In order to have family traditions one must first have a family. The family is the central unit to God’s Plan of Happiness. We lived in a spiritual family before we came to this earth, all as brothers and sisters. We came to this earth and were placed in a family with a mother and a father (may I add, two of the most amazing people here on earth). And our job on this earth is to create our own eternal family to live with for the rest of eternity in happiness. We learn in “The Family—A Proclamation to the World” that God created families to teach us the principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and wholesome recreation.
We were blessed with one of the most amazing families ever. These principles have been taught, learned, lived and ingrained into our lives. IT IS GREAT! There has been so much that has gone in to making this family what it is, that unfortunately not all of it can be addressed in such a short book. But for the sake of this book I will give a brief synopsis of the main characters in our family.
The Parents
Daddio was born in 1956 in Utah. He has an older sister Aunt D, two older brothers Uncle B and Uncle R, a younger sister Aunt C and two younger brothers, Uncle B and Uncle J. Daddio contends that he was the perfect son, and that his room was always clean and he never fought with his brothers or sisters. Amazingly, Grandma and Grandpa Strong agree! Daddio grew up in the same house that Grandpa Strong grew up in. It has three bed rooms, a room for his parents, a room for the girls, and a room for the boys (that is five boys sharing one room!!!!!!!). Daddio works hard to give his family everything they need, and to make sure he has time for us as well. Dad is amazing. Daddio is a big time scouter bob, and all the scouts love him. He is also well loved by all our friends. Our house was a favorite place for people to come and hang out because the way Dad would interact with them. My friends would often tell me that I have the coolest dad and all I could say was, “I know.” Daddio has worked hard to instill in all of us a testimony of our Savior and His love for us. He has done this through the way he lives.
Mom is the “baby sister” of seven girls: Aunt E, Aunt M, Aunt C, Aunt M, Aunt E and Aunt S. She was born in 1956 as well. Mom grew up in Salt Lake just a few blocks east of Liberty Park. Her family lived in a small house with a large attic. She remembers that when she was young all seven of the girls would sleep up in the attic of their house. There was no heating or cooling in the attic so they had to sleep with ten blankets on top of them to stay warm. Mom remembers being poor as a child and wearing all home made clothes. Mom was sewing her own school dresses by the time she was in third grade. Mom also learned to cook when she was young, though, she doesn’t think it was from her mother, because her mom wasn’t a great cook. Mom is the greatest Mom! She sews, she cooks, she sings, she decorates, and she is also all of our best friends, she is always there for us and has sacrificed a lot to stay home and play with us. She is the funniest person I know, and knows how to make anything fun. Her testimony of the gospel and her faith have helped make all of us better people.
The Kids
The Big Boys
Brother J is the oldest of all of us, thus he comes first on the list of kids (insightful I know). Brother J has a devilish side of him and an amazing side of him. The first thing he did after he was born was pee all over the doctor. This trend has continued. He hasn’t peed on anyone since then as far as I know, though, he has liked to tease people and pull every practical joke he can think of. One time Mom’s good friend, Danette, was visiting and left her car sitting outside our house, still running. When she wasn’t looking Brother J jumped into the car and drove it back to her house a few blocks away and parked it. He then ran home just in time to find Danette panicking because someone had stolen her car, (she hadn’t seen Brother J take it) she was about to call the cops. Brother J’s amazing side shows in everything. He is super smart and can do anything anyone asks him to do. He also has been very willing to try everything. In sixth grade, he was in the school musical, as the mayor in, “The Music Man.” He played the trumpet in junior high. He got his Eagle Scout. He took more AP tests than any one in Jordan School District, ever. He went to college and he served a mission. Brother J defiantly set a great example for what it was like to excel and to do our best in everything.
Brother B is probably the calmest person in our family. When Brother B was born, he looked around, and then immediately fell asleep. Brother B didn’t start talking until he was three, he was very content letting Brother J speak for him. Brother B has always been a very happy kid. His first grade teacher, Mrs. Streletch called him “Smilie.” He gets along with everyone, and is a peacemaker. Brother B is a very caring person and is always looking out for those around him in his own quiet way. Though, out side the home Brother B is a quiet person, Brother B has always been hilarious at home. He is the first to make some hilarious comment, or to start randomly singing “komby-ya.” Brother B also has a desire to always have the best. He works hard so that he can have exactly what he wants. Which is fine by us, because he bought the play station and all the DVD’s in our house. The prime example of his desire for the best was this past Halloween when we went to the pumpkin patch and he found the coolest HUGE pumpkin, it weighed 80 pounds. Brother B had to have it, simply because it would be the coolest! We all thought it was great to have an 80 pound pumpkin sitting on our front porch. Brother B not only wants what is best for him but he wants the best for everyone. This makes him the most thoughtful person in the family. Christmas is a huge deal to him. He wants to make sure he gets everyone the perfect gift, often I think he is more excited to see what people think about what they got then he is to see what he got. Last year he got Mom and Dad a one night stay at Little America and he stuck it in their stocking after Santa came so that they wouldn’t know it was from him. He is always thinking about what present would make what person the happiest.
The Girls
Charis! (Hey that is me!) It is difficult to determine the role of people in our family but it is even more difficult to determine my own role in the family. I am defiantly more high strung then Brother J or Brother B. I guess I might be considered the family gardener. I might also be considered the family historian as I love to play with family history stuff and find out about my ancestors. I like to try and cook, but I think the family secretly likes it most when Mom sticks with the cooking.
Rosalie. Rosie has multiple roles in our family. Rosie describes her role as the perfect daughter and the favorite sister. The first role that came to Dad’s mind was that she is our security guard. Every night before she goes to bed she goes around and locks all the doors and turns out all the lights. When Rosalie is away at school this often gets neglected, our house just isn’t as safe without Rosalie. Mom says that Rosalie is also the spaz in our house, she brings excitement every where she goes. She is always happy and going, going, going. Rosalie is also the nurturer of the house. One good example of this was right after I had my gamma globulin transfusion and was very sick. Rosalie stayed up all night and took care of me. Rosalie is the most social person in our family, she always had friends over, her friend participated in more family activities than anyone else’s friends.
The Three Little Boys
Brother N pretended like he didn’t like being one of the “Three Little Boys” for a very long time, but now I think he thinks it is the coolest. Brother N is a lot like me: high strung, strongly opinionated, and very unwilling to budge. But, out of any of us, Brother N is also the most willing to help out. You ask him to do something, and BAM it is done. He is very service oriented and does it with a smile. Brother N , I think, is defiantly the hardest worker in the house. He is always out helping Dad and Grandpa on house projects. He cleans unexpectedly. He struggles to figure out his homework so that he can teach his classmates how to do it. He always goes the extra mile. Brother N looks for a challenge, he sees a mountain and he has to tackle it, even if it does involve fighting off the gigantic flying chickens. Brother N also is very creative, an entrepreneur! Brother N made a business called “The Can Man” he would gather garbage cans from around the neighborhood and climb in side and clean them out. Doing this he earned lots of money. He then sold his franchise to Brother D for dirt cheap (like probably free).
Brother D Rarely ever went by his given name, he had so many nicknames he probably would answer to anything.Brother D has always been the family clown. Nothing serious ever comes out of his mouth and this is difficult because his mouth is always running. There is never a dull moment if Brother D is around. For instance one day there was a chase around the house and Brother N chased Brother D into the upstairs bathroom and locked him there. Figuring Brother D was stuck Brother N left his victim for a while. The next thing we know Brother D is coming down the stairs. How did this happen? Brother D had boosted himself up the wall opened the four inch tall bathroom window shimmied his way through, fell onto the roof and climbed in through one of the bed room windows! GOOD GRIEF! Not only did he do it once, but when none of us believed him he re-performed his trick to prove that he really had done it. No one knows what to expect when he is around. Brother D is also a friend to everyone. He is always up for a game no matter what the game is, chess, cards, foot ball or a good snow ball fight. Anytime you need someone to hang out with he is there to do it. He is not ashamed of any one and is very confident in himself, yet humble at the same time, HOW DOES HE DO IT!?!
Brother C is the most sensitive out of everyone in our family. He is quick to offer a needed hug, or tell you things are going to be ok. Brother C is also the one that is reminding us about family scripture study and family home evening. Family is very important to Brother C. Brother C also has a spiritual sensitivity, for the longest time Brother C was the first person up on fast and testimony meeting to bare his testimony. Brother C has set the example for us on what it means to be spiritually minded. He is also our sports caster. He knows everything about every sport, he follows all of them and knows who is on what teams. You can count on him being the one yelling and screaming at the TV right along Daddio’s side.
Theodore Reed. I don’t really know where to put Teddy, I really don’t know what to say, other than he really is a big part of our family and we all love him dearly. Teddy was born on May 18, 1983 and died two days later. He was born prematurely and his poor little lungs couldn’t last! We all anxiously anticipate the day we get to spend time with him and find out what he has been doing these many years without us.
Grandparents
Grandma and Grandpa Strong
Dee LaMar Strong aka Grandpa Strong. Grandpa was born In 1929 in Salt Lake City Utah. He was the youngest of four children born to Clifford Oscar Strong and Fern Paxman Miller. He was eleven years younger than his next older brother, so he was really the only kid around when growing up. His dad was a bus driver for Salt Lake City, he remembers on days when his mother had to run errands she would drop him off at bus stop and he would hop on his father’s bus and ride the bus all day long with his dad. He remembers the hold bars being just the right height for him to swing on like a monkey and when he got tired he would climb on to the back seat of the bus and fall asleep.
When he was 21 he married Diane Lawrence in the Salt Lake Temple on April 19, 1950. Diane was the oldest of ten kids born to Harold Elmer Lawrence and Ruth Shewell. She was born on 1930 in Salt Lake. She later moved to Salem, Utah where she was raised on an orchard. She remembers having to wake up in the middle of night to help irrigate it. Grandma didn’t like being a country girl, so marrying Grandpa and living in the city was just fine with her.
Grandma and Grandpa Martin
Two of the other vital characters in our family are Grandma and Grandpa Martin. Grandpa Martin was born In 1908 in Menan, Idaho to Charles Stuart Martin and Clara Viola Eddy. His given name is Joseph Eddy Martin. He was the middle child of three. Both Charles and Clara were deaf. This didn’t help in their situation during the depression. So Grandpa grew up very poor. When he was about 35 he was on a business trip and went to church in South Weber, Utah. He was invited over for dinner after church, and there he met Sarah Elaine Kendell. They started dating and on May 28, 1943 Joseph Eddy Martin married Sarah Elaine Kendell.
Sarah was born In 1914 to George Wilkenson Kendell and Josephine Martina Nillson. She was the oldest of four children. When she was eight her father died and when she was eighteen her mother died. Leaving her to raise her two younger sisters and younger brother by her self in the middle of the depression. Grandma did a great job, she became a school teacher and was able to send her two sisters on missions.
Grandma and Grandpa Martin have both passed away. But they both left a legacy of learning and love behind them. Along with some of our fondest memories
These are our wonderful grandparents. Ever since we were all small these people have served as vital role models, friends, and heroes to all of us. I know that spending time with them has been important to all of us not only because it has strengthened our friendships with them, but learning from them and with them has been a tremendous benefit in our lives.
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