Bertha Rebecca Robson England
January 14, 1891-May 31, 1990
Besides celebrating the birth of our third child every year this week in January (Happy Birthday Josh!) my thoughts always turn to my Grandma England. She was born 121 years ago this week. She died in 1990 at age 99. We always teased her that she was going to live to be 100, and she nearly did. Jenna and Brenna were only 2 years old at the time of her death so probably have no memory of her. The rest of you probably remember visiting her at the Mt. Ogden Convalescent Center where she lived for the last years of her life. When she died she had 18 grandchildren, 47 great grandchildren and 5 great great grandchildren. 
My grandmother was a constant presence during my childhood. Because we lived in Plain City (where she was born and lived until she could no longer live independently), we saw her almost daily. She provided before school and after school child care for us until we were old enough to be alone at home. We spent summer days and school vacations with her while my parents were at work. I remember her being patient and loving and always happy to have us with her. I am sure that any talent or appreciation for music I developed was inspired by her. She was musically talented and had a big, old upright piano in her living room and played while we sang together every song in the Primary and Church hymn books. Even today, when a song that was one of her favorites is chosen for a church meeting, I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes remembering her playing and singing that same song. She taught me what little I know about playing the piano, and sat next to me on the piano bench at her home when I practiced. She started accompanying singers for performances when she was just 13 years old. She participated in a women's choir that came to be known as the "Singing Mothers". I have pictures of her performing in the Salt Lake Tabernacle in 1947 and 1960 as a part of that group.
My grandma was not very tall, and I remember her always walking with a pronounced limp. I always assumed that her gait was due to a fall or injury; later in talking with my mother I found that she had suffered no such injury but had a great deal of pain from arthritis in her knees and hips and that pain affected her mobility. I never remember her complaining of pain. Her attitude was alway positive and she frequently expressed gratitude for her children and their spouses, her grandchildren, her friends, and her life in general. She lived modestly in an old house with a wide porch stretching across the front of it where we would sit in the summer months in rocking chairs and read with her and greet the neighbors on the street or in their yards. She had a coal stove in the kitchen and no plumbing in the house except for the kitchen sink. That meant an outhouse behind the house and taking baths the "old fashioned" way by heating big tubs of water on the stove and then bathing in thetub in the kitchen. It was a treat to take a bath at Grandma's house....occasionally begging for hot water heating on the stove to be added to the tub and snuggling in pajamas under layers of blankets in bed in the "upper" bedroom. The only heat in the house came from either the coal/wood stove in the kitchen or a large heater in the living room connected to an outside oil tank. In the yard there were gorgeous wild yellow roses climbing up and surrounding the outhouse, a flower bed of vibrant orange tiger lilies bloomin in the summer in the south-west corner of the front yard, an irrigation ditch that ran along the front yard dividing the yard from the street, and several large trees on the east side that shaded the house from the morning sun and were good for climbing. My dad would come and irrigate the lawn every week and mow the grass/shovel the walkway and driveway as needed. I have no memory of my grandmother ever driving; neighbors, friends, and family took her everywhere she needed to go.
Grandma came from a pioneer legacy with her grandparents on both sides having emigrated from England and crossing the plains to settle in Utah. Bertha Rebecca Robson was the oldest of 5 children born to James Lyman Robson and Elizabeth Ann Later. Her siblings (Roxy, Ralph, Alvin and Marzula) joined the family over a span of 15 years. At the time of her death, Marzula was the only surviving sibling.
Grandma grew up with a strong example of faith and testimony in her parents. When grandma was just 9 years old, her father (who was 37 years old at the time) received a mission call to England. James and "Lizzie" had 5 young children, with the youngest only 20 months old. At that time in the history of the church, it wasn't unusual for men to be asked to leave wives and young children to serve missions. James left just before Christmas, stopping to be set apart in Salt Lake City for his mission to Great Britain by Elder Joseph W. McMurrin of the First Council of Seventy. He served from 1902 to February of 1905. During the time Grandma's father was in the mission field, her mother raised chickens, made butter, did dressmaking for hire (sometimes sewing all night to finish dresses for special occasions), boarded school teachers and raised fruits and vegetables to be sold door to door in Ogden. All the children helped with these efforts to support the family and keep their father in the mission field. James' brother, Elmer, stayed with Lizzie to help. These were not easy years for the family. Elmer broke his shoulder, Lizzie's father died, my grandma Bertha had a severe case of measles which cause the family to be quarantined, little Roxy had typhoid fever and also sustained a severe burn from a kettle of boiling jelly over her arm blistering it from the elbow to the tips of her fingers. There were times when Lizzie wondered where the next meal would come from, but they were always blessed through others recognizing the need and providing.
Grandma Bertha married Thomas Wilford England on April 3rd, 1912. She was 21 years old at the time of her marriage and my grandfather was 24. They were blessed with 7 children (4 sons and 3 daughters). My father (your grandfather and great-grandfather) was the youngest child. The children are:
Lapreal Emerald-June 9, 1913
Lola Louise-May 26, 1915
Thomas Lyman-June 17, 1917
Norrine Elizabeth-September 14, 1919
Atholeen Jane-June 17, 1922
Noel Robson-August 22, 1928
Wilford Boyce-September 6, 1930
LaPreal Emerald England was the first born. She died shortly before her 3rd birthday of an infection and high fever that probably would be diagnosed today as meningitis. My grandmother described the pain of holding this precious little girl as she took her last breath.
Their oldest son, Thomas Lyman (who went by Lyman) was born with a heart condition that caused him to be weak and unable to perform much physical work. When my father was not quite 9 years old, Lyman died of complications related to his heart condition.
2 days before my father's 18th birthday in 1948, his father (my grandfather) died at the age of 60. Bertha was to become a widow at the age of 57 and lived the next 42 years of her life looking forward to a reunion with "my sweetheart". My father and his brother Noel were the only 2 children not married at the time of their father's death; Noel went on to join the army and serve during WWII. It fell to my father to care for his mother....a role that he took seriously and performed faithfully for the rest of her life. My father had worked the family land alongside his father and uncles; he continued to do so as well as work a variety of other jobs. After his marriage to my mother, my grandmother was a part of most family outings and every family gathering. Rarely did a day go by without my father going to my grandmother's home to take care of her needs and assure that she had oil and coal to be warm and food in the pantry and fridge to eat. Her daughters Atholeen and Norrine took care of her medical needs and did her laundry. I regret never getting to know my grandfather. He did not live to see his sons marry. He died 7 years before I was born.
I have distinct memories of my sisters and I "helping" Grandma clean her house and re-arrange the furniture in her living room to set up card tables and chairs for the Bunko group that she hosted several times each year. Part of the preparation was going to the store for her to buy special refreshments for the women, then preparing the refreshments on small crystal trays with cups, then (with our best manners) serving the women while they played. The rest of the time we were supposed to be "quiet as mice" in the upper bedroom or kitchen until the women finished their games and left. We always were excited to help, because helping meant that we also got to take advantage of the special refreshments.
My grandmother took great pride in her pioneer ancestry and was active in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She also served in Plain City as an Election Registrar for many years. Election days were serious business and my grandmother instilled in me a sense of patriotism and pride in the right to vote.
Another distinct memory is an accident I had when I was 8 or 9 years old where I was walking from school to primary and got hit by another girl who was riding a bicycle. I was knocked to the ground with my head hitting the road and lost consciousness. I had a pretty bad concussion and am told I was unresponsive for close to an hour. I don't remember anything until I woke up at my grandmother's house several blocks away with a cold washcloth on my forehead and the worried faces of my mother and grandmother looking down at me. I knew if I was at my grandma's house, I would be OK.
Plain City was a safe little town. We rode our bikes on the streets around grandma's house and played outside sometimes until long after dark. We built "boats" of leaves and sticks and floated them in the irrigation ditch from one end of the property to the other....laying on our stomachs on the grassy bank. My dad's uncle lived across the street from Grandma with one of his daughters living next door to him so there were many protective influences watching us so we couldn't go too far astray. When we rode our horses, we always stopped to visit grandma. We could count on a cool drink of lemonade on a hot summer day, or hot chocolate if we were cold. She always wanted us to report on the events of school, discuss what book we were reading, or know who are friends were and where we were going. She always listened, and was a shoulder to cry on when something wasn't right in my world.
My grandma was a spiritual guide for me. Because my mother was not a member of the church and my father was not active, there were things that I felt I could only share with my grandmother. She was my escort when I went to the temple and was there with me when I married. She was so proud of my educational achievements, and accepted Lynn unconditionally because I had chosen him. She was so eager to meet every one of you as your joined our family and took great joy in holding you for the first time. It was a special blessing to have her meet and hold Jenna and Brenna when they were about 4 months old.....they were the first and only set of twins in the family.
Grandma didn't want to ever leave her home. Over time, it became obvious that it wasn't safe for her to live alone there. She made the best of the move to a long term care facility; she freely offered friendship to the other 3 women she shared a room with and enjoyed participating in social activities and church services held there. She was always grateful for visits from family. Her personal space with crowded with family pictures.
Grandma, I miss you!
