The James and Vida Rayl Family History- 2011

I was born January 29, 1927, to Thomas and Mary Ellen Davies Kenison, in Talmadge, Utah, Duchesne, County, a remote and primative place by today's standards. It was a good place to grow up and I think often of the things I did there. I was the last child of my family and am now the last survivor, for many years now of that family.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ was very important in the lives of my family and the people of that town, of less than 100 souls. I grew up and attended the 6th grade two room school house with 3 grades in each room, I then went by bus 15 miles away to Altamont , where I attended Jr. and Sr. High School. school for all the little towns in that area. There were It was the central about 20 in my graduating class, in 1945, some of the boys had already joined the Armed Service, because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and that threw us into World War Two. I was recruited by the War Department to work in the Navel Supply Depot, near Hill Air Force Base in Clearfield, Utah. My friend and I lived in a barracks there. l worked in the office with Naval Personel. There were German Prisoners of War, being held in a compound nearby.  We would see them as we walked by.  When the war ended Elburn came home.  I hadn"t seen him in three years so I quit my job and returned home to be with him.

Jim, my husband was born June 21, 1920, and grew up in Joplin, Missouri. He finished college and was working, when Pearl Harbor was bombed and he went immediately and joined the Navy in 1941, he served for four years and 4 months. When he was released, his Brother and Sister picked him up at the Navy Base in San Deigo, they traveled home by way of Provo, Utah and fell in love with the people and the BYU, and decided they wanted to live here, so Jim used his G.I. moneys to secured a house, then went back to Joplin and told his family they were going to move to Utah! So they loaded up bag and baggage and everything they could load in a 3/4 ton truck, Jim paid for, and the family car, and made their way to the Provo Utah. This house is now part of Brigham Young University property. Jim was the oldest of 9 nine children and they depended upon him, a lot all of his life.

My oldest sister, Agnes Kenison, had served her L.D.S. Mission in the Central States, that included Joplin, she and her companion taught the Rayl Family and Edith, Jim's mother wanted to be baptized and because Jim was nine years old, he decided to be baptized too. It was a very small branch, and the ''Mormons,'' were not accepted very well at that time. Lester, Jim's father, joined a little later, when he was taught by the Elders. When they arrived in Utah they contacted, Agnes; my sister, so she would know they were living there. Later, when Agnes visited them, I, who needed something to do and someplace to go, ent with her and i met the family and was quite infringed; because they were such a happy, fun family. I was quite taken by the handsome, red headed ex-Navy guy and he apparently felt the same way about me and it was not long before we became engaged, incidently, on my 20th  birthday January 1947. Jim got a job immediately at U.S. Steel as, Cost Accountant. After thirty nine years he retired and the plant closed very soon after his retirement and is now completely gone. After we were married , I decided to get a job at Geneva too, as it happened, I worked as a '' Mail Girl'' in the same area as Jim, I had to deliver the mail & graphs, all over the Rolling Mill, and I through that area, it was very Interesting. I had to wear pants; learned about steel making and I watched as I travel which I had to make, because pants were not available in the store, because women wore dresses then, not pants. We worked shift work and rarely got on the same shift . After we got our family started, I was a stay at home Mom. Lois our first born was about two when we bought our first home in Provo. Bruce and Mary Ann were born while living there. We heard about the homes being built in Pleasant Grove, after seeing the model home we decided that was what we wanted. In March of 1956 we moved into the home and this is the same home I live in now. Three more children were born to us, Brian, Jackie, and Janine, who is our beloved daughter who passed away five years ago leaving her husband and five children. The other children have all moved away and have children. So I have 20 grandchildren, and at this time I have 28 Great Grandchildren, They are all doing well and are a credit to us. Jim and I had a good life together raising our family, we enjoyed traveling together as a family, going to Missouri, going on camping trips, visiting Lois and her family in Canada. After the children were away from our home we bought a Motor Home and we traveled with friends to various Camp grounds. We were involved in a Travel Agency for a while and went on several trips and a Cruise around the Hawaiian Islands, Jim took two to the Caribbean. Then we went to Samoa as I had family who had lived there. It was important to me to see where they lived. We did travel later by car to Nauvoo and lots of points East and down through Texas.

Jim was Young Men's Pres. in Provo, and after coming to P. G. was a Sunday School Teacher and then called as Elders Quorum President, and various Clerks positions. As his lively hood pertained to accounting, his favorite saying was, ''it took a Ib. of paper to make a Ib. of steell'' all before computers. His favorite

calling, was as Temple Ordinance Worker, which he had to give up, because his feet were so bad he could no longer stand that long. Jim my Eternal Companion passed away, August 23, 2010, at the age of 90. I had various callings, throughout my life, in Sunday School, Primary and Relief Society, I am thrilled to report I have done a lot of Family Research including Temple Work for many years, and have been involved in Stake Family Research Indexing; since the work began, and would still be doing it if I could see well enough. Jim and I were called to serve a very interesting Family History Mission at the Utah State Prison. After a year of our serving there, it is no longer a mission but done by the Stake. I'm very proud to say my sons served missions and I have grandsons who have served and more who will serve. I have a granddaughter, Jasmane Rayl, who is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, in San Diego.

At this time in my life, my testimony is very important to me, because of my knowledge that I can be reunited with my loved ones, and we can be a Forever Family. The Atonement of Christ is very real.