This may take a while to get the memory juices flowing but here goes.
Some of my early memories are of growing up in Cedar City, Utah. Of course I do not remember this but I was born March 29th, 1946. My Father Edwin Charles Cox was working for the Electrical Power Company and he was the manager of the office in Hurricane, Utah. It is a small town Northeast of St. George, Utah. My parents already had three children two girls and one boy. Sandra, Kathryn and Douglas.
My parents met in Cedar City the night my Father returned from his LDS Mission to the Central States. My Mother, Mary LaVerle Sorensen was visiting with her sister in Cedar City. My Mother always told us that the first sight she had of Dad was his long legs as he was getting bags out of the trunk of his car. One of the car dealers in town had contacted him to drive a new car from Detroit on his return home. Mission rules were much different then. That would have been about 1941. My Dad always said that his first look at my Mother was infatuation. He asked her to go to a fireside, fishing a dance and a picnic. Then My Mother had to retun to Pocatello, Idaho. They continued to write to one another and they arrainged to meet in Salt Lake City the first part of October for LDS General Confernce. My Mother told me that she laughed so much that weekend. Dad brought one of his friends from Cedar and Mother had one of her friends from Pocatello.
Mother and Dad were married in her Mother’s living room the end of October 1941 by the Stake President. The Idaho Falls Temple was closed for cleaning and Grandmother Sorensen could not travel to Salt Lake. Dad brought his Sister Inez with him. So they were married and then they headed back to Cedar City. My Mother said that it was pheasent season and my Dad brought his shotgun. So it was Dad driving then the shotgun, then Mother and then Aunt Inez.
About a week after they returned to Cedar City they went to The St. George Temple and were sealed for time and eternity. My Dad got a job with the Electrical Power Company. His first day was December 7th, 1941.
My sister Sandra was born July 30th, 1942, My sister Kathryn, August 31, 1943. Over the next few months my Dad had to serve in the Army. He got assigned to the Air Corp. When my Dad had to go on active service my Mother moved back to Pocatello, Idaho. While she was there she gave birth to Douglas, July 24th, 1944. Dad never did see any active fighting. He did spend some time in the South Pacific but the war was about over by then. He was always grateful that he did not have to see combat.
After I was born we lived for a time in Hurricane. My earliest memories are of growing up on 9th west in Cedar City. My younger brother Richard was born August 4th, 1949. As far as I am concerned 9th West was the best place to grow up. My Dad’s Brother Reid Cox and His Sister Mary Buhanan, His Sister Inez and Aunt Mima all lived on the same street along with their familes. Uncle Reid and Aunt Wanda had four children, Lyona, John, Charlette and Nellie. Uncle Morris and Aunt Mary had five children, Dale, Phyllis, Paul, Nancy and Bonnie. Aunt Inez and Aunt Mima never married. Aunt Mima Hamilton was My Dad’s Mothers Sister. Us cousins were all pretty much the same age. Lyona and Dale were the oldest and did not have much to do with the little kids. John and Kathryn are the same age. Phyllis and Doug are the same age. I am in between Charolette and Nellie. Then Paul and then my brother Richard. Nancy and Bonnie were born about ten years later. I remember when Bonnie was born I had gone to get Phyllis to go to Sunday School. As we were leaving Uncle Morris was taking Aunt Mary to the Hospital. I remember walking into church all smiles. Seeing my Dad up on the stand and knowing something no one else knew. I was probably about ten.
Well I have been all over the place in this post. Ramblings is right.