Ruth Chantrill Oler
Ruth Chantrill Oler, the daughter of William and Susan Elizabeth Martineau Chantrill, was born in Smithfield , Utah September 29, 1912 in what was called the “Old Cragan Home” and where now stands a beautiful red brick Ward Chapel.
When she was two years old her parents were convinced that Teton Basin Idaho Utah Idaho Utah Idaho
The family rode as far as St. Anthony on the train and stayed over there for a few days with Grandpa and Grandma Martineau while William bought a team of horses and a wagon for the trip to the Teton Basin
The summer was filled with the hard work of clearing the land and planting the crop. However, the farm just didn’t make enough money to see the family through the winter. William was a good salesman and having had previous experience in selling farm machinery he went to work for Mr. Cardon. He made enough money selling to provide for the family during the long, cold winter months. It was a hard winter, but they managed to get through it without any serious illness or mishap.
When spring came to the Basin, things started to look up. William got a steady job with Mr. Cardon and Susan and the children began to make new friends. The Egberts, who were sheep people and lived in a rock house just south of Tetonia, were very friendly to the family and helped them to feel at home in their new surroundings.
Little Ruth, at the age of two, attracted the attention of all when in Sunday School she recited the memory gem from Isaiah 2:2 which consisted of: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” Her speech was in proportion to her age and her “l’s” came out as “w’s”.
Ruth’s older sister, Annis felt that Ruth’s most endearing quality was her decisiveness. At a very young age, Ruth was very definite about anything that she was doing. Whatever she was doing at the moment was the most important thing in the whole wide world just then.
The second summer Grandma and Grandpa Martineau and their young children moved up to the Basin. About this time there was a need for a new postmaster at Tetonia and Susan tried for the position, which she got. The family moved to town and set up housekeeping of sorts in the back of the Post Office commuting back and forth between there and the farm.
Annis recalls one evening in their little log cabin on the rim of the Basin when it was especially peaceful. “Mama and Papa had gone somewhere and Grandpa Martineau had come to spend the night with us. We were sitting on the porch by the kitchen door eating bread and milk. We saw the train come winding its way through the valley and heard its lonesome whistle. Grandpa told us an Indian story, then it was bedtime. I remember Grandpa laughing later and asking mama what kind of prayers she was teaching her children because when Ruth said her prayer this is what she said, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If there’s a man beneath my bed, I hope he heard each word I said.” Mama swore she didn’t know where Ruth had ever heard such a prayer, but Ruth was the kind that if she heard something, she remembered it.”
Soon after this Grandma and Grandpa Martineau left the Basin and moved out to the sand. This was a small farm about six miles north of St. Anthony. It was really sandy too.
William also felt that it would be to the family’s advantage to make a move at this time since the land which he had homesteaded was not the fruitful plain which he had anticipated. In 1917 when Ruth was five years old William took over some state land in Clementsville which is located about five miles northeast of the place where you now turn off the highway to go to Green Canyon Hot Springs. After about a year they moved to Newdale where William’s brother James and his family lived. They stayed with Uncle James and Aunt Mabel for a week until their house was prepared for them to move into. Soon after that Uncle Will and Aunt Aura Stock moved up to Newdale. William and his two brothers all had farms which adjoined each other at Clementsville.
It was fun living close to the cousins and sharing adventures with them. Annis records one of their Easter adventures.
“It was the Saturday before Easter. Mama and Papa and Aunt Mabel and Uncle Jim had all gone to St. Anthony to do some shopping. The kids were left with Ruth and I and we had the house clean before the folks got home. Ruth and I thought it just was not fair to deprive the kids of an Easter picnic, which we never took on Sunday as that was the Sabbath day. When we went, we went on Saturday. This Saturday was a lovely day, just right for an Easter picnic. Ruth and I got our heads together and decided that if I stayed home and did the work she could take Old Bolly and the kids would have their picnic. We hurried and made sandwiches and packed a lunch and put it in the coaster wagon. In the meantime Aunt Mabel had had LaVern and mama had had Ralph. These two new additions were only about a year old, so they were put in the wagon to ride along with lunch. Ruth was the wagonmaster and led the horses while Leigh, Claytor and Virginia brought up the rear. It was quite a little procession as it wended its way to two miles or more to the river and Hog Hollow Bridge
In the meantime the folks had decided to come home by way of Hog Hollow as that was a much more scenic route than around by Teton, although the road was never good. They had crossed the bridge when up ahead they saw the strange procession. As they drew nearer mama said, ‘I’m sure that is Old Bolly,’ and about that time Aunt Mabel recognized the children trailing along behind. ‘I’m sure those are my children’ she exclaimed, as they drew along side the little caravan. Poor little Ruth was so glad to see them that all she could do was grin. When some of the other kids had gotten tired of walking they crawled up on Old Bolly and rode, but Ruth, being the wagonmaster and feeling the responsibility for all of them, had walked every step of the way. She was very hot, tired and relieved. They were all glad to get home.”
Annis records that “the folks didn’t have a lot of this world’s goods, but they did like to appear neat and clean before the public. I always felt better clean than dirty, but dirt didn’t bother me much. It did bother Ruth. Kids with dirty faces, unswept floors, dust on the furniture or dirty dresses, Ruth could not abide. Ruth was forever sweeping and dusting when she was just big enough to wield a broom or dust cloth. It really bothered her if someone came and the house didn’t look just right. She didn’t have time to take off her dirty dress so she would put a clean one over the dirty one and sometimes mama has taken as many as four dresses off her when time to go to bed.
One winter mama bought us white muffs and fur pieces. They were very attractive and Ruth’s hair was just the color of the fur around her neck, and her blue eyes sparkled like the snow. Her fair, white skin was as pale as porcelain, however, and mama worried about her health so she gave her a iron tonic to try to build up her blood. I remember her pulling a face saying, ‘I don’t wike it, but I’ll take it wike a wady.’”
About 1918 Newdale was becoming a flourishing little city. The business district included a bank, two dry goods stores, one drug store, two cafes, two hardware stores, a hotel, garage, lumber yard, and two pool halls, four grain elevators, and a railroad depot. Bringing water to the land and bringing the railroad to Newdale were the two major events that spurred the growth of agriculture and hence the growth of the little town. The Oregon Short Line Railroad built a spur line to Newdale in 1915. At that time sugar beets were the main crop in the area, followed by grains (mostly wheat), alfalfa and seed peas. In 1917 Newdale was the third largest grain shipping center in the nation, according to railroad records. By 1920, potatoes had become the main crop.
Ruth started school in a little blue frame building on the main street of Newdale. She records in her own words, “A Miss Newsbomb, being a very inefficient teacher promoted me to the second grade following the first month of school.”
It was mid-winter of 1919 when a new rock school was completed enough to hold classes. Ruth was in fourth grade when “my troubles began. We had four different teachers during the year and one of them made me sit with jack because he had leaned over my shoulder to read my book. Another teacher used a ruler on the palm of your hand if you whispered and the other made us stand in the corner during recess. I was permitted to try all of these.”
T. Leo Jacobs began teaching music when Ruth was in the fifth grade and it was from him that she received the desire to take music lessons. She had a chance to take lessons from a Mrs. Peril Graham who offered to teach her to play the piano in exchange for Ruth’s cleaning house for her on Saturdays. Ruth had a great desire to learn to play the piano and didn’t mind at all even though the house work became quite strenuous and time-consuming on some occasions.
Later Ruth was to have the opportunity of taking a few piano lessons from Professor Clive in St. Anthony. He was an excellent teacher and she was thrilled to be able to learn her basic piano technique through his excellent teaching skills. Saturday mornings she would board the train and make the trip over to St. Anthony for her piano lesson and then return. She was able to do this only one summer and would have loved to have taken more lessons form him, but time and circumstances prevented her from doing so at this time. It was not until many years later that she was to again have the opportunity to further her music education. However, she was able to become a very skilled pianist and accompanist as a young girl due mainly to her own desire and determination as she continued to practice and learn by herself. She became the Sunday School organist in the Newdale ward at the age of 10 and before she was twelve, she was the ward organist.
The sixth, seventh, and eighth grades were spent in the same room of the little rock school house with Mr. Ed Cutler as the teacher. Ruth graduated from the eighth grade in 1926. She and her classmates made big plans for the great graduation. They went over to St. Anthony to buy decorations for it, but the car they rode in had a flat tire and they were so late getting home that they had no time left in which to decorate. They had gone in Robinson’s old Model T Ford.
Summer quickly slid by and was filled with the usual summer-time activities. When fall came, Ruth was excited about entering high school at Sugar City Sugar City
The oven in the old cook stove didn’t work and the girls burned almost everything from soup to pies. They also fixed their own lunches to take to school since a hot lunch program was unheard of in those days. This was quite an experience for two young high school girls to care for themselves in the middle of winter, but it allowed them to continue their high school education. They were surely glad when they were able to return to their home in Newdale.
William had an opportunity for a job in Rexburg in March so the family left Newdale and moved to Rexburg. The girls continued going to high school in Sugar City
Soon school was out for summer vacation once again and it was during that summer that Ruth met LaRee Smith. She was to become Ruth’s best girlhood chum as well as a sweet friend throughout her entire lifetime. The two young girls were inseparable during their sophomore year at Madison High School
The two young girls who became such close friends spent many hours sharing secrets and dreams of the future days to come. They admired each other’s names and even decided upon the name of their first daughter. Nothing could be better than a combination of their two names and so it was decided that each of them would name their daughter Ruth LaRee. Ruth’s first daughter, Ruth LaRee Oler came one year before Ruth LaRee Pincock.
Ruth’s sophomore year as Madison High School
About the 22nd of November, Ruth was taken seriously ill and rushed to the hospital where she was operated on for appendicitis. She had been in the hospital about three days when she received word that her folks and family were under quarantine for smallpox. Ruth tells how “Mother was extremely ill and was hardly expected to pull through. On Thanksgiving LaRee smuggled me some turkey and ‘risin’ bread sandwiches and were they delicious! When I was released from the hospital I went to stay with the Davidsons, a neighbor family and they surely treated me royally.”
Just before Ruth was operated on the Farmer’s Implement Company told her dad that they didn’t need his services any longer. In February he came to Shelly to manage the Mountain States Implement Co. The family moved as soon as school was out in May.
During the summer it seemed that the family enjoyed the visits of lots of company with former friends and relatives coming to call. LaRee came and stayed for a week or two and Ruth was happy to have her special friend spend some time with her in their new home.
The family found a small, four room house in Shelley in which to live until fall. They then moved to a large, white house, one-half block west of the high school. Ruth didn’t have a chance to make many new friends during the summer, but come fall she was involved in many various activities as school started. That year she was a junior at Shelley High School
Ruth was accompanist for the high school Glee Club and served as Secretary Treasurer for the senior class. Her senior year was a busy one. She played the role of “Estelle” in the senior play, “Skidding”. She was one of five seniors to be elected to the Booster Club. The Booster Club was organized to foster the school traditions and promote community spirit and unity of purpose in student activities. The club acted as a nucleus for the student “rooter”—to hire busses so that the students could follow the teams to other schools, to assist in all worthy school enterprises, and to be on the alert for opportunities to serve Shelley High School.
Ruth was also an excellent typist. She participated in the type team in several school competitions. Her business teacher, Lenna Thurber, wrote in her Annual, “I’m sure glad I got to know you so well, both as a splendid student and a fine friend.”
School activities were not the only ones to keep her busy. She was called to be the Beehive teacher and organist in the Shelley Second Ward Mutual. Sister Barnette helped her with the Beehive girls. They had a wonderful class for two years, after which she became second counselor to Sister Della Dial. At that time Ruth was seventeen years old.
One Sunday morning Ruth noticed a new face at Sunday School. She learned in Sunday School class that this handsome, young man was Clyde Oler who had recently returned from a mission to Australia Clyde was anxious to find out who the “real nice looking gal” was that had moved into the ward while he had been gone. It didn’t take long for them to get acquainted and a courtship of almost three years ended in their marriage in the Salt Lake Temple Clyde said that since Ruth was still in high school when they met that he had to wait for her to grow up. He records that “I knew that I would be getting married sooner or later. It turned out to be a little later, but I always felt that what I got justified the delay.”
It was the spring of 1929 when Ruth and Clyde began dating and spending quite a bit of time together. At that time of the century everyone loved to dance and whenever a girl went to a dance, if the dance program was not filled within a very short time after going into the dance she felt pretty much of a failure in life. Ruth tells how her feet used to ache because she would never miss a dance, and you would never dance twice with the same person. One dance hall named Paradise Gardens Clyde ’s Uncle, Jim Oler. Clyde sometimes worked as a hat checker or doing odd jobs. Ruth would get to dance with him only about once during the evening, but there were many other fellows to dance with.
Two more special occasions during their courtship were two separate trips to Yellowstone Park Yellowstone they went with two of their good friends who were already married, Charlie and Ada Edwards.
The next trip they took Ruth’s parents, and several members of her family. Clyde ’s family had just bought a new truck. He took the truck and put a canvas over the back. Along with Ruth’s parents were her grandparents, grandma and grandpa Martineau, her Aunt Anita and Uncle Lavell Schwendiman and two of her mother’s younger brothers, Weston and Lyman. Clyde recalls that “there were quite a buch in the back of that truck.” Everyone talked about that trip for years afterward.
These special trips gave Clyde a chance not only to become well acquainted with the girl whom he was to marry, but also to learn to know her family very well, too. He describes his impressions of them as being “good people. I had no problems or criticism of them. They were good, honest, hard-working people.”
Clyde met the two prime requirements necessary to fulfill Ruth’s major goals in life which were to marry a missionary and to be married in the Temple Clyde had set for the girl of his dreams. One of the things which attracted him to her was the fact that she was such an out-going young woman who was always interested in other people. He felt that she was more out-going than he and that she was “just nice to be with and to be around.” They were very compatible with one another.
Ruth graduated from Shelley High School Clyde was farming with his father and brother, Maurice. He records in his journal, “We are now in the middle of another economic depression which is plenty bad. Potatoes were worth $1.35 last fall, but have only been $.50 all winter. This is Wednesday, March 25, 1931 , and it had been a nasty day. Dogs got into the sheep last night and crippled about a dozen. They aren’t worth much, but every dollar counts these days.
I’m still a single man and tomorrow is my 25th birthday. I’m keeping company though with a wonderful girl and if my luck holds, I may win her.” Clyde did woo and win this lovely young lady and it was on Wednesday, September 23, 1931 that they decided that they were meant for each other and would be married. Once they made the decision to be married they wasted no time. They hurriedly made the necessary arrangements and the following Sunday left for Salt Lake City
They stayed overnight at Inkom with their choice friends, Charlie and Ada Edwards. The next morning they were up on their way to Salt Lake City Clyde ’s father broke down when they got as far as Logan Logan Clyde took the car to the garage and had it fixed. It was late afternoon when they were on their way once again. Perseverance finally paid off and they arrived in Salt Lake City
Though the wedding party was small, the spirit of love that radiated from the young couple was great as they knelt as the Holy Altar in the Sealing Room to be married and sealed to one another for time and all eternity. A feeling of peace and joy filled the room as a servant of the Lord, President George F. Richards performed the beautiful ceremony. This day marked the beginning of a beautiful relationship on this earth with the promise of a continued one through the eternities.
That evening after their wedding day they started on their honeymoon, but instead of going south they went north. They got to Logan Idaho
The next morning the newly married couple decided that they would drive on to Shelley and then continue on up to Island Park Idaho Falls
People didn’t have very much money during the depression, but Ruth’s mother thought that she and Clyde should have a party of some kind. Receptions were unheard of at that time. Ruth’s mother called one of the sisters in the MIA and asked her if they had planned to have a party for Ruth. When they told her that no plans had been made she went ahead with an afternoon party for the newlyweds. Although the young couple received only a very few gifts because of the depression, they were grateful because they knew that the people had given the nicest things that they had.
Ruth took off work from the telephone company to help dig the potatoes at Roberts. After a few days she returned and Clyde went back out there to help finish the job. Then he returned to join Ruth and began working at the Mitchell beet dump.
The Sabbath say has always been a day of rest and family togetherness for the Olers. It was a day when the married couples who were close to home would gather with their families for Sunday dinner at the family home and enjoy an afternoon of visiting after a delicious dinner was enjoyed and cleared away. Father and Mother Oler were never happier than when their children were with them.
Families were very important to the Chantrills as well as the Olers. It was with great excitement and anticipation when finally after three years of marriage, Ruth was expecting their first child. She had been working for the telephone company and continued to work there in the office until May of 1933.
July came and the temperature in the upstairs bedroom was unbearable. Clyde took a beet box which was not being used and put a canvas over the top of it and made a temporary bed for them there. They were sleeping outside in the beet box the night that Ruth woke Clyde to tell him that she thought the time had come for the baby to be born. They drove over to the Chantrill home where Dr. Cutler, the local doctor was summoned about . At the morning of July 27, 1933 Kenneth was brought into the world.
Novemeber 1933 marked the fourth year since the crash of the New York Stock Exchange. For the past two winters predictions had been made that the people could not survive another winter. Here they were facing their third winter. Even though times were hard, the little family was blessed with an abundance of love, ability to work hard and a faith in the Lord and their future which carried the through these hard times.
Some time ago, Clyde asked his uncle, John Kelley, to let him know when a farm was available to rent on the Hayes Project. Since one of the farmers was moving, his farm was given to Clyde and Ruth. The power company put electricity in the house in the farm for a deposit of $27.00 and a guarantee that they would pay $3.00 per month for the next five years. So the family moved out to the little four room house on the Hayes Project. Before moving, they bought a new rug, a mat for the rug, a washer, dressing table and four chairs.
The family lived there for the next ten years. There were a few winter when they would move in with Dad and Mother Oler and take up residency in the upstairs of their home once again. They reason that they moved in for the winter was because Clyde usually fed cattle with his father and brother. Many times the roads were impassible because of snow and living in the family home made it more convenient to help with feeding the cattle.
The first of May, Ruth’s younger brother, Ralph, was riding his bicycle. He crossed the busy highway which passes through the middle of Shelley and was struck by a car. They rushed him to the LDS Hospital Idaho Falls
As a young bride, Ruth was asked to help with the Junior Genealogical Assn. in their ward. This was an experience which blossomed into a love for doing genealogy. Ruth continued to grow in her knowledge of the genealogical field as well as using her skills in spending many hours doing research throughout the rest of her life.
Another growing experience came when Ruth began teaching Church History in Sunday School during the summer of 1934. She felt that she learned much more from this experience than she would have done had she attended the class.
December 1935 brought another first to Clyde and Ruth. Thy bought their first new car. It was a fine new 1936 Dodge. The first drive that they took in the new car was up to St. Anthony at attend the funeral of a cousin, Sherman McFarland. He had been asphyxiated in a very old car in Casper , Wyoming
Their next outing took them to Uncle Howard’s in Pocatello April 3, 1936 they drove to Salt Lake City Clyde ’s Australia Missionary reunion and had an especially good time there.
July of that year brought many more memorable experiences. They bought a new “Gibson” refrigerator which allowed Clyde to have one of his favorite desserts—plenty of ice cream. Another special occasion was the visit of Brother and Sister Thredgold who came from Australia Clyde entertained them by taking them through Yellowstone Park
A second addition was made to the little family that month. It was the middle of the night once again when Ruth woke Clyde to tell him that the time was getting close. A little baby girl, Ruth LaRee, was born at . A Mrs. Lorentzen came to care for the new baby and mother for about ten days. She had to leave so Ruth took the baby over to her mother’s home to recuperate. She was there for about five days when she became very ill. They took her to the hospital and she had two blood transfusions—one from a cousin Leigh Chantrill and one from an uncle, Lyman Martineau. They both graciously consented to supply the life-giving blood which Ruth so desperately needed.
It was during her hospital stay that Ruth met a nurse who was to become a very close lifetime friend. Bessie Dawson gave her such loving and tender care during a critical time in her life. Her mother stayed with her every day and between her excellent care that she received and the faith and prayers of the family and ward members, she was miraculously healed.
Ruth left the hospital and the next day was sent back to bed with phlebitis. It took a couple of months before she could get up and around again.
Ruth was never a robust person and her health was often very fragile. However, she always had a great amount of spunk and was a very ambitious person. She cut the spuds in the spring, helped with the harvest in the fall and would occasionally come out in the field for a while to drive a team of horses or a tractor. Many times she demonstrated to love and support for her husband by working along side by side with him. It was not until some time after the family loved into town that Ruth felt that she could allow herself the pleasure of spending her time crocheting or knitting. She developed a talent for making beautiful things with her hands as a seamstress as well as with her crocheting and knitting. Each of her children have beautiful afghans made by her which they will always treasure.
Ruth continued her service in the church as President of the Shelley Stake Primary. Those sustained with her included Miranda Stringham who said of Ruth, “My service as activity counselor with Ruth was one of my fond memories. I’m sure Ruth had many problems in her life, but she had great stamina and courage, and met them bravely and well. Her musical ability was an asset to the entire Stake. Ruth was an ardent worker in whatever she endeavored to do.”
Ruth served in this position for three years until 1943. It was while she was serving in this capacity that another baby girl, Ann, was added to the family. Knowing of Ruth’s anemic, somewhat frail condition, Doctor Cutler advised early in pregnancy, “We’ll try to build her up and get her blood back up so that she won’t have quite so much trouble.” Ann was their first baby born in the hospital. She was born January 17, 1941 , in the Idaho Falls LDS Hospital
After the birth of their third precious baby, Clyde and Ruth were warned by at least two doctors that it would be wise for them to limit the size of their family because of Ruth’s health. So it was with somewhat mixed emotions of both joy and concern when the couple learned that after 3 ½ years Ruth was to have another baby. A second son, Ralph Clyde, was born in the LDS Hospital November 22, 1944 . Upon the advise of the doctors, Clyde and Ruth decided that in the interest of maintaining Ruth’s health, Ralph was to be their last child. They both loved and enjoyed their children, but as Clyde often said, “We don’t have what you might call a large family, but we strive for quality rather than quantity.”
The family moved to Gooding for a short time to try farming in that area, but they found conditions there not very conducive to good farming or good living, so they didn’t stay long. They were happy to be back in the red brick home in Shelley that they hadn’t sold when they left. Clyde was able to lease a farm from Earl Norris which proved to be a mutually beneficial agreement for both. Clyde spent nearly twenty years farming with land and he and “Shorty Norris” developed a mutual respect for one another through this time.
Although Clyde and Ruth were disappointed in not having a honeymoon trip when they were married, there were many exciting and enjoyable trips for them in the coming years. One of their favorite places to travel was in Mexico Mexico City Hawaii Canada South America when meeting Ralph at the end of his mission, and traveled extensively in the U.S.
The opportunity came the summer of 1960 to go abroad with the genealogical tour from BYU. They toured much of Europe as well as spending several days in England
Ruth and Clyde were very proud of their children and had the ability to help them develop strong feelings of confidence and self-worth. They taught them how to work and to appreciate being able to work. They helped their children to set standards of excellence and then through constant support and encouragement helped them to achieve their goals.
The Oler children grew up in a home where love abounded. They always knew that they were loved. Gospel precepts were lived and taught and the children were always taken to church and shown an example of service in the church. Seeds that would greow into strong testimonies were planted while the children were yet very small.
Having a musical background herself, Ruth was anxious to see that her children were given every opportunity for music lessons and to develop musical talents. They were all given piano lessons. Some of them developed talents on the piano and organ while others developed talents on the trumpet, clarinet, and other musical instruments. All of the children sing and it was a source of joy to Ruth when Ken, LaRee, Ann, and Ralph would gather together around the piano in a mixed quartet with their mom as accompanist.
Both Ralph and Ann filled missions for the church and all four children chose to be married in the Temple
As the children began to grow older and started assuming more responsibility on the farm, Ruth found that she had a little more time to pursue her own talents. She felt a need to increase her background in genealogy and she began taking extension courses from BYU. Because of their mutual interest in genealogy, she and Afton Harker attended genealogical seminars in Provo Salt Lake City
Her great love for music and especially playing the piano and organ prompted Ruth to begin taking piano and organ lessons once again. She had a desire also to serve others with her musical talents by giving piano and organ lessons, but felt a need for a broader background in these areas. She began to search for a teacher and had a desire to take lessons from a Ricks College Professor, Sister Ruth Barrus. This period of growth and development in her piano and organ skills gave Ruth not only the background which she felt that she needed as a music teacher, but also gave her feelings of fulfillment as she was once again able to develop the musical talent that she had begun to develop as a young girl. However, this did not come without many hours of work and practice and she could often be found at the piano at or .
Many people appreciated the opportunity of being among Ruth’s students. One of her former students recalls—“I remember Mrs. Oler as being a very patient person and it seemed as though she was always smiling. I always felt like she really cared about me as an individual. She seemed to care more about how I played the piano than she cared about receiving pay for teaching. I remember watching her sit on the front row of recitals actually living each performance with each student as though they were her own—and they were.”
Another time Ruth taught a group of adults a special class of theory. One member of the class records; “Every Monday at we met at her house. She always encouraged you to reach. She told us that at the end of the class we each had to play a piece, which frightened us all very much. But she was so loving and encouraged us so that most of us did that assignment. I remember being so frightened because she was an accomplished player. I can still remember her laugh when I told her she was so much better than I. She said we were all learning and she gained from me as much as I did from her. Without her encouragement, love, and help I wouldn’t have progressed as far as I did. She was always so interested in what our whole family was doing. I owe her so much because she helped me to be of service to my Church and as a bonus to love playing the organ.”
At the time Ruth was studying under Sister Barrus a serious accident caused her to stop all of her activities for several months. In December of 1955, about a week before Christmas, she was returning from Rexburg on snowy, ice covered roads with Clyde and a sister-in-law, Isobell Oler. A head-on collision with a large truck sent all three of them to the hospital. Ruth remained there several weeks with both legs broken. Her right arm, collar bone, and pelvic bones had several breaks and she had multiple cuts and bruises. The doctors wondered whether she would ever be able to walk again, but with much courage and determination, within the year she was once again able to walk without the aid of crutches or a walker.
Ruth had many friends and was loved by many people. One of those friends described her this way: “Ruth was one of those people to whom you took an instant liking. She was always the same, seemingly calm, cool, and collected individual whenever and wherever you met her. She was a lady in every respect.”
When Ruth was a young woman the doctors realized that she had an anemic condition. It wasn’t until her middle years, however, that they discovered that she had a hereditary blood disorder in which the red blood cells are misshapen and easily destroyed which is a special type of anemia called Thalasemia. Although there were times that she became very tired, she had a great amount of determination. After having a short rest she was usually up and ready to go again. However, in 1959 she had a bout with hepatitis which left a lasting affect on her liver. Although she seemed to have been cured after a period of a few weeks, it was about fifteen years later that the destructive affect which this illness had on the liver began to manifest itself in Ruth’s general physical condition.
She and Clyde enjoyed spending several winters in Arizona Clyde was in caring for her so lovingly and well.”
And so it was that on Friday, August 25, 1978 Ruth Chantrill Oler passed quietly away. She left this world prior to her husband, children, or grandchildren. But will be waiting anxiously for them to join her once again.
Funeral services were held in her honor in the Shelley Third Ward Chapel. It was rather unusual to have a family participate in presenting their mother’s funeral services, but Ann gave her mother’s life sketch, LaRee played an organ medley using her mother’s favorite songs, Ralph and Ken both spoke, and a group of grandchildren sang. The family all felt that she would have been well-pleased. Ann quoted from proverbs to use the words that might best describe Ruth, their wife and mother: “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies, The heart of her husband doth safely trust her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. Her children arise up, and called her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her, Give her of the fruit of her hands;
And let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31
(Editors note: This beautiful history of Ruth was written by her daughter, LaRee Hammer.)
Ruth Chantrill Oler
Born……..29 Sept 1912 —Smithfield , UT
Married……23 Sept 1931 —Salt Lake Temple
Spouse
Born……..26 Mar 1906
Their Children
1. Kenneth D. Oler Born……..27 July 1933 Orthodontist
Shelley, Bingham , ID
Sp. Sharyn Venice Hampton
2. Ruth LaRee Oler Born……..30 July 1936 Homemaker
Shelley, Bingham , ID
Sp. Gary “C” Hammer Dentist
3. Ann Oler Born……..17 Jan 1941 Homemaker
Sp. Arland Lynn Welker Social Worker
4. Ralph Clyde Oler Born……..22 Nov 1944 M.D. Specializing in Idaho Bonn. , ID
Sp. Claire Bruce Speech Therapist
Their Grandchildren
1. Marc C. Oler Born……..18 Sept 1953 Idaho
Sp. Dawn Rowan Married….
Kendy Lee Oler Born……..21 Oct 1955 Portland , OR
Sp. Joseph Stiggins Married….
Pamela Ann Oler Born……..14 Nov 1957 Fairfield , CA
Sp. Bradley Hall Married….
Sharyn Valerie Oler Born……..3 May 1957 Fairfield , CA
Sp. Daniel Heward Married….
Lori Jeanne Oler Born……..31 Jan 1961 Seattle , WA
Sp. David Fanning Married….
2. Jill Hammer Born……..2 July, 1960 Idaho
Jan Hammer Born……..8 Sept 1961 Idaho
Julie Hammer Born……..29 Mar 1963 Portland , OR
Jeffrey “C” Hammer Born……..2 Aug 1964 McKinley , NM
Jarin “O” Hammer Born……..1 Apr 1967 Idaho
Joel Gary Hammer Born……..29 May 1969 Idaho
Jason “B” Hammer Born……..5 Feb 1976 Idaho
3. Wendy Lynn Welker Born……..25 Mar 1965 Idaho
Janee’ Welker Born……..13 July 1966 Idaho
Linda Welker Born……..10 Nov 1967 Cardston , Alberta , Canada
Glade “C” Welker Born……..16 Apr1970 Rexburg, ID
Kenneth “J” Welker Born……..16 Apr 1970 Rexburg , ID
David “O” Welker Born……..23 Sept 1974 Ogden , UT
Nathan Reed Welker Born……..25 May 1978 Ogden , UT
Sp. Kendal Married….
Erin Ann Welker Born……..15 Aug 1979 Ogden , UT
4. Jon Ralph Oler Born……..9 Mar 1971 Portland , OR
Amy Oler Born……..17 Sept 1973 Ritzville , OR
Christopher Bruce Oler Born……..29 Sept 1978 McMinnville , OR
Their Great Grandchildren
1. Marc and Dawn Oler
a. Raena Marie Oler Born……..7 Jan 1978 Provo , UT
b. Marc Renn Oler Born……..11 Mar 1980 Provo , UT
c. Rhisa Dawn Oler Born……..26 May 1983 Laramie , WY
d. Richelle Celeste Oler Born……..22 May
e. Rhett Kenneth Oler Born……..23 Aug
f. Raelene May Oler Born……..11 Apr
Kendy and Joseph Stiggins
a. Joseph Lester Stiggins, Jr. Born……..6 July 1977 Provo , UT
b. Kassandra Kendy Stiggins Born……..16 Dec 1978 Ft. Worth , TX
c. Brandt Kenneth Stiggins Born……..17 Dec 1980 Tulsa , OK
Pamela and Brad Hall
a. Christina Ann Hall Born……..11 Oct 1980 Provo , UT
b. Matthew Bradley Hall Born……..19 July 1982 Poway , CA
c. Jennifer Hall Born……..
d. Hillary Hall Born……..
Valerie and Dan Heward
a. Christopher Paul Heward Born……..
Lori and David Fanning
a. Tate Fanning Born……..
b. Cole Fanning Born……..
c. Trey Fanning Born……..
d. Chandler
e. Kane Fanning Born……..
2. Hammer
3. Welker
4. Oler
