Sunday, March 06, 2011

Dorothy and Dee Fred Houston

Deseret Morning News, 12/08/09


Panguitch, Utah - Dorothy May Ward Houston, 92, of Panguitch, passed away on December 4, 2009. She was born February 4, 1917 in Bloomington, Idaho to John Mahonri and Ida May Patterson Ward. She married Dee Fred Houston Sr. on October 29, 1941 in the Salt Lake Temple. He preceded her in death. She is survived by her sons John Ward (Diane) Houston, Dee Fred (Janet) Houston Jr., James Frank (Jeri Lu) Houston III, David George (Carol) Houston; 19 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband; great-granddaughter, Avery Houston; her parents; her sisters, Donna Ward, Rhea Ward, Maxine (Darrel) White, LaVoyle Sargent. Funeral services will be held Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in the Panguitch LDS Stake Center, 100 West 550 South. A viewing will be held Wednesday evening at the Stake Center from 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursday morning from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Panguitch City Cemetery. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary Richfield. Online guest book at www.maglebymortuary.com



Dee Fred Houston, 73, died Dec. 20, 1992 at his home in Panguitch, Utah.
He was born February 9, 1919 in Panguitch, Utah to James Frank and Roene Syrett Houston. He married Dorthy Mae Ward October 29, 1941 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He was an active member of the LDS Church. AS a young man, Dee worked in the MIA. Later he served as MIA president, a counselor in the bishopric and served on the High Council.He graduated from Panguitch High and attended USAC and BYU. In 1947 he was named Jaycee Outstanding Young Man. He was civic minded and served his community as a member of the city council, fireman, fire chief, and was active in the Jaycees.
He and his wife, and family, celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary at Bear Lake in August of 1991.
He worked in and managed the SUE Market in Panguitch, with his sister Fern, for nearly 50 years, where he especially enjoyed visiting with his customers and tourists.
He is survived by his wife, Dorthy, Panguitch; four sons and their wives, John Ward and Diane Houston, Panguitch; Dee Fred and Janet Houston, Dutch John; James Frank and JeriLu Houston, Panguitch; David George and Carol Houston, Sacramento, California; 19 grandchildren, Eric, Erin, Nathan, Michael, Ryan (LDS Mission in Portugal), Derek, Kristen, Shannon, Meisha, Michelle, Skip (LDS Mission in Tijuana), Skeet, Brady, Sloane, Whitney, Sydney, Kirby, Chelcey and Alex -- all Houstons; seven sisters, two brothers, Irene and Clem McEwen, St. George; Fern and J. L. Crawford, St. George; Opal and Reid Miller, Panguitch; Cecile and Frank Orton, Salt Lake City; Sam and Mary Jo Houston, Sacramento, Calif.; Ray and Nadine Houston, St. Louis, Missouri; Roene and Fenn Nelson, Fullerton, California; Zelda and Gene Gerstner, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Christine and Ted Owens, Dallas, Texas; sister-in-law, Tennys Houston, Washington, Utah.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Jay Frank Houston and Robert Hoover Houston.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, December 28, 1992 at 1 p.m. in the Panguitch 2nd LDS Ward Chapel, 550 South 100 West, Panguitch. Friends may call at the ward chapel in Panguitch on Monday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Panguitch Cemetery. Funeral Directors: Neal S. Magleby & Sons Mortuary, Richfield, Utah.
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A history of Panguitch Utah written by my grandmother:
PANGUITCH
Panguitch, county seat and largest community of Garfield County, is built on the south side of the Panguitch Valley, on the north slope of the nearby mountains, and between Panguitch Creek on the west and the Sevier River on the east. The elevation most quoted by citizens is 6,666 feet. The settlement was first called Fairview, but the name was changed to Panguitch, anIndian word meaning "Big Fish," for nearby Panguitch Lake, a wonderful fishing lake for both Indians and pioneers. The town's land is generally arid and rocky, with sandy, fertile soil. The climate is severe, with sub-freezing weather seven months of the year.
In March 1864 fifty-four pioneer families led by Jens Neilson arrived the area from Parowan and other settlements. They came over much the same route followed later by Highway 20. A fort was built on the present school square. Cabins were built around the perimeter, pens and corrals were included for cattle, horses, and sheep. Land was soon cleared and irrigation ditches and canals were surveyed and dug. However, crops planted the first year failed to mature; the settlers gathered and ate frozen wheat.
During the first winter, supplies ran out. Seven men were sent to Parowan for grain. They drove teams as far as the base of the mountain, then proceeded on foot. The snow was deep, and the men sank and could not walk. One man accidentally dropped his quilt on the ground and found that it supported him. All seven men formed a line, laying their quilts on the snow and then walking across the quilts. This procedure was repeated all the way across the mountain, and the trek became known as the quilt walk. Parowan pioneers came to meet the men, who were fed, sheltered, and given grain. The men and food were taken as close to Panguitch as possible, but the grain still had to be carried across the mountain to the waiting teams. A happy welcome greeted the successful adventurers.
On 10 April 1865 three men were killed by Indians in Sanpete County--hostilities which started the Black Hawk War. The Panguitch community was advised to leave, and the town was abandoned in May 1866. Residents left their homes and crops and sought safety in Parowan and other communities.
In 1870 Brigham Young made a trip through the valley and decided it was time to resettle. He called George W. Sevy, a resident of Harmony, to gather a company and resettle Panguitch. The following notice appeared in the Deseret News in early 1871: "All those who wish to go with me to resettle Panquitch Valley, will meet me at Red Creek on the 4th day of March, 1871 and we will go over the mountain in company to settle that country." The company arrived 18 or 19 March, found no snow on the ground, the dwellings and clearings unmolested, and even the crops of earlier settlers still standing.
The settlers first moved into the fort. Progress later brought a gristmill, sawmills, a shingle mill, post office, tannery, shoe shop, lime and brick kilns, a hotel, and a co-op store. The meetinghouse built in the fort continued to be used as a school and for church services. An early organization of the United Order was formed; however, it lasted only about two years and was dissolved.
Panguitch was believed to be in Iron County until 9 March 1882 when the territorial legislature created Garfield County and set the current boundaries. School districts were created and county officials appointed. There were no railroads at the time in Garfield County, which features extensive forest lands.
With a population of 500, Panguitch was incorporated in 1899. Agriculture along with cattle and sheep raising formed the basic economy. A dam was built at Panguitch Lake to enable it to hold more water for irrigation. The West Panguitch Irrigation Company controls the water from Panguitch Lake, while Sevier River water is managed by the Sevier River Water Users Association. Present ditches and canals follow courses laid out by early surveyors.
Panguitch architecture is characterized by beautiful, locally made, red brick. Making brick was a community affair. The two-story brick structures are generally the oldest; the second generation of red brick homes were one-story dwellings.
Electricity arrived in 1910. The Social Hall, built about 1900 and destroyed by fire before 1920, was rebuilt and was the center of drama, dance, social, scout, and youth activities, including court games. It is still in use today.
In 1940 Panguitch reached its largest population--2,500. The population in 1990 was 1,444. During World War II, many people left town to work in war industries. Three hundred forty-eight service men and seven nurses and WACs from Panguitch served during this war, and the period marked the beginning of an exodus of people from Panguitch.
In 1954-55, Croft Sawmills began operations in Panguitch and brought many new people into town while allowing many area people to remain. In 1970 Kaibab Industries acquired the sawmill and became the largest employer. Today the sawmill staff has been reduced to thirteen employees because of timber harvesting restrictions. Forest and range permits also limited the cattle and sheep industry. At the present time, tourism seems to be the best, economically feasible industry. Panguitch is near five national parks as well as monuments and near teeming trout streams and lakes. Campgrounds, recreation areas, a ski resort, and verdant forestssurround the town.
Homecoming, July 24th, is the biggest local celebration and includes a parade, reunions (family and class), community breakfast, pit barbeque dinner, races, games, rodeo, and dance. A beautiful historic cemetery lies about two miles east of the town on Highway 89. Tombstones date in the 1870s.
To accommodate tourism Panguitch currently has fourteen motels, four restaurants, three fast food stores, five gas stations, three gas and convenience stores, a fabric store, two grocery stores, two hardware stores, a hospital and clinic, real estate offices, two Indian crafts stores, and a Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum. An elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, three LDS wards and a stake center, a Catholic church, a Baptist church, and the county courthouse and jail are available to serve community residents.
See: Arthur Bruhn, Your Guide to Southern Utah's Land of Color (1952); Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Golden Nuggets of Pioneer Days (1945); University of Utah Center for Economic Development, Garfield County and Economics Profile (1967).
Dorothy W. Houston
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Article 1 of 1
TRAVEL POSTCARD FROM PANGUITCH, UTAH
Date: December 1, 2002 

Travelers along U.S. 89 who drive through Panguitch -- Garfield County's largest town -- on their way to Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon or Zion might have wondered about the city's unusual name. Dorothy Houston, who wrote the section on Panguitch for the Utah History Encyclopedia,


said the town was originally called Fairview but was later changed Panguitch. That is a American Indian word meaning "Big Fish" and refers to nearby Panguitch...Author: Compiled by Tom Wharton The Salt Lake Tribune  
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Birth: Feb. 4, 1917
Bloomington
Bear Lake County
Idaho, USA
Death: Dec. 3, 2009
Panguitch
Garfield County
Utah, USA

Dorothy May Ward Houston, 92, of Panguitch, passed away on December 4, 2009.


She was born February 4, 1917 in Bloomington, Idaho to John Mahonri and Ida May Patterson Ward.


She married Dee Fred Houston Sr. on October 29, 1941 in the Salt Lake Temple. He preceded her in death.


Dort (her Bear Lake nickname) never lost her love for Bear Lake, Idaho where she grew up and was her father's helper on the farm. She grew up with 186 first cousins who stayed close until their deaths.


She attended BYU, taught school in Bloomington, and then moved to Panguitch as a teacher. She graduated from BYU then continued her education almost yearly, but enrolled only in those classes which interested her.


Dorothy loved teaching all children, but especially teaching her family of boys in Cub Scouts, Scouts, 4-H, or any of the activities in which they were interested.


She was even called by her bishop to be the North Ward Scout Master for a short period of time. All her boys were Eagle Scouts and most of her grandsons and many Panguitch boys received their Eagles through her influence. She enjoyed painting ceramics and later pictures, playing the piano for herself or her class only and quilting.


Her interests were always with young people. She was involved in Young Women's on the LDS Ward or Stake level for many years. She spent years as a Merit Badge Counselor, and doing road shows.


When Dot (nickname in Panguitch) moved to Panguitch, she adopted Garfield County as her home. She was an avid historian who loved the people and stories of the area. As a member of Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and Business and Professional Women she dedicated a great deal of time to community work.


While helping in her husband's mercantile, she became acquainted with most of the people of Garfield County and was a friend to all. She loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who will remember her as a very, very special Grandma.


She is survived by her sons John Ward (Diane) Houston, Dee Fred (Janet) Houston Jr., James Frank (Jeri Lu) Houston III, David George (Carol) Houston; nineteen grandchildren; thirty-nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband; great-granddaughter, Avery Houston; her parents; her sisters, Donna Ward, Rhea Ward, Maxine (Darrel) White, LaVoyle Sargent.


Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in the Panguitch Stake Center, 100 West 550 South. A viewing will be held on Wednesday evening at the Stake Center from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Thursday morning from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Burial will be in the Panguitch City Cemetery.
Published by the Magleby Mortuary. (bio by:Ryan Curtis)
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1 Comments:

Blogger Dee Ice Hole said...

It really sucks to be an orphan---no matter when that happens to you.

3/10/2011 8:15 AM  

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