Emrys and I were married October 12, 1909 in Malad City.  Two years later, our daughter Dee was born, four years later our son Dan arrived and eight years after that our daughter Edna Rae was born.  When she was nine months old we moved to Ogden, Utah.  When she was three years old, she passed away, when she died, part of my life went with her.   After four sad years our daughter Shirley was born and she took the loneliness out of our hearts.  She was 12 years old when we moved to Salt Lake City where we now have our home. 

One incident in my life stands out so clearly; I was four years old when Ellen, my sister, told me Aunt Mary wasn’t my Mother.  I will never forget the terrible feeling I had when I ran into the house to ask Mother if it was true.  I said, “You are my Mother aren’t you?”  With her loving and understanding way she said, “Yes, I am your mother, the only one you have ever known.”  That made me very happy and I was satisfied until the time came for her to tell me about my own Mother.  I loved her very much and in my memory she is still, “That Wonderful Mother of Mine.” 

What a marvelous person she must have been to take me, three weeks old, sister Ellen 18 months old and her own daughter Jannie nine months old.  She raised us as her own and I love them all as my sisters and brothers.  

Another incident that happened was when my Dad bought us each a coat and one had a fur collar.  Of course we all wanted that one.  After days of quarreling over which one would have it, Ellen won so Jannie and me had to take the one without the fur.  

We have had good days and bad ones in our married life but have been blessed with four lovely children and six grandchildren each one taking their place in our hearts and in our life.   

The Man I Remember Most Easily  by George Warren Ekins 

Why is one person more easily remembered than another?  There are two basic characteristics that make a person remembered easily by others.  One is distinction.  A person has this when he has developed his own distinctive capacities to the point that they set him off from the crowd.  The other is the worthiness of admiration.  If a person is admired, he is usually easily remembered.   

I have a grandfather, living in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mr. Emrys Thomas, who I feel has both of these qualities.  He is endowed with two great gifts that he has developed which give him distinction.  One is his friendly personality. Once when he was on a vacation in Oakland, he and I were down by Lake Merritt.   I left him for about five minutes while I bought some popcorn.  When I got back,  I found him with four total strangers, talking and laughing, as if they had been friends for years. 

The other of his most distinctive qualities is his beautiful tenor voice.  When silent movies were popular, the theater managers tried to have a band play during the movie and a singer sing the songs in the movie.  My grandfather was very busy as a railroad engineer, but sang when he had time.  He sang so well that a recording company wanted him to make a record.  He was not a wealthy man and didn’t think the sacrifice would be worth the risk, so he refused this opportunity.  He had never been sorry though.  He says the people he enjoys singing for most are his friends and relatives.  Although he is 70 years old, he still sings at weddings, funerals, church services, and social events in different cities in Utah, Idaho, and Montana. 

The other reason I remember my Grandfather is that I admire him.  I admire him mostly because he is very humble.  Although he is gifted with a wonderful ear for music and tremendous personality, I”ve never heard him brag about them.  He is naturally proud of his achievements, but I’ve even heard him change the subject when people start to over praising his achievements.  I admire him because he is able to accept his success without bragging about it.  

Gramps by Sherry Strong Oct. 1962 

My Grandpa was a stern, strong looking face but if you look into his eyes you can see a devilish twinkle.  I’m sure he disregarded fashion long ago because he wears Big Mac pants, a shirt a size too large and a sweater.   

In the winter he turns down the heat to sixty and sits in the dark with a heavy wool sweater on then he wonders why everyone is cold. 

He says he got his unusual name, Emrys from a convict that was on the loose when he was born.  With stories like these he sends our family into hysterics.  Gramp’s wonderful sense of humor isn’t his only talent.  His deep slick tenor voice thrills everyone.  He tells us all he could have been a great movie star if he had had time. 

One of his greatest pastimes is to sit on the porch and look at the mountains and think of the places he’d like to visit.  But when the opportunity comes for him to go, he doesn;’t get any farther than the front porch.  Everyone teases him about it but he just laughs and says he’ll show us some day.  Though I doubt he will, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if some day he went around the world.  My Gramps is remarkable.