Life History of Thora W. Gubler-Part 2

 The theme for this section of my grandmother's history is fire...

During this time, Ed was on a mission in North Carolina, where he served for twenty-eight months.  We had dated a few times before he left for his mission, and corresponded during that time.  He arrived home in March 1923, and we took up dating again.  We were married in the St. George Temple on my father's birthday, which was 13 September 1923, by President David Cannon, who had married both of our parents. We went on our honeymoon to California where he had employment.  As we were crossing the desert from St. George to Las Vegas, Nevada, we had 17 flat tires.  The tires were so hot that they wouldn't hold a patch.  When we reached Las Vegas, we were able to buy a kit and that ended the tire problems.  We arrived in Bakersfield, California where Ed worked on a hospital and earned $1.00 an hour, which was big wages at that time.  They ran out of money during November, so the job ended and we returned home.  I was the only happy one to be coming back to LaVerkin, but I was so homesick. (We heard that the hospital to this day was never completed.) We came home and lived in the first home his father and mother built, just behind their new home.

On September 14th, 1925, we bought the Fletcher home.  We were so happy to have our own home.  Just before Thanksgiving Ed and I were picking over beans at night in our kitchen, when a big turkey flew through our window, shattering glass everywhere, and landed in our big tub of beans. It took me so by surprise that I let out a scream and nearly frightened Ed to death as I was so near confinement with our first child. Our first child was born on December 1st at 6:00am in our home.  We gave him the name of Lyman "W" Gubler, Ed was so happy to have a boy!  The births and marriages of our children are as follows (I left off complete dates for those still living.) :

Lyman "W" 1 December 1925, married Norene Bringhurst 22 November 1948
Faun, 2 January 1927, married Jack R. Eves 11 May 1944
Ramona, 7 April 1928, married Melvin Linbert Gifford, 6 February 1948
Thell "W" -----, married Elaine Nyborg, 15 July 19--
Helen, 3 May 19--, married DuWayne Gilbert Squire, 10 December 19--
Edward Wilson, 3 December 19--, married Janet LaRae Seegmiller, 22 May 19--
Gail, 30 March 19--, married Boyd Jay Earl 25 Nov 19--

While Ed was working down at the LaVerkin hot springs we had 300 small chickens that I had come home to take care of them.  During the night I was awakened to hear my neighbor, Pearl Webb, calling to LaFell Iverson that Thora's house was on fire. I jumped out of bed and grabbed the three children from their beds and rushed them outside to safety. Then I noticed that it was the outhouse and chicken coup that was on fire.  I took the children back inside then my neighbors and I grabbed water hoses and started putting the fire out.  We were able to save most of the chickens and half of the coup.

One afternoon while Ed was at the church house playing baseball, Lyman and a neighbor boy, Paul Webb, were playing with matches up in the barn, which we had just filled with new hay and straw.  They had made a tunnel back in the hay and were using it as their hideout, knowing no one would catch them playing with the matches that so intrigues young children, when to their dismay the hay caught on fire.  Paul, being three years older than Lyman, sensed the danger and they both scrambled out of the tunnel to safety before the whole barn was consumed in fire.

Ed had gone to the temple with his dad and mother and I was again home alone when fire struck, but this time it was to be our home. I had baked bread earlier and was in sewing on a dress for Helen when a young girl named Essie Aassy called and said, "Thora, your house is on fire!"  All of the children were outside playing except Helen, who was sleeping in the back bedroom.  The fire started in the kitchen, through a faulty electrical wire.  People came rushing from everywhere to give help, but the only things we were able to salvage was the sewing machine, the dress I was working on, all the beds and my piano. (It still carries the charred side where the heat was so fierce.)  Everything else went up in smoke--all our clothes, pictures, dad's books and missionary journals--it was all in ashes at our feet in an hour's time, as it was just a frame home.