"Lonny"

By Carol Pitcher Gregory, Shirley Lynn Pitcher, and John C. Pitcher

Wendell Leon (Lonny) Pitcher was born 19 Jul 1944 in Lewiston, Cache, Utah. When Lonny was born, we all got to go to the midwife's house to see him. What a cute little bundle of joy. His parents are Elton Brown and Mary Fife Pitcher. He was 5th child and 2nd son. He was the youngest brother of the children and was welcomed to their family by older siblings: Pauline, Carol, Minnie and Jerry.

As a child, he spent many hours with his brother Jerry and his cousin John C. Pitcher. Harvest time required extra "man power." The community of "coop" put up the hay and thrashed the grain. Lonny and John were told to stay out of the way and did so much of the time. Thrashing the grain was a special time. They could eat all the wheat they could chew. They played in the bins where the wheat was kept prior to it being hauled away for sale of trade. The thrasher was noisy and the center of activity for the workers. The straw would blow for a long distance and was pile up high. To sneak close to the thrasher was a fun game, if for no other reason than they had been told to stay away.

The children on the Pitcher Farm had a wonderful playground. It had 10,000 acres with every toy their imagination could dream up. There were trees to climb, old houses to explore in and under, Buttercups to be picked on the grass knoll in the spring, and Christmas trees to be cut and hauled home in the winter. The lane to the farm was the town's sledding hill every winter Sunday afternoon.

As he grew up, he learned how to work hard and was a big help on the farm. By the time he was five, he and John where put to work together rowing bales. They had to work together to move one bale. They also spent many hours herding cows. The cows always wanted to go wherever we were not to let them go. No water, no food, no shade, and cows that would never just stand and eat.

Jerry, Lonny and John fed the cows their milk each night. They used two five-gallon bucket to haul the milk to the calves. Jerry would walk in the center with a bucket handle in each hand. Lonny was his left side and John on the right. They had to work together to help left and carry the buckets.

The farm wasn't all work though. The fun started when the boys would ride calves. After catching one, they would put the calf's head between their legs and ride backward on the calf's neck. What a rodeo! Three boys riding at the same time not knowing where they would get dumped off.

The summer of his 8th birthday, he went to work for Uncle Doug Fife (Fife Rock Products) and lived with his sister in Wellsville for a while. Lonny and Jerry rented an apartment every once in a while, but when money got tight, they would go to live with Carol. One summer, Val took the boys up the canyon to introduce us to the kineekenick. They had heard about kineekenick all their lives, all six of them. Val showed them where the kineekenick grew. What a day of passage! They now knew where the wood was located that the Indians used to make their bows from. They could cut a piece of wood and make their own bows. What they didn't know was that you can buy kineekenick at your local garden center under the name "dogwood" which the boys didn't' learn until years later.

In 1958 when his Dad died, he went to Lewiston to live with his Aunt Vaudice, Uncle Lewis Boman and their family. Lonny participated in high school football and was in the choir. He got hurt playing football and was kicked out of choir because he always had the giggle. He always had a love of the great outdoors and enjoyed fishing and hiking.

During the summer and later on in life, Lonny and Jerry both worked for Uncle Doug Fife. Lonny continued in this line of work for most of his adult life. Along the way, he married Susan Wilson in January 1966 and they later divorced. They had two children, Douglas Wendell and Wendy Sue. Douglas married Traci and they are the parents of two children, Brandi and TJ. Wendy Sue married Bryan Warner. They are the parents of son, Riley.

As an adult, Lonny worked in construction. and spent many years working on or around a rock crusher. Eventually he ended up in the shop where he repaired the equipment he had previously operated. In the course of work, he met Shirley Lynn Jensen Pitcher at work. They dated for 3 months and were engaged by Christmas. On February 19, 1991 they drove to Las Vegas and were married at the Candlelight Wedding Chapel. After a honeymoon in Mexico, they returned to Salt Lake City.

Lonny and Shirley knew how to work and they knew how to play. They truly fulfilled each other. Their lives together were as good as it gets. They traveled, took up rock hounding and prospecting in the Arizona desert. In 1996, after Lonny was injured on the job and had to retire. Lonny developed a physical therapy routine using a fly rod and became an avid fisherman. He even started making his own flies. In 1998 they bought an American Eagle Motor Home, which they both loved and enjoyed. Lonny found a small gold nugget in the desert one day and was very proud of his find. He enjoyed walking in the hills and riding his bike about the park, visiting with friends and neighbors.

After Lonny retired, they decided to head for warmer climates in the winter months. They spent time in Yosemite National Park and traveled up the Oregon coast. They spent one winter in Las Vegas, Nevada and one in Boulder City, Colorado. They finally gave Arizona a try and found a great park in Brenda, Arizona. They spent the next six years in Brenda. There were many activities to do their: four-wheeling, enjoying the desert and gold detecting.

By spring of 2001, Lonny's health had started to deteriorate. He knew that he had lung disease from his exposure to rock dust during his years working on or around the rock crusher. In July he was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. During a routine x-ray, Doctor's discovered a mass in his lung. The biopsy revealed it was cancer. He had surgery in August and the lower lobe of his lung removed. He suffered a stroke during surgery and was paralyzed on the right side of his body. The Iy6stroke took from him his ability to speak. His wife, Shirley, remembers that it was very sad to see him go from happy and healthy to helpless so quickly.

He spent two months in the hospital and then moved him to Day West Health Care Center in Ogden. He improved quickly with the daily therapy. He was able to regain some speaking and walking abilities. His daughter-in-law, Traci worked at the facility and was able to stop by to see and visit with him often. He was able to return home for Shirley's birthday's and she enjoyed having him home and worked so hard to take good care of him; to always be loving and patient.

Lonny was adamant about going to Arizona for the winter and couldn't wait to get down there. He wanted a swing to sit in so he could enjoy the desert landscape, the coyotes, mountain sheep and the quail. We drove to Lake Havasu and picked up a swing. He was like a kid at Christmas waiting for it to be put together. As soon as he sat on it, he said, "Ha ha ha ha ha!" He continued to go to the pool and do his therapy every day and went to the hot tub every night and did more exercises. He was doing really well.

Lonny and Shirley were able to travel to Chandler, Arizona, to visit his sister Minnie Harger's family for Thanksgiving. They enjoyed a fun family get-together with the Harger's and returned to Brenda, Arizona the next day. By Saturday of that week, Lonny's health seriously declined and he was taken to the hospital in Blythe, California. A brain scan showed several tumors on his brain. He then traveled by ambulance to

Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. The Doctor's thought radiation for two weeks would reduce his pain, but as soon as it was over, Lonny insisted they return to Brenda. He was so happy to be home again and to visit with his friends. On Sunday, 16 December 2001, he passed away with Shirley at his side. He was buried in the Smithfield City Cemetery beside his parents, and brother, Jerry, on 22 December 2001.

Shirley adds: "I really thought my life had come to an end and I didn't want to go on without Lonny. If it hadn't been for Minnie, Carol, Pauline, Vaudice & Lewis Boman, and my children, Treana and Trever's support, and help to me, I don't think I would make it down this hard old road. I do feel like I am very much a part of the Pitcher Family." His sister Carol said of him, "Lonny was very quiet and kept things to himself, but whenever we got together, we laughed a lot. He was a great brother! Cousin John said, "Lonny was quite, didn't say much, didn't have to. Those around him knew that he would be there when there was a need."

The Herald Journal, Logan, UT; Thursday, December 20, 2001

Brenda, Arizona - Wendell "Lonny" Pitcher, 57, passed away Sunday, December, 16, 2001, in Brenda, Arizona. He was born 19 July 1944 in Cornish, Cache, Utah to Elton Brown and Mary Fife Pitcher.

He married Susan Wilson in January of 1966. They were later divorced. From this union came two children: Douglas Leon and Wendy Sue.

Lonny love hunting pheasants fly fishing, gold prospecting, touring in the motor home, and spending time with his family. He was a long-standing member of IUOE, Local 3, where he made many friends during his years of construction work.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley, her son and daughter, Trever (Karly) Seely and Treana (Jason) Welch; grandson Nolan: Doug (Traci) and Wendy (Bryan); and grandchildren Brandi, TJ and Riley. He is also survived by three sisters: Minnie (Don) Harger, Phoenix, AZ; Carol (Larry) Gregory, Tremonton, UT; and Pauline Herzog, Logan, UT; many cousins, aunts and uncles, who all loved him and will miss him very much. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Jerry.

A small family service will be held on Saturday, December 22, 2001, at Nelson Funeral Home, 162 E 400 N, Logan at 12:30 p.m., with a viewing one hour prior to service. Interment will be in the Smithfield Utah City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.nelsonfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice.

We love you, Dad!