Debby and I
had only been married about 5 weeks and You, Randy, and Beverly came to San
Diego and you baptized me into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
on December 29, 1974. What a Great Day. I was in the Navy then, and left on January 1,
1975 for nearly 9 months on a West Pac Cruise. After getting back, I still had
about 3 months left to serve and I remember coming to Mesa and renting a U-Haul
truck to move our things back to San Diego. Debby and I had this beat-up old Datsun
B-210 sedan and we decided to put that car into that truck but we had no
loading dock. You had a couple of 2x12’ and some cinder blocks and out in front
of your house, I got a running start and drove up that make-shift ramp into the
truck. Heavenly father certainly knows those whose need his help.
I got out of
the Navy December 1975, and as soon as the Mesa Temple reopened after
remodeling in January, I got my endowments and Debby and I were sealed for Time
and All Eternity. You were my escort during
the endowment and the witness at our sealing.
I tried to
find work in electronics since that is what I had been doing for 6 years in
Navy, but IBM, Motorola, Honeywell were not hiring, so Jeff figured out a way
to let me come to work for him as a laborer on his framing crew. You have to
understand the times. I made $3.50/hr, Randy and Doyle Shumway made $5.00/hr,
and Jeff (the crew boss and the one with the license) made only $7.50/hr. We
could frame out a 900 to 1,000 square foot block house in 10 hours. Jeff always
thought it was best if everyone knew each other’s job, so he spent extra time
teaching each of us how to layout, build fur down, cut studs to proper length.
I have always been grateful for those skills because they have come in handy over
the years feeding my family.
I wanted to
attend MCC at night and I asked you about work hours. It will be fine you said.
We will get off at 1 -2 pm since we started at 5am, so I could go home, shower,
study, and prepare for class. I can’t tell you how many times I showed up to
class in my work clothes, because I don’t think we ever got off until before
5pm. I have never known a man that works harder than you. But at those wages,
we made money by spending long hours at work. Now days, most carpenters don’t
know how to swing a hammer, they use nail guns, and a crane to set trusses. Who
needs a crane when you have 4 crazy guys on the job site. We would push up the
gable end, which was already sided, to you. I think you were hanging from a sky
hook. After we got it braced, Randy and Doyle would climb up and walk the
outside walls carrying or dragging the trusses that I had handed up and you rode
the center making sure they stayed on 2 foot centers. It was hard but very
honest work.
Remember the
time we took your old ’64 or ’65 Chevy truck to Queen Creek to get the left
over potatoes from the digging machines. We loaded that truck and had it
sitting on the axles. We couldn’t have eaten that many potatoes in a life time.
Debby and I
were Summer Birds for several years while I was at Texas A&M. You always
put me to work framing. One summer, Randy, Steve Wiltbank, and I went up to
Snowflake to frame Jim Ballard’s house and we stayed over near Springerville in
a cabin on land owned by Steve’s father. You had come up to visit make sure
everything was going well, and you stayed in the cabin with and one night a
mouse ran across the floor. What a sight! Randy jumped up on the bed and was
throwing his boots at the mouse when he came out from behind something. You
were jumping up and down trying to hit the mouse with your boot. I was laughing
so hard just watching. These two grown men actually seemed afraid of a mouse.
Later that night, Steve came over and we went spot-lighting elk. We spotted a group
of bachelor bulls and you and Randy ran down in the meadow chasing the elk.
What an oxymoron. They’ll chase an elk but run from a mouse.
When Debby
and I came back from Texas in 1983, I started framing for you again, but this
time I was the crew boss of your scouts and the young men in your ward. They
were the best crew I have ever worked with. I always admired the way you
provided ways for your young men to afford their Super Activities. You even taught them to how to install tile
roofing. If they wanted and showed
interest, you provided the means and encouragement for all of them to become
Eagle Scouts. It wasn’t just the kids. I
don’t think any of the widows or elderly couples in your ward ever needed
anything. They only had to call you and if you couldn’t do it, you would call
in a marker on someone that owed you something to get the problem resolved. I
have never known anyone that is more caring and concerned about the welfare of
other than you. I can truly testify that this world would be a lot better off
if there were more people like you Jeff. It has certainly
been an honor for me to be associated with you and I would be more than willing
to write your next resume.
Love you, Jeff.
Bill Tindall
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