mom and Grant were visiting him in ICU and she asked him if he remembered the ride from Salina to the Gunnison hospital. He looked at her and said “I remember you slapping the shit out of me!” Even as sick as he was, he could still get off the one liners.