I like Nephi of old was born of goodly parents. Elton Brown Pitcher and Mary Fife Pitcher. They were married in the Logan Temple on the 24th of November 1937. Dad was 31 and Mother was 25. I was born on 25 October 1938 in Preston, Franklin County, Idaho. I was very ill when I was three months old.

I am the oldest of five children: Carol was born 26 December 1939. Minnie was born 21 April 1940. Jerry was born 27 Sept 1942. Lonny was born 19 July 1944. I am told when Jerry was born; Dad came running out of the house saying, "It's a boy!" "It's a boy!" Lonny was a big baby at 10 pounds. We went to Lewiston to the midwife's to see them. Father was a hard worker. We lived on the family farm in the family home. Mother, who had Parkinson's Disease, was a pretty lady who had lots of courage, patience, and love.

Carol was a pretty, happy child. Minnie was a cute blonde with lots of energy and sparkle. Jerry was a handsome boy. Lonny was easy going. He and Jerry did many things together. They especially liked to fish.

Uncle Val and Dad ran the farm together. We were taught to work; there was always a lot to do. Uncle Val and his family lived just up the road a little ways. We were close in age. We had wiener roasts down by the creek that ran by the house.

When we were small, Jerry was in the top of the barn and fell through. I never saw two men being as fast as Dad and Uncle Val did to get to him. He wasn't hurt; just had the wind knocked out of him. Another time we were playing hide and seek. Everyone was found but Jerry. We all looked and looked for him. Dad said we will look once more for him and if we don't find him, we will call the scouts to come help us look for him. Just then he came just a crying. He had hidden between two haystacks and gone to sleep. We were all glad to see him. We were all worried he had fallen in the canal.

Grandmother Pitcher lived downstairs with Uncle Val and Aunt Doris. We'd go and see her and she would give us the rind of her bacon; it was hard for her to eat.

It was a fun, exciting time when the hay and threshing crews came to help Dad and Uncle Val get the hay and grain up. There was an old chicken coup where they stored the grain. We were helping and Carol's hair got caught and her head almost went in the grain elevator.

I remember going to the Pitcher Reunions at Mack Park in Smithfield. Carol, Minnie, and I had lots of fun playing in the trees down by the creek. My favorite game was detectives. Joyce, Velda, and Janet looking for anything and everything our imaginations could think of.

I went to Cornish Elementary School. When I was in the third grade, I caught the third finger of my right hand in the door of the schoolhouse. The finger was taken off at the first knuckle. Dad came and took me over to Lewiston to Doctor Cragun. He stitched it up and sent me home. He told Dad to give me paregoric for the pain. It was awful!

We had a good time playing in the swings, going down the slides, and playing on the teeter-totters. We ran up and down the grandstand steps. I had to special friends: Helen Kay and Phyllis.

We liked to go swimming in the canal. Dad liked baseball and took us to the ballgame when the Cornish team played in town. We looked forward to Saturdays and going to the games.

One winter it snowed so much we couldn't get up and down the lane. Dad hitched up the bobsled, covered us with blankets and took us to town so we wouldn't miss school. We stayed with Aunt Maggie. She had the prettiest pansy bed out by her back door. She made us dresses alike. Our cousin, Darlene, gave us Toni home permanents. Aunt Rose made us pretty taffeta dresses. Everyone in town came to go sledding.

Janet and Helen Able were our baby "sisters." I had a crush on their brother, Dean. We had other baby "sisters," but I don't remember them. I did baby sitting for Bill and Joyce Pitcher and Verl and Helen Buxton. Velda Naegle and Donna would come and take us three girls for the afternoon some Sundays.

When I was eleven, Dad took Mother to Salt Lake to a doctor. It was near my birthday, so they took me along. I was very frightened when the train came huffing and puffing into the station. It was the first and only time I went on a train. We stayed with Mother's Aunt Cindy Slater. Dad took me to the State Capitol.

Christmas was a special time for us. We would go up in the hills near our home. Select, cut down, and drag home our pine tree. Decorate it with pretty ornaments and bubble lights. We went to Mother's sister, Gladys's for Christmas. We wanted to take all our gifts, but Dad told us we could only take one.

Summer was a busy time: Thinning beets, the boys helping with milking the cows. We girls playing church softball. One year we were thinning beets, but we should have been working harder at it. We would thin a couple of feet and then go get a drink. We were taking as much time getting a drink as we did thinning the beets. We didn't know it, but Dad and Uncle Val were up on the hill above us and were watching. Dad never spanked us; he just told me he was "disappointed" in me. I think I'd rather have had the spanking, I think being told I'd disappointed him was a harder punishment to bear.

I remember only one other time that Dad was "disappointed" in me. We had a blue Studebaker car. We were old enough that Carol and Minnie could drive. We went to a game in Preston without permission. Dad was really worried. When we got back, Dad told me he was disappointed in me. I learned I didn't like to disappoint Dad.

I remember going to visit Aunt Lilly, Mother's sister. We drove over to Malad, Id. While we were there we got to see a movie at the drive-in. It was the Hunch Back of Notre Dame. It was the first movie I ever saw. We went to Mother's sister, Jean's for Thanksgiving. We spent time listening to our cousin Elaine play the player piano.

The Church had gold and green balls. We would practice and practice the dances. Uncle Mel and Aunt Mon were the stake dance directors. We enjoyed performing for our parent and friends. Dad always made sure he saved a dance for me at each gold and green ball. It is a special memory I have of my Dad.

Dad had a beautiful tenor voice. I always wished I could sing like him.

Mr. Epich drove us to the elementary school. Wendell Godfrey drove the bus to Jr. High and High School. I went to Lewiston Jr. High. I enjoyed my years there. Gayle Parrish was a good friend. We spent many overnighters at each other's homes. I have been fortunate to always have good friends. To earn money for school clothes, we picked beans during the summer.

When I was fourteen, I wasn't doing real well. Elder Ezra Taft Benson was our visiting General Authority at (Benson) Stake Conference. Dad went and asked Elder Benson if he would give me a blessing. I remember feeling the weight of their hands on my head before he began the blessing; then their hands were so light. It is a memory I treasure. Not everyone gets to receive a priesthood blessing from a future prophet.

I went to North Cache High. High school was fun. Dad passed away in 1956, the summer between my junior and senior year. After Dad's death and because of Mother's health, we children went to live with Dad's brothers and sisters. Mother went to live with her family. I especially enjoyed the seminary program. I had a part on the graduation program. I graduated in 1957. Uncle DeConn and Aunt Rosie bought me a pretty blue and white dress for seminary graduation and a nice tan suit for high school graduation.

The summer after graduation I worked at Gossner's Cheese Plant. Betty Baker, who also lived in Cornish, worked there and I rode to work with her. Uncle DeConn and Aunt Rosie wanted me to continue my education. They took me up to the college where I applied for and received a two-year scholarship. I took a two- year secretarial course and I lived on campus.

After college I went to work for Thiokol. When I first started working there, I stayed with Bruce Pitcher and his family until I could get a place of my own there in Brigham. I hadn't been there long when my Mother passed away. This was in 1959. A girl I worked with named Virginia and I decided to get an apartment together. The apartment we rented was owned by Mr. Rohwer. I dated his son, Ralph, and we were married on 16 June 1961. Ralph passed away in September 1963. I worked in the filing room filing blueprints. I enjoyed working there and the diversity of people I worked with. I worked there 31/2 years.

Two weeks after Ralph passed away, Carol, two of her girls, and I were in an automobile accident. I received a head injury and was in the Brigham City Hospital quite a while. It took a long time for me to recover. While I was recovering, I stayed with Larry and Carol for a while. Then I stayed with my friends, Kent and Elaine Hunsaker. I worked with Elaine at Thiokol. We went to Soda Springs for a while. I stayed with an older lady there. I liked that line of work and started being a companion and help to older ladies. I stayed with ladies in Brigham City. I was staying with a couple in Brigham and Uncle DeConn and Ray came and told me Jerry had been killed in a truck accident. This was in 1967. I then went to Wellsville and stayed with a lady there. I then came to Logan and stayed with Mrs. Weston. Her family was very good to me. Mrs. Weston only needed someone to stay with her at night.

I got work at Sunshine Terrace, a nursing home. The work was hard. We had great bosses. We went to Wendover a couple of times. We always had fun activities during housekeeping week. I liked working in the housekeeping department. There was a tall, good looking orderly named Eddie Herzog, who I wanted to date. With the help of my supervisor, Eunice, we started to date, fell in love, and were married on 27 Aug 1978.

The first Thanksgiving we were married; we had Eddie's side of the family for Thanksgiving Dinner. We went to Eddie's brothers and sister for Christmas. On the way home, we stopped at Carol and Larry's. Eddie liked to decorate our home for every holiday.

Eddie's family has a couple of reunions at Bear Lake every year, which we enjoyed, and I still enjoy attending. Eddie's brother has a skating party every spring and Eddie would have a potluck dinner at his home. I think this is such a nice tradition. I still have them come to my home. We enjoyed working together at the Terrace.

I had trouble with my right ear. I had three surgeries on that ear. I hear very little out of that ear and wear a hearing aid in the other. Eddie was always loving, kind, and patient with me through my illnesses. I had health problems; the Doctors couldn't find anything wrong. They sent me to Ogden and Salt Lake for tests and still didn't find anything wrong. I had exploratory surgery. After the surgery my heart went into fibrillation's. I was in the Logan Hospital for a while. I take medication to help my heart work the way it should.

Eddie had a heart attack and passed away on 23 August 1987. I miss him! I worked at the Terrace for 26 years. The employee's and residents were all very good to me. I have been retired for three years now. My health is better. I go to the temple one day a week. With the help of families and friends and church activities, I keep busy.

I had a wonderful experience at the temple. My first husband, Ralph's mother was not active in the church. His father was active. When Ralph's mother passed away the family and Mr. Rohwer wanted her work done. They asked me to be proxy for her, which I was honored to do. When I came through the veil, her daughter took on the appearance of her Mother. I looked two or three times to made sure it was true. This is a testimony to me that Mrs. Rohwer accepted the work done for her.

I have many favorite songs. Among them are "Oh My Father," "Whispering Hope," and the primary song, "I Wonder When He Comes Again." My brother Lonny passed away in December of 2001.

I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it is true! I am grateful to have been born and raised in the Church. I know it is through the power of the priesthood, faith, and prayers, I am here to the completion of my earthly mission.

Orchids to Pauline Pitcher Rower

By James McCormack "Scottie," a co-worker when she left Thiokol

I think that God will never send,

A gift so precious as a friend;

A friend who always understands,

And fills each need as it demands;

Whose loyalty will stand the test,

When skies are bright or overcast,

Who sees the faults that merit blame;

But keeps on loving just the same;

Who does far more than creeds can do

To make us good, to make us true.

Earth's gifts a sweet enjoyment lend,

But only God can give a friend.

You remind me of a beautiful watch,

Open-faced, pure gold,

Full of good works,

Do a useful job,

Do it steady and quietly.

Pauline,

Your pleasing personality,

Graciousness and beauty,

Has endeared you to your fellow workers.