I was born in 1948 to Lorin Paul Jones and Norma Jean Ford in Spanish Fork, Utah. I have a brother named Tom who is a year older than I am.

My growing up years were spent in Provo, Utah. We lived in several homes in the Provo area. The first home that I remember was one that was across from the Hospital. We probably lived there until I was about 7 years old. It was this home that we got our first TV. It was black and white and such an exciting time. I remember watching Flash Gordon in the evenings before supper. I attended Timpanogos Elementary School, which was just a few blocks down the street on 500 West. We used to walk to school. I also spent a lot of my early years with my grandparents, as both my mother and father both worked. My mother worked for the Telephone Company and my Dad for Sears. I have great memories of my grandparents, Emily and Thomas Ford.

We spent many days playing at their home with the kids in the area, going swimming at the city pool, going to the library, and playing in the front of their home in the irrigation ditch floating our home made wooden boats down the ditch.

Grandma drove an old brown Packer with running boards down the side of the car. On one particular day Grandma was driving me to the Library and I can remember that the door I was sitting by flew opened and I had to hang on until Grandma brought the car to a stop. I also remember helping Grandma hang the wash out on the clothes line in the back yard or “sprinkling” the wash so that when it was time to iron the clothes the wrinkles would come out easier. Grandma ironed everything from sheets, to pillow cases to clothes. Grandma also used to take us to the Saturday morning movies in downtown Provo. The movie was probably 25cents. The ticket you were given was also used for prizes that they gave away prior to the movie. They would pull your number out from a big roller drum that was set up on the stage. Sometimes they would give away bicycles, roller skates dolls or stuffed animals. I don’t think I ever won. Holidays were spent at Grandma’s house. I especially remember the 4th of July’s. We would watch the parade on University Ave and then go to the carnival in Pioneer Park to play games. We always had a picnic at Grandma’s and then when it got dark we would light the sparklers and race around the outside of Grandma’s house hoping that the sparklers would not go out before we made it all around the house.
At about 8 we moved to a home off of Provo Canyon road. It was a fun neighborhood and I had lots of friends. It was this home that I remember getting the measles and having to be kept in a dark room and in bed for several days. There was something about having the room dark that was important when you had measles. We would have neighborhood sleepovers in which all the kids in the neighborhood would get together and sleep out on the front lawns and watch the stars and tell ghost stories.

The good memories about this time were my church experiences. I had wonderful friends, Linda Erickson, Liz Hall. These friends were active in the Mormon church. Linda lived just up the street and I spent hours and hours at her home and with her family. They became my second family. Linda, Liz and I were inseparable. We were in Primary together, 4H Club, Softball Teams, Young Woman’s, Girls Camp, and High School. We worked summer jobs together picking fruit, and just hanging out together. To this day we are still good friends and keep in touch.

At about the age of 15 our family moved to another home in Provo. I believe we moved because my Dad lost his job and we needed the extra money. I pretty sure we had to sell our home and I also know that my parents were having trouble in their marriage. I was around 16 when my Dad and Mom divorced. We were living in this home at the time. This home was not far from the High School and I remember walking to school, to church and to activities.

Because of the divorce my Mom needed to move again so we moved into the back apartment of a home on Center Street. It was a classy home with a huge front porch. I believe my brother was already in college and he was not living with us. It was just my mom and I. We lived there for about 1 year and then moved to one more home in the Provo/Orem area.

It was in Edgemont and is pictured below. I was a senior at the time of this move. I loved my senior year. I was active in debate, school plays, the pep club, belonged to a sorority called Sub-Deb, loved school and church activities and met Franz and started to date around Feb. of 1967. I met Franz through a mutual friend, Christina Nibley. Christina was dating Franz’s roommate and we went on a blind date arranged by Christina and Mark Stabler. Our first date was to a movie at the Wlikinson Center. It was “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.”

Categories: Ann Family History
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