Laurel Ransom Wilkinson was born July 30, 1924 in Springville, Utah. She was the third child of William Austin Ransom and Emma Laura Hill. Laurel had an older brother Wendell and an older sister Elma.

At a young age Laurel's family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. They lived in a house next to Liberty Park. During that time two sisters, Willa and Donna, and another brother James Ronald joined the Ransom family.

When she was six years old, Laurel was attending Jefferson Elementary School when she became ill with Rheumatic Fever, and was not expected to live through the night. Through a blessing by her Father and the Elders of the church, she survived, but was left with damaged valves in her heart.

After her maternal Grandmother passed away, the family moved to Gibson, Idaho, near the Ferry Butte. The family lived in a three-room house that did not have electricity, with Grandpa Hill. Here another sister, Ema Vee and another brother William Leon joined the family, Vee in 1932 and Leon in 1941.

Laurel attended second, third and fourth grades at Gibson School. All the sisters and brothers would walk to school together on nice days. On snowy days, their father would hook the horses up to a string of sleds and take the children back and forth to school.

Times were hard for the Ransom family, but they enjoyed time spent together on family picnics, Ward outings in the river bottom, and riding the workhorses. They did not have a television or radio, so they spent the evenings playing checkers, reading, eating popcorn, or doing their homework by kerosene lamp.

During this time, Laurel developed a special friendship with Marie Brown, who still remembers Laurel as being a loyal friend.

Laurel graduated from Blackfoot High School in 1942. Laurel and Elma then began doing seasonal work at the Filer Seed Company in Blackfoot, Idaho. They would live in Blackfoot with Grandma Hill during the week and would take the Greyhound Bus home for the weekends. In the summers they would help on the farm and help their mother with the canning and gardening.

That same year a young farmer named L. H. "Ren" Wilkinson needed beet thinners on his farm, so he hired Laurel and her sisters Donna and Willa to help on his farm. When the work was completed, Ren took all the girls out to dinner and a show. That was the beginning of Ren and Laurel dating. One year later, Ren asked Laurel to marry him and to his surprise, she turned him down.

A week later Laurel found Ren where he was working and said, "You walked away before I finished. I will only marry you if you take me to the Temple." This made Ren very happy, because he had already purchased the ring. Ren and Laurel were married in the Salt Lake City Temple on November 24, 1943. They settled into a small home in the Gibson area and started a family.

In July 1944, Laurel gave birth to a son, Lorenzo Kent. Together Ren and Laurel continued to run a small farm Carol Lynne was born in September of 1946, and Laurel Kay was born in September of 1949.

In 1953 Laurel discovered she was once again expecting a baby. Imagine their surprise when in December Laurel gave birth to twin boys, Robert Dean and Thomas Gene.

In 1955 Laurel and Ren moved their family to the Tyhee area, onto another small farm. At this time Ren was working at Pacific Fruit Express.

In 1956 Laurel became very ill with a ruptured appendix. Again she was not expected to live. She was in and out of the hospital for six months and her children were cared for by her sisters Elma and Donna. Laurel's mother nursed her through her illness.

In 1960 the youngest of the family, Dale Wayne, joined the family at a whopping 12 pounds 5 ounces. Needless to say, Laurel decided to stop having children at this point.

The family continued to live in a very small house in the Tyhee area. This was the same house that she went to live in when she and Ren were married. Ren and Laurel had moved it from the Blackfoot area. Money was still very scarce so Laurel always had a garden and summers were spent canning and preserving fruit and vegetables for the family. She also was a very good seamstress and sewed almost all of the clothing for her family.

Kent graduated from high school in 1962, and the next hear he was called on a mission for the Church to Scotland. Even though this was an added burden on the financial matters, somehow Laurel was able to stretch the money even farther than before and was very proud of her son.

Carol married in 1964 and Laurel was made a grandmother for the first time later in that year. She really didn't mind being called Grandma.

In April of 1968, Ren and Laurel moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Ren had a chance to work full time for the Pacific Fruit Express. This was the first time they had not lived on a farm. They lasted until October of 1969 and had to move back to Idaho. They missed Idaho and family too much to stay that far away. While they were in Iowa, Laurel went to work for the Pendleton Woolen Mills. Her family was getting older and she felt that she could help out with finances.

In 1969, Kay married but her husband was in the Navy so she continued living with the family until his discharge. By this time there were three small people calling Laurel grandma.

When Laurel and Ren moved home from Iowa, they again located in the Tyhee area in an older home they later purchased. Ren was able to continue his job with the PFE full time and Laurel was hired by the new business, American Microsystems, Inc. She worked there for more than 20 years until her retirement.

As the twins graduated high school they worked full time in various jobs and as soon as they turned 19 Tom was called on a mission. He served in the Canada, Wisconsin mission and again Laurel was very pleased. Bob elected not to serve a mission but lived at home and helped so his brother could go. This was the first time these identical twins were separated and it was difficult for both of them.

As Dale grew, and grew, and grew (he ended up being 6 feet and 11 inches tall) he excelled in sports, especially basketball. He played in junior high and high school and was offered many scholarships to college. He accepted Idaho State and went to school in Pocatello so he could continue to live at home. Laurel and Ren became avid fans and followed their son many places to watch the games.

After all the children were gone from home, Ren and Laurel traveled some and were always babysitting grandchildren. By this time they had a houseful. Her health was slowly going downhill and she was not able to keep up as well as she used to. They enjoyed going to the Temple in Idaho Falls and went once a week to do Temple work.

In January of 2000, she had major heart surgery, and was not strong enough to stand the trauma it caused her body. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, L.H. (Ren) Wilkinson and six children, L. Kent with his wife Susan, Carol Jones, Kay and her husband Adrian Tilley, Robert Wilkinson, Thomas Wilkinson and his wife Dona, Dale Wilkinson, 25 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

*******************

Dear Laurel,
Wherever you are, be noble.
Whatever you do, do well.
Whenever you speak, speak kindly.
Give joy wherever you dwell.

Mother

*****************

Memories

Each of us have memories
of all the times we spent,
the candy jar, the flowers
and the places that we went.

There is a little special place
deep inside our hearts.
A place where she is still alive
and we'll never be apart.

I know that there is a time
just around the bend,
when we will be together again.
My mother, my grandma, my friend.
-Gina Wilkinson, Granddaughter