• Home
• Family Histories
• • Cox Ancestors
  • O S Cox Family Histories
  • F W Cox Family Histories
  • Mary E C Whiting Family Histories
  • Hulet Ancestors
• Family Tree
• Pictures
• Family News
• Interesting Things
• What's New
• Contact Information
• Links

• Growing Up
• Married Life
• Incidents
• Travel, Memories

Travel, Memories

Ruth frequently traveled on bus trips with a group that visited all the LDS temples. She was always asked to sing to the group to help their long trips go more quickly. She entertained them with stories from her life, as well as the many other stories (all teaching a moral of some kind) that she knew. Her children and grandchildren always loved her stories, and would beg for more and more until "Grandma" couldn't take anymore.

The temple tours were not the only traveling Ruth did, but with them, she traveled the world. She often bragged that she could go to New York and back on a dime, and have money left over. 1 don't think she was far off. Just using her social security payments, she was able to travel to Australia, Hawaii, the Fiji Islands and Mexico, in addition to every state of the continent. Some would worry about her well-being while she was traveling, but she claimed she had more stamina than most of the younger people on the tours. She certainly proved that point when she and Lillian flew to Italy to visit Ragena when she was stationed there with the Army. When both daughters were completely worn out and ready for bed, she was rearing to go!

Ruth was an active member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and with the church's single adult organization until her advancing years finally put a stop to so much socializing. She made many dear friends over the years with all of her activities.

With so many children, and grandchildren, it was sometimes hard for her to remember which name belonged to who. We children became quite accustomed to being addressed by another's name, or having Mother "Call the Roll" until she got to our name.

As you no doubt know, Ruth could never be called lazy. She was always up before the sun, and worked hard and fast the entire day. That was a good way of living. We believe it helps to account for her long years of health, stamina, and in the end an easy death.

Her Father-in Heaven was all important to her. Her life revolved around the family, the home and the church. In later years, after her children were grown, and Al had passed on Ruth started spending the winter months in Mesa. She stayed with her daughter Lillian, but spent her days doing four sessions of endowments in the temple every day. She did this year after year for 17 years. Someone figured that she must have done at least 4,500 endowments during that time. What a welcoming committee that must have been.

While we can estimate the number of endowments, it's impossible to calculate how many bottles of food she canned, how many weeds she pulled, how many diapers she changed, how many meals she prepared, or how many hours she spent tending sick children. It staggers the imagination:

Our mother and grandmother has set an example for us that will be hard to emulate, but which we can try to follow. How else can we be assured that we will see her again?

While mother was preparing to leave us, there were many I love yous, and many requests for her to give our love to dear ones already departed. Perhaps the most significant thing she said was that "I never knew dying would be so easy!" We are promised, in the Doctrine and Covenants 42:46 that if we have the gospel and are faithful, dying will be sweet. Mother Ruth certainly has lived up to that promise. Brigham Young also promised us in his Discourses, on page 376, that "We have more friends behind the veil than on this side, and they will hail us more joyfully than you were ever welcomed by your parents and friends in this word; and you will rejoice more when you meet them than you ever rejoiced to see a friend in this life; and then we shall go on from step to step, from rejoicing to rejoicing, and from one intelligence and power to another, our happiness becoming more and more exquisite and sensible as we proceed in the words and powers of life.

Ruth, we are so proud to have had you in our lives. We love you, and will miss you until we meet again in the spirit world.

We have no doubt that when the day comes, our Lord and Savior will tell you "Well done, Thou good and faithful servant."

---