Max L Wilson-Life Sketch Part 3

     Max L Wilson

Life Sketch

Given by President Myron Hancock
15 October 1997

    Some of the highlights of Max’s growing up life were spending time with the gals and the guys next door.  And of course one of those gals next door was Joyce.  There were many times that you would find a whole group of kids including Max over at the Cook’s eating ice cream or at least they always assumed that they went there to eat ice cream. But I think that Max probably had his eye on Joyce for a long time.  

The Cook Home in Menan

Ruth Cook and Max Wilson on porch

     There was always a baseball game or a football game going on in one of the pastures either over in Beus’ pasture or at Fullmer’s.  You would find Max with his brother Danny, Ed, Robin and Steve Beus, Theron and Franklin Cook,  Dean, Ross and Lyle Fullmer, Ted, Mark and Marlin Berrett, Gayle and Gary Morgan, and Frazier always ready for a game.  This same group of guys made up the Church softball team.  Back in those days we had the opportunity to go to All-Church in Salt Lake and many times this group of young men went and played All-Church.  Several times they took the All-Church championship down in Salt Lake. 

Kneeling: Mark Berrett, Gary Morgan, Gail Morgan, Kerry Frazier, Edwin Beus

Standing: Theron Cook, Jack Danks, Max Wilson, Marlin Berrett, Lew Johnson, Ted Berrett

For those of you who are not associated with Menan, Menan is the place that you want to be on the fourth of July.  It has been that way since the beginning of time.  The Fourth of July is kind of a hometown, apple pie and baseball atmosphere in Menan.   Growing up that was the highlight of the summer being able to go and spend time on the Fourth of July.  We always played softball, had foot races, and plenty of food to eat.  Max kept that tradition alive with his family even after he married and moved away.  One of my highlights of the Fourth of July after we were married was to see Max and his family and Frazier and his family come back on the Fourth of July.  They would bring their darn kids and win all the footraces.  I think they started missionary funds from the money they earned from the footraces there. 

     After Max graduated from high school, he received a scholarship from ISU to play football.  We were all excited for Max to have that opportunity because I knew his family wouldn’t have been able to support him to go on to college.  But late that summer he began to have severe headaches and after a spell in the hospital the doctors told him that there would be no football in his life.  I remember at this time of Joyce being at Max’s side all the time.  I remember my sister Marie telling me that she didn’t think that Joyce ever left Max side while he was down.  I think it was Joyce and her father that took Max to the hospital. 

     After he wasn’t able to go to ISU to play football, he decided instead to go to Ricks College.  He went to Ricks for one year and then decided to serve a mission.  He was called to the Northern California Mission.  I might mention that just before this he and Joyce had gotten engaged.  I think that Max got cold feet and decided that he had better go on a mission before he got married.  So he went ahead and went on a mission and while he served on his mission he had the opportunity of being mission companions with his high school buddy, Bob Dansie.  Bob said that the Northern California Mission was probably never the same after him and Max were companions together.  He said we could have had too much fun. 

     After completing his mission, he came home and on October 21, 1966, Mr. Touchdown married his sweetheart in the Idaho Falls Temple for time and for all eternity.  

Myrna Ball, Janae Cook, Cindy Cook, Lois Berrett, Joyce and Max, Best Man, Leah Wilson, Cleo and Ruth Cook

Ruth Cook, Joyce and Max, Cleo Cook holding Craig Cook

Kay, Theron, and Cindy Cook, Mark and Lois Berrett, Frank and Ilene and Darrell Cook

     After they were married, Max went to work for Kenny Waters in a cleaning service.  He had the special opportunity of helping to clean Golden Valley Packers out by Roberts.  It was a slaughter yard.  If any of you have ever been by there, it really really stinks.  During this time, Joyce became pregnant with Lynette.  Joyce related that Max would come home and he stunk so bad from being there at that slaughter house that she would make him stand out on the porch and take his clothes off.  She said he really did stand out there on the porch and take his clothes off and luckily they lived far enough off the road that not too many people saw him. 

Joyce and Max first home

     Besides working with Kenneth Water’s, he worked for All State Insurance, Boise Cascade and Deseret Industry.  He went on to have his own dairy for a while and then he went back to school in 1984.  It was during this time that the five children were born.  Their first child was Lynette, a special little daughter that was the love of her father’s heart.  Lynette is one who has special needs and as a young girl, Max would sit with her on his lap hour after hour, hold her facing him and talk to her syllable by syllable so she could learn to speak.  I might mention also at this time that Max has a brother, Quentin who is a special needs person.  Quentin is somewhat older than Max and all of us who have lived in Menan know Quentin and love him dearly.  But even as we grew older and would go hunting with our own boys, Max would always take Quentin with him.  We would go up there and build a little fire and put on some firewood.  Quentin would stay there by the fire, chop wood and keep that fire going all the time.  Quentin was always included in our hunting trips or fishing trips.  Max always had a special love for these two people.