Ruth Edna Simons Peterson (wife of Hanmer)

As their fifth daughter and their sixth child, I was born to Orrawell Jr. and Frances Mary Brewerton Simons on October 2, 1896, in Payson Utah. Unfortunately my arrival necessitated my mother missing the big reception and banquet held in honor of my grandfather and grandmother Simons Golden Wedding. One of my first recollections was a trip to Salt Lake City with my parents to attend the General Conference of our Church. I can still vividly remember the profusion of flowers along the sidewalks. They meant the Easter Season to me. During my growing years, our centrally-located home on its large lot became the meeting place of my sisters, and my own friends. Our huge two-story barn proved an ideal place for our home dramatics and the younger kids converted the old granary with its three rooms into a very satisfactory playhouse. In passing through the grades I was fortunate in having strong, able teachers. However in the fall of 1910 after my first year in the Payson High School, our family moved to the small fruit farm [The Farm] on 3112 South Melbourne St, 1845 East in Salt Lake County. It was difficult at first for my sister Edith and I to adjust to the large new East High School as we entered a few weeks late. It had its advantages however, as it offered fine basic courses in all mayor subjects. Three years at the University of Utah followed. In 1918 during World War 1, I dropped out of school to try my luck at helping with our war garden, particularly with the marketing of the fruit which brought good prices that season. During the following year I worked in a downtown shoe store, before breaking into teaching as an assistant to an excellent first grade teacher. This training afforded valuable experience and kindled the desire to return to the University to get my degree. I found my senior year at school a rich and rewarding one. The Orwell and Francis Simons family was united and loving. They set a very good example for their many descendents. Each of the nine children was very gifted and educated.

After graduation in 1923 I accepted a position of girls’ physical education instructor at the Richfield High School and taught there for three years. In Richfield I met Hanmer Peterson a young man who had recently returned from serving with the A.E. Forces in France and later with the Army of Occupation in Germany following the armistice. Just prior to the war he had filled an L.D.S. mission in Winnipeg, Canada. We had many good times together in the months that followed, taking in the numerous Church and school functions that the community afforded. On June 14th, 1926 Hanmer and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. That evening a lovely reception was given by my parents.. We went to Yellowstone Park on our honeymoon, a region I had learned to love, as I had worked there an entire season several summers before. Returning to Richfield as a bride was a pleasant prospect, and we were fortunate in renting a cozy home in Hanmer’s own ward. Four years later we had the fun of building our own little home. We were blessed with two fine sons, Lowell arranging the year following our marriage, and Robert, after we were well settled in our new home. Both Hanmer and I worked in the M.I.A. for the first few years. We were both activity councilors on the Stake board with my husband serving as manager of the church-owned community dance hall. Sunday school stake work was my next Church assignment. The final four and half years before my husband’s illness and death, I was counselor in the forth Ward Relief Society, where my husband served as Bishop for several years. Lowell, our older boy, served in the Navy in World War 2 after completing high school. He then went on a mission to the Western states before returning to complete his degree at the school of architecture at the U. After Hanmer passed away, we rented our Richfield home and moved to Salt Lake, as Robert had just completed high school and wanted to enter the U that fall. After two years of college work Bob too was called on a mission, his assignment being the East German mission. He returned to school with his mission completed, and received a degree in physics. Both boys married and are living not far from the home on 3111South 1810 East at Lowell designed and they helped build for me. I now have nine grandchildren seven boys and two girls

Hanmer and Ruth now have 11 grandchildren 8 boys and 3 girls and 22 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild. Two grandsons have died Larry and Michael. Ruth's son Bob Peterson adds Our home in Richfield was a haven to all. I was borne May 31, 1933 in the south east bed room, and Peter Monson was borne in the south west bed room. Through the years we had various cousins living with us: Ruthalene Peterson Harmels daughter, Byron Peterson from Wayne county, and Aerie Chamberlain from Salt Lake. Our piano teacher Unis Berns from Marysville stayed over night once in a while.. Our home was designed by dads friend Edward O. Anderson from Richfield. He was the Church architect of the Los Angles, Swiss, and London Temples. The home had the luxury of a steam furnace and water heater in the basement with radiators in each room. The coal room was beneath the kitchen. A automatic coal stoker was added to furnace in the forty’s . Ruth returned to teaching school from 1954 to her accidental automobile death on her way to school near Laketown, UT in 13 Feb 1968. Her last teaching assignment was teaching remedial reading in the farming towns in north eastern Utah of Laketown, Randolph, and Woodruff. Ruth loved to teach. She made leaning fun. Ruth was gifted with many artistic talents. She painted in watercolor, and oils. She wrote poetry, songs, and prose. She tried several times to get her works published. She designed and printed a 1947 Utah Centennial post card. She wrote the poem, designed the card, carved the linoleum wood cut, had >1000 copies printed by the Richfield Reaper Press on imitation cedar wall paper, sold the cards through ZCMI and other stores, and gave the income to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.