Opal (Louise) Eborn Shepherd (1910-2009) Obituary - Bear Lake - Family History & Genealogy Message Board - rootsweb.com

Opal (Louise) Eborn Shepherd (1910-2009) Obituary - Bear Lake - Family History & Genealogy Message Board - rootsweb.com: "PARIS - Opal (Louise) Eborn Shepherd, 98, passed away December 21, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born the fourth of 12 children to Arthur P. Eborn and Nina Passey Eborn on December 31, 1910 in Lanark, Idaho. Opal graduated from Fielding High School in Paris, Idaho. She attended Ricks College for two years and got her B.S. degree from Utah State University in Logan, Utah.  Opal married L. Hugh Shepherd on August 19, 1931 in the Salt Lake Temple. She was a life time resident of Paris, Idaho.  Opal taught fourth and fifth grade for 31 years at Emerson Elementary School in Paris. During the 30's and 40's she played the piano for her husband's orchestra that played for dances throughout Bear Lake and surrounding valleys.  Opal served in many ward and stake callings in the Paris Bear Lake Stake. Through the years she participated in many organizations such as The Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Paris Literary Club and served as a guide at the Paris Tabernacle.  Opal was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and nine of her brothers and sisters. She is survived by her daughter Maxine Beck (Victor) deceased, of Salt Lake City, her son Wendell Shepherd (Joan) of Logan, Utah, three grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Also surviving is her sister Helen Rae Ridge (Harry) of Soda Springs, Idaho and Weldon Eborn (Phyllis) of Paris, Idaho.

Funeral services will be on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at noon in the Paris Ward Chapel. Friends may pay their respects on Monday, December 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Matthews Mortuary and again 10 to 11:45 A.M. prior to the service in the Paris Ward Chapel. Interment will be at the Paris Cemetery.

Published in Idaho State Journal on December 23, 2009"

Aunt Opal's Funeral

Today we drove over to Paris for Aunt Opal's funeral.  She died last week and would have been ninty-nine on December 31.  She was Dad's oldest sister.  It was good to see many of the Eborn family in attendance as well as many of the people we know from the Bear Lake area.  It was especially good to see Nina and Steve, Ellis and Jeannine, Reed and also Mark.  Iris and I were  thankful to be there as well.  It was a wonderful tribute to a great lady.  Our cousins, Opal's children, Maxine and Wendell, were the speakers and Aunt Helen Rae gave a short history of Aunt Opal's life.  She will be missed, but she lived a long and full life and I'm sure is rejoicing in the presence of Uncle Hugh, Grandma and Grandpa Eborn, her already departed siblings and many friends, pupils, and associates.  I am convinced that there is good blood flowing through the Eborn family veins.

by Bart

Mission "Farewell" for Elder Jason Taylor Eborn

Three Generations of Missionaries

Germany, Hong Kong, Russia

Today, December 27, 2009 we attended the mission "farewell" for our oldest grandson.  He has been called to serve in the Russia Novosibirsk Mission (Siberia) and will enter the MTC on Wednesday.  He turns ninteen onTuesday.  JT has never been one to delay doing what he needs to do. We will miss him a lot, but we are very proud of him and his family. We know he will be a great missionary and servant to the Russian people.  Rene has set up a blog for him so we can keep track of all his activities.  the blog is eborninrussia.blogspot.com

by Bart

Aunt Opal Passes Dec 21, 2009

Grandpa Arthur Eborn making a call on the occasion of the first Darrell and Edna Family Reunion.  The children are Justin, and Alison and I'm not sure of the towhead, I think one of Nina's boys,  perhaps Adam.

Our cousin, Wendell Shepherd, called me yearterday, December 22, and told me that his dear mother, our Aunt Opal had passed a way the day before.  She was Dad's older sister.  She was just ten days shy of her 99th birthday.  She was my Fourth Grade teacher at the Emerson Elementary School in Paris.  If I'm not mistaken she was the fourth grade teacher of all of us, the children of Darrell and Edna Eborn.  She was a good teacher and had a great impact on many lives.  Some of the  most important lessons I learned in school, I learned in her classes.  She was a wonderful pianist and played the piano and organ in many church functions.  She also taught Brenda and Mark piano lessons and maybe some of the others in the family.  I know, she didn't teach me piano.  I'm sure she dreaded every note that came out of the "Tonette" which all of her students were subjected to.  I was so backward musically, that I even remember faking sick on Wednesdays occasionally so as to avoid the embarrassment of always being the only one off key.  I kept rather close contact with her throughout the years and I know, she was always concerned about each us and the rest of her nephews and nieces.  I am attaching the only picture I have of her in my collection outside of family photos.  It was taken on the day she and  Grandpa Arthur paid our family a call on the event of the first Darrell and Edna Eborn Family Reunion.  It doesn't show her clearly, but is a reminder that she cared about us and loved us for what we were doing.

This picture of the Darrell and Edna Eborn family was taken by Aunt Opal during a Sunday visit with her and Uncle Hugh  in their home in Paris.  You can probably figure out the timing on this picture.  Mark was a babe in arms.

by Bart

The Girls-Brenda and Nina

This is a picture of Brenda and Nina - daughters of Darrell and Edna.

I think we were about five and three. Don't you suppose that they were just so happy to have such cute little girls? I remember wearing ringlets for many years, and the red dress was crocheted and I remember feeling very pretty in it! Mom has told us girls that she enjoyed dressing us up and Mom and Dad always wanted us to remember that we were girls, or young ladies. Dad used to sing a little song to me that went like this -"B-R-E-N-D-A, I sure love you today." and Mom had embroidered my name on a little outfit I wore. And Nina was always Nina-belle. I remember that as Nina and I got older Dad was very insistent that we wore dresses instead of pants, and that we did not have curlers in our hair when boy friends or other guests would come to call. Mother also kept Nina and I from doing the milking chores as she wanted to spare us that job. Mother milked many, many cows in her youth, and she was determined that it was not going to be our job. She would go and do it herself, and have us do the dishes, etc. before she would let us do it! Dad would not let Nina or myself do hard farm work either. They protected us well but we were taught to sew and put up peaches, pick raspberries, and even pluck the chickens! We did learn to work. I remember taking lemonade to the hay crew, or on occasion herding cows, or pulling dandelions for pigs. Mom and Dad were hard workers and we learned to help out. Life was not easy on a farm. And we all learned to work and do our share.

Memories of Brenda

The Budge Ranch Days

Beginning with the 3rd grade I attended Emerson elementary in Paris Idaho.  We were transported by bus each day.   This was a big change for me as I went from 4 kids in my 2nd grade to about 25 in my third grade class.  It was fun in a lot of ways but also a big change. It became much more difficult for me because shortly after school started Dad and Mom took a job with the Budge ranch.  This ranch was located about half way between Georgetown and Soda Springs and about 2 miles West of Highway 30 and nestled against the foot hills.   It was about 3000 acres and dad was acting as the foreman and mother cooked for the ranch hands.   I went to live with my grandparents Arthur and Nina Eborn for the Winter so that I could attend school.   It was the first time that  I had  lived away from my parents and was very difficult for me.  I was able to visit them on major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas during the winter and on several other occasions  when an automobile could be driven to the ranch.  During the Winter all the roads to the ranch were closed and the only way to get there was by horse or team drawn sled.   There was a bus that ran from Paris to Pocatello several times each week.  The bus driver knew where to let me off and I would start out through the fields.  Usually Dad would meet me but sometimes I would have to walk for a half mile or so until he got there.   It was an emotional time for me and I hated to leave to return to my Grandparents.  I had to travel back over to the highway and wait for the bus.   I remember dad saddling a horse for me  and took me with him as he rounded up the cattle from the foothills and into the fenced fields on the ranch.  I also remember a hill on the south side of the ranch house which was a neat place to go sleigh riding.  I also remember coyotes coming right down to the house,  In the spring I received notice from one of my cousins that I was to take the bus home that night and that my parents had come home.  That was a great day.   When I lived with my Grandparents I had a bedroom upstairs.  It was completely without heat as none of the upstairs in their two story house had heat.  I about froze to death during the Winter.   I would get out of bed and quickly slip my clothes on and run down stairs where it was warm.  One other thing I remember when I lived there was I got home from school one day and Dad was there.  He was on his way to the Budge Medical Clinic in Logan.   It turned out that he had a defect in his heart and they told him not to work anymore or he could easily drop dead.   He decided just to go about his business as he had always done and accept what ever happened.  Doing nothing was about the same as dropping dead in his mind.  He lived until he was 86 and never slowed down until the last five years or so.  Even though our little old log home on Lanark lane was modest by most standards, it was still home and I was glad to get back to cutting wood, milking cows, hauling feed for the animals etc.  The result of Dad and Mom taking the job on the Budge ranch for about 7 months was that he was able to save enough money along with the proceeds from selling several animals at a very good price to pay off the mortgage on the farm.

By Ellis


Thanks, Ellis for this post. Instead of just commenting to the post I'm going to take the liberty to add some of my personal memories of that time in our lives.  Some of my very earliest vivid memories are associated with our time at the Budge Ranch.  I remember  going with Dad sometimes to pick Ellis up from the bus.  It was about two miles through the snow with a team and a sleigh.  I remember the horses plowing through the deep snow and blowing steam out of their nostrils into the cold winter air.  We were all so very glad when Ellis could come to the ranch for a weekend or a holiday.  We hated to see him go back to Paris and to school.  I remember one time, when he was about ready to leave, I had a feeling I didn't understand, I think it was the first time I ever felt like that, but not the last.  I told Mom that I just couldn't swallow,  I had a big lump in my throat.  I think it was about then that I realized that I really loved and missed my big brother.  Another of my most distinct memories while we were there was my fear of going to the outhouse.  It was located about thirty yards from the back of the house.  It was a typical outhouse equipped with all the latest conveniances, an ice cold seat and an old catlog for toilet paper, but that was not the worst part of it.  The worst thing was, that at night during the winter months the coyotes came out and got up on our wood pile, which was between the house and the outhouse. We could hear them howling and yapping almost every night it seamed.  In the morning we could see their tracks in the snow between the house and the outhouse.  Somehow, that just scared the living daylights out of me as a little five year old who needed to go to the outhouse.

I also remember going out with Dad to feed the animals on a horse drawn sleigh with a hayrack.  As we went along, I looked back and noticed that eight or ten coyotes had come out of the willows and were following us.  Was I ever glad to have Dad there with me.  These things made big impressions on my little mind.  Another memory was of me and my little sister, Brenda, who was about two and a half years old at the time.  One time while Mom was cooking for the ranchhands, Brenda and I went for a little hike.  I guess hiking got into my blood early, but I liked to go exploring and I wasn't afraid to take a walk to see what I wanted to see.  The problem this time, however, was that what I wanted to see was on the other side of a slough or very marshy area.  I started off across the marshy area and my little sister followed, not far behind.  Soon she was stuck in the mud and water and couldn't get out.  I  turned to go back and help, but soon found , that I too was stuck in the mud.  Brenda cried and I yelled for help, but no one could hear us. Finally I freed myslef and I don't know how, but was able to help Brenda get free as well,  Covered in thick, gooy mud, we made our way back to the ranch house.  Mom was about to serve dinner to the ranchahnds and was very busy.  She cleaned us up the best she could by turning the garden hose on us until we were clean.  Mom told me afterwards, that she was proud of me and that I might very well have saved Brenda's life. I might add, and my own as well.

I've been back past the old Budge Ranch many times since and it always brings back fond memories of that short period in my early life. It has changed hands several times since then, but it still looks, in many ways, just the same.  We were glad to get back to Lanark and the old, cold cabin, where Ellis would be home with us every night.  It was a great feeling to be together as a family.

By Bart

Early Education in Lanark

This may be a good time in the blog to amplify the information on the Lanark school.  It consisted of two rooms plus a little room where the teachers kept the books and teaching materials plus a small rooms at the rear of each class room which had some small 18" cubbie holes where we could put our coats and lunch.   Each class room consisted of 4 rows of desks (one row for each grade) one room held grades 1 thru 4 and the other 5 thru 8.  We had 3 or 4 kids in each grade.  A large blackboard was at the front of the room.   The teacher would take turns instructing each grade, then she (Charlotte Matthews was my teacher) would give us some work to do and then she would go on to the next class.  No talking was allowed or anything that would disrupt the class. The school year began in early September and ended in April so we would be able to help our parents on the farm with preparing the land and planting the crops.  The subjects taught were very basic by today's standards and consisted of reading, writing and arithmetic.  We had some geography, spelling and things like telling time and other practical things.  In the corner of the class room was a big pot belly stove which had to heat the whole room.  The first grade class sat in a row closest to the big stove and some days it was so hot I could not stay awake.  The forth grade class sat on the other side of the room by some fairly large windows and those students were usually cold on the cold Bear Lake Winter days.

Students that attended school walked or in some cases rode horses to get to school.  It took a serious effort on those days when the temperature fell below zero or there was a "Bear Lake Blizzard"  to contend with.   The kids all came bundled up with coats and boots and warm mittens.   We had morning and afternoon recess plus a lunch period.   The first day I attended school (1st grade) we had a break after we had been in school for awhile and all the kids went to to the rear and started to get into their lunch sacks.  I thought it was lunch time and I ran home to get some lunch at home.  Mom quickly told me that it wasn't lunch time yet and I had to quickly run back.  There were no clocks in the school but the teachers had a pocket watch which they relied upon to keep us on schedule.

We played outside during recess and lunch period.  There was a merry-go-round and 2 ball diamonds layed out in the dirt and rocks.  Very little grass.  The out houses were located in the corner of the school lot.  It was a good 50 yards or more and in the winter it was cold never-to-be-forgotten experience.  In the spring there was usually a time when we could ice skate on the pond across the road.

I enjoyed school.  I was pretty good at baseball, even at the ages of 6 and 7 and was always chosen by the older boys to play on their team.  That made me feel good.   I attended this little school for  1st and 2nd grade after which the school was closed and we went to Paris at the beginning of the third grade and attended Emerson Elementary.
Ellis