28 September 2014

To all you dear ones,

      It was a pretty, and warm week, but has turned off cooler and rainy again.  The spud farmers were hitting it pretty hard to try to beat the rain, but most of them still have a long way to go.  Hanks' still have close to 150 acres left in the ground.

      The night before the storm came, Dad and I worked in the yard to get things done we'd been meaning to. He winterized the camper, and several other things, and I pruned the grape vines, which have gotten terribly overgrown, and weren't producing as well as they used to.

      Just across the hall from my office at work, is the pharmacy. After morning delivery, they stack the empty boxes in the hallway. I've been eying some of them, because I thought they might be just what I've been looking for, to make some storage containers. The IV fluid boxes were just the right size; the were D5 1/2 with 20 of KCL. I brought some home, and made them yesterday; I think they turned out pretty well.  I also made a new fall wreath for the front door...not from Pharmacy leftovers, but from Walmart and D. I.

      Last night I took Gran, and Grandma with me to the General Women's Meeting. It was such a wonderful meeting...if you didn't get to see it, I hope you can find it online, or at least read it when it comes out in the Ensign. I always enjoy reading the talks from the General Priesthood Meeting; and I think even you guys would get a lot out of the talks from last night.

     I called to talk with Aimee the other day, but she wasn't home, and I got to talk with Stephen for a few minutes, and that was so nice. We got to talk with Joseph the night of his birthday. Now this week it will be Shelby's 7th birthday!  So not ready for that!

     No big news this week; I am sending the obit for Brother Norval Birch; he was our home teacher when we first moved to St. Anthony, from Denver.  It's mostly for Heidi and Dixie.

     I'm having trouble sending some of the pictures I had wanted to send.  I might try them in a separate email. 

     Love to you all; have a wonderful week.   Mom/Johanna

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Norval Birch

1932 - 2014 | Obituary |  Condolences

Norval Wayne Birch, 81, a longtime resident of the St. Anthony area, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in the St. Anthony Homestead Assisted Living Center.

Mr. Birch was born Dec. 13, 1932, in Rexburg, the son of Albert and Alice Taylor Birch. He was the fifth son of a family of five brothers and one sister. He spent his entire life managing and working on the family farm in Wilford, Idaho. They started farming with horses, raised cattle, chickens, pigs and sheep. He grew potatoes for 60 years, as well as wheat, barley, hay and peas.

He met Karen Johnson while she was working at Thriftway Drug in St. Anthony, and they were married in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple on March 14, 1952. They lived the first few years on the farm in Wilford and then bought a little house in St. Anthony. They remodeled and built onto the home several times. Here, they raised their two children Teresa (Patrick) Horkley and Michael (Lyn) Birch, both of Idaho Falls. Norval and Karen have five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, which are the light of their lives.

He is also survived by one sister, Ronella (Melvin) Hunt of Utah. Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by five brothers and one grandson.

Norval worked hard at several different jobs. He was foreman of a potato warehouse and worked for 27 years for the state of Idaho as a potato inspector. After retiring, he focused on family and growing his beautiful flowers in his yard. His hobbies included woodworking, fishing, gardening and fixing anything that was broken.

Norval was an active member of the LDS church, serving as executive secretary, Sunday school president, High Priest group leader and a well loved home teacher.

Norval and Karen have traveled a lot and have seen most of the United States, Europe, China, Japan, Germany, England, France, Spain and Italy.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, in the St. Anthony Second Ward LDS Church with Bishop Brent Thompson officiating. Friends may call from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. prior to services at the church. Burial will be in Wilford Cemetery.