Shirley Jewel Olpin Knight
I was born in Pleasant Grove, Utah on March 20, 1035. Our home/mortuary was on
State street one block beyond the “underpass” and four
blocks south of downtown
P.G. I am the fifth
of six children—LuJean, Kathryn Elizabeth, Margaret Elaine, Edwin Dee,
myself--Shirley Jewel, and Joseph Gerald.
My mother, Margaret Joseph Olpin was born in Adamsville,
Utah to Joseph Henry Joseph (Joe 2) and Catherine Elizabeth Joseph. My father—Lewis Edwin Olpin was born in
Pleasant Grove, Utah to Edwin Dee Olpin and Margaret Joseph.
My parents felt that their responsibility was to teach their
children to become good members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and to learn how to work!
We lived in a lovely home to which my father soon added an
attached, matching structure. This new
addition was used as a mortuary to serve the families of P.G. in their time of
sorrow. This naturally included an
ambulance service, which changed our lives.
We were never able to leave home without leaving someone
home or hiring a ‘phone tender’.
Dad was pleased when brother Dee (we are all three years
apart in age) was hired to deliver newspapers.
Whenever any of our family had work to do, all were required to
“pitch in” and help.
Needless to say, I was given the privilege to be his first assistant.
This was a job which gave me many chances to deliver those
&#*%^--papers!
I spent my first school years in the Pleasant Grove Central
(elementary) School. It was a
great school with many talented teachers. The most talented was my Aunt Lacy—5th
grade. She made learning an adventure
and we instinctively knew there would be no
“messing around” from anyone, especially relatives which she
taught often. We had
an exciting experience each Winter. Our principal would flood a large area next
to our school. Ice skating was available
for loooong recesses the rest of the Winter.
FUN!
Long walk—6 P.G. blocks, and I had to cross the interstate
highway coming and going.
It was a great thing for me: good exercise, fresh air, time
to think—our house was often
a madhouse consisting of eight people with strong, diverse
personalities. That highway
was a problem because parents of my friends were aware of
the many speeding cars always passing our home.
They were right to fear that danger.
Our dear little grandmother Inez Melissa Robison, spent her last years living with her
youngest, widowed daughter who was left with a service station and motel and
three small children. This grandmother
was a darling. She was almost 5-10
inches and weighed less than 100 pounds.
Her false teeth always clattered because they never did fit her
mouth. She had white hair which she
whacked off at her neck, then placed clamps on the remaining hair. She always looked beautiful to us.
An experience, which is as vivid to me as it was that night
is still my most horrifying
memory. Grandma Ine
(Inez) crossed the street to visit with our family which she
often did, to spend time with us and to make sure all was
well in our home. After her
visit she hurried away—she never did anything without
hurrying. It was a warm summer evening;
She started down our porch stairs. We
had all hugged her as usual, and
continued to enjoy ourselves when we heard screeching of
tires and a “thump”. Our little dear was
killed instantly. That highway took yet
another victim. She had returned to her
husband, Edwin Dee Olpin. Even now, that
is my most vivid, terrible memory.
Dee delivered those papers by riding our horse and throwing
the papers as “Old Dick” stumbled along through the hot sun, cold air, and
freezing temperatures. I was often
called upon to deliver them. I never
delivered from the horses’ back. I justy
pedaled on the old bicycle across town and delivered the 50 plus
newspapers. It was a relief when Jerry
was old enough to take over.
One experience I must tell:
I was dancing with a friend in the Rainbow Rendezvous.
My partner thought he
was a fancy dancer and we were twirling around and around—having a
ball! I noticed other dancers staring at
us. (It was the style to wear starched
underslips under FULL skirts. After some
time someone pointed at me. I looked down to see that my stiff slip had slid to
the dance floor and was flying along the dance floor as we twirled around and
around. The slip was so stiff I couldn’t feel it drop to the floor. Awful.
