Dear Relatives

LEO VAN WAGONER

Leo Van Wagoner, son of John Van Wagoner, Jr. and Margaret Young, was born November 3, 1898 in Midway, Wasatch County, Utah. He received his education in Midway and Wasatch High School, also the U.S.A.C. in Logan, Utah.

Church records give his baptism date as November 3, 1906. Leo served a mission to the Hawaiian Islands for three years. He married LaRee Chipman on May 25, 1932 in the Salt Lake Temple. They reside in American Fork, Utah. Here their three children were born, two sons and a daughter.

Leo was Chief of Police a number of years.

Leo was interested in mining and leased property in American Fork Canyon for fifteen years. Worked seven years for the State of Utah before he retired.

MARGARETTE BONNIE BLOOMQUIST GRAY

Margarette Bonnie Bloomquist Gray, daughter of June Van Wagoner, was born November 16, 1938 in Salt Lake City. She attended all her schools in this city, including Irving Junior High and South High. She also attended LDS Business College.

Her favorite recreation is fishing, the same as her fathers, which is a family outing through out the year. She also enjoys golf and bowling. Bonnie's special talent is playing the piano. Her hobbies are reading, sewing and creating anything which involves beauty or pleasure.

Being active in the LDS Church affairs, Bonnie has played the organ and piano for all organizations. She has been a teacher of Relief Society, Mutual and Sunday School, at present Teaching Primary. She was baptized on March 29, 1947.

During her life she has been seriously ill with encephalitis and knows her life was spared through the blessings of the Lord.

Gary Wayne Gray became her husband on April 3, 1958 in the Salt Lake Temple. They have two sons and one daughter. Gary taught school in Price, Utah and in the granite District, Salt Lake City. He later gave up teaching to become a salesman.

DALE LEILANIE VAN WAGONER, JR.

Dale Leilanie Van Wagoner, Jr., son of Dale Leilanie Van Wagoner and Helen Pauline Bloomquist, was born November 16, 1940 in Long Beach, California. He attended the McKinley Elementary School, the Lincoln Junior High and graduated from South High School in Salt Lake City. At present he is attending the University of Utah.

Dale was married to Anna Sue Isenhour by Elder LeGrande Richards 16 March 1964 in the Salt Lake Temple. He was baptized a member of the LDS Church on 23 March 1949. They live in the Ensign Ward and Stake. Both Dale and Sue served a mission for the church to Brazil from 1960-1963. They met in Rio de Janeiro. Sue was from Statesville, North Carolina.

To relax Dale enjoys reading. He loves to play the piano. His hobbies are rock and coin collecting.

HISTORY OF MARY ANN VAN WAGONER (CULMER)

By Edna Culmer Harding

Mary Ann was born on September 24, 1875, in Midway, Utah. She was the third child of Margaret Fausett and John Van Wagoner. She had a kind sunny disposition. Much of the work fell on her young shoulders. Many times while the other children played, she would scrub the old wooden floors and always helped prepare the morning meals. Mame, as she was nicknamed, helped with the washing and ironing as the family grew. Scrubbing clothes on the board and using the old fashioned iron heated on the coal stove. Because of being needed at home she did not receive the education she desired from the Midway schools.

"Mame" met Edward (Eddie) Culmer of Pleasant Grove in the early 1890's. He hauled fruit and peddled it to the people of Heber Valley. It was during one of these trips they met. He was taken by her sweet charm, quick wit and big brown eyes. Eddie had the qualities she was looking for in a Latter-day Saint. They were married December 4, 1895, and on January 13, 1897, they went to the Salt Lake Temple.

Soon after their marriage they moved to Peidmont, Wyoming to work on a ranch, then back to Midway for several years. Here they had three children-Stella, Clara and Glade, Clara died at age six months of whooping cough. Eddie worked at the Ontario mine in Park City. In 1902 he was picking into a missed hole and the dynamite which was in the hole exploded filling his face and part of his body with gravel, which burned him badly. As a result he lost the sight of one eye.

Sometime later they moved to Provo, Utah. Mame kept boarders who were attending the Brigham Young University. While living there, Edna their fourth child was born.

In 1912, they moved to Pleasant Grove, here they leased a large hotel and called it the Culmer Hotel. This they ran for thirteen years. Many hard days were spent here. No one left hungry whether they had the money to pay or not. Eddie started selling pianos. Phonographs and other musical instruments for Daynes Beebe Music Company of Salt Lake. While on a business trip to Richfield, Utah he suffered a heart attack and died April 18, 1926.

Mame spent her declining years with Edna and husband, Jesse Harding, in Pleasant Grove. Her Grandchildren loved her songs and stories. She never wanted to be a burden to anyone. She had to be busy doing something useful.

Mary Ann Van Wagoner Culmer died February 22, 1950, in Pleasant Grove and was laid to rest there.

STELLA GARDINER LEWIS

Stella Gardiner Lewis, is the daughter of Stella Culmer and Roy Hughes Gardiner, she was born May 3, 1927 in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Stella was raised by Uncle Hyrum and Aunt Sarah Winterton as her mother, Stella, (her mother) died when she was born. They took her when she was five days old. She was reared with a wonderful family who loved her as their own. She attended the Woodland and Kamas Elementary School and graduated from Kamas High School. She enjoys rearing her little family. Dancing and horseback riding are also her pleasure.

Stella was baptized a member of the LDS Church on May 8, 1935. She served in the Sunday School and Primary organizations.

Malin "D" Lewis married Stella in the Salt Lake Temple on September 3, 1946. His occupation is a salesman. They have two children, a girl and a boy.

HISTORY OF ANN ELIZA VAN WAGONER (HAIR)

Mother was named for her fathers' sister, Ann Van Wagoner Bagley, and her mothers' sister, Abigail Eliza Fausett. She was born on February 24, 1877, in Midway. Utah, the fourth child of John and Margaret Ann Fausett Van Wagoner. Mother attended school until she was seventeen under on teacher, Attwall Wooton, Sr. She helped teach the younger children. She took an active part in church and in all the organizations, always welcoming opportunities to serve.

Mama, as we children called her, commenced keeping company with father four years before they were married on November 10, 1897 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Papa was born June 16, 1873 in Scotland to Samuel Hair and Hannah Mulholland. He sailed with his parents, six brothers and two sisters, converts to the Latter-day Saints Church, on borrowed money. Father paid his portion shortly before he was married.

Ben and Eliza paid for their two room Pot Rock home the day after it was occupied. Furniture for the home was purchased at Salt Lake City and brought home by covered wagon. As the family increased the house was enlarged and made modern, the first modern home in Midway. Eliza was largely responsible for this. There were eight children born to these parents between 1899 and 1915 while they lived in Midway. One daughter, Flora Priscilla died at age two.

Both parents were active in church and civic affairs. They set a wonderful example of thrift, industry, honesty and integrity for their children. Their testimonies were strong and they manifested the same in their good works.

In October 1916 the hair family moved to Provo, Utah to benefit from the better climate and to attend the Brigham Young University. After renting two homes, they purchased a place near the University.

Work was scarce, so we lived from the money coming in from the milk of four cows, the canvassing father and mother did with aluminum ware, and mothers photo coloring. Although we did not have much we were happy. Our health was better here, and we enjoyed school.

In 1919 the "flu" came to our own home. Mother had helped to care for so many that had the "flu", including some of her own children. Then she became ill herself. She seemed to recover from the "flu", but took pneumonia, later kidney and liver trouble set in. Mother died March 14, 1919.

We were thankful we had been taught the principles of the Gospel. It now gave us that assurance that if we so lived we would meet our loved one again. We were also thankful we had been taught how to care for children, and to keep house. She was a wonderful mother, neighbor and friend. We acknowledged the hand of the Lord and felt that her earthly mission was finished. She had completed much Temple and Genealogy work.