Life Story of Ruth Elizabeth Proctor-Part Four

Written by

Ruth Elizabeth Proctor Cook

Ruth

Ruth

I got a job at the seed house in Lewisville.  This is where you sort out the bad peas from the good ones.  I had never picked peas in a seed house before so when Mr. Renard was hiring others pickers, he asked if I had ever picked peas before.  He didn't say in a seed house, so I told him yes, for I had picked peas out of my folks garden.  I was quite surprised he hired me.  When I got up to where they were working, I had no idea what to do.  Here came the dry peas rolling over a belt towards me.  My floor lady was Fontella Lords (she is a cousin to the Cook kids).  She asked me if I knew what I was to do.  I told her no.  She asked how I got a pastMr. Renard?  I told her what he had said and what I said.  She started to laugh and said no one had ever done that to him.  I told her I didn't lie cause he just asked if I had picked peas.  He didn't say in a seed house.  She told me what to do. You were to pick out the bad peas and if you get good peas in your culls you are docked.  I learned to be a very good pea picker.  I rode over to Lewisville with Verla Cook (Hix) and Lila Cook (Christensen). 

Leora Cook, Verla Cook, and Ruth

The Roberts ward had a play and Vergil and I had the leading parts.  What fun we had putting on that play.  We put it on the in the Roberts ward and then went over to the Grant Ward and put it on.  Cleo, Vergil's brother, saw the play there.  He told me many years later he thought about giving Vergil a run for me, then thought he better not.

Vergil was a good dancer.  We won many a contests in dancing.  He loved to waltz, and we sure could jitterbug when that dance tune came around. 

Ruth and Vergil 

In December of 1937, Vergil Cook gave me a diamond.  My Daddy Frank was visiting in Roberts at the Staker's this Christmas.  He was quite surprised because he thought I was going to go to BYU.  Opal and Atha told him that when I started having fun in Roberts, they knew I wouldn't be going to any college.  Daddy Frank asked me if I had told the folks in Tooele about me getting a diamond.  I told him I would let them know in due time, now that wasn't the answer to give him.  I told him I was sorry I said that and would write and tell them.  Vergil and I were married in Atha and Opal's home in Roberts.  They had moved over into the home that belonged to my sister Bessie and Lavell Butt.  They had moved to Marriott, Utah quite some time ago.  Someone bought that home and then decided they didn't want to live there so Opal and Atha bought it.  It was a much nicer home than where they had been living.  We were married 27 September 1938.  President Hyrum T. Moss married us.  He was an uncle to Vergil.  Opal and Atha give us a wedding dance in the Roberts Culture Hall.  My folks in Tooele couldn't come, though they sent me a white skirt and white blouse to be married in.  They also sent us a set of dishes for our wedding gift.  I felt bad that they couldn't make it there.  Their thoughts were with us though.  We received a lot of nice things.  Daddy Frank and my sister Annie gave us a set of silverware, a lace bedspread and some money.

Vergil and Ruth

Vergil and I went out southeast of Rigby and herded sheep for Will Haven.  We lived in a sheep camp and just took what we needed and stored the rest at the Staker's home.  We had a very good sheep dog.  One night I talked Vergil into bedding the sheep down around the straw stack telling the dog to watch them and we walked into Rigby to see a show.  When we sat down I took off my shoes.  Someone came to set on the other side of us and kicked my shoes down farther to the front.  We had to wait till the last show was over so Vergil could find my shoes when the lights came on.  We ran most of the way back to the sheep camp and everything was ok, but we didn't do that anymore while we were with the sheep.  We stayed with the sheep till the weather turned cold, then we came back to Roberts to a two room house north of Roberts.  Fay and Lila Christensen lived in the front two rooms and we had the back two rooms. 

Ruth and Vergil

In November of 1938 Vergil and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity.  Atha drove us down in a little black bug.  On our way down it began to snow and the roads got very slick.  As we were going through Pocatello, Idaho, her car turned completely around when we hit a slick spot on the road.  She asked if I thought we should go back home and we both said no that we wanted to keep going.  We were told we couldn't go over Malad Pass, so we went through Preston, Idaho and down through Sardine Canyon.  Those roads were terrible.  Our Heavenly Father was with us for we made it ok there and had a safe trip back to Roberts. 

We lived in our little two room house.  One night Vergil said to me as we were getting ready for bed that if anything happened to him, I should go to his brother Cleo.  I told him that was a dumb thing to talk about.  Vergil made me promise that I would do it though.  In February 1939, Vergil had a stroke.  I got help for Vergil.  Opal and Atha took him to the LDS Hospital in Idaho Falls.  He was paralyzed right down through the middle of his body.  He lost his speech also.  He was so helpless just laying there watching you with his eyes.  We put Vergil in the hospital on Friday and Cleo stayed with him day and night.  Opal and Atha would take me to the hospital to see him.  It was a Sunday morning while we were setting at the table eating breakfast that the hospital called and said we should come to  the hospital as soon as possible.  When we went into Vergil's room I took his hand and bent down and kissed him.  He looked up when I raised my head and said "I love you."  Those were the only words he had spoken since he had had his stroke.  A nurse came in and took me and Atha out of the room.  Cleo and Opal stayed in there.  The light above his door was flashing red and I heard them say code red.  Before I could get back in the room, he was taken to his Heavenly Home.  This was 26 February 1939.  I then fainted.  When I came to, I could see everyone crying and then it hit me again.  We only had five short months of married life, buy they were happy months. 

Vergil and Ruth

We didn't have much money but we had a lot of love for each other.  I can remember when we were living in our little home that Vergil did something that upset me and I threw a flat iron at him.  He ducked and it went through the window.  I asked how he thought we were going to pay for the window.  He said it was cheaper than him getting beaned on his head.  I was sorry I did that, but we did have some good laughs over it.  A piece of cardboard was put in the window till our milk check came to buy a window pane.  

Vergil Nelson Cook

(I am going to add several pictures here of Ruth and more of her time with Vergil and others in Roberts)

Verla Cook and Ruth

Leora, Ruth and Verla

Verla and Ruth

Picture

Cleo, Ruth and Wayne Wilson

Vergil Cook, Vernell Connel,
Marden Wells, Fay Christensen,
Lila Cook, Eva Christensen

Clayton DaBelle and Bessie Christensen
Vergil and Ruth
Leonard Martin and Nettie Green

Leora Cook and Lynn Christensen
Ruth and Vergil Cook

Fay Christensen, Vergil Cook, Davis Watson

Ruth (aka Duge)

Fay Christensen, Verla, Lila Leora, and Vergil Cook

Ruth's sister, Bessie Proctor Butt died 22 December 1938.  The following pictures were taken after her services in Ogden, Utah.  Their home was next to the Marriot Ward Church

Back row: Vergil and Ruth Cook, Ardis Butt, Annie Carol Proctor, Atha and Opal Staker
Front row: Jay Staker, Vernell Butt, Dick Staker, and Lavelle Butt Jr.

Sisters--Ruth, Atha and Annie

Ruth and Vergil

Lavelle Butt, Vergil Cook and Opal Staker