Ray and Becky
Dear Humpherys Family,
2014 was a great year! I, Becky, will try to recap the highlights under topics.
WORK: Ray continues to be an outstanding P.E. teacher at Eaglecrest Elementary and received an award that proved it! Who says you can’t have another career after you retire? Becky fills in as a clinic nurse to keep her skills up, or NOT? A sixty year old practicing CPR on a dummy isn’t a pretty sight! She is still thinking about her after-retirement career. Oh, she already has it: Grandma, family history guru, cyclist, swimmer, reader, writer, book keeper, castle cleaner and cook.
CHURCH WORK: Becky team taught the 7/8 year olds in Primary. Then Ray became her ally and they were moved to the challenging 10/11 year olds, mostly boys. They are learning to be better teachers. Ryan & Nat visited their class twice. They learned a lot from the Old Testament, especially how much it correlates with the Book of Mormon. Ray is learning to work his new IPAD to help with the lessons. With his new IPHONE he may become a “techie” yet. Go Ray!
FAMILY FUN: JAN.: Toured the sights of SLC with Lisa, Melanie and six kids on MLK Day: Temple Square, City Creek & Church History Museum where Isaac pulled the fire alarm. Trip over! FEB.: Watched the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia on TV. MAR.: Went to Logan for Ryan’s 25th birthday, saw their new rental home. Carly had the stomach flu. APR.: Had annual Easter egg hunt at Humphery’s Hotel Utah. MAY: Becky’s sister Pam and husband Stan from Colorado visited. JUNE: Went to Logan to see Lisa do her bike ride. Stayed with Ryan & Nat, helped plant their first garden. Ok, two plants, but it was fun. Had 1st RV campout of the year at the “Spruces” in Big Cottonwood Canyon with Michelle and three kids. Brayden practiced riding his bike with us racing behind, one way to keep us young! Melanie and family came up later. Stephanie and kids came from Indiana. Our big, 20+ year old apricot tree fell over, loaded with fruit, a very sad day. JULY: Roasted at the 4th of July parade in West Jordan, but had great fun with 6 kids and 2 daughters. Had dinner with Becky’s dad, LaVar, and his wife, Elaine. He will turn 97 in May, 2015. Newell & family visited. Ray, Steph and kids went in RV to the 2 acres in Star Valley. Becky happily missed the mosquitos, but not the summer sunsets she loves overlooking the beautiful valley. Had fun at the Humpherys’ Reunion at the Garden City KOA and later Bear Lake, but glad we won’t be in charge for another 9 years. LOL! The banana peel bikes and water play were great! Had the Annual family backpacking trip to the Uinta Mts. at Notch Lake, Brooklyn’s 1st time. Had the 5th Annual Ray &Becky Family Reunion at Jordan Ridge Park after family piano recital. LaVar and Elaine came, too. Went bowling with Steph and Melanie’s families. It was sad to see Spears go back to Indiana, Brooklyn hated leaving. AUG.: Went to same camping spot at Granite Flat in American Fork Canyon in RV with Lisa and kids. This time the zip line was a little too good. Paige’s helmet saved her. SEPT.: Labor Day backpacking trip started out cold and wet but warmed up some. Becky made it this time to see if she could like it any better and prove she wasn’t old yet. (Not!) Ryan, Nat and her brother Zach came and later Scott Evans, Mike, Grant and Holly jones. We enjoyed last of the fresh corn from the Mabey Farms. Becky painted cinderblock wall. OCT.: Watched Paige and Isaac play soccer in Layton. Went on 4 bike rides with grand kids on Jordan River Parkway, so fun! Went to Park City and stayed in Lisa and Jim’s timeshare. Halloween was warm, Becky was Cleopatra! NOV.: Thanksgiving was tasty and crazy with all the family except Stephanie’s and Ryan and Nat. DEC.: Stephanie and Drew and kids came for 3 weeks. Becky went swimming with the girls several times. Our Christmas party was even crazier with 12 grandkids under 11 years. Had family Christmas piano recital. Sad to see the Spears go back. The kids had grown so much and Stockton was talking.
PLAYS: At Centerpoint Legacy Theatre: “The Sound of Music” for Becky, Lisa, Allison and Paige and “Scrooge” for Becky, all four daughters, Ben and eight grandkids. At Desert Star Playhouse: “Calamity Jane: Cowgirls Just Want To Have Fun.” The plays were so well done, this must stay a family tradition. Thanks to Ray, Jim, Drew and Elliot for tending the little kids.
SICKNESS: Becky caught a flu bug in Feb and coughed for two months, inflaming the rib muscles, sadly had to cut back on the swimming. Ray got the flu for Christmas, what a present, then had a cold with the lingering effects of both. Other than those sicknesses we are just getting older with all it entails.
LOSS: Our dear cousin, Cindy Clark, passed away in Oct. She was released from all her suffering into the arms of her dad Eldon Clark. They were such wonderful people that meant so much to us. The funeral was touching and made us feel that even though people experience trials and death we have hope that there is life after death.
GENEALOGY NEWS: Becky is still working on the Coulson lines which starts out in Derbyshire, England like your Humpherys line. Your Sarah Coulson grandmother married Joseph Rich. If you are lost already on your pedigree, check out familysearch.org. The Coulson name is derived from the Danish name Koulson meaning “son of the cold.” So, yes, you have Viking blood coursing through your veins! The Coulson USA lines start in 1703 in Pennsylvania and branches out to Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Missouri, Colorado, Oregon, California and Utah. Some lines eventually had other spellings: Colson and Colston. They were a religious people, mostly German Baptists, then belonged to the Church of the Brethren and many became Quakers. However, we have a record two men wouldn’t take their hats off during prayer and committed other infractions so were excommunicated from the religion! Most of the men fought in the civil war on both sides of the conflict. Sarah Coulson’s father was a plantation owner with slaves as were a few others. Yet, one Coulson in Ohio was in the Underground Railroad and credited with hiding 168 run-away slaves in his tobacco barn when the slave hunters came by. They had conflicts with the Indians, were brave pioneers to Missouri, and the stories go on and on. If you are interested in reading the stories, seeing pictures, let me know.
BLESSINGS: You, our extended family, our close family, our health, a bright future and knowledge that Heavenly Father is watching over us. See you in Billings!
Love, Ray and Becky
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| Back row: Ray, Allison, Melanie and Becky Front row: Paige, Isaac, Carly, Josie and baby Wes crossing the street in SLC on MLK day |
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| Back row: Lisa, Allison, Jim, Michelle, Ben, Anastasia, Becky, Ray, Stockton, Drew, Stephanie,Elliot, Melanie, Wesley, Natalie and Ryan. Front row: Isaac, Paige, Brayden, Jasmine, Riley, Brooklyn, Josie and Carly |
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| Fourth of July parade. |
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