Life History of DuWayne G. Squire - Scouting and Other Church Callings

Everything progressed very well in the job with Bish’s Sheet Metal, and Bish seemed to be pleased with my efforts. In fact, he gave me a $500 bonus at Christmas time. I was overwhelmed since I had never had a bonus given to me before. We lived in our home nearly devoid of furniture; at least we had none in the living room. We didn’t have drapes, and so Helen put up sheets in the windows. When Bishop Edgar Barton, Glen Gold, and Walt Gadd, our new bishopric, visited us, they sat on the hearth and we brought in some chairs from the kitchen. We enjoyed the Bountiful 3rd Ward, and I was soon made the Elders Quorum secretary. Later, they began to add on to our chapel because of the influx of people moving into its boundaries and they made me the project clerk. I paid all the bills for purchases of materials, made out the payroll, and paid the payroll taxes, etc. When that project was finished, I was called to be ward clerk under Bishop Norman Bowen and later under Bishop Joseph Cutler and again under Bishop Jack Bangerter. In all, I served as ward clerk under seven bishops. I also had two or three stints as the Aaronic Priesthood general secretary and as secretary of the adult Aaronic Priesthood. I served as Scoutmaster for about five plus years when the enrollment was 30 to 35 scouts. That had to be one of the hardest and yet most rewarding calls I have ever had. The scouts really put me through the refiner’s fire. For the three or four years prior to my calling as Scoutmaster, they hadn’t done anything in scouting except play games in the cultural hall. I was charged to get them going on scouting, and that was met with much weeping and wailing. Sometimes I was the one doing the wailing, and it would have been very easy to quit.

We plodded through the first couple of years but slowly a change came about and in the last three years we had a good troop and had some record breaking successes in the number of rank advancements and Eagle Scouts. In fact, the Davis County Clipper published an article on the Bountiful Troop 218 setting a badge record as follows:

Eighteen Boy Scouts of Troop 218 set a new Lake Shore District record when they gathered up 84 merit badges at their Court of Honor this week. In addition, the troop of 35 members received an Eagle award and 14 other rank advancements. The troop is sponsored by the Bountiful 24th Ward. DuWayne G. Squire is Scoutmaster.

Mr. Squire credited “a very good troop committee and two very able assistant Scoutmasters” for the success of the troop’s advancement program.

Glenn B. Goodrich, Bountiful Stake Scout Leader, said that all nine troops in the stake are high in achievement. “About 95 percent of the boys and leaders are in uniform” he noted.

While serving as Scoutmaster we had many great scout camping trips to such places as The Teton Camp up in Idaho. Another camp was up in Pinedale, Wyoming. In Utah, we went to the North Fork of the Bear and to Steiner Camp in the Uintah’s, and to many wilderness camps. We also enjoyed water skiing trips to Bear Lake, Flaming Gorge, Lake Powell, East Canyon, Echo Reservoir, Rockport, and several other places.

Many of the Scouts learned to love outdoor cooking and some became rather proficient. Harold and Ruth Yancey lived in our ward at the time and had their son, John in our troop. After one of our camps in the Uintah wilderness, Ruth asked me if I would teach her how to cook my famous Goulash. She said John can’t stop talking about how wonderful it was. She said that he tried to tell her all of the ingredients and she has cooked them and he said they were not anywhere near as good as when I cooked it. I told her the main ingredients were potatoes and onions. To that I add whatever I have available, such as eggs, hamburger or wieners, bacon, etc. Ruth said, “I have used those ingredients and the kids turn up their noses at it.” I told her, “You are leaving out the most important ingredient—that is, you must take them up in the mountains and let them run all day long, then serve them the goulash and they will love it! In fact, I believe they would love about anything you would put before them.”

To finish out my callings in the Church while in Bountiful, I was called as Bishop Dean Chipman’s second counselor (in the Bountiful 24th Ward) and served there for about five and one-half years and was then called to be the bishop for the next five and one-half years. Following that, I was the Priest Quorum instructor for about three years. I was then called as the high priests group leader for the next three years. Currently, I am teaching the sixteen-year-olds in Sunday School.

I had a great experience while serving as the bishop. I was truly blessed with great men assisting me in the bishopric. Ralph Wilcox and Val Randall served as my counselors. J. David Hepworth, Charles G. Miller, and Edward D. Cox served as our ward clerks. William R. Nutter served as our executive secretary. All of these brethren served with me the full five and one-half year term. That may be some kind of a record.

We called Shirley K. Van Wagenen as the Relief Society president and she too served the full term with us. What a beautiful person, and such a great spirit. Shirley really took a big load from my shoulders.

While we were serving as the bishopric, the Church went through several major changes. The Young Men and Young Women’s MIA program was changed two or three times to combat Satan’s running rampant with the youth. We had the hippie movement, the youth rebellion against parents and against all authority, the free love and sex movement coupled with heavy doses of pornography and, finally, the drug culture.

The last major change inaugurated during our term was the block meeting schedule. This was designed to meet the needs of the members of the Church more fully throughout the world and to better utilize the Church facilities in rapidly growing areas. This change really helped those who had to travel great distances to attend their meetings. Prior to this change, families often had to travel to the ward chapel several times a week to attend such meetings as Primary, MIA, Relief Society, priesthood, Sunday School, and sacrament meetings. Under the block meeting schedule, travel was cut to once a week for most families.

While serving as bishop, I performed 20 marriages of which 8 later went through the temple, I had the privilege of calling 33 young men and women to serve on missions (I should say that I recommended them for missions, since the Lord is the one that called them to serve), I conducted and spoke at 14 funerals and spoke at 4 funerals outside the ward. I had several other opportunities to perform marriages and to conduct funerals after my release as bishop of the ward. In these cases, I talked them into going to the acting bishop who currently had the stewardship.

Serving as bishop gave me opportunity to make many eternal friendships and has heightened my love and respect for my brothers and sisters in the gospel. The only sad part of the calling was concerning those with whom I counseled who could not overcome their sins. We held six bishop’s courts resulting in three excommunications from the Church. I am only aware of one of the six who repented and really benefitted from the court.

Since I feel I gave my calling and stewardship as bishop my best effort based on my knowledge and experience at the time, I feel no remorse for my efforts and would only thank the Lord for the great experience.

I have digressed a long way from the time we moved to Bountiful. I might add that our move to Bountiful has been a good move for our whole family. Bish has, for the most part, treated me very well with bonuses nearly every year and a fair salary for most years. If I had it to do over, I would probably have taken a job with the government or some large corporation where the benefits were better and where they funded a retirement program. Who knows, maybe I am better off where I am presently.

One thing is for sure, I cannot complain about my life thus far. The best thing that I ever did was marry Helen. That has brought about the next best thing—the beautiful children Helen has brought into my life.

Left to Right: Back Row: Brad, DuWayne, MJ, Kim
Middle Row: Helen, Verlynn
Front Row: Cyndee, Melodee, Sheralee