ROSS P. FINDLAY FAMILY
Ross Partington Findlay was born 18 May 1920 in Smoot, Wyoming, to Hugh William and Gertrude Peterson Findlay. The fourth child of this couple, he grew up in a family that increased to nine children, eight of whom lived to raise families of their own. A brother just older than Ross, Charles Bruce Findlay died in infancy.
Early in his life, along with his four living brothers and three sisters, he learned the value of work, and through diligence and hard work they were able to have the necessities of life and to enjoy some of the comforts. They also took time for recreation and Church service was an important part of their lives.
He remembers his grandparents, and was baptized into the L.D.S. Church in a stream near his Grandfather Peterson's store. He attended school in Smoot and Afton, Wyoming, and after graduation from Star Valley High School in 1938, was called to serve in the California Mission, which at that time included all of California and parts of Arizona and Nevada.
After his mission was completed he served three years in the United States Army, spending one year in Europe during the final decisive battles of World War II. He served in the 582nd Quartermaster Co., Ninth Army, and had an opportunity to travel in thirteen countries before he returned to the United States. While in overseas training in San Bernardino, California, Ross was called and set apart by an Elder Smith as a group leader for LDS Servicemen. Elder Smith was servicemen's coordinator for Southern California, and was under the direction of Elder Hugh B. Brown. Ross was given the charge to organize and supervise L.D.S. Church services for other servicemen who were stationed in various areas where he served.
Linnie Taylor Marchant was born in Ioka, Utah, on 22 April 1919, to Robert Henry Casper and Agnes Taylor Marchant. The fourth of five children, she was the youngest of her parent’s family to live. At her birth her mother was attended by a mid-wife, known in the community as "Aunt Jeanette" Miles. After about three days of fruitless labor it was determined it would be necessary to have a doctor. Doctor Enix was finally located in Myton and he was able to save the lives of both mother and baby.
Linnie, too, was baptized in a canal, near what was then the William H. Stone place on the south bench in Ioka, in July following her eighth birthday. Baptisms were held only two or three times during the year so that the weather would be warm and the water clean, so there were a number of children baptized at that time. What a joyous day that long awaited baptismal day was.
She attended school in Ioka and Roosevelt, Utah, and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1937. After graduating from Seminary the year before she had had the opportunity, along with others who graduated that year, of going with a member of the High Council for their monthly visits to the wards in the Roosevelt Stake. Two quarters of college, practical nursing and other work that was available took up the next few years. She assisted Dr. John R. Bourne with three "at home" deliveries, administering anesthetic and helping as she was directed. In addition she assisted in the homes of many mothers with new-born babies, sometimes staying for ten days or two weeks.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, she attended L.D.S Business College in Salt Lake City - or six weeks, and was shuttled into secretarial service to assist the war effort. She became the first Chief Clerk of W.A.A.C. (later WAC) Recruiting at Ninth Service Command Headquarters at Fort Douglas, Utah, and worked there for four years.
She met Corporal Ross P. Findlay in Salt Lake City when he was home on furlough, just prior to his over-seas duty, and they became engaged on 11 July 1944. They were married exactly one year later, on 11 July 1945, in the Salt Lake Temple, just a few days after his return from Europe.
Following a 30 day redeployment furlough he returned to active duty at Camp Lee, near Petersburg, Virginia, with orders to prepare to go to the Pacific Theater of Operations. She resigned her job and made plans to go to Virginia before he left. Even though the treaty with Japan was signed before she left Salt Lake City, Ross continued his service at Camp Lee, and she joined him in Virginia. He was discharged from Fort Douglas 1 December 1945.
We made our home in Salt Lake City at 140 N. West Temple for several months, and both worked while Ross attended L.D.S. Business College. Our first child, Richard Bruce Findlay was born in the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City on 25 July 1946. When he was six weeks old we moved to Logan where Ross enrolled as a freshman at U.S.A.C. (Utah State University).
Two children were born while he was attending the U.S.A.C., Roslyn, a daughter, was born on 6 November 1948 and John Michael on the twenty first of April 1950. Ross graduated in 1950 with a Bachelor's degree in Education, and we moved to Ephraim where he taught Social Science and Music at the Ephraim Junior High School.
Another son, Kimball Ross, was born 14 July 1951, while we were in Logan the next summer so that Ross could attend summer school. He received his Master's degree from U.S.U. in 1952. Donald James, our first child to be born in Sanpete arrived 30 August 1952 in the hospital in Mt. Pleasant.
We moved to Spanish Fork £or the school year 1954-55, where Ross taught social studies at the high school and worked with the student officers. He also taught music in the Junior and Senior High Schools in Spanish Fork. At the close of that school year we came back to Ephraim and Ross began teaching at Snow College. We have lived in Ephraim since that time.
A second daughter, Kathleen, was born shortly after we moved back to Ephraim, on 5 July 1955. In October 1956 my mother, Agnes Taylor Marchant, 76, who had been living with us for several weeks, passed away at our home the same weekend that Ross was sustained as Bishop of the Ephraim South Ward. He served for six years, and was released in 1962. That summer we went to Pullman, Washington, where Ross attended a short session at Washington State University.
On New Year's Day, 1957, we moved into our present home. A son, Scott William Findlay, was born 23 November 1957. Another son, Charles Robert Findlay joined the family on 24 August 1960.
The family encountered the usual childhood diseases, and it was difficult when Polio vaccine was first developed to have the children immunized with live virus; but after much prayer an inner peace was reached, and when one of the children became ill following the treatment there was no great anxiety and he quickly recovered.
Tragedy came to our home in 1965 when it was learned that our third child was suffering from osteo-genic sarcoma, a rare kind of bone cancer, for which there was no medical treatment. Michael was a real hero as he bore the burden of his illness, and lived with faith as he went in and out of the hospitals as doctors did what they could and prescribed that he should have and do anything that he wanted to. Michael waited for the day that Bruce would be set apart for his Mission, for he knew that at that time he would either begin to mend or he would be taken home to his Father in Heaven. He believed that if he did not live he would be going on a greater mission, and when he died, 9 September 1965, we tried to make his memorial service as it would have been if he had been going on an earthly mission, to return to us here, as other members of the family have.
In 1966 while Bruce was in the Mission Field in Canada, the rest of us traveled by car to Springfield, Massachusetts, where Ross attended summer school for six weeks at Springfield, College.
It was in 1975 that we learned that we would have to sell our property to Snow College as they planned to expand the campus. That was a difficult time in our lives, but it has proved a good, growing experience. We were able to move our brick home to a new location, and by the next May we were back in our home and able to begin to get our "hardpan" to growing lawn and garden.
Ross was called for a second time to the Stake High Council soon after he was released as Bishop, and served there for 13 years, being released in March 1976. That fall he was called as Ward Executive Secretary and has served in that position in the Ephraim South Ward, the Ephraim Third Ward and in the Snow College Second Ward.
My responsibilities have included working in the MIA, Primary, Relief Society, and I have been accompanist for the Ward Choir for a number of years. As Stake Historical Arts Correspondent, there have been many opportunities to learn more of the history of this area, including early history of the Indians who lived here. At the present time I work as Ward Nursery Coordinator and play for the Choir. In 1967 Sister Eleanor Madsen and I began a writing contest for this area that still continues to record the history of Sanpete, and in 1979, we authored a history of Ephraim's last 25 years.
Ross has been active in Scouting for many years and has served in a number of leadership positions. He has had Philmont and Woodbadge training which prepared him for his present assignment as a Council Vice President in charge of Woodbadge and Timberline training. For 26 years he directed training programs for scouts and scouters at Snow College.
Ross' duties at Snow College have been many and varied. He has taught history and social science, has served as Dean of Students and Registrar. He operated the printing services at the school for quite a few years, and always said it was his recreation from other responsibilities. He took care of the mail, administered the first ACT tests given at the school and was State Coordinator for ACT for six years. He was instrumental in bringing technology to Snow; and while he was Dean of Students he initiated pre-school training sessions for student body officers beginning in 1956. Those sessions were held in Forest housing in the mountains, where Student Officers learned of their duties and responsibilities for the coming school year.
Together we have assisted with the Mormon Miracle Pageant in various capacities for most of the years since it began in 1967.
Prepared by Linnie Taylor Marchant Findlay (1982) Edited and Digitized by CRF (2009)
Linnie Findlay returned to Heavenly Father on January 10, 2009, Ross followed on April 2, 2009. They are missed by the family they left behind who hope that someday they can be together again.
