Life Information
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Ramona G. Witney
Born:
Married: 6 Jul 1942
Died:
Evergreen Cemetery
1876-1998 North 2000 West
Springville, Utah, Utah
United States
Headstone Description
Married Manti Temple
Transcriber
kcrossno
May 27, 2011
Transcriber
R and N Englestead
April 15, 2020
Transcriber
Lydia Uribe
April 9, 2020
Transcriber
MsCarolB
April 13, 2020
Transcriber
kostkrewt
April 18, 2020
Transcriber
IB225
April 15, 2020
Photographer
Drewski
May 25, 2011
Family
Grave Site of Ramona G.
Ramona G. Witney is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery at the location displayed on the map below. This GPS information is ONLY available at BillionGraves. Our technology can help you find the gravesite and other family members buried nearby.
Cemetery Name
Evergreen Cemetery
Cemetery Website
http://parks.springville.org/burial-search.html#
Cemetery Address
1876-1998 North 2000 West
Springville,Utah,Utah
United States
Springville,Utah,Utah
United States
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David Gourley Sketch in Sons of Brigham I have this book JoAnn Gourley
Contributor: kcrossno Created: 1 year ago Updated: 1 year ago
DAVID GOURLEY
Born: December 31, 1884
Place: Goshen, Utah
Father:
George Gourley, early convert to L.D.S. Church; born in Cornbrue, Glasgow, Scotland; came to America when three; across the plains in 1856 with the Martin hand-cart company; a sister, twelve years old, pulled baby George over the snow in winter in a washtub; he had three toes frozen off; his father died in 1887, leaving George an only son.
Mother:
Mary Elizabeth Broadbent; married in the Salt Lake Temple, Jan. 16, 1882; born in Spring City, Sanpete Co., Utah; one in a family of eleven children; a Primary President for
35 years; served a rural district, summer or winter, as nurse, midwife, and helpful neighbor; married Albert Davis of Provo; seven brothers and sisters of the union; Albert died soon after Eva was born, when David was 16 and the main help to the family.
Brothers and Sisters:
David the only child until mother married Albert Davis: (Half Brothers and Sisters) Flora Davis Fischer, teacher a t B.Y.U.; Dr. Ray J. Davis, Professor at the University of Southern Idaho; Boyd Davis, teacher at Orem, Utah; Blanche D. Johnson, lunch Superintendent for Sanpete schools; Eva D. Ovard, teacher in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Marriages:
Dora Louise West; June 17, 1908 in t he Salt Lake Temple; an accomplished musician with a lovely voice; presented a special music degree by A. C. Lund at B.Y.U; donated the David Gourley Education Collection to the Clark Library; candidate for "Utah Mother of the Year" 1961.
Children:
Eleven children, and parents, all attended BYU: Gertrude Delores, m. Alma C. Tranter; Maurine, m. Philander Hatch; George A., m. Adena Nell Swenson; Lee Maughn,
m. Edna Bartholomew; Rex S., m. Ruby Taylor; June, m. Lynn S. Searle; Vida Ramona, m. Frank B. Witney; Faun,
m. Ben Bartholomew; David Richard, m. Pearl Warner; Ernest G ; John P., m. JoAnn Edwards .All married in the Temple, most are in education; boys were all letter athletes at B.Y.U.
Death:
August 22, 1957 at age 72, in his home; buried in Pleasant Grove Cemetery.
Educational Background:
Early education in the schools of Provo City.
Certificate in Normal Training, Manual Training, Bachelors Degree (1915) and Masters Degree (1935) in School Administration from Brigham Young University.
Graduate study in Education in Utah and the University of California.
Studied Educational Methods and School Administration in several states of the United States.
Educational Experience:
Six years as teacher-one of the first Smith-Hughes Agriculture Teachers in Utah (Utah County)-teacher in Utah County, Millard County, Washington County.
One .year working for the U.S.A.C. as County Agricultural Agent (Washington County.)
Four years as High School Principal (Pleasant Grove). Fifteen years as Alpine School District Superintendent. Instructor Brigham Young University for two summers.
Special Consultant on Uniform School Bus Regulations at Columbia University
Six years as Assistant State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Utah.
Twelve years as Granite School District Superintendent. Chairman of the Emergency School Building Commission, State of Utah.
Six Years as:
Secretary State Board of Education.
Secretary State Course of Study Committee and State Textbook Commission
Secretary State Society of Superintendents
State Director of Intermediate Grades and ]union High School. Member of Committee on State Curriculum Studies
Chairman, 1.Survey Committee of Eight School Districts, State Board of Education.
State Advisor of School Transportation and Director of Priorities on Bus Standards.
Member Governor's Coordinating Committee on Safety.
Educational and Civic Organizations and Fraternities:
Life member, National Education Association and member Utah Education Assn.
Member Phi Delta Kappa, National Organization for Education Advancement and service.
Charter Member of Lions Club, American Fork.
Service as Church Member:
Boy Scout Worker in Timpanogos Stake and life member of YMMIA.
Served two years as a missionary in Southern States, 1905-07 . Stake Leader in St. George, Alpine, Timpanogos and Ensign Stakes.
Active High Priest.
Business Experience:
Director of National Farm Loan association. President of Pleasant Grove Irrigation Company.
Owned and directed the operation of a successful farm.
Experiences while attending the Brigham Young University:
I . One of twenty-one persons making the first organized hike to the top of Mount Timpanogos.
2. Member of the Brigham Young University basketball team for several years and also a member of the early track team .
3. Member of the first physical education class organized at
B.Y.U. in the Training Building under John C. Swenson as Physical Education Director.
4 . Manager of the dances at B.Y.U . for several years.
5. Hauled all the brick at the B.Y.U . for several years and hauled all the terra cotta, gravel and cement for the Maeser Memorial Building during its construction.
A heart attack from over work caused a slackening in Superintendent Gourley's efforts to advance education in the entire state. Thirtyfive schools of the Granite District conducted a "David Gourley Day " to honor his forty-five years in teaching. They established a David Gourley Scholarship Fund and named a school the David Gourley Elementary School at Kearns, one of the state's finest. At the dedication Mrs. Gourley presented the school with an excellent portrait of her husband .
He took great pride that nine of his eleven children are educators. " A man 's life is never dull when he works for the good of his family, his community, and his Church." His life was one of constantly overcoming challenging difficulties, hopefully projecting the future, enjoying companionship with his family, and planning for the good of his students. David Gourley was recognized before his death as one of Utah 's great educators . He was proud to be a Son of Brigham.
Record or History written by David Gourley
Contributor: kcrossno Created: 1 year ago Updated: 1 year ago
History of David Gourley
Record or history written by David Gourley, a son of Mary Broadbent who was Superintendent of Granite School District at the time he wrote the record, May 15 1957. This story was written to be told to boys and girls in the Granite School District on the “David Gourley Day” set aside as same.
(David Gourley died 3 months later August 22, 1957)
My Mother, Mary Elizabeth Broadbent was born of English parents in Spring Lake, Utah.
My father, George Gourley, was born near Glasgow, Scotland. When George was seven years old, his family decided to come to America. A boat brought the family across the Atlantic Ocean and up the Mississippi River to where they were going to start their walk of over a thousand miles to Salt Lake City, Utah. The family left with the Martin Hand Cart Company. Little George walked most of the way. When they got in Wyoming,a very bad blizzards froze many of the people and made nearly everyone ill.
George’s shoes wore out and his feet were wrapped in burlap. His older sister pulled him in a wash tub on top of the snow when he became too tired to walk any further.
When the Burlap was taken off his feet, two toes were frozen so badly that they came off with the burlap.
The Children were so nearly starved they ate the bark off the willows that grew along the streams.
To these two people, my mother and father, I, David Gourley, was born in 1885 at Goshen, Utah. Until I was past three years old I wore pleated plaid skirts. I will never forget the day my mother and aunt tried to coax me to put on trousers. Finally, one held me while the other took off my skirt. I screamed, kicked and scratched.
My father died when I was only three. My mother married again. My stepfather was very good to me. Most of the things that I did when I was a boy your age are things I did with him. We lived on a farm. I milked and herded cows, weeded gardens, watered and picked fruit.
In the fall we peddled apples to the Indians out on the reservation in Duchesne, and to the soldiers at Fort Duchesne. We alternated layers of wild hay and apples, until the wagon bed was full. The Indians did not have money. We were paid with blankets, belts, gloves, etc., the things the Indians made.
There were no cars in those days and these trips were long and fun. We camped out at nights.
In the early spring we took a pack train and went up stream out on the reservation to fish. It was my responsibility to care for the horses. We wanted only those trout that weighed three pounds or more. We laid them on blankets at night and let them freeze solid. After they had frozen, we wrapped them well and brought the fish to Salt Lake City to sell.
The Indians were friendly with father. They put our horses in their pastures. When they came to Provo in the fall to help with the harvest, they camped in our pasture on the Provo River.
When our Government put the Indians on the reservation, they built homes for them to live in. It surely was funny to see their teepees put up inside the houses and the Indians living in them.
We boys used to ride the Indian ponies and run races with them.
The angriest I ever saw my father was one evening when he had just gone up stream about a half a mile to fish. He had left my brother and me at camp. We started to play hide and seek with a group of Indian boys. All went well until the Indian boys started to scream when they found us. We decided it sounded fun, so when we found them we screamed.
Father came racing back to camp just as fast as the horse would run. He had lost his hat and fishing pole. The willows had marked his face as they hit him. We were screaming so convincingly that father thought we had angered the Indians so that they were killing us.
When we needed brick to add on to our house, we went to the pasture, cut the cottonwood trees into cord lengths and traded them for brick.
When I was sixteen, my father died and I was left the oldest child in a family of eight children. At nineteen years of age, I went to the Southern States on a Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many times I was so lonesome for my mother and brothers and sisters I wept bitterly.
It was hard work and took me years to get my education. In college, I played as a forward on the (Brigham Young University) college basketball team, held the state record in pole vaulting, loved to dance, played a mandolin and a guitar, and sang alone and in groups. In 1920 I climbed to the top of Mount Timpanogos with nineteen other people. We were the first organized group to make the climb.
I had been married and had three children by the time I could finish my college. It was years later before I could get my Master’s Degree.
I have spent forty-five years helping boys and girls like you and the greatest privilege that could come to me would be forty-five more years to help you, an others like you.
"One Step At A Time "
Contributor: kcrossno Created: 1 year ago Updated: 1 year ago
"One Step At A Time "
Bronze Sculpture by Patch and Jean Peterson
The Paul Gourley family immigrated to America from Holston, Scotland in 1856.
It took 41 days to cross the Atlantic in the sailing ship "Thornton" .
Upon arriving at Iowa City, Iowa to start their 1,300 mile trek to Utah, Paul was asked to stay behind and help build handcarts for the other immigrants because he was a carpenter by trade. The family was assigned to the Martin handcart company and finally started for Utah on July 28. The two older children, Robert age 19 and Alexander age 17 were hired to drive wagon teams for Captain Hodgett.
The family had two handcarts. Daughters Janet age 8 and Nicholaus age 12 pulled one handcart which carried all the family 's earthly belongings. Father Paul, with the help of his 7 year old son George, pulled the other cart which carried mother Elison (she being very ill), 3 year old Paul, and 9 month old Margaret. Little Margaret died and was buried near Scott' s Bluff, Nebraska - the scene depicted by this bronze sculpture.
By the time they reached Fort Laramie, their food supply was getting very low. Paul Gourley traded his watch and some other items for a little com and a few loaves of bread. Two weeks later they were out of rations. The first snow of an early winter started to fall when they reached the Sweetwater River. Due to severe weather conditions and lack of food they were stalled and could go no farther upon reaching Devil's Gate, Wyoming. When the rescue party from Salt Lake City finally reached these freezing and starving pioneers they still had almost 300 miles of snow-covered mountains to traverse before they were to achieve their final destination. George's shoes had worn out and his feet were wrapped in burlap. His older sister, Nicholaus, pulled him in a wash tub on top of the snow when he became too tired to walk . When the wraps were taken from his little feet, two toes were frozen so badly the flesh came off with the burlap. Three year old Paul died the following March and was buried in Salt Lake City.
Even though the suffering and heartaches were beyond the limits of normal human endurance, the "inner" strength of these hearty pioneers grew as a result of their experiences. Many indicated in their journals that when it seemed they could not go one step farther, unseen "angels" helped push their handcarts and lighten the load. We too, who have modem-day challenges, can accomplish our goals through faith and perseverance
- one step at a time.
"...See that ye hold fast, the heritage we leave you, yea, and teach your children its value. "
- Sir Francis Drake
An Interview with my Grandparents – April 1, 1996 for my Health Class at Utah Valley State College by Heidi Witney Murray
Contributor: kcrossno Created: 1 year ago Updated: 1 year ago
One Sunday I spent the afternoon talking with my grandparents. I asked them questions regarding their past and they were more than happy to answer. We had talked for more than two hours and we had a wonderful time. I found out a lot of things that I never knew about my grandparents.
My grandpa Frank was born and raised in Springville, Utah, and was the only boy of five children. He is 76-years-old. His father was a janitor and he had helped him throughout his early childhood sweeping and cleaning school buildings. He lived on a farm with milk cows and chickens. He would deliver the milk throughout the town. He did this until he was enlisted into the army at age 19. He had joined the National Guard to help pay for his lunches while attending B.Y.U. He was paid $1.00 a week.
He never really had childhood diseases while he was younger. He had mumps, and measles, but he has always felt fine. He was very athletic. He ran on the track team, played football, which later got his a scholarship to B.Y.U., basketball, and wrestling. He actually started the wrestling program at Provo High School, while he taught Biology, Geology, and Latin American History for thirty years. My grandpa also worked at the Pipe Plant for thirty years to bring in some extra money to pay for doctor bills when my father became sick, and to provide for the family. He was taught by his father that you must eat everything that was on your plate or it would go into the fridge for the next meal and you couldn’t eat until it was finished. And he believes that is a good idea. He says that now people throw away a lot of food. When he was growing up, they didn’t have very much. He said that he knew when things to tough, his family had onion soup.
My grandpa enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, rabbit hunting, farming, traveling and just keeping himself busy. He likes to fix things, and keep himself active. He walks to his farm, gripping his hands, and tries to walk all the way up to his house without stopping. He feels like he is in good shape or better than those of his same age. Every morning my grandpa goes down to Chevron gas station with four of his buddies to get their daily Pepsi.
What my grandpa sees as the key to a long and good life is to have good work habits. “You have got to want do to something.” A good mental attitude. If he could live his live over again my grandpa says that he would change his vocabulary for church speaking. He believes that it is truly a community weakness. Another thing that he might change if he could, is that he was asked to go on a church mission. He didn’t know if he wanted to go to the National Guard of go on a mission. He believes that by not going on a mission that it added to his lack of vocabulary. If he was given another chance, he might go on a mission. He would like to go to New Zealand, because that is where his family is from.
My grandparents both discussed of the times when they would go dancing. All summer long Utah County had dancing on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Dancing was their main recreation. They would go in groups and dance with many different people the entire night. They said it was how they got acquainted with others. My grandpa stressed how children don’t know how to have fun today. They spend too much time in front of the television and they don’t know how to dance. They said that the television has taken over the family life.
My grandma Ramona grew up in Pleasant Grove, Utah. She had a large family of eleven children, but they were very close. They would all sleep upstairs where their house didn’t have any insulation. You could even see your breath because it was so cold. Their mother would take a two-quart bottle and fill it with boiling water, wrap it in a blanket and put it in the end of the bed to warm it up. They had their own farm with chickens, cows, and pigs. They had their own wheat, and they would make their own butter. They had 106 acre farm where they spent most of the day picking fruits and vegetables, and would bottle them for the winter. They would use the money they got from selling the produce to pay for tuition, books and clothing. They raised their own sheep and used their wool to make blankets for their beds. He father was a Super Intendant and enforced educational studies at home.
Grandma mentioned how they didn’t have a lot of the medicines as we do today. Ever since she was young, she has had many health concerns. She has had an extreme case of rheumatoid arthritis, which she feels lucky that she was able to take care of her four boys. They made their own recreation in their family. Her mother would play the piano, her father played the guitar, and her brothers played the harmonica as they sat on the porch singing and dancing. They would ride horses in the summertime and play games such as hide-and-go-seek, and run-sheepie-run. In the winter they would go sledding, and ice-skating. When it was time to bathe, her mother would put a big round tub in the kitchen and they would all take their turns. They would have one bath a week, on Saturday nights.
My grandpa sees that they key to a long and good life is living the gospel and keeping the Word of Wisdom, eating the proper foods and getting plenty of sleep. She said that if she could liver her life over again she wouldn’t change a thing.
My grandparents have a wonderful marriage where they were able to raise four healthy and happy boys. They have had a wonderful life together with many experiences to share. My grandma and grandpa are two wonderful people who I love and admire very much. They have taught me so much throughout my life. Through their experiences I have learned much more about them and the way life was when they were younger.
Family Portrait BRIGHAM UNIVERSITY ALLUMUS. 1960
Contributor: kcrossno Created: 1 year ago Updated: 1 year ago
Family Portrait
The eleven sons and daughters of the David Gourley (’15) family (circa 1949). Front row: Gertrude (Tranter), June (Searle), David, Dora, Ramona (Whitney). Back row: Faun (Bartholomew), Ernest, Lee, John, Dick, Rex, George, and Maurine (Hatch). Gourley was a leader, a miner, farmer, missionary, laborer, student, supervisor, and, above all, a teacher and father of great stature.
David and Dora West Gourley
One of the most notable families ever to attend BYU is that of David and Dora West Gourley. David’s father, George Gourley, crossed the plains at the age of three with parents, converts from Scotland. His 12-year-old sister pulled little George in a washtub over the snow during part of the rugged trip.
George Died when his only child, David, was three, and his mother married Albert Davis of Provo who had seven children. He was reared in this congenial family.
Hard farm work, the BY Academy and a church mission to the Southern States filled his life. Returning from two years in the South, he earned his way through college by calling dances. He was also a member of the first organized BYU hike to the top of Timpanogos, and he was athletically active in three sports.
David met and married Dora Louise West, an accomplished vocalist and pianist. They built a small home in Provo, and he worked nights to earn his degree. He subsequently taught at Hinckley and St. George before he became an agricultural agent. The family, which now consisted of Gertrude, Maurine, George, Lee and Rex moved to Pleasant Grove, where he was principal for four years. David was then appointed superintendent of the Alpine School District, and the family increased with the arrival of June, Ramona, Faun, Dick, Ernest and John.
In the meantime he struggled for a master’s degree by working at Berkeley, and the children worked on the 100-acre farm in Pleasant Grove.
In 1938 he was appointed State Superintendent of Public Instruction, an office he held for seven years. In 1944 he became head of the Granite School District, and then completed 45 years as an educator in Utah.
David died in August, 1957.
All of his children have been married in the temple, and all attended BYU, as have most of their husbands and wifes (sic). Nearly all are in some area of education.
A junior high school in Kearns has been named in his behalf, and a scholarship fund has been established in his honor.
BRIGHAM UNIVERSITY ALLUMUS. ALUTUNM 1960
Life timeline of Ramona G. Witney
1999
BillionGraves.com
Grave record for Ramona G. Witney (14 May 1921 - 26 Oct 2001), BillionGraves Record 586 Springville, Utah, Utah, United States