Benjamin Vere Wilson
Benjamin Vere Wilsons Autobiography written in the 1970sI went back to the school for several years as custodian and then we decided to move to Cedar City. I had been painting in oils and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to improve my skills. So we pulled up our roots and headed south.
I had been doing bicycle repair in my spare time so I turned it over to a neighbor and left most of my tools with him, which was a complete loss as I never got a cent and most of the tools were stolen.
We arrived in Cedar City in June, 1967 and I enrolled in college. I took art from Tom Leek along with geology and biology and trying to hold down a full time job at the 7th and 9th Ward Chapel as custodian. I really had my hands full to try to keep up in school. I got under a lot of pressure. Memorization was very difficult for me and the tests really were torture.
In the art class I met a lady whom I felt had the blood of Israel in her veins. And as I could have predicted the whole family joined the Church and her son, Danny, went on a mission and did a beautiful job. He got many converts. We feel that we had some influence on them and that we did help to teach them something about the Church. We have remained friends.
At the end of the summer quarter of the second year in school, I was plagued with a stroke and it affected my memory. I decided I’d better be satisfied with what I had and be thankful that I could continue to work and take care of my family. So, since then, I have been taking care of the 3rd and 4th Ward Chapel which is also the 14th Ward, of which we are members. I am struggling to keep ahead of the work, but it is hard with three wards.
One day we decided to go to Lake Powell to try out a boat and motor I had bought. We really had a wonderful time and were out on the lake when a strong wind came up and we decided to head for shore, but the pin sheared off the motor and we were trying to row against the wind. Don and his brother-in-law, both very strong, were rowing with all their might, but could make no head way and the waves were getting bigger and wind more intense. We almost got swamped and were all pretty scared. The shore toward which we were being blown was sheer rock walls. Bruce stood up and began waving his arms and a big house boat saw us and came and towed us into shore. The name on the big boat was “Mother” and we thought what an appropriate name that was.
I bought another boat from John Leibhardt, but the motor went out on it the first time we used it at Lake Powell and we were all disappointed on that trip that we did not get to use it. I bought a small motor for it and have used it for fishing and it has turned out to be a nice little boat and we really have fun in it.
I decided to build a pontoon boat and put it on the Blue Goose, the first homemade boat we bought. I have worked a lot of hours on it and I will soon take it to the launching pad and give it its final christening. We expect to have much fun with it on this family reunion.
We bought a home a year after we came to Cedar, just across the street from the Church and so I am pretty close to work. We love it here, but find much to be desired in many respects. Lola wants to return to Vernal and I want to go farther south. I’ve shoveled all the snow I care to, when there’s better ways of handling it, like going where it doesn’t snow.
Janice, our daughter-in-law came down with a very high fever and got really sick at a family reunion in Hurricane. She wanted to be administered to, so we knelt in prayer before the administration took place. David Ruesch anointed and I sealed, and when I began to speak and laid my hands upon her head, the powers of the priesthood surged through me until I could hardly stand. I knew at that moment that she would be healed. Later she went to the doctor and he said she had had a very bad case of strep throat, but that she was over it. This was a great testimony to me of the powers of the Holy Priesthood.
We have been blessed very much in our home, far beyond our right to expect. But we have tried to live good lives and pay an honest tithing unto the Lord and do many things to assure our Heavenly reward, but it seems like the Evil One is always ready to test us. He never takes a vacation.
May the Lord bless this wonderful family in all we do in the spirit of righteousness and may he lead us unto the truth of all things, and may this family be united in the glories of this world forever, even after it is celestialized. May we have love and unity in our hearts toward each family member and may we all be together throughout all eternity.
This may be added to at a later time as the course of events weave their patterns into our lives.
To all of you I give my love.
Your father and grandfather, B. Vere Wilson
An addendum written by Kristen Vere Wilson, Vere’s oldest son.
Mom and Dad lived in Cedar City for several more years until after Dad retired. He went back into the artificial stone making effort and worked in that long hours each day. They went each week to the St. George temple for years. They worked as missionaries in the Cedar City LDS Employment office for a couple of years and they were also called on a mission and served in Kentucky for 18 months. I believe Mom tells more about that in her autobiography.
Upon their return home from the mission field we (their children) became very concerned about a potential fall down the stairs in their home as mother had to make many trips up and down those stairs each week to do the laundry. Since Sharon, Daryl, and I, all lived in Vernal, we hoped that we could get them to move here in their final years so that we could watch over them a little closer. Dad wouldn’t agree because he wanted to move to Hurricane where it was warm and they could more regularly attend the temple.
After the announcement that the old Uintah Stake Tabernacle building was to be converted into a temple, Dad finally agreed to move to Vernal. So at the chosen time, all the kids and kids in law gathered there with trucks, trailers, etc. to move them to Vernal. It was a difficult time for Dad because it meant such a sacrifice to him to leave his beloved home country of Southern Utah, as well as to give up on many of his dreams which included the development of the artificial stone business. I believe that in many ways we broke his heart and spirit.
We found a small home for them with only a couple of stairs and a very large outbuilding in which dad could putter away at his inventions. Mother was in 7th heaven, coming back to her childhood home and Dad was hurting in his soul. In time he felt better about the move and very quickly they were involved in temple work, particularly in the baptistery. They were asked to teach a primary class and did for several years. The kids loved them and loved to push Dad around in his wheel chair. The kids always had a hug for Mom and Dad.
Father became quite crippled but otherwise remained fairly healthy until the time of his death. Those of us that lived here did check up on them daily and each of us had our chores to do. Sharon’s job was house cleaning and toenails, Daryl’s was physical facilities and repair, and mine was check writing and bill paying. Mother wouldn’t let us cross over into each other’s assigned territory.
Father sickened and died 9 Jan 2001, after only a few hours of deep illness. The family sang hymns to him and were with him until he passed away. His last words, as far as I know, were: “I love you too, Lola” after Mom told him she loved him. He was such a gentle man and everyone loved him.
Mother lived alone then for a little more than a year and was killed, along with her daughter and our sister, Sharon, in a car accident. This happened 13 Mar 2002. She wore a pacemaker for her heart for a few years but otherwise her health was good until the day of her death.
We, like Nephi were born of goodly parents. We have been blessed all of our lives because of their goodness. We look forward to seeing them, just not yet.