Lehi Heritage Day 2020 Honorees

August 27, 2020

Historical Society proudly announces honorees for Lehi Heritage Day 2020

The Lehi Historical Society and Archives and Lehi City are pleased to announce the Lehi Heritage Day honorees for 2020. Every year the two entities combine to honor those who’ve given tremendous service to Lehi.

“Our honorees are among the best people Lehi has to offer,” said Lara Bangerter, director of the historical society. “We are so pleased to have this opportunity to celebrate them and make everyone aware of their many years of great service and goodness.”

This year’s Lehi Heritage Day honorees are:

• Rial V. and Laurel Berry
• Randy and Nancy Blackburn
• Wayne and Loraine Evans Carlton
• Layne and Diane S. Downs
• Jim and Pat Gray
• Lynn M. and Karla J. Nielsen
• Lillian C. Southwick
• Arden and Cheryle Tuckett
• Brent and Valerie Tuckett

 

The honorees have served the community in a myriad of ways, including decades of teaching and leading in our schools; supporting the community with a local business; volunteering in the PTA, Chamber of Commerce, Civic Improvement Association, the Lehi High School Drama Department, LHS Booster Club, Lehi Pep Club, Lehi Dance Set, the Lehi Silver Band and 4-H; and serving on the Lehi City Council and in church and BSA callings as well as in public safely as an EMT, police officer and firefighter.

“They are truly a remarkable group of people,” said Bangerter.

In a normal year, Lehi Heritage Day honorees are celebrated in the newspaper, a Showcase Parade, an Honoree Celebration and with a personal display in the Senior Center along with the historical exhibits, car show, food and fun that make up Heritage Day. However, due to COVID-19 concerns this year, the historical event, which is in its sixth year and usually occurs on Labor Day, is canceled.

For now, this year’s honorees will be recognized in the newspaper, with yard signs and with their own brick in the Walk of Fame Garden in front of the Legacy Center at 123 N. Center.

“It’s one of the best parts of being honored,” said Bangerter. “Each couple or honoree is given their own brick in the Walk of Fame Garden. These bricks stand as a tribute to the great service the honorees have given, and hopefully they will inspire others to do the same. Lehi wouldn’t be what it is today without these good people.”

The honoree bricks will be installed in time for all to see on Labor Day.

Next year, the Lehi Heritage Day 2020 honorees will be honored along with the 2021 honorees in the Showcase Parade, Honoree Celebration and with displays along with the rest of the day’s festivities.

For more information on Lehi Heritage Day, the historical society or the honorees, contact the historical society at 34 E. 100 North, 801-768-1570 or lehihistory.com.

Family, faith, friends and community most important to Rial and Laurel Berry

Rial and Laurel Berry have been a part of Lehi’s great heritage for most of their lives.

Even though Rial was born and raised in Cedar Fort, Lehi was a second home to him in his later school years. Rial’s mother, Sarah Strickland Berry, had him at home in September of 1930. His father, Woodruff L. Berry, was a beloved schoolteacher until his unfortunate passing at age 39, when Rial was just 3.

One of eight children, Rial was expected to work at a very young age to help the family survive. When he was 11, he worked making bricks, many of which are in homes still standing today. At 14, he got a summer job at Deseret Chemical in Tooele. He ended up working there every summer until they hired him full time after graduating from Lehi High School. He worked for Tooele Army Depot until he retired after 39 years.

In school, Rial was involved in FFA. He loved sports, especially football, and played for the Lehi High School team. After practices and games, he and his friend would often sit in Wattie’s Café or Evans Café on Main Street until they could catch a ride with someone traveling to Cedar Fort. As a senior in high school, Rial and his two brothers began farming their dad’s ground in Cedar Valley. He did this until just a couple of years ago.

In September of 1931, Laurel was born to Chester and Georgia Whitman Peterson in the Lehi Hospital on State Street. Her father was a carpenter by trade and helped build the original Lehi Fifth Ward building. In high school, Laurel was involved in the Booster Club and color guard.

In 1950, a year after Laurel graduated, the couple married. They have five children: Leslie, Collette, Rial Kent (who died at 18 months), Rialeen (deceased) and Todd. They have 20 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren.

Rial belonged to the Junior Chamber of Commerce, then called the JC’s Club. It was a national community service organization. Some of Rial’s favorite projects were putting up Christmas lights and decorations on Main Street and participating in the Donkey Rodeo baseball game. It not only entertained many spectators, but the club was able to raise the funds they needed for some of their service projects.

Back then, each organization in the wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put a float in the Lehi Round-Up Week parades. Rial and Laurel had a shop behind their house, making it the perfect spot to build a float. Rial built a float platform that was used for many years by the Lehi 5th Ward. One year they had two floats in the shop, and one took top prize. Laurel and others spent many hours meticulously curling streams of crepe paper to glue on the floats.

Laurel made bread every week. Today, she is known as the “Ice Cream Grandma.” Even at the age of 89, she is still making Neapolitan ice-cream cones for her grandchildren. Laurel worked for Broadbent’s and then Powers Store, which became Reams Boot and Jeans.

Rial and Laurel are devoted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have enjoyed serving diligently in a wide variety of callings. Throughout their lives they have always been concerned about others and have lightened burdens by taking in meals, helping with Christmas, sending encouraging notes and assisting quietly with financial needs.

Their lives are evidence that the most important things to them are family, faith, friends, neighbors and community. The Lehi Historical Society and Archives is delighted to honor this great couple for Lehi Heritage Day 2020.

 

Randy and Nancy Blackburn leave impressive mark as they share passion for art, drama and learning

Whether you know it or not, if you live in or around Lehi, it is likely you’ve been affected by the lives of Randy and/or Nancy Blackburn.

Nancy spent her entire teaching career at Sego Lily Elementary educating, encouraging and bolstering, at minimum, more than 1000 fourth graders.

Randy, probably best known at this moment for the beautiful sets he creates for the Lehi High School Drama Department, has done a wide range of things for the betterment of our community.

Around 2010, Randy got involved at the high school when his son, Adam, volunteered him to help with the sets. Soon, Randy found himself in charge and has been ever since. “It worked out quite well,” said Nancy. Although she retired soon after Randy got involved, she said, she’s happy for him. “My job is to free him up so he can do that.”

Randy was the president of the American Fork Art Board for more than 10 years; he taught community education watercolor classes every Tuesday night for many years; and he volunteered at the American Fork Hospital emergency room every Monday night for some 15 years giving blessings, sitting with the distraught and entertaining children with his box of puppets.

But the list goes on. Around 1995, Randy was hired by Thanksgiving Point. He was the first person to design the structure of the flower beds and gardens. He worked with a crew and loved it. The Blackburn children, Hope and Adam, loved it too as they often got to go with their father to do chores and feed the animals.

After that, another door opened, and Randy was asked to paint the giant murals that can be found at the Polynesian Cultural Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oahu, Hawaii. Randy flew to Hawaii a couple of times a year to work for three to six weeks at a time. “That’s where he learned to love painting things that are huge,” said Nancy. “He thinks that’s fun getting in the lift.” Once again, their children loved it, as well as Nancy, as everyone got to go at least once during this time.

The Blackburns also worked together on the Pageant of the Arts in American Fork for many years. The pageant presented art masterpieces live, on stage with people as well as an adult and child art show.

Randy and Nancy have known each other since they were 15 when they continually found themselves in the same classes—Art, French, Drama and Yearbook—at American Fork High School. They were also in the high school plays together and even found themselves in the same evening community art classes. They married in 1975 in the LDS Provo Temple and settled in Lehi.

Born in 1955 in Pasadina, Tex., to Frank and Carol Richards Nicholes, Nancy came to her family while her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force. She is the second of five sisters and spent most of her childhood in Utah County. She and Randy graduated from AFHS in 1973.

After graduating from Brigham Young University, Nancy was offered a teaching position at Sego Lily Elementary. When she retired in 2012, she was the only person who had ever spent their entire career at the school.

Randy is the son of Wyler and Creta Lindquist Blackburn of Goshen and Price, respectively. He has one sister. Wyler was in the American Fork National Guard and was always volunteering in the community. He often took Randy along with him, developing a lifelong love of service in his son. When Randy was 10, he began taking evening community art classes, often with little old ladies, fostering another lifelong love.

 

Wayne and Loraine Carlton make big difference on city council, Lehi Dance Set and LHS Booster Club

Sustaining a strong heritage and legacy in Lehi has been a key driving force behind the lives of Wayne and Loraine Carlton. Coupled with their deep love, support of and lifelong residency, Wayne and Loraine have never doubted that Lehi is the best place to reside and raise a family.

Wayne is the son of George Albert and Hazel Porter Carlton, who moved their family in 1943 from Draper to Lehi to live on Trinnaman Lane. Loraine is the daughter of Dean and Irene Binns Evans of Lehi. Her ancestry traces back to Bishop David Evans, Loraine’s third great-grandfather and the first bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lehi.

Both Wayne and Loraine attended Lehi Grammar School, which was located where the Legacy Center, 123 N. Center, is today. Loraine was a member of the first sixth grade class to move into the newly constructed Lehi Elementary School in 1951. Wayne, a 1956 Lehi High School graduate, and Loraine, a 1959 LHS graduate, often reminisce about their high school days and classmates.

Wayne and Loraine married on Apr. 14, 1961, in the Salt Lake City Temple. Their first residence after marriage was in American Fork in the home of Loraine’s grandmother. After living there eight years, they built a new home in Lehi. In 1969, they moved again—this time next to Wayne’s parents on Trinnaman Lane. They have lived there ever since.

Throughout the years, Wayne and Loraine provided all kinds of community service, making a difference in the history and lifestyle of the Lehi we all enjoy today. They were members of Lehi Dance Set for several years and officers in 1971. Beginning in 1948, Lehi Dance Set was made up of married couples from the LDS Lehi Stake. They met bi-monthly for dinner dances, guest nights and invitational dances, all planned by the group. It disbanded in 1975 due to a lack of membership.

Wayne and Loraine were members of the Lehi High School Booster Club for many years. Both enjoyed their time serving others in the community and have been long time supporters of Round-Up Days and city celebrations. They built several floats for the Miniature Parade in their garage and helped with many others.

Wayne served on both the Planning and Zoning Committee and the Parks and Trails Committee for Lehi City. This experience propelled Wayne into running for Lehi City Council, where he was elected for 2 ½ terms between 1982 and 1995. His responsibilities included overseeing the Power Department and Lehi City Cemetery. Notable city improvements that occurred during his tenure include the citywide pressurized irrigation system, moving and saving the historic Utah Southern Railroad Depot at 225 E. State St., the creation of entrance parks at the north and east entrances of Lehi and construction of the current Lehi City Hall building. During that time, Micron also came to Lehi, and Thanksgiving Point began construction.

Additionally, Wayne served on the Cyprus Federal Credit Union’s Supervisory Committee and Board of Trustees for a total of 39 years. The couple served at the LDS Mount Timpanogos Temple for six years and as Guest Service missionaries at LDS Conference Center for five years.

The couple has four children: Troy (Helen) Carlton, Ann (Jeff) McAllister, Sharee (Jeff) Hills and Mike (Hollie) Carlton. All reside in Lehi. They have 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

 

From river running to running rodeos, Layne and Diane Downs enjoy serving

Layne and Diane S. Downs love the Lehi community, and it shows in the myriad of ways they’ve chosen to serve.

For more than eight years while their children were in school, Layne and Diane served on the Lehi Booster Club. They worked in concessions, did breakfast for the wrestling team and took tickets for activities. They were true purple Pioneer fans who supported every school activity.

Diane served many years in the PTA, including a term as Legislative VP for the Utah PTA. She volunteered in the schools and subbed when she could. Layne also enjoyed subbing for the Lehi High School FFA with the agricultural and shop classes.

The son of LaVere and Virginia Tripp Downs, Layne was born and raised in Lehi. He has always been part of the LHS rodeo program as his dad was one of the original organizers and was highly involved for many decades. As a youth, Layne competed in high school bull riding and some steer wrestling. After high school, he competed professionally for a few years. Over the years, he and Diane have spent countless hours assisting LaVere with ticketing, gates and so forth at high school rodeo events. For more than 20 years, Layne and his father took tickets and helped with the Utah High School Rodeo Finals in Heber.

The daughter of Lloyd and Emily Ennis Stone, Diane was born and raised in Draper and is a former Miss Draper. She and Layne met at a rodeo in Evanston, Wyo., where Layne was participant and Diane was spectator. The couple married in 1975 in the Salt Lake City Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Layne has been part of the Lehi Civic Improvement Association, working on the Rodeo Committee, for more than 20 years. He and Diane enjoy taking their children and grandchildren to all of the rodeo celebration events. Some of their fondest Round-Up memories include the horse parade, hearing the cannon go off to know it is time to go to breakfast, being part of the parade and now watching it and all of the activities in the park. Both Layne and Diane served on the Round-Up Week parade committee for more than 10 years.

Collecting old cars is one of Layne’s great loves. For several years now, he has happily donated them to the Lehi Heritage Day honorees to ride in during the Showcase Parade. He enjoys driving the nominees as well as displaying the historic American flags that his father and son, Cody, have collected over the years.

Both Layne and Diane own/owned their own businesses. Layne works as a water broker while Diane had a Copyrama in American Fork and Lindon until she sold them in the late 1990s. Diane served as the president of the American Fork Chamber of Commerce.

Layne and Diane have served in a variety of callings in their church community. Both in ward and stake, they have served in leadership positions in the scouting program as well as in the Young Men, Young Women and Primary organizations. They have planned fundraisers to help their local wards and parties where they fed hundreds. They have also enjoyed taking youth of their stakes and others on spiritual growth trips where they’ve been river running inside and out of Utah.

The Downs have six children: Lee, Brad and Cory Adamson-Downs and Cristal, Cody and Nicole Downs. They have 18 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The couple has lived in Lehi for the last 44 years.

Layne and Diane Downs have done so much for our community. The Lehi Historical Society and Archives and Lehi City thanks them for their much-appreciated service.

 

Jim and Pat Gray enrich the lives, and tummies, of Lehi youth

From Lehi Junior High School principal and community movie coordinator to 4H leader and float maker, Jim and Pat Gray have always loved making Lehi a great place to live

Like many Lehi residents, Jim and Pat worked on many floats, making pom poms in the basement of their home, for the Lehi Round-Up Parade. They also flipped burgers, took tickets and cleaned the grounds after the rodeo.

But what many will know Jim best for was his career. After teaching Seminary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vernal, American Fork and Salt Lake City for a total of five years, Jim became a counselor at Lehi Junior High for nine years and then principal for another nine. After that, he was a principal for Geneva, Aspen, Lehi and Cedar Valley elementary schools for a total of 33 years as an educator. He was proud to work for the Alpine School District and was responsible for helping many Lehi citizens obtain positions with the district upon his recommendation.

When school was out for the summer months, Jim worked for the Lehi Parks and Recreation Department, preparing the Lehi City baseball fields for summer leagues. He also organized and coordinated weekly afternoon movies in the Junior High School auditorium, offering Lehi citizens classic movies for 50 cents. For several summers he also drove Lehi youth to and from the old Saratoga Resort on a city bus.

Jim was called to be the bishop of the first Single Adult Ward in Lehi. He had a gift for helping people and touched the lives of many with his happy, optimistic attitude. Jim passed away from cancer on June 17, 2007.

Pat, on the other hand, was known for her hard candy suckers that she made for years for her children to sell to neighborhood and school children for 25 cents each. She also donated suckers to Lehi organizations for fundraisers. She was a leader in 4H, teaching sewing and clothing. She was on the PTA and assisted with the Lehi Pep Club (Drill Team) for three years. She served as an LDS Relief Society president and Young Women’s leader on both ward and stake levels.

While Jim grew up in American Fork, Patricia “Pat” Larea Larson, has lived her entire life in Lehi. Her parents, Neil and Erma Fox Larson, were the first mink ranchers in the Lehi community. The Larson mink farm was located just north of Lehi High School, where the building for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sits today.

In her teenage years, Pat worked at Penny’s 5-10-25c Store, Leany’s and the Utah Show House in downtown Lehi. She graduated from Lehi High School in

1953. She worked at the Bell Telephone Company on Main Street and served an LDS mission in the Southern States Mission, which included Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama. After she married and her children were in school, she worked at the Broadcaster, a popular hangout for students.

Meanwhile, James “Jim” Gray, the son of C. Alden and Anna Jensen Gray, graduated from American Fork High School in 1952 and served a three-year LDS mission in Hong Kong. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Education as well as served his country as a medic in the Utah National Guard.

Jim and Pat were introduced on a blind date and married in the LDS Salt Lake City Temple in 1962. They settled in Lehi.

They have four children, all Lehi residents, including Julie (Clay) Johnson, Sandra (Chris) Johnson, Neil (Stephanie) Gray and Mark (Jill) Gray as well as 12 grandkids and 13.5 (one on the way) great-grandkids.

Lynn and Karla Nielsen dedicated lives to betterment of Lehi youth

Lynn M. and Karla Nielsen influenced the lives of countless Lehi youth as both dedicated much of their lives to the Boy Scouts of America, area sports and the classroom.

The son of Vernon and Ruby Nielsen, Lynn was called to be a scoutmaster not long after returning home from his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and never really stopped. He was a scoutmaster, cubmaster, district leader, explorer leader, merit badge counselor and Advancement Chair. He earned his Eagle in his youth and the Silver Beaver Award as an adult.

Karla, the daughter of Arnold and Ruby Jensen of Blackfoot, Idaho, was similarly busy for many years, serving as den mom, den leader coach, district trainer and an Advancement Chairman in their ward and district. Karla earned the Second Miler Award of Merit, Silver Beaver and Influential Woman in Scouting awards. Both received the John Hutching Scouting Award.

Lynn coached several athletic teams, including Jr. Jazz, soccer and flag football as well as worked as a substitute teacher for area schools. At age 85, he is still called to substitute and hundreds of Lehi students know and love “Mr. Nielsen.”

Karla taught classes through the Community School program and substituted at Lehi Elementary School. She was a pro at Lehi Library Storytime where she used many different voices to read books to the children. She was in the PTA at Lehi Elementary and Lehi High School. Both Lynn and Karla are members of the Pioneer Booster Club.

Lynn moved with his family to Lehi in 1946. He is the second of four children, including Arlene (Earl Lewis), Lynn (Karla Nielsen), Donald (Marilyn Nielsen) and Carol (Karl Zimmerman). As a young boy, he learned to sing alto so he and Arlene could sing in parts. Music brought their family together, and the children performed on multiple occasions.

Lynn attended Lehi Elementary, Lehi Jr. and graduated from Lehi High School in 1952. He was proud to be a Lehi Pioneer and represented the school in both band and singing groups.

When Lynn was young, he saw a Scout with a bugler badge. He thought it was neat and decided to learn to play the trumpet. He enjoyed playing it through high school and still plays for his children and grandchildren. He also played in the Lehi Silver Bandwagon that is now parked at Bandwagon Park. The monument at the park was built by one of their sons for an Eagle project.

Lynn attended Utah State Agricultural College before being called to serve in the LDS Gulf States Mission, spending most of his time in Mississippi and Louisiana. He joined the Lehi unit of the National Guard as a young man and again later as a father. During some of this time he was privileged to serve as the spiritual leader in his unit.

Karla grew up in Idaho, graduating from Snake River High School in Blackfoot. She attended Utah State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Development. She taught in the Murray School District for six years before quitting to start a family.

The couple was introduced by friends and married in 1969. They are the parents of six children: Kent, Karl, Kay, Karalee, Lori Lyn and Aaron. Terry and Tyrone Foster became part of the family through the Native American Placement Program. All of their sons are Eagle Scouts.

Lynn and Karla have held many callings in the LDS Church. Lynn has been part of several bishoprics, and Karla has held positions in the Primary and Relief Society. Both are proud of their pioneer roots and are members of the Sons and Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.

 

Lily Southwick, first female LPD Sergeant, dedicates life to protecting our community

Lehi Heritage Day 2020 Honoree, Lily Southwick, became the first female Sergeant serving in the history of Lehi City Police Department earlier this month. It is not surprising this historical moment was saved for her.

Lily Southwick is the daughter of Earl and Carol Dimitt Southwick. Lily is a Lehi native who is devoted to being an advocate for the underdog and a voice for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Lily is the third of five siblings. She attended Sego Lily Elementary, Lehi Junior High and Lehi High School, where she was active in band, track and tennis. She graduated in 1980.

Although Lily wanted to become a police officer since she was a child, it was in 1990 that she began to make that happen by pursuing a career in public service. One day, while putting her horse away, a little boy ran up to her and said, “Help! My sister has been hit by a car!”

“I basically felt helpless and didn’t know what to do,” said Lily. That was the push she needed, and she joined the Lehi Ambulance Association in 1990 and became a Utah State Certified Emergency Medical Technician as well as a CPR instructor for Lehi City.

In 1993, she was awarded Emergency Medical Technician of the year for the state of Utah. She also served as a dispatcher/secretary for the Lehi Police Department. Lily left this position to accept the Security Manager position at Micron.

When the Lehi Ambulance Association merged with the Lehi Fire Department, she became a certified firefighter and served as a Lehi City Fire Captain before leaving to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Lily started working for the Lehi Police Department in 2007, as a Patrol Officer and Field Training Officer. She has served as a Youth Court Advisor. For over a decade, she has taught many of the local sixth grade students the Nurturing Opportunities Values and Accountability Program, or N.O.V.A. Lily loves the N.O.V.A program because it promotes good choices and accountability.

In 2016, Lily moved within the Lehi Police Department to the Detective and Investigations unit. There she received forensic, interview and gang training. In 2017, she was promoted to Corporal.

Lily and other Officers were awarded the Life Saver Award by the Lehi Police Department in 2019. As first responders, they saved the life of a member of this community. She feels deep gratitude for the experience that brought about the award. Years before, while working as an EMT, she responded to a medical call from the same family, but that call did not have the desired outcome. Lily is pleased to have been a part of bringing a much happier ending to this family in 2019.

In her free time, she enjoys being in the outdoors. She loves animals, kayaking, biking, gardening and hiking.

There are so many incidents that the community recalls where Lily has come through for them when assistance was needed. “I love Lehi,” said Lily. “I’ve watched it grow from a tiny town into a big city, and I enjoy helping those in need or just visiting with people.

Sergeant Southwick is currently serving and protecting Lehi’s youth as a School Resource Officer within the Lehi Police Department at Willowcreek Middle School and Lehi Junior High. This includes serving as a liaison between school administration, counselors and parents, creating a safe environment for our youth. She is dedicated to helping the next generation be strong and happy so that Lehi continues its legacy.

 

Arden and Cheryle Tuckett, made Lehi life yummier, richer with bakery, talents

Arden and Cheryle Tuckett, the original owners of the Lehi Bakery, spent much of their lives bringing joy to the community with their tasty baked goods, including the infamous, Square Donut.

For more than 20 years, Arden and Cheryle worked together not only to maintain their business but to benefit the community. They used their bakery oven to cook turkeys, Cornish game hens and other meats for community activities; boiled thousands of eggs for the annual Lehi City Easter Egg Hunt; and often donated various baked goods to different organizations.

They worked in the hamburger stand during Lehi Round-Up, built many floats for the city parades, supported many local sporting events and were active members of the Lehi High School Booster Club.

During the Korean War, Arden served in France as a camp cook. He organized his kitchen much the way his mother, who had 10 children, did hers. Upon returning from the military, Cheryle and Arden met at a single adult activity for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and married in the LDS Salt Lake City Temple on Nov. 17, 1955.

In 1967, the family moved to Lehi to open their own bakery, where they could control when they were open. At the time, all of their seven children were under the age of 10, and they wanted to attend church with them. Thus, the Lehi Bakery was born.

Born in 1931, Arden Francis Tuckett was the son of Jesse and Verda Margaret (Francis) Tuckett. The third of ten children, he grew up on a small farm in Lake Shore. He served an LDS mission to the Southwest Indian Mission, where he learned to speak Navajo.

Arden was a scout master, bishop and served on the high council. He participated in roadshows, famously performing in at least one skit each year. He was known for his delicious mashed potatoes and gravy, rice pudding, hamburger gravy and most especially, milk can dinners. This meal layered from bottom to top potatoes, ham, cabbage, corn on the cob, carrots, onions and kielbasa sausage. It was then cooked over a flame and poured into a trough-looking container to serve. Everyone loved it.

Later in life, the LDS Church asked Arden to run the church-owned Granite Bakery. Then when the Church built Welfare Square, Arden made thousands of loaves of bread each day for the Bishop’s Storehouses.

A twin and fifth child, Cheryle was born in 1937 to Rulon and Marie Widdison. She grew up in Payson, where she enjoyed camping, hiking, and all sports with her favorites being baseball and softball. In high school, she sang, played the clarinet and French horn and was in the marching band.

In later life, Cheryle opened a Sounds Easy Video rental store. She was involved with LDS Girls Camp for more than 20 years, was a great storyteller and enjoyed her grandchildren. Her signature dishes included: Dutch oven chicken and potatoes, homemade apple pie, stuffing, creamed carrots and potato salad.

The couple traveled many miles to watch their kids play sports, which wasn’t always easy with a business to run. One year, Cheryle coached a Little League team made up of the children who were chosen last. After teaching them how to play baseball, the team won all of Lehi and went on to compete at regionals.

The Tucketts served two LDS missions to Tennessee and the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City.

Arden and Cheryle are the parents of Brent (Valerie), Laurie Smith, Bruce (Erin), Joan, Mark (Stefanie), Margaret (Derrell) Shawcroft and Kevin (Janel). They have 33 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and many others who claim them as grandparents.

Arden died Aug. 6, 2020. Cheryle died July 15, 2004.

 

While filling bakery orders, Brent and Valerie Tuckett made memories, supported community

When Brent and Valerie Tuckett came to run the Lehi Bakery in 1980, they were doing more than carrying on a great family tradition—they were carrying on a great community tradition.

From raspberry rolls to square donuts to fruit pies to maple bars, almost everyone has a favorite. For decades, Lehi Bakery items have made Christmases, dances, ballgames and Saturday morning breakfasts delicious and special. The traditions of many Lehi families include baked goods found only at the bakery.

Fortunately, the Tucketts also chose to use their products to better the community by donating yummy confections to area schools, churches, communities and many other great causes. They even donated donut grease to bear hunters.

It wasn’t always easy. They went from being on the “wrong side of the street” to worrying about sales when Krispie Kreme came to Utah. But through it all, they always had a line out the door on Saturday, and they were always thankful for the consistent loyalty of so many customers.

The son of Arden and Cheryle Tuckett, the original owners of the bakery, Brent grew up in the bakery. He and his brother, Bruce, first learned how to fry and glaze donuts. Later, they washed dishes and cleaned up before finally getting to mix, roll out and form the doughs.

Brent, along with some brothers, took over the bakery in the fall of 1980 so their father could go to work to build a retirement. A few years later, Brent and Valerie purchased the store.

Valerie did payroll, bookwork and shopping, paid the bills, worked the front and holidays, filled in as needed and dealt with employees. Later, she rolled doughs and dressed donuts among other things. She became the cake decorator by default when Cheryle and Arden left on a mission, but she refused to fry donuts and never mixed doughs.

Leaving mixing to the professional, Brent mixed doughs, planned amounts, ordered supplies and ran, or oversaw, the proof box and oven. He was the one with speed and knowledge.

All of their children worked, and basically lived, at the bakery. “Our youngest would cry when I’d pull up to the bakery before Kindergarten,” said Valerie. “He would say, ‘Not the bakery!’”

When their children were small, they did cleanup to earn money for a big family trip to Disneyland. They went on to wash and dry dishes, sweep and scrape the floor, put away dishes and wipe things off. Over the years, they learned how to work hard and how to be a better patron. Some worked the 5 a.m., shift, where they got to spend time with their dad and see a new side of him. Most were able to jump in and help roll buns, make pies, do donuts and so forth.

Holidays were the best of times and the worst of times. The family made memories working early mornings and long hours. They saw many miracles every holiday season. Friends chipped in to help, making the impossible possible, as the orders mounted. They always felt gratitude for the many hands that contributed to those miracles.

In December of 2018, the Tucketts sold the bakery.

Brent and Valerie met at Ricks College in Rexburg, Ida., on a blind date and were married Feb. 8, 1980, in the LDS Manti Temple. They have five children, Justin (Eva), Traci (Rick) Hall, Natalie, Crystalyn, and Staesha, and five grandchildren.

Valerie is the daughter of Earl and Sadie Hatch of Richfield. She is the third of seven children.

She enjoys walking, talking, shopping, gardening, attending Education Week, celebrating holidays, spending time with her children and grandchildren and playing games.

Brent enjoys fishing, sleeping, camping, writing, watching movies, cooking and spending time with family.