Merle Elizabeth Daniels Hughes was born in Malad, Idaho on January 30, 1906, to George Daniels and Mary Mae Bolingbroke Daniels. Merle was born at home with Dr. D.C. Ray attended and Mary Bolingbroke as the nurse. 

Her summers were spent on the farm at Daniels, Idaho, and the winters in Malad. Merle had fond memories of living in a one room granary while the four room house was being built. The granary was papered with newspaper and tobacco signs and hours were spent picking out names with different letters of the alphabet to see who could find the most. Fishing in the stream that ran by the house was another thing they all enjoyed. She rode horses with the other children and remembers it as a happy time. One of the special days was when the family would take a picnic and go to the canyon to get a load of wood to take to Malad for winter fuel. 

“The year I was six, Mother sent me to school. The teacher was Alice Harding and she sent me home because I was so small she didn’t think I was old enough. Mother had to send a note back with me.” 

When Merle was fifteen, her mother gave birth to a baby girl that was born dead. Her mother lived a few days, then died. “It was a sad time. My older sister, Stella, was married so she moved back home to take over. Stella and Walt had five children, so we helped care for them. They seem more like brothers and sisters than nieces and nephews.” 

“I always liked school and graduated in May, 1925. I had lots of friends in different crowds, and spent many nights away from home staying with them and they stayed at our house. Our neighborhood was a fun place to live as there were so many kids on the lane.” Some of the games they played were hide-and-seek, run sheep run, kick the can, and looking for a trade. “ In the winter we went sleigh riding in our pasture. Usually a party every Friday night at someone’s home. The boys were always included. Our family had a lot of love for each other and got along well. I think it’s from the example our parents set. I never remember my father and mother saying a cross word to each other. I can see them now sitting in our kitchen by the coal range letting Ethel and I fight it out whose turn it was to wash or wipe dishes. They were never cross with us.” 

After graduating from high school, Merle went to Henager’s Business College in Salt Lake. “My friends all went to Idaho State College to become teachers, which I was often sorry I didn’t do.” In Salt Lake, Merle lived with her cousin and worked for her board and room, she also ironed white shirts for college boys for 25￠ to make a little extra money. She lived on 9th East and would ride the street car to school. 

Merle had been dating Walter T. Hughes for a couple of years before moving to Salt Lake. Walt would come to Salt Lake to see Merle. When Merle’s sister Stell’s daughter Bettye became seriously ill, Merle went home to help and decided not to go back to school, but to  marry Walt. They were married July 28, 1926, in the Logan Temple. Stell (or Orlean) went with them. They spent their honeymoon in Salt Lake. Walt was working at the Malad Valley Creamery. When Merle asked her father if he cared if she got married he said “do you care if I get married? We were married on July 28, 1926 and dad married Emaline Evans November 8, 1927.” This added 7 more children to their family of six children. 

After Walt and Merle were married, they lived in Malad. One of the homes they lived in was a house by the Creamery and owned by it. Walt worked there. They later on after renting other houses, moved into a home owned by Stell and Walt, when they moved to California. The rent was $30 a month. “They wanted to sell it to us for $4000, but they couldn’t borrow the $700 down payment, Walt was only making $100 at the creamery.”  

The creamery closed in Malad in 1950 and Walt was without a job. He went to Blackfoot, Idaho, and applied at Kraft’s. They put him to work as soon as he could go back and get some clothes. 

After three years of marriage, a son Leon was born August 29, 1929 at the home Mrs. L.L. Hamblin with Dr. Kerns as the doctor. “He was a strong, healthy baby, but took sick suddenly at the age of six months and died. The doctor called it intestinal flu, but really didn’t know. Mrs. Hamlin stayed at our home and took care of him. He had inward convulsions. He lived five days. It was hard to take.” 

“Our next son, Darhl, was born March 6, 1931, at the same place as Leon with the same doctor and nurse. He was a strong healthy baby, also, but we worried a lot for fear something would happen to him.” Merle’s sister, Ethel’s baby boy also died with pneumonia two months to the day after Leon’s death. 

Joan was born seven years later on September 18, 1938, in the hospital in Malad. “We were happy to have a girl.” 

Merle worked in Malad at a dress shop for Mrs. Pelton, in a gift shop and lunch counter for Ernest Horsley, and at the Malad Hotel that Walt’s parents owned. She also worked for fifteen years cleaning rooms at the Colonial Motel in Blackfoot, starting out for 40￠ an hour and worked up to $1.40. “It was hard work, but I liked it.” 

In Blackfoot Merle and family first lived at the Central Apartments at 865 Stout for two years, then moved to an apartment at 224 N. Shilling where they lived until Walt died and Merle later moved to a living center for a few months before her death. 

Merle taught in Primary in the LDS Church, was a counselor in the Primary, Inservice Leader for the Primary, a counselor in Relief Society, as well as being a visiting teacher. 

Merle wrote beautiful poetry, much of it was about her family and friends. She was a wonderful mother and both her son and daughter’s friends loved her and liked being around her. She was fun, pretty, and generous with whatever she had. Her grandchildren loved her and she was so good to each of them. She had many friends. 

Merle died February 4, 1987, at the age of 81, and was buried in Malad, Idaho next to Walt, who had died 15 years before, and next to their little son Leon. She is greatly missed by her family.