This is my three hundred and sixty-fifth blog post for the year. This is the wrap-up, the finale and the completion of another journal. It has been a busy year, a family that has grown, goals accomplished and some not. I am so blessed and am so happy. My family and my faith are my world. I am now ready for printing – take me away. I am sharing a few pictures Scott shared as he left Alaska tonight-my beautiful world.
Scott and I spent hours going through some old paperwork, family history and memorabilia he had sent up to me. We were like two old people looking through photographs and remembering people and situations. We talked about family history and researched the old fishing boat Dad was on. We found where Lane went fishing last summer in Hoonah and charted how close in the waters they really were. Scott found links to information that we passed on to Dad- he called and was thrilled to get it. We both love to research things which was so obvious because as soon as we questioned something our fingertips were flying across the keyboards. Scott always found it first.
What we take for granted others marvel. Scott and Keith got back from Alyeska and drove the lake again today. They thought driving on Big Lake was the coolest thing so they did it mostly every day they were here. They gave us the traffic report and road conditions on each excursion. I don’t think I have driven on the lake in over twenty years.
Obituary for Lawrence “Larry” Dare Wilde Jr
Lawrence “Larry” Dare Wilde, Jr., 93, peacefully passed away December 28, 2016, at the Palmer Pioneer Home. A service will be held at 12 noon, January 4, 2017, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 560 W. Bogard Rd (Palmer Stake Center) with a viewing at 11 am.
Larry was born September 17, 1923, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Lawrence D. Wilde, Sr. and Keren Margret Skidmore. He graduated from Box Elder High School and went to Weber College before being called up for the military in April 1943. He received flight training in a Ryan PT-22. He also flew the BT-13, and AT-9 before flying the B-17. After flying 30 B-17 missions over Europe he returned to the U.S. With his degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Utah State University Larry joined the National Park Service and was a park ranger in New Mexico and Arizona until the Korean War when he was recalled into the Air Force. He later served in Viet Nam before retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 1970. Larry returned to Alaska and was hired in the first group of Alaska State park rangers. He was the first State Park Ranger for the Mat-Su/Copper River Basin district and later became the district superintendent. For uniforms the first rangers wore hand-me-down State Trooper uniforms. He was very active in the Boy Scouts of America, serving as a Scoutmaster many times and as a board member for the Western Alaska Council. He was honored with a silver beaver award and was later recognized in 2011 for his 75 consecutive years as a Scout and Scouter. He also participated actively in his Church. He served as the Willow Ward bishop for five years. Then he and Claudia served a mission at Martin’s Cove, Wyoming.
Larry married Elaine Faye Owens in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 14, 1944. They were blessed with four sons: Lawrence, Ronald, Alan, and Gordon. He later married Claudia Gourley Munns in 1973 and together they raised her children: Lindsey, Marc, Jessica, and Jon. He has 22 grandchildren and 65 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elaine Faye Owens Roylance, and sons Lawrence and Gordon. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, Great Alaska Council.
There is nothing better than having Uncle Scott around to entertain. Easton and Brecken were enthralled with his computer and his abilities to find things. Scott showed them maps and areas while Easton told him about the Alaskan mountain ranges and the big tanks at the front of the Fort Greely gate. Scott showed them avalanche footage and later when they were all outside with a shovel and a hill there was a real reenactment. The boys do not want Scott and Keith to leave for Alyeska – Grandma doesn’t do reenactments very well.
When there are fourteen people staying in your home and they each have one pair of shoes and sometimes more at your door that is a lot of shoes. I couldn’t help but take this picture as I walked in. There are a lot of personalities in this picture. Obviously there is the Californian, the little loafer boy, someone who likes warm feet when outside, the church goers slipper gal, someone who walks on the heels of their shoes and Alaskans wearing their Uggs and Sorels. I am hoping little loafer boy finds the other shoe.
We saw what Santa left us, ate our monkey bread and headed up to Willow to attend church there. We saw old friends, got a shout out from Brother Mattingly and smelled the cedar once again. The old trees out front were beautiful and welcoming on this fine Christmas 2016 day.
It was a plethora of activities today-new stove, Family Skate, Scott and Keith arrived, we cooked a turkey in our new indoor turkey fryer, huge dinner, Christmas Eve story, Brooke’s family video,White Elephant, new jammies and just doggone waiting for Santa to come.
Whose stove breaks on Christmas Eve-Eve? Whose oven won’t turn on as the first dessert for Christmas Eve dinner is ready to go in the oven? Who baked muffins ten hours before to beautiful, wonderful 350 degree heat? I wish I could poll the entire nation to find out who was in my same predicament – I doubt there were many. So, here I sit wondering whether to get my rolls rising in the morning? I wonder if putting my dessert to bake in the turkey roaster will actually work? Will we have Christmas Eve dinner? Who needs Prime Rib anyway? In all my desperation and despair Mike and Devin reassure me that they will be at Lowes at 6:30 in the morning looking for another stove. Good grief! Also, this picture does not depict me.
One of the worst days of the year and I swore I wouldn’t do it, but I did. I shopped. I justified this maneuver because you have to have fresh food right before your big dinner and Christmas cereal for the kiddos but oh . . . how busy it was. I stopped to grab a cart at Fred Meyer and there were none. In Target I had to wait in the checkout line which never happens. Somehow though in the hustle, bustle, crowds, confusion and pandemonium I find myself humming, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” and it makes it all good and right.
Tara Truly 