It is true, Norma Fereday Hannifin Sherwood is still tapping her left foot to good music and stays healthy as a fiddle-or a violin, which is her love of life, even at 106 years old. I attended her birthday party yesterday, but I found the interview tiring....not for her, but for this 68 year old timer. Her friends average about 95 years old and when I started to ask questions, I couldn't keep track of who was doing what when they first met Norma. I think it was her friend-Vera Paxman, who said she was teaching school in Orem when she first met Norma. It was quite a day, as it was Pearl Harbor day of Dec. 7, 1941. When many of the others heard that, they all started to chime in and I couldn't keep up with the notes. I remember Vera as Mrs. Vaughn Paxman, and she gleefully announced she was just a youngin at the party, being only 96. Then piped in Norma's sister in law-Zelma Memmott. When I thought people didn't normally like their in laws, she grabbed Norma's hand and you could see fool proof love for each other. I got side trapped trying to figure out which Nephi Memmott she was from, and she settled that when she spoke of Heber and Maurice Memmott. Now back to Norma. She is from the Fereday family who helped settle Piute County after parts of the Mormon Battalion were returning from the war with Mexico. Norma's first marriage produced two of the most beautiful daughters that anybody could ever ask for. That was Sheree and Diane. Diane teamed up with a Juab County Brough lad and Norma has a slew of family to visit. Norma gave me permission to make a copy of a couple of her photographs. Both of those beautiful daughters have now passed away, one from a tragic incident during surgery and the other with a painful cancer. Norma has lived in Piute County then in Fillmore, then her beautiful smile shined even greater when she teamed up with a young upstart from Levan, Utah. She married Elden Sherwood on July 2, 1957, and he brought in two sons to the marriage-Neil and Wesley. Elden was a happy camper to see Wesley follow up a career in law enforcement, but Wesley too has since passed. Norma and Elden was a great high class team. Elden retired as a big shot in the Utah High Highway patrol and became the Nephi Mayor, but also in the Ute Stampede Committee, high roller with the Boy Scouts then assisted Channel Two news as a weather observer. Norma followed in the same work and service being a reporter. She didn't want to talk about the times she worked for "those Salt Lake papers" but smiled at the times she was a Times News reporter. She has played the violin at so many funerals she couldn't keep track and even joined a traveling music group. Some folks knew Norma's husband as Elden, but if you ever got a speeding ticket from him, his name was E.C. Sherwood, or so one of my brothers may have told me. If my mobile scanner comes through, one photo should be of the exquisite daughters; another of a man holding a potato. If the writing doesn't come through, the top shows "This Lowly Potato Air-minded", while the bottom shows "Here's a Hot Potato, A La Piute County. Roy Fereday shows airplane-shaped spud. It doesn't look like a Mona Red or Levan Mangelson spud, but fun to consider. Another photo shows some of the family of daughter Diane. A note on the front identifies some of them, which include Chad and Lisa Brough; Mckayla Brough; Jason, Raquel Brough; Casey; Kade Brough-Camee; Nicole Brough; Austin; Kelton Brough Parker Brough. I recognize Chad as he is a frequent visitor to Norma, and I recognize Diane, who lovingly has her hand on Norma. I will also try to put on a photo from yesterdays party showing Thelma Memmott and Vera Paxman. The final picture is my version of the secret of living a quality life. That is the pristine water from Mt. Nebo. It is too bad we can't keep all the water that submerges in the deep aquifers. That water is thought to drain down to the Juab County border by Nevada, where Las Vegas money mongers are attempting to take it. Funny thing, as all the time I have been in Las Vegas, I have never seen any body drink water there.
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