Meandering Memories from Martin
In late May of 1975, we moved from St. Johns, Arizona, to South Dakota to live in the home Sam had once lived with his family on the farm, with Sam exchanging his teaching and coaching at St. Johns High School for farming and ranching in Bennett County.
During our time living at the farm, Sam served as the Martin branch president for many, many years.
In those early years, at various times we met in the fire station, in the Senior Citizen building on Main Street, in the home of Gordon and Cherry Wilcox, in our home at the farm, and even for a time in a trailer house the church moved to Martin.
When Gordon Wilcox was called as the district president of the Pine Ridge district, Sam was his counselor along with Tom Eliason from Gregory; and we traveled 45 miles to Pine Ridge each Sunday for church. We were in the Rapid City Stake at that time. Sam was called as a stake high counselor in the Rapid City Stake (about 1976).
Gordon and Cherry Wilcox family (2021)
Gordon and Cherry now live in Kaysville, Utah
In 1977 or 1978, Martin became part of the Pine Ridge district with Galen Bush as president and Sam Ireland and Brother Spurling as his counselors. The district included Pine Ridge, Chadron, Alliance, Gordon, Martin, Rosebud, Valentine, O'Neill, and White River.
Galen Busch at the farm pheasant hunting with Sam, Seth, Weston, Brent & Tauna's exchange student, grandson Sam, & Brent (2018)
Galen Busch - a dear friend who has now moved on to his Heavenly Home.
Next, Martin became part of the Rosebud district. Sam was called to be the district president of the Rosebud district and had as his counselors Carl Waln from Parmalee (wife Marilyn) and John Sims (wife Melody), with Galen Busch as the district clerk. Carl Waln later was called to be the Rosebud district president after serving as Sam's counselor.
Boyd Powell was the branch president of the Rosebud branch at the time Rosebud became part of the Pierre district. As time went on, we were sad to see changes in Boyd that included seeming to have unorthodox beliefs related to Native Americans and the Church, divorcing his wife Dee, and marrying a former high school friend and actually wanting Dee to let him and his new wife move into the home in Valentine while Dee was still living there. (Dee moved to Utah; she passed away January 2023. Boyd and Jackie moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado.)
My church callings during those years in Martin included teaching Primary and Mutual, much of the time in our home and at other times in the Wilcox's home or at the church in Rosebud. I served with Patti Busch in the district Primary in Pine Ridge. Then when we became part of the Rosebud branch, I was called to be the branch Primary president.
My
Galen, Chloe, Patti, and Kendra (2014)
(Patti has joined Galen in their Heavenly Home.)
When we returned to South Dakota following our mission, we were asked to be part of the Rosebud branch, which we were until moving to Utah. In Rosebud, I served as the Primary president as well as teaching a class in the junior Primary.
Beth also served in the Primary in Martin and at Rosebud.
My Primary class in Rosebud(Brian & Jennifer Gilson's daughter, Roger & Michelle Allen's son, and two sons in a family living in Rosebud while their dad worked as a pharmacist for the government paying off debt as an employee in a "distressed area," as was Brian Gilson.)
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When the districts were reorganized and Martin became part of the Rosebud district, I was called to be district Relief Society president; and Patti Busch and Roberta Rasmussen were my counselors with Deborah Tehrani as the secretary.
(Debbie now lives in Midway, Utah. We also like Dave who lives in Valentine, Nebraska, and are sorry their marriage apparently has not lasted. Dave tried for awhile rotating between Valentine where he has an auto dealership and coming to Midway where he didn't feel "at home." The last time we saw Dave was at Katie's wedding reception in Utah. Dave spent one summer with us before he went on his mission years ago when his father, a Muslim, was upset with him. On one of Dave's trips to Utah, he came with us.
Roberta Rasmussen with her family.
She has since divorced her husband, who in Martin had been the manager of the Bennett Co-op. Their children are Teresa West, Jenny Cruz, Quinn Rasmussen, and Kira Brown.
Then when the district was reorganized and we became part of the Pierre district, I was called to be the Pierre district Relief Society president, and Darlene Olson and Phyllis Rogers were my counselors with Lorene Derflinger as the secretary.
Darlene Olson, Phyllis Rogers, Narene Ireland, Lorene Derflinger
For most of those years living in South Dakota, our family met in our home for church; but there were short periods of time when we had other members meet with us. These are some of the names of families who were part of the Martin branch at one time or another: Gordon & Cherry Wilcox, Red & Eleanor Wallingford, Dave & Chris Howell (seminary teacher), Bob & Phyllis Rogers, Paul Scoresby (taught our older boys home seminary, as had Bob Rogers), and a young family by the name of Smathers (for a short time).
When we returned from our Europe East Mission in 2009, Roger Allen was the branch president in Rosebud; and we attended the Rosebud branch until moving to Spanish Fork, Utah.
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* A previous post "South Dakota Church-Related Memories" also has information about our church experiences in Martin.
A photo we took in November 2008 of the famous aqueduct in Segovia, Spain.
