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Children of Joseph and Leona (Bigelow) Scovill:
16167.34B41 Christopher Duane Scovill, b 03 June 1934 Price Carbon co, UT; d 26 May 1952; (see below)
16167.34B42 Jolene, b (private); d ____ ; m Donald Carey Winters; 2 children;
16167.34B43 Lyle "A", b (private); d ____ ; m Marguerite George-Ann Kaufman; 2 children;
16167.34B44 Loyd "E", b (private); d ____ ; m Mary Carolyn Stewart; 1 child;
16167.34B35 Gary Jo, b (private); d ____ ; m Terri Ellen Tilton; 1 child;
16167.34B36 Van Ray, b (private); d ____ ; m Denise Johnson; 1 child;
Sources:
The Bigelow Family Genealogy, Volume II, page 470-471 child;
Book of Rememberance, Bigelow Family, Descendants of Asa Elijah and
Moroni Bigelow;
HISTORY: Christopher Duane
was born 03 June 1934 in Price, Carbon Co., Utah at the Cottage Apartments.
The first child of Joseph Alma and Leona May (Bigelow) Scovill. He
was born on a Sunday morning with Dr. MacLaughlin, Nurse Pinnegar, Aunt Lue
Davis, Grandmother May (Gentry) Bigelow, Father, Alma and Mother, Leona all
attending.
When we went home from Price to Green River, with Duane, we
went to the farm and Grandfather, [Asa] Elijah Bigelow met us at the car
singing, "Oh, we'll kill the old red rooster when he comes." Sure enough
he had a luscious chicken dinner ready for us.
Grandfather Bigelow gave him his name and blessing when he
was five weeks old with many of his relatives attending. When he was
five months old he had a fever and the wind was blowing and daddy was at work,
mother didn't want to take him out in the wind so she waited and worried
and the next day he had his first tooth. His mother was at the store
one day when he was eight months old. When she came home his daddy
said, "Duane walked!" We had linoleum on the living room floor, Duane
had his first hard soled shoes. His dad had left Duane standing by
the couch as he left the room. He heard pitty-pat-tap-tap steps and
turned to see Duane walking after him. He walked from then on and when
he was ten months old was walking even on the rough ground in our back yard
out to the city jail and all over.
When Duane was born his parents lived in the "old Hatch home"
(Belva Bennett's parents) which was north of the Old Metropole Hotel (later
managed by his grandparents Bigelow). Duane had a little cousin, Beverly
Bigelow living next door to us and at this time they started being very
good friends. When he was about seven months old we moved to the Howlett
property by the railroad, where he celebrated his first birthday.
About a year or more later the Albert Allen's bought this property so we
moved to a Politano house north of the "old folks Politano home." When
Duane was past two years old, Mace Brown and his wife bought a home.
He had us move into the section forman's railroad house. Duane's dad
was working on the section gang for Mr. Brown at this time. Duane's
little sister Jolene was born here. Duane and Beverly played a lot
together and became extra good friends. When Jolene was almost four
months old and Duane was three years and almost eight months old, Mace Brown
retired from the railroad, and the new section foreman had to have his house,
so the Scovill's moved to the old Marsing house. They were living here
when Alma's youngest brother, Van became ill with Rocky Mountain Spotted
Fever and, not fully recovdred from a serious heart condition, he died.
Scovill's lived in the Marsing house until they bought their own home.
Duane enjoyed his Grandmother Bigelow as did his cousin Beverly and those
three seemed often together becoming ever closer friends.
Duane's parents had bought their home from the state, left
by a wooden legged man named Jones, who had no heirs. Theirs was the
highest bid. They borrowed the money from W. F. Asinuss to pay for their
home. It had been rented for years and was in a rundown condition, but
was better than any place they had lived and was one of the better homes in
Green River at that time and was almost perfect after minor repairs.
Duane's daddy took a real interst in yard work and the yards also became beautiful.
We loved our new home with plenty of room to play, big lawn, and a nice large
garden spot with corrals for the cows and space for chickens and pigs.
Duane had turned six in June so he started to school the fall
we moved to our new home. Jolene had her second birthday a few weeks
after we moved. Duane had a room of his own upstairs and would happily
tell us goodnight and go up to bed alone.
After Beverly moved to Ely, Nevada with her family, Grandma
Bigelow would take Duane with her to visit when she could go and Beverly
would come to Green River so they remained close friends.
Duane loved and helped care for his little sister, Jolene
and they were close friends until Jolene started to school then she wasn't
too interested in big brother until she got in junior high, then she
and Duane were close friends again.
Some of Duane's closest friends, beside Beverly, were his Scovill
cousins from Orangeville where we often visited. They were, LaDue, David,
Harold and Easton. He did also have friends in school and all over
town as he made friends of all ages from tiny children to old people.
Bert Loper once told Duane's father that he enjoyed talking with him as much
as with any man and Dr. King's wife who worked as a nurse, said he was really
a super boy.
Duane worked on many projects, found many good things to do,
as he grew up. He loved to work for his Uncle John on the farm.
He found fun in all work and play. He loved horses, loved to swim,
loved his camera and became a movie projector operator. Working for
Webb's at the town theater. Also, while in high school, after the doctor
wouldn't let him play basketball because of a hernia, he operated the school
projector for the high school. He started working for his dad in the
service station when he was about 14 years old. He helped take care
of the garden and did yard work and housework for his family. He loved
family and made a special litte friend of his brother, Gary Jo, who slept
with him and even went in the car with him with girls and Duane called him
"his mascot." His parents also went with him. Sometimes he would
have a girl and come and pick them up in his car and ask his dad to be his
chauffer, his mother to be his chaparone, and Gary Jo to be his mascot and
he'd get in the back with his girl. He had a wonderful sense of humor
and laughed at all these unusual things he did. He wasn't eighteen
yet, so often when he went to Moab to do what his parents called "chasing
girls," he asked his parents to go along. We would invite another couple
and go to Moab to a dance or something. Duane would usually take another
boy and they would go "girl chasing," picking us up later to come home.
His parents went on a trip to Colorado on their 17th wedding anniversary.
Duane ran the station and he told everyone they were on their honeymoon.
Since then, his parents go every year on a honeymoon.
Duane was active in high school being the Student Body President,
Editor of the year book, went to Boys State, and operated the school's movie
projector for their school movies, etc. He took pictures, was in the
Photography Club, worked with the school nurses, was in school plays or
else helped wtih the lighting, etc. He graduated from Green River
High School in1952 with high honors and had a scholarship to Brigham Young
University.
A classsmate of his, Pearl Eklund, had introduced him months
earlier to a fellow she was going to marry. His name was Ronald Parry.
Duane had gone home with him to Manti where his father had taken them boating
etc. They were often together.
Duane's mother whose health had been especially bad for a
few months went to Hot Springs, New Mexico with her mother, May, her brother,
Levon and her Aunt Lillian Ewell. Leona was a few weeks pregnant and
developed a blood clot in her leg at this time. They brought her home
where she stayed one night, then was taken to the Price Hospital for a few
weeks with Phlebitis Thrombosis. Duane graduated from high school
while she was there. She came home the 24th of May, about a week after
Duane graduated.
Duane's friends, Ronald and Pearl were to be married in early
June, and Ronald must be ordained an Elder to be able to take Pearl to the
Temple for their marriage. He asked Duane to go with him Friday, May
23rd, for his ordination. He stopped and saw his mother on his way.
It was early Sunday afternooon when they came home, so Duane suggest stopping
in Ferron to pick up his girl, LaRayn, then coming to Green River to get
Pearl. They had car traouble in Ronald's old car. They finally
got to Green River to work on the car. It began to get quite late in
the evening, so Duane asked his dad if he could take his car if they didn't
get Ronald's generator fixed for his car. His dad told him he'd drive
them over to Ferron. They did get their car fixed. His mother
hated to see him leave so late knowing it would be after midnight before
they could get back. I guess mother looked extra worried and reluctant
to let him go because he looked back from the bedroom door, hecame back and
kissed her again.
It was as was always true, a restless night until all the
children were home. A little after one o'clock a.m., Leona awakened
and felt something touch her heart and something flow in her veins all over
her body, making her feel weak, yet calm,and she knew immortal spirits were
in the room with her, about seven of them. She didn't question or even
think who. She just felt calm and waiting almost in a dream.
She didn't even jump when the phone rang shrilly and Alma answered and Grandmother
May, whom Leona had heard fitfully stirring, jumped up and came in and asked
if Duane was alright. The call was from a truck driver needing gas
to go get another load of ore. Alma went to the service station, and
Leona stayed in the same calm state, not nervous or worrying about Duane
or anything. Sometime later, she heard someone come in the door and
as they went to come in the bedroom, even befofe she saw them, she said,
"Oh, no." She already knew Duane was dead, but not in the horror and
reality of life that she knew she would know now. While Alma was at
the station, Sheriff Jess Powell, who had been called about Duane's accident
and death, had gone to pick up Uncle John and Aunt Twila to come tell Alma
at the station, and were now telling mother Leona and grandmother May.
At his services, where he had been dressed in his graduation
clothes at this mother's request, all his classmaates dressed in their graduation
clothes. They formed two lines as the family entered. A very beautiful
sight for his mother to hold close in memory to help ease the pain of not
having seen him granduate. - - - -
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