Do you remember Bill Stowell of Nephi from fifty years ago. I recalled his life and times when I read of the passing of his daughter-Betty Stowell Seppi.

First comes the history lesson. After Brigham Young and his vanguard of Mormons arrived in Salt Lake in 1847, he directed leaders to search out all geographical areas for potential settlements. Part of that area was explored 200 miles south of the present Mexico border. After President Young died, John Taylor became the leader and in 1885, on behalf of the LDS Church, purchased 100,000 acers of land in the Juarez, Mexico area. The heat was on the Mormons for their belief in polygamy, and the United States government wanted to prosecute them for it. After the land purchase, many of the faithful members were directed to re-locate in that area, including people from Nephi. Many LDS leaders felt the land in the Sierra Madre Mountains was an important link in ancient Mormon history and now they have an LDS Temple there. The Stowell family was some of those that moved there, and they thought it was pretty special when William Clarence Stowell was born in 1895. Later on in 1912, many of the Saints returned to Utah, because of the Mexican Revolution. Many a distinguished person was born there, however, including the names of Kimball, Pratt and Romney. Bill Stowell had seven brothers and sisters and 13 half brothers and sisters. He married one of the Nephi Jones girls-Desma, and they lived in the Edward Jones home which still stands on the west side of Main at about 4 and a third blocks north of the old holler. Bill and Desma were the proud parents of Faye, Betty, Roger, Steven, Marilyn and Richard. During the 1950's and 60's we would often see Bill driving that old pick up truck, which was loaded with scrap iron and spray containers, having his shop just below where the old Juab County Jail is in Nephi. Until the day he passed away at 87, he always had a smile and twinkle in his eye, but never did you see a more hard worker than Bill Stowell. As can be noted in the obituary of Betty, she too had an outstanding life. Nephi can be proud of all the Stowell family.