The following is taken from her life sketch that was given by (Aunt) Susan on her funeral day, 24 Oct 2005.
Lillian Sams Earl was born March 15, 1918 in Idaho Falls, Idaho to George Ellsworth Sams and Ila May Webster Sams. Lillian was the second of nine children. She grew up in Idaho Falls and attended Emerson and Riverside Elementary Schools. OE Bell Jr. High and later graduated from Idaho Falls High School.
Mother was forced to quit high school in her junior year due to the death of her Father. This was during the depressing and times were hard and money was scarce. The older children had to help raise the younger ones. Mom helped bring in extra money doing washing, ironing, cooking and cleaning for other families. This left her one year behind in her class but the girls were each told if they graduated they would receive a cedar chest. Today that cedar chest smells just as fresh of cedar as it did some 75 years ago.
In 1934 our Father was working at F.W. Woolworth Company and attending one of the Saturday night dances at the old tabernacle on G Street. That night he met the girl who was to become so important to him. They both loved to dance the "Twelfth Street Rag." Dad recalled that she was "GREAT". The next three and a half years they lived in Twin Falls with mother working at Kings.
Mom and Dad enjoyed one year of High School together and had many good memories. Dad use to pick up Mom for date on his bike and pedal her around town. They were married August 16, 1937 in the Salt Lake Temple. On their honeymoon night they went back to Twin Falls where they were living at the time and their landlady fixed them dinner. Word even has it that Grandma was so upset at the thought of her oldest daughter leaving the nest that she slept between Mom and Dad on their first night.
Mom and Dad were blessed with four children, Gayla Jean, Dennis Thayne, Susan Darlene and Debra Jo, 21 grandchildren and 37 great - grandchildren who they loved very much and brought them much joy.
Mom was a very devoted wife and mother. She mastered cooking skills early in life watching her mother. She is most known for her famous Chicken & Noodles, Rasin filled cookies and her delicious rice pudding.
Mom never believed in wasting anything. Even when she made pie dough the extra pieces would be used completely to make little cookies with cinnamon and sugar on them.
Dad believed in thriftiness and eating out was not too common, so our home always had the smell of home made bread, scones or soup that made anyone coming to our home want to stay for dinner. Even our dates fell in love with Mom. She had a way of getting to them through their stomachs.
I remember Mom sitting at the sewing machine for hours and hours trying to get a dress done for us for the dances. She loved to knit and crochet and most of us have been blessed to have those afghans in our homes today.
Mom and Dad loved to tie quilts together. She loved to make hot pads and ironing board covers for all the girls and we looked forward each Christmas to receiving these and knowing they were made by her precious hands.
Mom was a devoted wife to dad. She always walked by his side supporting and loving him in whatever capacity he was serving. She was even seen pumping gas at his service station and washing windows when he needed the help. I don't ever remember my mom complaining of any task that she was required to do, even if it meant bathing in the same bath water on a Saturday night that Dad had bathed in first. As soon as Mom put our hair in pin curls it was time for Lawrence Welk.
Mother taught us the importance of Modesty. She even once handed Gayla's date a rope to use to hold his pants up.
Dad treated Mother like royalty and expected her children to do likewise. He would leave little love notes for her to find or ask her to meet for lunch at the hospital when she was serving in the Pink Lady Auxiliary. She always came to the aid of her children when she felt they had been treated unfairly but when she knew they were wrong she expected them to make it right.
We were expected to always honor our Mother and Dad didn't permit us to ever talk back to her, but when we did, we were reminded of his favorite saying, "Wait til you Dad gets home." Oh how those willows stung!!!
Mom was known for her Home remedies and tried to save on the cost of a doctor's visit. We learned not to complain of a stomach ache because the word "enema" was her solution to the problem.
Mother had a wonderful sense of humor and used it whenever she could. She had a way of making people happy just to be in her presence. She once even put cotton inside her home made divinity to prove a point to the Stake Relief Society board.
Mom and Dad were believers that a Family that played together, stayed together. She loved boating, water and snow skiing, fishing, picking huckle berries, and just spending time at Gayla and Dale's Cabin in Island Park.
This is the end of what will be posted from the life sketch. There are several more pages but I wont get into the personalized messages to each of her kids seems it can be rather personal. However if you would like a copy please let me know and I would be happy to send you one.
I think that we all have great memories of Grandma Earl. I know that I sure do. Everything from the pranks that we would pull on each other to the small things like the fact that she would come to our baseball games every summer. We all had many great times with her at home and at the cabin.
One in particular that I have always remembered was when we were at the cabin. I was probably 8 or 9 years old. I was sleeping with Morgan on the pull our couch in the living room. Grandma was sleeping in the other pull out couch. The next morning we were laying there with her (somehow we all made it to the same bed). As we sat there talking we were watching the fire and listening to the cracks and pops that the fire was giving. I remember that Grandma started telling me about grandpa (who had died when i was only 4 years old). She told me about how much he loved to sit and watch the camp fire and every time it "pops" or "hiss's" or "crackles" she thinks of him and misses him. I have always thought of that and remembered what she said. Seems I don't remember much about Grandpa I like to think of him every time I hear a fire "crack" or "hiss".
She truly was a wonderful woman that has made a huge influence on us all. There are many things that can be said, however, there is just not the room to really give it justice. Please feel free to leave comments with thoughts or stories that you would like to share.
I have put some of the pictures of Grandma that I have. I have also posted information (below) from a site that gives you details about any specific date that you put in. The following is information about March 15, 1918 when Grandma was born.
Top News Headlines This Week:
Mar 16 - Geoffrey O'Hara's "K-K-K-Katy" song published
Mar 17 - US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Rosemary Beresford
Mar 17 - US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Nathaniel Niles
Mar 17 - US Mens Figure Skating championship won by Nathaniel Niles
Mar 18 - Soccer team SON OF Meerssen forms
Mar 18 - Socialist Youth AJC organizes in Amsterdam
Top Songs for 1918
K-K-K-Kayt by Geoffery O'Hara Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo by Edward Rowland
JA-DA by Bob Carleton Sometime by Rida Johnson Young
Bagdad by Harold Atteridge How Can You Tell by Ned Wayburn
I'll Say She Does by Al Jolson Oh! Frenchy by Sam Ehrlich
1918 Prices
Bread $0.10/loaf
Milk: $0.55/gal
Eggs: $0.37/doz
Car: $365
Gas: $0.25/gal
House: $4,821
Stamp: $0.03/ea
Avg Income: $1,115/yr
DOW Avg: 82
US President
Woodrow Wilson
US Vice President
Thomas R. Marshall
People born on March 15
1935 - Judd Hirsch Bronx NY, actor (Alex-Taxi, Dear John, Ordinary People)
1944 - Sly Stone Dallas TX, rocker (Sly & the Family Stone-Everyday People)
1941 - Mike Love Los Angeles CA, rock saxophonist/vocalist (Beach Boys-In My Room, Surfin' USA)
Top Books in 1918
The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey
These are three very classy woman I'm sure taught by Grandma Earl. My mother taught me to always look nice (do my hair and put my make up on) before Graig got home from work. My Mom always did and I'm sure Aunt Susan and Grandma did. And in Grandma's later days she wouldn't go anywhere without her wig and I remember waiting for her while she put her make up on, especially her lipstick. My mom was the same way. I hope I make my Mother proud by still doing this to this date. Tami Ralph
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