"On the 25 of December, 1905 on Christmas day a baby boy was born to Melvin and Clara Tomlinson Smith in their little home in Lindon, Utah. He was a real joy to them but to his four older brothers and three sisters it was rather a disaster. At that time mothers had their babies at home and that many children were sure to be in the way, and so they were, so they were shipped off to a neighbor for the day, leaving their gifts and Christmas tree behind for a later time. But we all loved the little bundle of joy and it added more gifts to our Christmas gifts. They named him Russell.
He was a healthy child and grew rapidly, but when he was nearing six years of age his mother found out she had cancer and on August 4, 1911 she died leaving her little family to shift as best they could, but their father and grandmother Smith saw to it that they were taken care of.
He went to school in Lindon. The schoolhouse wasn't very large. Sometimes they had two and three classes in one room. He only had a short distance to go to school so he wasn't allowed to leave until it was time for school to start.
His father had a large farm and there were always many chores to do. This always kept him busy but when evening came he and the other brothers and sisters always had time to play hide and seek and many other games. There were no close neighbors so the family enjoyed one another and he was blessed with a large one.
His brothers and sisters were Vilate, Rudger, Roland, Melva, Kate, Kenneth, DeWitt, then Russell, Rebba Verona. The last two girls were younger than he was, there being only two years difference in their ages. The children seemed to pair off in groups. He and DeWitt were real close and went with the same group of friends.
At school he was exceptional in student penmanship and was the envy of his classmates. He skipped grades in school.
His father never learned to drive a car so he was his father's chauffeur and it was a busy one as the farm was a fruit farm and all the things grown had to be marketed.
I remember once on a trip to Price, Utah of a train hitting his truck and taking the fruit off and scattering it all over the road.
He used to visit his sister Melva and Arnold quite a lot. They lived in Price and Arnold always enjoyed him so much. Arnold took him on a lot of trips with him as he was a salesman at that time.
Russell was one who never traveled much and lived at home in the same house all his life. He took over the homestead after his father died and later bought it.
He married Ruth Irene Johnson August 21, 1930 in Salt Lake City. They are the parents of nine children, five boys and four girls, Joan, Melvin, Carol, Calvin, Gary, Dennis, Arlene, Brent and Claudette.
They operated a fruit stand at the time of his death. He also farmed. He hauled fruit to Salt Lake, Wyoming and Price. He also raised mink and chickens.
He died January 26, 1963, age 58. He was buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetary."
What do I remember about my Dad? These are just sparatic bits of memory I recall at the moment: I remember that we didn't celebrate his birthday much because the day seemed to be wrapped up in Christmas. He farmed and I remember him cultivating the fields with the old mare, Pet. He would level the ground with a large board which we sat upon to put some weight on it. Dad liked his black licorice very much. I never saw him eat pie or cake. Another memory I have of him is when we persuaded him to ride on a carival ride, the Hammer, with us at the Strawberry Days celebration in Pleasant Grove. I don't think he liked it as much as we did. Now, you wouldn't get me on it! I liked to ride horses and would ride Pet, the mustang mare he used to farm with, so I was out and about the barn and corral often. He would come and talk with me. He worried about my acne problem, so did I but it eventually cleared up.
I also remember Dad and mom being late coming home and we being worried about them. I remember Dad gathering us around the kitchen table and in a very serious and sober attitude told us that Mom was very ill. He was more distraught than I had ever seen him and in tears. My parents didn't display affection openly very often nor had I seen my father cry, so this was a special moment. Course we worried about mom but fortunately she recovered and lived to be almost 85 years old. For many years she was our nucleus.
The last few years of Dad's life he was sick and we would see him often in his recliner in the livingroom. On the day he passed away he was in the American Fork Hospital and most of us were at his bedside. I'm glad I was there. Believing that there is life hereafter makes the grieving process a little easier. I believe that Mom had a difficult time after Dad passed away. Several times she commented that she missed not having him there to talk to. They had their problems but she really missed him. I'm thankful for my parents and siblings. Arlene B Smith Starr
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| Russell Smith |
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| Irene and Russell and baby |
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| Russell Smith |
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| Russell Smith |
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| Our family. Melvin and Gary died early in their lifes clockwise, Brent, Carol, Calvin, Ireme, Russell, Joan center: Claudette, Arlene, front right: Dennis |
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| Russell and Irene Smith's tombstone in Pleasant Grove Cemetery |
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