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Ann's Father

Ann's father (Luther) was gone from home a lot for his job as a train conductor. In retrospect, she thinks, her mother (Ruby) essentially raised the family by herself. She does have several memories of her father, however.

She remembers that he would go fishing occasionally, but his real pastime was playing cards. He wasn't a serious gambler, but just played for fun, often down at the Eagles Club. He would play for candy bars and bring them home for the family.

One time he won a Santa Claus. It was a Christmas decoration they had for many years. It wasn't ceramic, but stood tall and had a wonderful silky smooth beard. They had that Santa for many years -- but Ann's not sure where it ended up.

She also remembers one time when her father brought home a stalk of bananas about 5 feet long. Apparently, he bought it from a person traveling on the train. She was fascinated by it.

When they lived on 13th Street in Idaho Falls, they had a claw foot bathtub that her father could lie down in. Luther was at least six feet two inches tall (or more, she said). When she laid in it, she couldn't reach the end.

When she was about 7 or 8 years old she walked with her mother all the way from their house on 23rd and Lee Street to the LDS hospital in Idaho Falls (about 2 miles each way) to visit her father. He had fallen off a train and fractured his back.

She remembered that it was very cold weather but had no choice because they couldn't drive. She said he was unable to work for about a year, but the real lesson she learned was that her mother truly loved her father. They made many trips, walking from home to the hospital and she never heard her mother complain.

-----
Photo of young Ruby Potter and Luther Jones

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