1 We're back!

After a well-deserved summer break, the Cleverly Newsletter is back. Our last issue, for those who were wondering, was posted three months ago on June 1.

This issue, number 403 since we started this endeavor, begins our 39th year of publication. The maiden issue of the Cleverly Newsletter came off the presses 38 years ago today. "The presses" consisted actually of a typewriter in our rented house in Provo and a copy machine somewhere on the BYU campus. It was the first day of September in 1973, just the day before our first-born son Michael was born. Three cousins followed in short order: Chad on October 8, Gena on October 23, and Curtis on December 4.

That first year we were a quarterly newsletter. In other years we have been monthly, weekly, and various other frequencies. This past year we were fortnightly (as in every two weeks). As we move forward into our 39th year, we will be a monthly again.

We invite your continued support and welcome any input, family news, or other comments—preferably by e-mail (to dcleverly@gmail.com)—but we will also gladly accept phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, or even plain old-fashioned postcards or letters.

2 Quote of the month

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey and share our love with friends and family. One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is most important."

- President Thomas S. Monson

3 This month in our family

Lyle's family

Fri, Sept 2: Barbara born 1937
Fri, Sept 2: Catherine's birthday
Fri, Sept 16: Josh Kersker's birthday
Sun, Sept 25: Stan's birthday
Fri, Sept 30: David Wilke's birthday

Gail's family

Mon, Sept 5: Melanie Duay's birthday
Mon, Sept 12: Debbie's birthdayFri, Sept 23: Joshua & Veronica married 2005
Fri, Sept 23: Jeremy & Mandy Harned married 2006
Fri, Sept 30: Corben's birthday

Kay's family

Sat, Sept 3: Brock's birthday
Tues, Sept 13: Noelle McAllister's birthday
Tues, Sept 20: Nicole's birthday [Brandon's wife]
Fri, Sept 23: Carson's birthday

Gene's family

Sat, Sept 10: Brittany & Ronnie getting married
Thurs, Sept 15: Louis & Bobbie Real married 1995
Wed, Sept 21: LaWanda Packwood's birthday

Ray's family

Sun, Sept 4: Eugene DeMartini's birthday
Wed, Sept 7: Makenzie Reher's birthday
Tues, Sept 13: Richard's birthday
Wed, Sept 28: Daniel Ricardo Mena's birthday
Fri, Sept 30: Sharae DeMartini's birthday

Dean's family

Fri, Sept 2: Michael's birthday
Mon, Sept 5: Peter Halverson's birthday
Mon, Sept 19: Miles Peter Halverson's birthday
Fri, Sept 23: Olivia's birthday
Tues, Sept 27: Peter & Anna Halverson married 2006

Dale's family

Tues, Sept 13: Nathan Jensen's birthday

Everybody!

Sun, Sept 4: Fast Sunday
Mon, Sept 5: Labor Day holiday
Thurs-Sat, Sept 8-10: Family reunion in Idaho!
Fri, Sept 9: Tenth anniversary of 9/11
Sat, Sept 17: Constitution Day
Fri, Sept 23: First day of fall
Thurs, Sept 29: Dorothy born 1915

4 Bits and tidbits

Kay was sustained as bishop of the Hurricane 11th Ward on Sunday morning, August 14. Claudia and I drove down to southern Utah for the weekend to be there for the important event. Kay's daughter Andrea and husband Chuck and some of their children were there representing Kay's family. One of Karen's sons and family were also there for the weekend.

The day before that, Claudia and I attended the funeral service for Agnes Loraine Bates Cleverly. Aunt Loraine was the widow of Marvin Cleverly, the one of Ivard's brothers that looked most like him. Her obituary follows:

Agnes Loraine Bates Cleverly passed away peacefully with her family near on August 7, 2011. She was born April 15, 1917, in Salt Lake City to Frank Bates and Agnes Ella Teakle Bates. She was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah with her five brothers and sisters. She graduated from South High School.

She met and married Marvin Nelson Cleverly on November 6, 1937. Their marriage was solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on May 26, 1960. She worked as a telephone operator and later for the Davis County School District as a lunch manager. Out of everything she did, her greatest joy in life was raising her eight children.

She was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although she served in various ward callings including Relief Society President and librarian, she particularly enjoyed teaching Primary children. She served as a worker in the Salt Lake LDS Temple, which brought her great joy and satisfaction. Both scheduled guests and drop in visitors found that she kept an immaculate house. Her friends and family appreciated and admired her talent in cooking, crocheting and ceramics, many of which became treasured gifts. Her handicrafts also earned blue ribbons at the State and County fairs.

Loraine was feisty and inquisitive, dependable and hardworking. She was family oriented and her annual family Christmas parties were the joy of the season. She looked forward to playing games, and especially enjoyed winning. She loved to laugh and tell jokes, but rarely got the punch line right, which made it all the more fun. She was outgoing and would never hesitate to make a new friend. She enjoyed traveling especially later in life after her children were grown. She appreciated the theater whether cheering for a grandchild in a school play or applauding Broadway talent. She had a wonderful childhood and was especially close to her dad. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were the joy of her life. She was devoted to them and they returned her love and devotion.

Survived by her children: LeeAnn Sargent (Willy), Janet Lambert (Glen), Neil Cleverly (Cheri), Frank Cleverly (available), Brent Cleverly (LeeAnn), Joyce Waddoups (Jon); 34 grandchildren; 106 great-grand-children; and nine great-great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by her husband, parents, siblings: Lee Bates, Gordan Bates, Audrey Hutchinson, Emma Jean Allen, and Ralph Bates, daughters, Marva Olsen and Valerie Baker, and great-granddaughter, Celes Olsen.

A special thank-you to the staff at Legacy House of Bountiful and to the loving care provided by Aspire Hospice. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 13, 2011 at the Woods Cross 3rd Ward Chapel, 1450 South 350 West, Bountiful. Family and friends may meet Friday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 North Main, and Sat. morning 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment-Lakeview Cemetery, 1640 East Lakeview Dr., Bountiful.

Just weeks earlier, Loraine's daughter Valerie had passed away. Loraine had fallen and was unable to attend Valerie's funeral.

Valerie Sue Cleverly Baker passed away peacefully, with her loving husband at her side, on July 23, 2011. She was born on February 18, 1953 in Salt Lake City to Marvin Nelson Cleverly and Agnes Loraine Bates Cleverly. She was raised in Bountiful, Utah with her seven brothers and sisters who she cherished throughout her life.

She met and married Benjamin Harvey Baker on December 1, 1977. Marriage solemnized in the Jordan River Temple, May 5, 1990. She had the privilege of helping raise two wonderful children, Laurie and David. She was a 30-year career employee at Mountain Bell where she developed her organizational and management skills. She loved children and after retiring, she worked as a teacher's aide and substitute teacher.

She was an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in various Stake and Ward callings including Primary President, Young Women's President, and Relief Society President. She loved attending the temple and served as a temple worker at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. She loved being a grandmother to her six wonderful grandchildren as well as an incredible aunt to many nieces and nephews. She was optimistic, courageous, thoughtful, and she loved to laugh. Whether on a houseboat at Lake Powell, organizing a shower or party, playing games or traveling with the James Family, a perfect day for Val was a day spent with family and friends. She was creative and artistic which was evident in her crocheting and ceramics, many of which were given away as gifts to others. She kept an immaculate yard and beautiful garden. Her homemade salsa and sugar cookies were legendary.

Val touched and blessed many lives. She was generous with her time and resources and was always available with a helping hand or a listening ear. She was not only a great leader, but a wonderful supporting cast member when needed. She could be the life of the party or the person there to lighten another's burden. She was the pure love of Christ in action. She will be missed.

Survived by her husband, Harvey; children Laurie Mabey and David Baker (Diane); grandchildren Brian James (BJ) Mabey, Debi Mabey, Jake Mabey, Christa Baker, Benjamin Baker, Chloe Baker; and by her mother and six brothers and sisters: Lee Ann Sargent (Willy), Janet Lambert (Glen), Neil Cleverly (Cheri), Frank Cleverly, Brent Cleverly (LeeAnn), Joyce Waddoups (Jon). Preceded in death by her father and by her sister Marva Olsen.

Funeral services will be held Friday, July 29, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at the Welby 3rd Ward, 8385 So. 4800 W. in West Jordan, Utah. Family and friends may visit Thursday, July 28 from 6-8 p.m. at the Church and one hour prior to services. Interment at Lake View Memorial Cemetery, 1640 East Lakeview Drive, Bountiful, Utah.

Claudia and I attended Valerie's viewing in West Jordan. It was good to see many of our cousins on both occasions. 

Brittany Michelle Faught (daughter of Cindy Faught and Thomas Faught) and Ronald Gene Cleverly (son of Gene and Cheryl) are being married on Saturday evening, September 10, at the Sandstone Event Center in Nampa. A reception will follow immediately after the ceremony. In connection with the gathering of family for the wedding, a family reunion is being organized for that same weekend. We hope to see many of you there.

5 Our family 50 years ago

Excerpts from the September 1961 diary of Dorothy Batt Cleverly (1915–1982). The full text of her diary can be found online at Dorothy's Idaho Diaries and is updated daily, exactly 50 years to the day after it was originally written. The family at the time lived on Montana Avenue in Nampa, Idaho.

Sat, Sept 2.  Jerry didn’t work today. He woke me up at 7:30 & told me goodbye, he was going up to catch the bus for Utah. Gene killed 3 chickens & Ivard cleaned them for tomorrow. Gene left for Nyssa about 3: in pick-up to help Gail haul garbage.

Sun, Sept 3.  I bottled rest of peaches 12 qts, & cooked chicken & got dinner. I have 49 qts peaches up now. I didn’t go to church, the rest did, it was Primary programe & Ivard had to talk or me. He said he wouldn’t – but he did. Any way I had a bad stomache.

Mon, Sept 4.  Gene got home from Nyssa just in time to dash up to practice. Ray went to Idaho City church camp all day with Sunday school class. Gene left for Nyssa again at 1: to help Gail move over to Owyhee Corner. Peaches weren’t ready but found 11 qts pears ready & did them.

Tues, Sept 5.  Kids all started back to school today & Ray got a job at Dairy Queen during his lunch hr for 50¢ lunch every day, he started Seminary this morning. Gene came from Nyssa in time for school. I bottled 18 qts pears.

Wed, Sept 6.  Jerry got home from Colorado.

Thurs, Sept 7.  Jerry went back to work after his trip & few days off. I washed a couple batches of cloths & spent all day doing 27 qts pears. Gene came home from school & helped me get a double batch of peach Jam on to cook. Dean fixed supper & milked. Ivard took Jackie to Primary & met Dale & took him to sign for little legue foot ball & to Primary.

Fri, Sept 8.  I came home from work & went to bed. When I got up Ivard had bottles washed & he helped me peel peaches & we bottled 19 qts. Dean, Dale & I went up town & got them some gym shoes & Dean some gym cloths.

Sat, Sept 9.  Ivard went without his crutches for first time [since he broke his foot on June 12]. Ivard helped me peel & we did 12 qts peaches & 18 qts pears.

Sun, Sept 10.  I should have done fruit but I didn’t.

Mon, Sept 11.  I came home from work & changed the Kids beds & washed 4 batches of cloths and Ivard peeled pears and I bottled 27 qts. It was 3: when I went to bed.

Tues, Sept 12.  Debbie was 5. I came home from work & went to bed until 2: & got up & Ivard had bottles washed & he helped me peel & we did 9 qts pears & 5 qts peaches & 10 qts jam (peach) that’s end of peaches. Ivard met Dale after school & bought him a suit for little legue foot ball (11.50) & took him to practice. Lynda called & we went over to Debbie’s birthday Party at 7 & got home at 10:30. I went to work at 11:

Wed, Sept 13.  Ivard washed bottles & I did 9 qts pears & cooked the Kids a good supper for a change. Dale came from school & went to cub scouts then him & Ivard went & got his helmet at foot ball practice.

Thurs, Sept 14.  I came home from work & went to bed. Ivard woke me up at 2:30 & he had the last of pears peeled & bottles washed. I cored them & bottled 14 qts.

Fri, Sept 15.  While we were up town Jerry went to work on paper & left Jackie alone. When we came home after dark Jackie was gone. We hunted all over, up to foot ball game & every where. I was just going to Police when Dale came with her, he’d been selling tickets & came home & found her alone & took her. Ray had gone to Scout meeting – game & dance.

Sat, Sept 16.  I made 16 qts of mustard pickle.

Tues, Sept 19.  Got letter from Kay – he’s transferred to Lima.

Wed, Sept 20.  I came home from work & went to bed. Ivard got up & tended Sis. I got up at 1: & made 16 qts prune jam. Ivard peeled apples & I made a pie for supper & 2 Ivard took over to neighbors, the man died, & 3 little ones for Jerrys lunch.

Thurs, Sept 21.  I got up at 2: & Ivard had a double batch of apples peeled. I bottled 17 qts apple sauce. I called & enrolled Jackie for next Tuesday for dance lessons.

Sat, Sept 23.  I feel awful. Gene went & had his Senior Pictures taken. At 7:15 Ivard & I & Jackie went up to High School to little legue Jamboree. Dale played in first game.

Sun, Sept 24.  Dean did dishes & chores & they all went to church. I still don’t feel good so I laid off again.

Tues, Sept 26.  I came home from work & slept 1 hr. then Jackie & I went to Relief Society Opening Social, brunch & programe. Came home & had lunch & Ivard took Jackie up to Mrs. Hatche’s & Jackie started her first dance lessons. She did real good. I slept an hr. in between relief society & dance practice. Dean went to Caldwell to song leading class.

Wed, Sept 27.  I came home from work & Lynda & Kids were here, they’d brought car over to garage. I put a batch of cloths in & went right to bed. When Ivard woke me up at noon him & Lynda had rest of apples peeled, ready to bottle & Lynda had lunch ready. We ate. I washed 2 batches of cloths & bottled 2 batches of apples (15 qts). Ray came home & went to work & Dale went to Cub Scouts.

Thurs, Sept 28.  I came home from work & went to bed & when I got up at 2: Ivard had ½ bu of grapes cooked & I strained them & bottled 10 qts grape juice & made 10 pts grape jam. Dale was supposed to make a cake for Pack meeting & Ivard & I had to make it for him because he went to foot ball practice after Primary. I had to make a batch of fudge for it too. Gene & Ivard left for Nyssa foot ball game, they droped Ray off at the Adrian game. Lynda had my birthday party after, thought I was comeing. Sent me a black & white Sunday dress & a potted yellow chrysthun from the Boys away from home, Lyle, Gail & Kay.

Fri, Sept 29.  Got a birthday cared & letter from Mother, Ruth & Claudia & a card from Berniece, a slip from Mother & $10. from Jerry & $5. from Kids. I came home from work & laid down awhile but couldn’t sleep. At 12:30 we left for Idaho Falls with Don & Charlotte Taylor, in their car, to Foot ball game. Got there at 6: & got a room apiece at “Rays” Motel then walked up & ate & went to foot ball game. There was 4 in. of snow it was all melted when we got there but it was cold. We won 19 to 14 real exciting. We got back to motel at 10: & I droped into bed. I was dead.

Sat, Sept 30.  We got up at 6: A.M. & left for home. We stoped in Arco & had breakfast. We got home & got Jackie & was home by 11:30. Ray was sick in bed all day & didn’t go to work. We listened to conference & played Scrabble. Tonite, after we had supper, Ivard, Jerry & Dean went to stake House to Priesthood Conference.

6 What in the world

Hurricane Irene

The most recent natural disaster to hit the United States, in a year of many natural disasters, Irene moved in from the Atlantic Ocean and strengthened into a Category 3 major hurricane as it passed over the Bahamas. Curving toward the north, the storm made landfall on North Carolina's Outer Banks as a Category 1 hurricane. Although the storm weakened into a mere tropical storm, it resulted in extensive flooding and damage as far north as Vermont. In anticipation of the storm, New York closed down its subway system for the first time ever for weather-related causes. Millions of people across the 12 affected states were without power. Vermont suffered its worst flooding in centuries. The Catskill Mountains in New York received between 10 and 12 inches of rain. That's a whole lot of rain. At least 48 deaths occurred as a result of the storm.

New book published for women

A new book, Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society, has recently been published under the direction of the First Presidency and is currently being distributed to all Mormon women over the age of 18 to help them in their efforts to follow the Savior, increase their personal faith, strengthen their families, and serve others. The book is intended as a resource for personal study and teaching in the Church and in the home.

Daughters in My Kingdom is unique in the Church in that it was written by an individual woman rather than a committee. It was written by Susan W. Tanner, a former general Young Women president who now serves a mission with her husband John in Brazil. (Incidentally, John grew up in the same ward in southern California that Claudia grew up in. John and I served missions in Brazil at the same time in the late 1960s, I in the north and he in the south. After our missions, he served as my vice-president when I was president of English Circle at Brigham Young University. For many recent years John was academic vice-president at BYU.)

General women's meeting

The annual general Relief Society meeting will be held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday evening, September 24, beginning at 6:00 p.m. MDT. It will be broadcast widely to stake centers throughout the world, over the Internet, and on local television stations in Utah. It is anticipated that members of the Relief Society general presidency and a member of the First Presidency will address the sisters.

7 A final word

School has started again. Some years ago, when we still had children at home, I started a tradition of reading the following piece by Robert Fulgham, entitled "All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" (first published in the Kansas City Times, Sept. 17, 1976), before each new school year began. It contains as simple and as fine a summary as I've ever come across about how to get along in this old world as decent, Christian people.

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands be­fore you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Re­mem­ber the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup—they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: look. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sani­ta­tion. Ecology and politics and sane living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.