William Austin Ransom

The Life Story of William Austin Ransom

James Rowley Ransom and his wife, Agnes Elizabeth Austin, had already welcomed two children to their humble one-room home in Trenton, Cache County, Utah, when, on a cold November day, another little one came to share their love. On November 16, 1883, a tiny baby boy was born. They named him William Austin, after Agnes's father, who blessed him.

William was a real small baby, and had a hernia, so he needed special care for several months. His mother said he had to be carried on a pillow. He completely overcame this, however, and when he was grown he stood six feet tall and weighed 200 pounds. He was sealed to his parents in the Logan, Utah, temple on October 29, 1884.

When he was quite small and was playing outdoors, Will fell from a bridge over a dry ditch and broke a bone in his arm. His mother carried him to a neighbor's home, where the man, Joe Wood, set his arm, as no doctor was available. Fortunately, it healed perfectly.

Times were very hard and his father, being good in timber work, found work in a saw mill at Soda Springs, Idaho. Later, he and several other fellows went to Cleveland, Idaho, to Main Canyon and cut ties for the Oregon Short Line Railroad. They delivered the ties to Bear River, where the company floated them down the river.

He bought a new reaper and cut grain for the farmers in Gentile Valley. After deciding to move his family nearer his work, he built a one-room log house near Cottonwood Creek. The winters were severe and traveling was difficult and dangerous.

In January 1891, the family went back to Trenton to spend the rest of the winter. William, his brother Jim and sister Mary stayed with an uncle and aunt while his mother was ill at their grandmother's home. Twin sisters were born there on February 28, the mother having measles at the time. At the uncle's home, Will and his brother and sister, along with the cousins and uncle and aunt, had the measles. This was an unpleasant experience for everyone.

In the spring of 1891 the family moved from Cottonwood Creek to the divide between Cache Valley and Gentile Valley into a one-room log house, which was later added on to. The family now had seven of their eleven children.

On July 7, 1892, William was baptized in Bear River by Nathan Smith and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the same day by Ira Ames. He has been active in the church and has been ordained to every office in the Priesthood throughout the years.

He attended school at a one-room school at Cleveland, Idaho. The school was about five miles from their home, and the children only attended in the winter months, going to school with a team of horses and sleigh. School only consisted of the first four grades, so Will attended the fourth grade two winters. He has always read many books and has had a very good memory, so has gained much knowledge. He is also a very good hand writer.

He has worked in the harvest fields and has spent some time herding sheep. When he was about fifteen, his father was called on a mission to the Northwestern States. William worked to help support the family while his father was away. After his father returned home, he bought a threshing machine, and the boys worked on it threshing grain for the farmers in the valley.

December 8, 1908, William was called on a mission to the Eastern States, where he spent twenty-eight months. He returned home April 9, 1911 with an honorable release.

He served as Sunday School Superintendent from 1912 to 1920. He also served on the stake board of the M. I. A. On December 4, 1927, he was set apart as stake missionary for Pioneer Stake.

Will was married October 2, 1919, to Emma Laura Hill in the Salt Lake Temple. They moved to Blackfoot, Idaho in 1920, where he worked on construction. He helped build the Blackfoot Stake Tabernacle, the Firth High School, the Bills' Apartments, and other buildings. In 1921 a son, Wendell, was born, and in 1922 a daughter, Elma, arrived.

In 1923 he moved his family to Springville, Utah, where he worked in a garage for a year. Another daughter, Laurel, was born there.

In 1924 they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where Will was service and field manager for the J. I. Case Machinery Company, and where three more children were added to the family. They were Willa, Donna, and James Ronald.

While they were living in Salt Lake City, their little daughter, Laurel, became so very ill with rheumatic fever and heart trouble that the doctor gave no hope for her recovery, but, through faith and administration, she was healed. He also had the sorrow of losing his father, who died on July 15, 1926.

The depression of the '30's came, and Will lost his job, so he took his family to his mother's home at Cleveland, Idaho, hoping the change would prove beneficial to Laurel's health, which it did. He went to Rexburg, Idaho, to work repairing machinery for the farmers, and while he was there his wife's mother died at Blackfoot, Idaho, in July, 1931. Will took his family there to be with her father, and they lived with him on his farm on the Indian Reservation for three years. Then William leased farm land on the reservation and farmed there for nine years. Two more children were added to the family, Ema Vee in 1932 and William Leon in 1941.

It was a sad Christmas in 1938 when William's mother died on Christmas Eve and he was unable to attend the funeral because of smallpox in the family.

In 1945 the family moved to Springfield, Idaho, where he farmed for two years, then in Aberdeen, Idaho, for another two years. During this time the four oldest daughters had married. The two oldest boys were away, so he decided to quit farming. They moved to Sterling, Idaho, where they lived for five years. During this time he worked on road construction.

In the Sterling Ward, William was president of the Genealogy Society. He did a lot of temple work, and on July 7, 1953, was set apart to work at the veil in the Idaho Falls Temple.

Sickness again came to his family here when his youngest daughter, Vee, was ill with rheumatic fever. She was in bed for several months. At the same time his brother, Jim, who was staying with him, was ill with heart trouble and dropsy. Through faith and administration, Vee was healed, but Jim continued in poor health, and in 1950 suffered a stroke and was confined to bed for two months before his death. Will was very kind and considerate of him always.

He was happy when his oldest son, Wendell, was called on a mission to Western Canada.

In 1952 Will's health failed, and he spent a miserable summer, having fluid on his lungs. He moved to Pocatello, Idaho, in 1954 where he would be nearer medical care, and has lived there since.

In 1961 his youngest son. Leon, made him very happy when he accepted a call on a mission to Brazil. He was equally proud and happy that his oldest grandson, Kent Wilkinson, is now serving a mission in Scotland.

William is still active in church activities, as far as his health will permit. He is group secretary of the High Priest Quorum. He served as a ward teacher until his health made it impossible for him to continue, as he developed sugar diabetes along with kidney infection.

Through the years he has enjoyed fishing and hunting with his sons and sons-in-law. After he was forced to give up these hobbies, he became interested in leatherwork, and has made a leather article for each of his children and grand children. At the time of this writing, in July of 1964, William is in his eighty-first year, living a happy life, enjoying his children and grandchildren. He has twenty-seven grandchildren, five daughters, three sons, one daughter-in-law, five sons-in-law, all equally dear to him. All of them have great love and respect for him. He is a wonderful father and his life is a good example for each child and grandchild.

(William Austin Ransom died on 5 July, 1967, at Pocatello, Idaho and was buried at the Groveland Cemetery at Blackfoot, Idaho, on July 8, 1967.)

P.S. Added by his daughter, Donna R. Hawker.

My dad was always a good example in my life. He had a quiet, mild personality. Very seldom did I see him lose his temper. He spent his spare time reading good books or practicing his handwriting.

When I was young he had a Model T Ford pickup, which had an open cab. I remember us children riding in the back with a quilt over our legs and singing as went to Cleveland, Idaho, to visit our Grandmother Ransom. If we had a flat tire, Dad would fix it there on the road, pump it up with a hand pump, and we would be on our way again.

He worked very hard to provide the necessities of life for his family, and had very little time for recreational activities. He did enjoy pitching horse shoes, and was very skilled at that.

He liked to put his thoughts on paper, often in the form of poetry. One of my favorites he wrote while serving a mission.

THE CALL

Not long ago, I remember well,
Out west, upon the farm,
There were many many tons of hay
Lay pressing in the barn.

The fields were ripe with golden grain,
Ripened by the sun.
We were all engaged in heavy work
Preparing for winter to come.

It was harvest time and we were through
Hauling in our wheat,
When all at once rang in my ears,
"Your work is not complete."

I turned around in great surprise,
But nothing could I see.
I thought perchance I missed a sheave,
But found it could not be.

So on we went with happy hearts,
'Tis true we had it all,
When once again rang in my ears,
"It was God that made the Call."

Not long ago, I remember well,
Out west upon the farm,
My thoughts would often wander back
To the time when Christ was born,

And how He suffered scoffs and scorn,
Just think what he passed through;
I did not fully understand,
It was all for me and you.

And oft times I would sit and think
If I understood aright.
If the world was really the field of God
And the harvest fully ripe.

Now this to me did seem to be
A mystery overlooked
When once again I read it plain
On a page of the Good Old Book.

Then from that time prepared to go,
Leave parents, home and all.
For the time has come, the work began,
And God had made the call.

Not long ago, O let me say,
I left the little farm,
And loved ones, too, whose prayers I knew
Would keep me from all harm.

Yes, Mother there was dear to me,
She had taught me from my youth,
And always in the kindest words,
Taught me to tell the truth.

While in her arms I stood that morn
I left the cottage door
And the prayers I heard were word for word
Like the ones I heard before.

"Be humble," Mother said to me,
"And God will hear your prayers."
Then sent me forth upon the earth
To gather wheat from among the tares.

Now, through the countries of the east,
Through cities large and small,
It is there I roam, far from my home,--
In honor to the Call.

by William A. Ransom (age 25)

FUNERAL SERVICES FOR WILLIAM AUSTIN RANSOM

Born November 16, 1883 at Trenton, Utah, passed away July 5, 1967, at Pocatello, Idaho.
Services held Saturday, July 8, 1967 at 2:00 p.m. at the Blackfoot, Idaho Tenth Ward Chapel, Bishop Bud H. Hinckley of the Pocatello Tenth Ward conducting.

Family prayer before leaving the funeral home was offered by Leon Ransom. (Son)
Prelude and postlude music by Martha Ransom. (Daughter of cousin.)
Casket bearers: Bart Hawker, Larry Hawker, Bob Wilkinson, Tom Wilkinson, Robin Roberts, Lee Worthen, Gary Nicholls, Lloyd Hill.
Flower arrangements by Pocatello Tenth Ward Relief Society, Ethel England, President, assisted by grandchildren.
Interment in the Groveland Cemetery, Wendell H. Ransom (Son) dedicating the grave.

INVOCATION: Willis Burton (Nephew)
Our Heavenly and Eternal Father. We are met here in capacity of a funeral service for Brother Ransom, and ask that Thy blessings will attend us as we convene here. We offer thanks for the surroundings, for the peaceful manner in which we have been able to meet, for the arrangements that have been made, for those who provide the service for us. We are grateful for the beautiful floral arrangements, and all that has been done in any way. And we seek and ask Thy blessings upon those who participate in these services this day. We ask that Thou will bless those who sing or render any part in any way that those things which they desire to do may be done so according to their desires and wishes. We pray especially this day that Thou will bless the close members of this family, Aunt Laura and her children and grandchildren. Wilt thou bless and comfort them. Help us all to have a better and a greater understanding of eternal life, of the teachings of the Gospel that lead us to eternal life. We are grateful for the activity of Uncle Will, for his devotion to Thy church and Gospel, for the example he set to many. Wilt Thou bless us that we might remember him and honor the things that we know, as we’ve learned from him. Now, we pray that Thy blessings will attend us at all times, and comfort and console us, and help us to understand and to know the things that are best for us and to accept Thy will. And we pray for Thy Spirit to direct this meeting, and we do so in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

MALE TRIO: “SAY NOT THAT I JOURNEY ALONE”
Udell, Vernon, and Dean Lloyd
Accompanist: Linda Lloyd

I know that my way is protected
By friends that no mortal can see.
I know ‘tis their voices that whisper
So kindly and gentle to me.
Though joys that were brightest have faded,
And hopes that were fondest have flown,
Yes, God and the angels are with me.
Then say not I journey alone

Chorus
Then say not I journey alone,
Oh, say not I journey alone,
For God and the Angels are with me,
Then say not I journey alone.
I know they commune with my spirit,
The friends from that Eden above.
I feel the soft touch of their presence,
And hear their sweet message of love.
Their arms at my call are extended,
And tenderly ‘round me are thrown,
While God and the Angels are with me.
I surely am never alone.

My Savior is always a refuge,
And comfort by night and by day
He chargeth His Angels to keep me,
Nor suffer my footsteps to stray.
And when I behold them in glory,
The friends that such kindness have shown,
I’ll thank the dear Lord and His Angels,
Who never have left me alone.

LIFE SKETCH: KENT WILKINSON (Grandson)
“What is a Grandfather?” This is the title of a small poem that was on a Fathers’ Day card which was sent to a grandfather by one of his grandchildren last Fathers’ Day.

A grandfather has a special talent... He always knows just what to do
To make his grandchildren happy
And to show that he loves them, too.
He has his own favorite arm chair
For reading or taking a nap,
Or telling his wonderful stories
To the children who sit on his lap.
At the family get-togethers,
He’s the first person to look for.
He can entertain small children for hours
And they always keep asking for more.
You can tell when a grandfather is teasing
By the twinkle that shines in his eyes.
He’s an expert at settling problems,
For he’s loving and patient and wise.
His grandchildren always admire him,
Even when they are grown,
They always feel proud and happy
To claim Grandfather as their own.

At this time I would like to tell you a little about my grandfather.

William was a real small baby and needed special care for the first several months. From his small beginning he developed to over six feet and two hundred pounds, and was a fine example of a man.

The first few years in my grandfather’s life were spent moving around, mostly in the southeastern part of Idaho, with his father in search of work. During this time other members of the James Ransom family were added, including twin daughters.

Grandfather’s official church activity began with his baptism on July 7, 1891, in the Bear River. He was confirmed a member the same day. Since that time he has been very active in his service to God. He has held all of the Priesthood offices from Deacon through to High Priest.

His formal education was obtained at a one-room school in Cleveland, Idaho. It was located about five miles from their home. The children only attended in the winter months, going to and from the school by team and sleigh. School consisted of the first four grades, so Grandfather attended the fourth grade for two winters. Most of the knowledge which he obtained throughout his life was by his own study of good books.

Grandfather was called on a mission to the Eastern States on December 6, 1908, where he spent the next 28 months. While on his mission, he had many fine experiences, the memories of which have lasted a lifetime.

A few years after his return he married my grandmother, Emma Laura Hill, in the Salt Lake Temple. They moved to Blackfoot and proceeded to raise a family.

The following years were spent in much movement. From Blackfoot to Springville, Utah, where my mother was born. From there to Salt Lake City, where grandfather was employed by the J. I. Case Co., as a field and service manager. Then on to Rexburg, and back to Blackfoot, where he engaged in farming on the reservation. Here the last two of their eight children were born.

Grandfather’s farming activity then took him to the Aberdeen-Springfield area in 1945. During this time the four oldest daughters were married and the two oldest boys were away from home, so Grandfather retired from the farm and began to work upon road construction in the same area. In 1954, with his health failing, he moved to Pocatello for the availability of medical care, where he remained until his death.

Following the footsteps of their father, both Wendell and Leon were called to serve missions, Wendell to Western Canada, and Leon to Brazil. This made my grandfather very happy to see their service to the Lord. At the time Leon left, Grandfather was in very poor health, but he was heard to remark that he wouldn’t die until Leon returned. He didn’t. He lived to see a grandson fill a mission, two granddaughters and the same grandson to marry.

Some of the most vivid memories I have of my grandfather concern the times that I spent with him. I spent many weekends with my grandparents, during which we spent many hours fishing and hunting, during which I heard my grandfather tell of his life and the things which he had done. Another thing that has inspired me is that in all of the weekends we spent together we never missed going to Church as long as it was physically possible for my grandfather.

But the greatest memory I have of my grandfather occurred on November 10-, 1963, the day of my farewell as I left on my mission to Scotland. My grandfather, whom I believed to be in too poor of health to give a speech, came out of the audience at the invitation of my father, and in the few words which he gave, impressed me more than the rest of the entire program. He gave vocally his faith in me, the life I had led, and the kind of missionary I would be. It is times like that that more than repay for the effort it takes to live a good life. Although I have forgotten the remarks of all of the other speakers, the few given by my grandfather will be remembered always as a guide to my life.

In closing, my thoughts and feelings can best be described in the last stanza of a poem by Edgar A. Guest.

A REAL MAN

Men are of two kinds, and he
Was of the kind I’d like to be,
No door at which he ever knocked
Against his manly form was locked.
If ever man on earth was free
And independent, it was he.
No broken pledge lost his respect.
He met all men with head erect,
And when he passed I think there went
A soul to yonder firmament
So white, so splendid and so fine
It came almost to God’s design

SPEAKER: ATHOL STONE

Sister Laura, members of the Ransom family, friends who have assembled here, I truly feel it an honor to have been asked to say a few words at Brother Will’s funeral, this truly solemn occasion.

In the time that I knew Brother Will, I truly learned to love and respect him for the fine man that he was. I first became acquainted with him as we both worked for the county and lived in Sterling. Then later on I had a construction business and he worked for me for a time. At this time, through our association, I felt like I got to know him real well. I was serving as a stake missionary, and as I went out among the contacts that I had and tried to preach the gospel, many times they would ask me questions, and in my inexperience, I couldn’t answer them all of the time, but I’d say, ‘I can’t tell you the answer now but the next time I come I will have the answer for you.’ So, as we, Brother Will and me, was riding to work or having our lunch, I would tell him the question and he would always give me the answer to them. He truly knew the gospel and lived it. In my lifetime I have known many good people, but I have never met or known a finer man than Brother Will Ransom. I also had a little affliction, sickness in my family during this time, and Brother and Sister Ransom were always there to help to do what they could to make my burden a little lighter, and I always appreciated this. I have, through my acquaintance, been able, I think, to understand Brother Will and his love for the gospel and of God and of his fellow man, and learn about his character, and I have a little story that I would like to read that will help, maybe, to explain this better than I am able to.

You perhaps recall the story of the blacksmith who gave his heart to God. Though consistent in his living, still he was not prospering materially. In fact, it seemed that from the time of his conversion more trouble, affliction, and loss were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to go wrong. One day a friend who was not a Christian stopped at the little forge to talk with him. Sympathizing with him and some of his trials, the friend said, “It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over just at the time when you became an earnest Christian. Of course, I do not want to weaken your faith in God, but here you are trying to do your best, staying faithful in every way you know how, praying for God’s help and guidance, and yet things seem to be getting worse. I can’t help wondering why this is.” The blacksmith did not answer immediately, and it was evident that he had thought of the same question before. But finally he said, “You see the raw iron that I have here to make into horse shoes? You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with heat, then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped, then I plunge it in a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more, and this I do until it is finished. But sometimes I find a piece of iron that won’t stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and cold water are too much for it. I do not know why it failed in this process, but I know it will never make a good horse shoe.” Then he pointed to a heap of scrap iron by the door of the shop. “When I get a piece that can’t take shape and temper, I throw it on the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything. I know that God has been testing and trying me for I have felt him hammer upon me. But I don’t mind if only he can bring me to what I should be; and so, in all these hard things, my prayer is simply this, ‘Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don’t throw me on the scrap heap.’” Knowing Brother Will, I know that he stood up under the test, the trials and tribulations that he had in his life, as all of us have. I know that he was made of the material that God shaped him as he wished to.

Another little verse I’d like to read, Brother Will sort of reminded, ow when I read this it sort of reminded me of him. It’s a prayer.

“Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with the vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions on my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations, of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I may know that the race is not always to the swift, that there is more to life than increasing speed. Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak, and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life’s enduring values, that I may grow toward the star of my greater destiny. This I ask in Thy name, Amen”

I think that described Brother Will to a great extent. In closing, I’d like to say to the family that your father has been here and advised you. I remember how my father, even though I was married and had a family, I’d always go to my father for advice. And whatever he gave me was good. Now your patriarch is gone, you’ll have to live by the teachings that he gave you. And I see that a lot of you are living away from your mother and grandmother and won’t be able to come and visit her maybe as often as you’d like or she’d like, but you can write to her to help to break her loneliness. It seems that letter writing is not done as much as it used to be. The telephone is too handy. But I think a letter is dearer to a person than a phone call. One man put it this way, “More than kisses, letters mingle so, for thus friends absent speak” So those of you who are away, write. And again I express my appreciation for having been asked to speak. And I ask God’s blessing upon you. I do this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

SOLO: “OH, MY FATHER”
Don Adams
Accompanist: Orva Marie Wahlen

Oh, my Father, thou that dwellest
In the high and glorious place,
When shall I regain Thy presence
And again behold thy face?
In Thy holy habitation
Did my spirit once reside?
In my first primeval childhood
Was I nurtured near Thy side?

For a wise and glorious purpose
Thou has place me here on earth,
And withheld the recollection
Of my former friends and birth.
Yet, ofttimes a secret something
Whispered, “You’re a stranger here,”
And I felt that I had wandered
Into a more exalted sphere.

I had learned to call Thee Father,
Through thy spirit from on high,
but until the key of knowledge
Was restored, I knew not why.
In the heavens are parents single?
No, the thought makes reason stare?
Truth is reason, truth eternal
Tells me I’ve a mother there.

When I leave this frail existence,
When I lay this mortal by,
Father, Mother, may I meet you
In your royal courts on high?
Then, at length, when I’ve completed
All you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation
Let me come and dwell with you.

SPEAKER: SETH BROWN

I am glad that the ties of friendship are strong enough that this family would ask me to take a few minutes on this occasion and say some of the things that are in my heart, that I have been thinking of as I remember my association with them. I think it’s around 35 years since the Ransom family moved into our community of Riverton. They are associated with the early history of our ward. I believe we were still a branch when they moved to our community. They were a great asset to us in the little ward we were struggling to maintain. We already enjoyed the presence of Sister Laura’s father and mother, some of her brothers and sisters for a few years, and had learned to appreciate them for the fine people that they were.

We were associated with them at that time during what a lot of the young people of today don’t know anything about, the depression that was disturbing us in the early thirties. We were in need and we had to turn to the Lord for help and we had to turn to each other for help, and from both sources we received help. In our planting, our harvesting, and under necessity or procuring fuel, and during a severe winter or two, we had the problem of transportation. We had to pool our efforts and help each other to provide for the necessities of life, and this threw us very close together, and we appreciated each other. There were several families in our community of this type, and we thought that we had the choicest of friends and neighbors. In fact, we did have. And we learned to love and appreciate theme and depend upon them and work and share with them. Our children went to school together and shared their joys and sorrows as we older ones shared ours. And they grew up to love and respect each other. And I’m sure they will never forget their experiences as children there in that time. There were people who loved and served their fellow men. People who wanted to be loved. And they lived their lives in accordance with these principles. And when people live that way, they live close to our Father in Heaven. They live close to each other, and they learn to love and appreciate each other. And it’s a joy to live under these circumstances with this sort of people.

In the early days of our ward, Sister Ransom was very active with older girls in the auxiliary organizations. And from a standpoint of leadership we learned to love and appreciate them, learned to depend upon them and found them to be dependable and helpful in maintaining the activities in the ward as well as friends and neighbors. In the assignment of ward teaching, I visited this family and found Brother Ransom to be one who read very much. But he didn’t preach very much. I have heard him preach some very fine sermons, but most of the sermons that he gave were from me to you, one individual to another.

Brother Stone talked about going to his father. I didn’t have a father. My father died before I was born. But I learned early in life to select and appreciate men who I knew I could turn to for fatherly advice and counsel. Sister Laura’s father, Brother Hill, was one of these men, and her husband, Brother Will Ransom, was another. And I do appreciate the counsel and advice and association I had with these two men and their families. Brother Ransom was well informed about the gospel. He read a lot and he taught his children the principles of the gospel in their home. And it was a joy to go to their home ward teaching and spend time there.

Brother Ransom was a good mechanic. As has already been stated, he served many years with farm implement concerns. And during the depression it was difficult for us, sometimes, to keep our machinery in repair. And we turned to Brother Ransom frequently and had good service in helping us to keep going under those circumstances. We appreciated them.

Brother Ransom loved his home and he loved his family, and his family loved him. And I know that during the long time that he was confined in the hospital he longed to be at home. And I have heard reports of how he would like to leave the hospital and go with and be with his family, and how appropriate it was that he could be released and go home and spend the last days in the company of his family at his home and under the influence that was there. I know that he appreciated and enjoyed that, and it was good for him. I’m sure that Sister Laura will miss him. But she has a lovely family, and I’m sure they will do as Brother Stone suggested, keep close to her and help her and comfort her. And I’m sure that the Spirit of the Lord will be with her and give her comfort and the blessings that she needs.

And then we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sister Laura, too, has a good understanding of the principles of the Gospel. She knows the plan of life and salvation. She knows that Brother Ransom and her dominion, their family, is a part of the great dominion of our Father in Heaven, and that it is designed to last throughout the eternities. And this will be a great source of comfort to her. And to you young people, I want you to know the big desire in the minds of your grandmother and your grandfather and your parents, is that you will become informed of these things, that you will have faith and inspiration to urge you to live for these blessings. If there is anything that Brother Ransom would want for me to tell his children and grandchildren, I think it would be to urge them to keep the commandments of the Lord, to live close to each other in love, harmony, and unity, and be worthy of the blessings and worthy of the counsel and advice that has been given them. There are those that rely upon the faithfulness of their parents and grandparents and their goodness to assure them of eternal life and exaltation, and let me assure you young people that this is in error. Exaltation and eternal life must be earned by each os us individually. One of the greatest blessings that can come to one of the spirit offspring of our Heavenly Father sent here into mortality is to be born of goodly parents, who have a testimony of the gospel and who strive to teach their children and instill in them a testimony of the gospel. Keep this in mind and know that that is the desire of your parents and grandparents.

I would like to quote from Brother Bruce McConkie, from his book, Mormon Doctrine, that he has recently published, something about resurrection and eternal life. To quote, “Resurrection is a free gift to all men, but it does not give peace of mind, the knowledge of God, or hope for eternal life, or any of the great spiritual blessings which flow from gospel obedience. These blessings are not free gifts except for the free gift of immortality, which comes by grace alone, all rewards gained in the eternal world must be earned. That perfection sought by the Saints is both temporal and spiritual, and comes only as a result of full obedience.”

Speaking of eternal life, I quote Brother McConkie again. “The kind of life God lives is called eternal life, meaning exaltation. And the kind of punishment that is dealt out to transgressors by Him is called eternal punishment. To denote the severity and extent of the condemnation falling upon those whose feet slip from the straight and narrow path., and who do not repent and return to righteousness, the Lord couples the word eternal with the term damnation. Their eternal damnation is to have limitations imposed upon them, so they cannot progress to the state of Godhood and gain a fulness of all things. Their kingdom or progress has an end and they cannot have an increase. Spirit children are denied to them through all eternity. They are never taken back into the full presence and glory of God. Only the obedient are raised in immortality unto eternal life. The disobedient are raised in immortality unto eternal damnation, for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall because they repent not.”

May we keep the counsel and follow the righteous teachings of our parents and our grandparents. Remember the lives they lived and the sacrifices they made for us, and the worries and trials that they went through to try to instill in us a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel and to help us to keep our feet in the path of truth and righteousness. May we keep their counsel and live as they would have us live, that we may be able to inherit eternal life with them. And as we go on through life and gain this little family unit, this little dominion of ours, remember that it is part of the great dominion of our Father in Heaven and it is destined to last and continue throughout all eternity. May we so order our lives and live that we may be worthy of continuation of these associations and ties that we have here, I pray, and I pray, too, that the choicest blessings of our Father in Heaven will be with Sister Laura and comfort and bless her, and her children will rally around her and be a joy and a comfort to her, and I ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

REMARKS: BISHOP BUD H. HINCKLEY

Brothers and sister, lest we forget, in behalf of Brother Ransom and Sister Ransom and the Ransom family, we wish to thank the member of the Blackfoot Tenth Ward for affording us these facilities, for the things that the Relief Society are doing, for their many kindnesses to the Ransoms. We want to thank those that have taken part. I’m sure it’s a very fine tribute to Brother Ransom. The music and the speakers have said those things which come from the heart, with which Brother Ransom would be very well pleased. We want to thank those who have contributed flowers, food, or anything else, especially the comforting words and the comfort that you give this day by your presence here.

I think I shall always love these people for the spirit which they emanate, for the wonderful attitude which they have toward their responsibilities in the Church. I think that we should remember this example which Brother Ransom has given us. It has been an example to me, to share in his faith. I have been in his home a number of times, and I have seen him just about as low physically as he could be and still hanging on. And I’ve taken his hand and had him grasp my hand, and I thought that he did not wish to let go. I’ve asked him how he felt and he said “Fine” at these times when he was very low. And he was asking many times if he could just go on from this life because this life was so painful and so discouraging for him.

I came across a little poem as I was thinking of today that says,

‘There is no unbelief
whoever plants a seed beneath the sod
And waits to see it push the clod,
He trusts in God.
Whoever says, when clouds are in the sky,
‘Be patient, heart, light breaketh by and by,
Trust the Most High.’
Whoever sees ‘neath winter’s field of snow,
The silent harvest of the future grow,
God’s power must know.
The heart that looks on when eyelids close,
And dares to live his life in spite of woes,
God’s comfort knows.
There is no unbelief.
And day by day, and night
Unconsciously the heart lives by
The faith the lips deny.
God knoweth why.’

I don’t believe there was anyone who ever had a stronger faith than Brother Ransom. I enjoyed his humor even in his dire times. I remember one time when I was in the hospital and I asked Brother Ransom, and probably two or three times during the time I was there, ‘Now Brother Ransom, is there anything I can do for you?’ He looked up and he could hardly speak, and he said, ‘Take my place.’ And then we stepped out in the hall and Sister Ransom told us of how the doctor had been in there testing him to see if his strength was there, and she said the doctor said, ‘Squeeze my hand, squeeze it harder, squeeze.’ And Brother Ransom couldn’t seem to squeeze his hand, and later during the day Sister Ransom said, ‘Will, squeeze my hand.’ And he took her hand and he squeezed her hand. And she said, ‘Now why couldn’t you do that for the doctor?’ And he said, ‘Well, I didn’t love him.’

We do appreciate Brother Ransom, but we couldn’t say we appreciate Brother Ransom without expressing our appreciation for Sister Ransom, too. She’s a jewel in our hearts.

“She looked at life with kindly eyes,
And never seemed to realize
She bore the hardest kind of care,
She never howled or tore her hair
Or called down curses on her spouse
Who made a workshop of her house.
She went through trials that would down
The toughest men in all the town.
She bore the brunt of every blow
And didn’t let the neighbors know.
She dwelt with poverty and toil,
With trust that life could never spoil.
She kept her kindly way somehow
With peace, like perfume on her brow.
She kept her faith in human good,
A clean belief in womanhood.
She sowed her love with lavish hand
In every corner of the land.
She taught us by her life serene
What faith and hope and love could mean.
The claims of common brotherhood
That riches are not always good.
She lived among us kind and wise,
And looked at life with kindly eyes.”

Thank you, Sister Ransom, and Brother Ransom, for your contribution to our ward, for the faith you have given us. And as Brother Brown has mentioned, and others, to you children and grandchildren, I would admonish you to follow in the footsteps of Brother Ransom. It isn’t always easy to speak at funerals. It isn’t always easy to say, ‘Follow in the footsteps of this man.’ But, in this case, follow in his footsteps. Gain from his strength and his testimony. Listen to his children relate the testimonies that he bore. Grasp on to a church job and serve our Heavenly Father with all your heart, might, mind and strength, and you will have joy, that you can smile when all tribulations and trials might come to you, as they came to Brother and Sister Ransom. And that you can grow in strength and know that God lives, and that He is our benefactor, and that His love is ever present. And this will give you strength and sustain you when these fathers of our earthly bodies have passed on. That’s where your strength will lie. And I ask Him to bless you, Sister Ransom, and you boys and girls of this fine great man. Not great in renown in the worldly sense, but in the sense of a man who knows duty, who carried out his responsibilities to all he knew. And I ask Him to bless you. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

QUARTET: “THOU DOST NOT WEEP ALONE”
Bill, Lois, Jan, and Austin Hill
Accompanist: Martha Ransom
(This song was a special request of Sister Laura Ransom because she especially liked the words.)

Thou dost not weep to weep alone,
The broad bereavement seems to fall
Unheeded and unfelt by none;
He was beloved, beloved by all.

But lo! What joy salutes our grief!
Bright rainbows crown the tearful gloom;
Hope, hope eternal, brings relief,
Faith sounds a triumph o’er the tomb.

It soothes the sorrow, says to thee,
The Lord in chastening comes to bless;
God is thy God, and He will be
A father to the fatherless.

‘Tis well with the departed one;
His heaven-lit lamp was shining bright,
And when his mortal day went down,
His spirit fled where reigns no night.

‘Tis meet to die as he has died,
He smiled amid death’s conquered gloom,
While angels waited by his side,
To bear a kindred spirit home.

Vain are the trophies wealth can give!
His memory needs no sculptor’s art;
He’s left a name–his virtues live,
‘Graved on the tablets of the heart.

BENEDICTION: VERLAND ROHOLT (Nephew)
Our Father in Heaven, at the close of these services, we are indeed thankful for the spirit that has been with us. We wish to express our gratitude for the comforting words and music we have heard here today. We ask that Thy spirit will be with the family on this occasion that they might find comfort in the knowledge that this is just a brief parting. Be with us through the journey to the cemetery and to our various homes, we humbly pray, in the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

(These services were recorded on tape and presented to the family by Brother Calvin Hale, Pingree, Idaho. His thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated.)