When Lester returned from his missionary service he entered the army. I won't repeat all the information about his missionary and military service, since it's been covered before on the blog, but here are some images. First a program for his missionary farewell, then a card showing him while he was in the military. Note the caption, with its reference to his missionary service ("Reverend"). If I recall correctly, he did not make it overseas to fight in the First World War.
In a recent visit to my parents' house, I opened a box labeled "Wessman genealogy" and found a hat box stuffed full of old treasures. Here are a few of them.
Wrapped in a silk handkerchief inside an elegant string bag was a lock of hair and a note that these petals were roses from Lucile Green Glade's wedding bouquet.
The other items in the box included two fans, leather gloves too small to fit my hands, a crocheted needle booklet, a gold-leafed perfume bottle that smells like my forty-year-old memories of Lucile Glade, two bone-handled utensils, and a ring dish.
Lucile was introduced to Lester Glade on a trip to Yellowstone by her aunt, May Green Hinckley. May and Lester had served together in the Central States Mission after his stint in the Army at the end of World War I. This is a fun picture with Lester smiling at Lucile, obviously smitten.
Lester, May Green, Rulon Sperry, Lucile, Bill Birkenshaw.
This is Lucile's engagement picture.
I don't see any wedding photos in my collection, but here is a picture of Lester and Lucile from one of their many camping trips.
That's all the information I have for now on William Lester Glade. To conclude this work on his life story, I checked to make sure that his genealogical information was correct in Ancestry and New Family Search and in my genealogy files, and all the dates and places and people seem to be correct.
Lester, Ann, Lucile, and Roger.
Next, I will be moving on to biographical information about Lester's wife Lucy Lucile Green Glade, starting tomorrow with a history that Beverly and I wrote in 1998. It will take two weeks (ten weekdays) to post the history.
If you have any more information (letters, photos, etc.) on any of these ancestors or their children and would like to share them with the family, please send them to me at the email address listed on the sidebar. Documents and photos are best scanned at at least 300 dpi and I can use documents in most common formats.
William Lester Glade was born on January 23, 1894, so he first shows up in the 1900 U.S. Census.
Lester was living with his parents, William John Glade and Annie Hamilton Glade, at 327 C Street (Fourth Ward), Salt Lake City, Utah. As mentioned in his biography, Lester was the oldest of twelve children. The other children alive at the time of this census were Mary and Beulah, and Annie was expecting Harvey.
The family lived right by Lester's grandmother Eliza Mary Litson Glade and his grandfather's plural wife Isabel Love Glade and various members of the extended family who lived together in the Glade family home.
This census page (and the following census) also shows John Timms, the brother of my husband's great-great grandmother Alice Timms Thiriot, and his family.
Lester next shows up in the 1910 census living with his family (William, Annie, Mary, Beulah, Harvey, Virginia, Elizabeth, Melissa, and James) at the same address on C Street, and the family was once again surrounded by their extended family including the two Glade grandmothers and many aunts and uncles and cousins.
Lester was 16 at the time, and the census shows him working as a clerk at a department store.
When Lester returned from serving a mission and serving in World War I, he lived again at home with his parents and his ten surviving brothers and sisters. (Brother Edwin died in 1916.) It must have been quite a busy household! Here they are in the 1920 census, still living by the Glade grandmothers and extended family, including the Derrick family.
The last available census is the 1930 census, and by this time Lester had married Lucile Green and had two daughters, Beverly and Marjorie. They were living by this time in their life-long home at 1421 Sherman Avenue. The quality of this picture of the census is unfortunately poor, but it is decipherable.
The census shows Lester working as a salesman in wholesale hardware.
Remarks By - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bishop Preston W. Parkinson
Brothers and Sisters: We appreciate your attendance here today, this large assemblage. These beautiful flowers indicate the love and respect and esteem in which Brother Glade was held. We are fortunate in Wasatch Ward to have three Glade families, Harvey, Lester and Florence Wells. I know that they appreciate your attendance here today.
We want to thank everyone who has taken part on the service, for the beautiful music and those who have brought these wonderful flowers here today, these floral contributions. To the ladies of the Relief Society who are taking care of them, for their fine assistance. On behalf of the family I want to thank all of you who have rendered help and assistance to this family, particularly those who have supplied their blood for Lester that his life might be prolonged. Many kindnesses have been shown, he has been visited by his friends and loved ones. This is as it should be Brothers and Sisters, to visit the fatherless and the widows and those in distress.
The Pall Bearers today are members of two study groups. The active Pall Bearers are Joseph M. Bean, Lester W. Fry, Carl J. Hawkins, E. Cecil McGavin, Nephi E. McLachlan and Carl F. Bierman. The honorary Pall Bearers are Howard J. Layton, Homer Holmgren, David H. Cameron, John O. Simonsen, C. Ernest Bowers and Frank Christopherson. The internment will be in the Salt Lake City Cemetary [sic], where the graveside prayer will be offered by Brother Howard J. Layton, a brother-in-law of Lucille [sic]. We will bring these services to a close by a vocal duet from Brother and Sister McMaster. They will sing "Tranquility." The benediction will be offered by George Blair Glade, a cousin of Lester.
Our Father in Heaven: We now wish to envoke [sic] thy blessing, and with thy blessing thy dismissal upon us. We feel appreciative for all the curcumstances [sic] in our individual lives that have permitted us to be here today, and for this service which has been an expression both in song and in the spoken word of the esteem and love and the friendship that we have held for our relatives and our friends.
We pray again that thou bless his beloved wife who has been so magnificent through these recent years of trial and uncertainty. Bless his children, his aging mother, his brothers and sisters and all of us who mourn today.
We pray oh Father that thou will teach us this one lesson, that although it is easy to neglect the responsibilities of life and to dodge them, that we will not be able to dodge the consequences of neglecting these responsibilities, that in the long [haul] at the end of the long run the great pendulum of mercy and justice will swing to those of us who have loved thee and have kept thy commandments.
We humbly pray now that this service may be consummated with thy blessing, with thy favor, and may thy ear ever be atuned [sic] to hear the prayers and the wishes of our hearts and righteousness, and all of these things we humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ . . . Amen:
Lester's children and grandchildren at his gravesite, June 1952.
Elder Spencer W. Kimball's address continued from here...
In the Beatitudes the Lord says, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." [1] No one will ever see God unless he is pure in heart, no one. Let us read just another line or two here:
They are they who into whose hands the Father has given all things. They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fullness and of his glory and are priests of the most high after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the only begotten Son. Wherefore, as it is written they are God's, even the sons of God. Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death or things present or things to come, all are theirs, and they are Christ's and Christ is God's and they shall overcome all things." [2]
And so the Lord has made us great promises. He has sent us here for special purposes, to give us a body, even the infant gets its body. But we have another purpose in life and that is to grow up to maturity if that is permitted to us, and then to perfect ourselves until we can become as God and eventually become God, for as man is God once was, and as God is man may become.
And so I am greatful [sic] for these occasions, they must come, death is inevitable, death is desireable, death is adorable. We would never want to live without death, it would frustrate the whole scheme of life. We're never quite prepared for it of course, never quite ready. We would continue on and on and on but death is a great release, death is the beginning of a great life and so we do not mourn unduly but we understand the program and we know that this is just a part of the great plan of life and exaltation. And so we are glad for our loved ones when the proper time comes for them to go on in their perfection toward Godhood and to build the kingdom.
Oh I pray that the Lord will bless these good people who are mourning at this time, it's right to mourn but not too much. That their lives will be filled, that the influence of Brother Glade will continue to hover about and inspire them to greater deeds and to a greater degree of perfection, I pray this. I pray that it will extend to all of us, that our very presence here today with the sweet music and the sweet influence may bring us closer to our Heavenly Father and give us a greater determination that that perfection, that holiness, that sanctification, will be a reality in our lives when we have reached this point Brother Glade has reached today. May he bless us all I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ . . . . . Amen:
Elder Spencer W. Kimball's address continued from here...
And in the Hebrews we learn that through the things which he suffered Jesus became perfect. [1] In my opinion Jesus was not perfect when he entered into the world, neither was he perfect when he went into the temple to preach to the great leaders, intellectual thinkers. And neither was he perfect when he fulfilled his ministry nor when he went to Calvary, but as his spirit left Calvary he had become holy, burdent [sic] by the things which he had suffered, and he had overcome all things and therefore had become perfect. And then he says for us to be holy as he is holy. [2] And to those of us his children upon the earth who live the commandments he has promised everything, the earth and the fullness thereof, the world beyond, the joys and the blessings. Here he is speaking to those who hold the priesthood and he says, "For who so is faithful unto the obtaining of these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and magnifying of their calling are sanctified, overcome, holy, perfected by the spirit unto the renewing of their bodies." They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and of the seed of Abraham and the church and the kingdom and the elect of God. And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me sayeth the Lord, "for he that receiveth my servants receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth my father, and he that receiveth my father receiveth my father's kingdom." Therefore, all that my father has shall be given unto him and this is according to the oath and the covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. [3] Nothing that the Lord has, of honor, of power, of glory, of exaltation, nothing will be withheld from the man and the woman who have [wholly] measured up, who have become perfected, who have become sanctified, who have become holy through the overcoming of the weaknesses of the flesh.
When I come to funerals like this I go away feeling that I will try infinitely harder than I have ever done before to overcome everything so I may receive these blessings that are promised. In the 76th Section the Lord makes the same promises, time and time again. He holds them up here to us, a great reward for our faithfulness. He's telling who will enter in the celestial kingdom, and he says all those who overcome by faith. It's all a matter of overcoming. It's why we came to this world, it's why Brother Glade was given his body so that through those 58 years he could perfect it, he could control his bodily functions and urges and desires to the point where they would be harnessed and bridled, and so that he could go back to the eternities God-like, ready for the growth, the blessings, the glories that could come to him. Be they are they of the church of the first born, they are they into whose hands the Father hath given all things. [4] It's a little like a Doctors Degree note, not much because it's so much grander. But a student goes to Grade School and then to High School and then he goes to College and he is taught by men with Doctors Degrees. He finally goes forward and gets his Masters Degree, and finally gets his Doctors, and then he has everything that his Professor has in the way of honors. Everything, the only difference could be in accomplishments, but he has the whole thing, there are no higher degrees in the world of letters. And so we reach that point in the kingdom, not that we will ever catch up with our Heavenly Father in his graciousness and his goodness and his power, but we will receive all that the Father has if we are worthy.
To be continued...
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[1] Hebrews 5:8. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered..." Interesting quotation of the scripture and worthy of a longer footnote than this.
[2] 1 Peter 1:16.
[3] Doctrine and Covenants 84:33-39. Ignore the transcriber's quote marks in this passage, since it's all a quote from "For whoso is faithful" to "oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood."
Elder Spencer W. Kimball's address continued from here...
From all that's been said and all that I have known of Brother Lester Glade, and I have known him less intimately than these other Brethren but considerably, I would think that he has reached a great degree of perfection as many of you who are here today have done so. And this very suffering that he has gone through, this long approach toward the eternity, can have brought him far closer to his Heavenly Father than had he had good health all this time and then suddenly been taken at this date. His suffering is a great blessing, the tribulation and sorrows are great blessings in disguise.
"And all the angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four [beasts], and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God saying Amen, blessed, glory, the wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and light be unto our God forever and ever. . . . . Amen. But one of the elders answered saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they? And I said unto him, sir thou knowest, and he said to me these are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. Therefore, are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that siteth [sic] on the throne shall dwell among them." [1]
Perfection that's the word. Brother Glade has been striving for it. He has advanced closest. Perfection be thee therefore perfect. Then we have little folks who say that nobody can be perfect, we all have our faults, we all have our weaknesses. They justify their own weaknesses by that trite commonplace, we all have our weaknesses, nobody can be perfect. We can be perfect and I can point out to you people that I am sure were within a hairs breath [sic] of perfection, some whom you know and who have gone into the great beyond very close to that perfection. Why did the Lord ask it of us if it was unatainable [sic]? Why would he ask us? All through the revelations, all through them, we have the commandment to be perfect. Let me read just a few of them. This is John the great Apostle:
"I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that's called [Patmos] for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice as the trumpet saying I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. What thou seest write in the book and send it into the seven churchs [sic] which are in Asia. And then he goes forth, he says, he that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit sayeth unto the churches, to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. [He] that have an ear let him hear what the spirit sayeth unto the churches, he that overcometh shall not be hurt by the [second] death. [He] that have an ear let him hear what the spirit sayeth unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden [manna] and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white rainment [sic] and I will not [blot] out his name, out of the lambs [sic] book of light, but will confess his name before my father and before his angel. Behold I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. I will write upon thee in the name of my God and the name of the city of my God which is the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of Heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new name. I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot, he says to the [Laodiceans]. So then because thou art luke warm, neither cold nor hot, I will [spue] thee out of my [mouth] because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I counsel thee to abide with me, gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich and white rainment [sic]. White rainment [sic], that thou mayest be clothed and the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and annoint [sic] thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see. Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come unto [him] and will sup with him and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit down with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with the father in his throne." [2]
Overcome, overcome all the way through the scriptures, he that overcomes, white robes, temple cloak. He made all these things that are programs of which we are familiar but the Lord gave them through John. He says, be ye thee therefore perfect, and then Peter says be ye holy. Wherefore [gird up] the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children not fashioning yourselves according to the former [lusts] in your ignorance but as he which [hath] called you is holy. So be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy. [3]
To be continued...
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[1] Revelation 7:11-15.
[2] Revelation 1:9-11; 2:7, 10-11, 17; 3:5, 11-12, 15-18, 20-21. I corrected some of the transcription errors but not all, and some of the differences may be word changes by Elder Kimball, and some of the text here is his explanations bridging the selections.
Elder Spencer W. Kimball's address continued from here...
When I moved with my parents and family to Arizona at the age of three, we came into a beautiful valley, deep and rich soil, thick [mesquites] from the river bottoms, natural vegetation; and there's the years too I saw that natural [vegetation] change to planted trees, vineyards and orchards, grain fields, and it became a beautiful place. On either side of the valley is a high range of [mountains] comparable to the Wasatch Mountains here on our east, and the hundreds of times I went down that valley, up and down it, and saw high mountains lofty and piercing the sky on either side. I suppose the question went into my mind hundreds and hundreds of times, what's on the other side of that mountain?
And then one day not long ago I stepped into a plane. It circled about the field a little, climbed high into the air until I could see both the mountain ranges on the level with me, and then a little higher and we soared up over this mountain range and I saw what was beyond. It was beautiful, heavy forests, lakes in-between, comfortable homes now and then in the pines, little rivulets, high cliffs and finally many beautiful little valleys that were cultivated and enjoyed by the Lord's sons and daughters. I think it's a little like that in life. We come here between two high mountain ranges, eternities before and eternities after, and we wonder as the years go on what lies beyond. And then a rather abrupt change comes into our lives, we take flight and we climb above and beyond and we see what is there and it's good, it's beautiful. The Lord said, "[Eye hath] not seen, nor [ear] heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." It[']s glorious and as we imagine we can hardly touch with our imaginations the things which are ready for us if we but live the commandments.
The Lord in his Sermon on The Mount said, "I cannot drew [?] or destroy the law, and to the Prophets, I am not come to destroy but to fulfill and to add to, to increase, to exalt." And then he goes forward with a great sermon, I am certain you have heard it said by them of old times, "Thou shalt not kill, but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." He says that you have heard that it hath been said that in old times, "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery, but I say unto you whosoever look upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart." The [lesser] law was being fulfilled, the greater law was being given. And then again you have heard it that it hath been said that in old time, "Thou Shalt Not Forswear Thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oath, that I say unto you swear not at all." You have heard that it hath been said, "An Eye For An Eye And A Tooth For A Tooth, but I say unto you that you resist not evil but whosoever shalt smite you on they right cheek turn to him the other also." "If any man will [sue] ye of the law of take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also." "Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him [twain]." "Give to him who ask of thee and from him that would borrow of thee, turn thou not away." You have heard it said, "Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor and Hate Thine Enemy, but I say unto you love your neighbors, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven." Then at the conclusion is a beautiful thought. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Will we reach perfection, very, very close to perfection in this life, that is the most due.
To be continued...
(There are a number of obvious problems with the transcript, but I have left most of it as is.) Photo "On the Way to Mt. Graham" from www.flickr.com/photos/steev/211809450/.
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters: I think that here is Heaven. A funeral is a glorious experience, here gathered together the sweetest singers, the most delightful people and here everyone has a singleness of heart. No [soul] comes to this meeting with conflicts. Everyone is full of love, sympathy and understanding, and I think when the Lord sends his angel to part the curtains of the [veil] that we get a little glimpse on the other side. Perhaps at no time in our lives, unless it would be in the Holy Temple, do we come closer to the infinite, closer to our Heavenly Father, closer to those who have gone before, than we do at a funeral service.
I hope that I may be able to go to a place and to a condition where there will be people like Brother Glade and his family and you good folks. I hope that there will be where I should go, the singleness of heart and the singleness of thought. I hope that I will go where Sister Jessie Smith will be so that throughout all the eternities I can hear that beautiful voice. I hope I'll go where these lovely ladies go, who play so beautifully on these violins. I think there will be violin music in Heaven. And I should like to be where Brother and Sister McMaster sing throughout eternity. I think if their voices could be improved, they will be, perfected in the eternities. I think they will get joy in bringing satisfaction and peace to us throughout the eternities. And then I'm glad for Brother Sperry and his closeness to Brother Glade. I've always wished I had the eloquence of Brother Hin[c]kley, and his depth of feeling. He's kind of an ideal to me; and then you good folks.
I think that frequently on the earth we get a taste of Heaven, we feel its nearness, its beauties, its ecstasies. I think that's true here today. I have thought that maybe the angels weren't far away today for I think I have never felt a sweeter spirit than is here today.
To be continued...
(President Kimball served in the Central States Mission at the same time as Lester Glade, so they were acquaintances from several decades prior to the funeral.)
My Brethren and Sisters: I come to this task with a sincere desire to say the right thing and I hope you will endorse me with your faith and prayers.
These people who are the chief mourners on this occasion are my kins-people. [1] I know them very well. I've been in their home. I knew Brother Glade very well, intimately. His wife has asked me to say a word here. Naturally my feelings are very close to the service. I owe a debt of gratitude to Sister Glade for the services which she has rendered in my behalf. A debt that I shall never discharge and never forget and always cherish.
Lucille [sic] is no ordinary woman. She is a woman with a great and tender heart, and rarely gifted with some of the precious characteristics that make up a great woman. She has walked by Lester Glade's side for nearly thirty years, and I am safe in saying that no crisis ever arose in his life where she didn't sustain him and make a contribution that no one else could do. I know her and she can do it. God bless her.
These children are fine children. They were in a good home. Lester Glade was born of good parents, goodly parents. He had a fine inheritance and he has proven true to these inheritances, and made a wonderful record. If I could only speak to you for a moment or two, but I'd like if I could to get over this thought, that somehow in the common everyday virtues, this man was great. He never did a spectacular thing, I suppose, in his life. He was not distinguished perhaps because of something really heroic. He never followed the flag in battle, he never wrote a book or built a skyscraper, I do not suppose, my Brethren and Sisters, but where would you find his superior when you measure him against the plain virtues that make life worth living.
When he died he was a High Priest, an honorable High Priest in the Church, with a magnificent record of church service behind him, all the way from his childhood on. He never faltered or escaped any responsibility that confronted him. He was a kindly, modest man who made friends and helped you. A home loving man, a man whose pride in his family was supreme. I hardly ever met him that he didn't tell me what a magnificent wife he had and how much he thought of his children and brothers and sisters.
All the day long he preached his religion, he was a missionary whereever [sic] he went, no matter, he preached the gospel. So he majored as a husband, a father, a friend, an honest man, the noblest work of God. Brave and strong, it was always sort of pathetic to see the courage with which he faced the inevitable. He could gradually see that he was losing the fight but still he was cheerful. God bless his memory, God bless this woman. I know she will rise to the situation, to take care of herself and her children and do her part nobley [sic] and indeed heroically.
One other word and I'm through. Is this the end of Lester Glade? Fifty-eight years of fine living, never left a debt unpaid or an obligation unmet. Did every day as plain duty and did it splendidly and supurbly [sic], and now he's finished, the story is told. Where has he gone? What lief beyond the grave? What is the reward for fine living? Is death a step into eternal darkness when his heart beats for the last time? Was that an everlasting farewell to this good woman and these children and his kins-people[?] Oh no, that wasn't what he believed, he believed and this belief sustained him as it will sustain all who entertain it. Death is but a pulsation point in the great process of life. We go from this world to tread the paths of a higher and better world. What do the Prophets say: "It hath been made known to me by an angel from Heaven that the spirits of all men as soon as they depart from this mortal body are taken home to that God who gave them life."
Isn't it a glorious thought that death on the otherside [sic] is a homecoming. Let me tell that there are no joys, no earthly joys quite comparable to the joys that come through homecoming. God bless his memory, his children, his wife, forever, I pray in the name of Jesus . . . . Amen[.]
[1] After his second wife, Ada Bitner, died in 1930, Bryant Hinckley married Lucile Green Glade's aunt, May Green, in 1932. May Green Hinckley served as the third general president of the Primary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1940 until her unexpected death from pneumonia in 1943.
While I was serving as Bishop of this Ward, he doesn't know it, but there has [sic] been members who have told me of his generosity and it has cost him considerable sums of money too. I didn't get it from him. Several years ago he happened to be at the Holy Cross Hospital when a member of the Bishopric of this Ward was brought in who had met with a very serious accident that later proved fatal. Seeing Brother George Ross brought in on a stretcher with a broken leg, he immediately seeing there was a lack of help at that time at the hospital, put forth every effort to give assistance and help. He stayed there for hours, right at Brother George Ross's side in the hospital. A few hours later when I heard of the accident and rushed to the hospital Brother Glade had left. The first thing Brother Ross said; Brother Glade, Brother Lester Glade has been here and you will never know the help and kindness he displayed here during the first few hours that I was in the hospital, giving every help and attention that he could possibly give. He said I will be eternally greatful [sic] for the goodness of that man. Well, Lester didn't go around and tell what he had done there, you can always get those things from others.
I appreciate my association with this good man. I consider it as a personal loss We have enjoyed his companionship in a study group to which he belonged, he and his wife, the group from this Ward, and others close by for the past 15 years. We certainly will miss his presence and his association here.
He was a great character. He suffered long but bore it with patience, never complaining. He had faith that he would get well. He had great faith, I've never seen greater faith displayed, but I am sure that his feelings and sentiment were as the spirit of the song that was rendered so beautifully by Sister Jessie Smith.
He was willing to do what the Lord wanted him to do, that was his spirit, his attitude, his feelings. It will be a wonderful thing to me if I can some day be in the presence of the old Prophets and Apostles that walked and knew the Saviour. With Joseph of old and the great character Nephi, and Alma, the Prophet Joseph Smith and these good men, the Apostles in this dispensation. It will be a wonderful experience to be with them some day in the hereafter. But if I can be permitted to associate and to have as a bosom companion such plain and simple folk as Lester Glade and his kind, that's all that I'll ever ask for. It was good to be in his presence. He was good company. Lucille [sic] and Les and my wife during the past few years, during his sickness, have taken several one day trips around and in various places close by. Those experiences have been sweet and I am glad we had them.
The Lord bless his family. I shall always revere and cherish his association for I loved him as a brother. The Lord bless you Lucille [sic], Beverly, Marge and Robert. Your friends are with you as far as it is possible, willing to give you support. But we know that from a certain point that you will have to go alone, but there is a God in Heaven who gives comfort and solace and he will be with you, I know. Lord bless this fine Glade family. Sister Glade, the Lord bless you and your children, his brothers and sisters. He loved them. May the peace of the Lord be with us all, I pray in the name of Jesus . . . . Amen:
There's a beautiful spirit here today. I hope the few moments that I occupy this position that I might be able to control my emotions. The passing of Lester is nearer to my heart than most people think.
I was going back in my mind to the time when I first met Lester and I concluded that it was about thirty-eight or thirty-nine years ago, when we both attended the missionary school or evening class that was held in connection with the L.D.S. University. It was customary to hold these classes before the missionary home was created. We both had a desire to go on missions for the Church so we attended that class and there we became acquainted. And the association has become very close and has endured until now.
We went to the mission field in different missions. Upon our return shortly after the World War, the First World War, he was home first and had gone into service. I was held in the mission field for about four years. The day that I got home, he heard about it and called at my home, and this association was renewed and the next few years were very happy ones.
1921, Yellowstone National Park.
Left to right: Lester Glade, May Green, Rulon Sperry, Lucile Green, William Birkenshaw.
We were together a great deal in our social activities and in church. We went on several trips together. Probably the most outstanding one to Lester was when we went to Yellowstone and at Mammoth Camp he met a missionary friend of his, May Green, who later became Mrs. Bryant Hinkley [sic]. She said she had a niece that she would like to have him meet. So later we went over to the Hotel and there Lester met the sweet girl who later became his wife. From that time on during the rest of the trip there seemed to be a new light in Lester's eyes. It was not long after that when I returned that he started courting Lucille [sic] and our association together was very happy and pleasant. The young folks today call it double-dating, but that's what we did for several years. And then when they decided to marry, Lester honored me by asking me to stand by his side at the wedding reception. We later moved into this Ward and for twenty-eight years we have resided in the same Ward.
Our paths have crossed many, many times, in joys and in sorrows. We have been on many trips together, many outings, many social functions, sat in church together, and the association has been very sweet indeed. I can truthfully say that in all the years that I have been associated with Lester, that I have never heard him say an unkind word. I have never heard him use the name of the Lord in vain, and I have never heard him tell a story that was not fit to be told in the presence of ladies. Now that was the kind of a character Lester Glade had. I can truthfully say that I have never seen or been acquainted with a more Christ-like personality than Lester Glade. He was honest, he was true, he was devoted, he was generous. He possessed all the fine qualities that a real Christian should possess. One of the Apostles of old said; "True religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this" : To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted before the world. If anyone has more nearly lived up to this, I don't know who he is.
Our Father Which Art In Heaven: We are met here this day to pay our respects to Brother William Lester Glade's family and to express our sorrow and our sympathy, and to acknowledge our presence here, and the tributes that shall be made and offered and the music rendered, to show our love and esteem for this thy servant who has passed on to his reward.
Our feelings today are that of mingled joy and sorrow. We sorrow because of the loss of this good man, our associate, and we sorrow because of the fine family for the great loss they have sustained. And yet our hearts are full of gratitude and thanksgiving that we come here today conscious of the fact that he has been a devoted servant of thee.
He has performed every duty and task assigned, faithful and energetic in all the labors of the Church. He has been a fine provider, furnishing a lovely home for his good family, giving them guidence [sic] and supervision for their good and for their benefit. We have rejoiced as we have labored with him and have observed his diligence in serving thee, his devotion to every task assigned, his anxiety for the growth and development of the church and for the welfare of its members. He has been a friend to those in need, at many times he has given them succor and helped them through tried [sic], seemed [?] and troubless [sic] times because of his goodness and greatness of heart. For all of these things, we are most greatful [sic] to thee our Father.
Notable among his labors in thy Church has been his long years of services as an ordained temple worker in thy holy Temple. In performing the task there, he has moved in a spirit of dignity, characteristic with his fine feelings toward sacred and holy things. He has been loved by everyone with whom he has associated. In that labor he has been careful not to offend those who frequented thy Holy Temple. He has treated them with consideration and kindness, he has been respectful to authority, bowing to every wish, consistent with thy holy mind and will. For all these things we are most greatful [sic].
We thank thee that we have known him, that it has been our pleasure to associate with him, to feel his kind spirit and to observe his desire to serve thee and to see thy great work grow and spread abroad in the earth.
Now we pray that thou will bless us throughout these services, bless those who shall address us and those who render music. May all be done to the end that this fine family may be comforted and consoled. Hear our humble prayer our Heavenly Father and bless those who shall take part in this program, that we may all be edified and draw nearer to thee by reason of these sacred services this day.
We pray for the fine family. We desire to express to thee too, our appreciation and our thanksgiving for the fact that our dear brother has been permitted to live to see the return of his son from his mission. In spite of the seriousness of the illness with which he was afflicted, our prayers have been answered and thou hast been good to him through all these months and years that he has suffered so much.
Thou bless his family. May they keep in mind his fine character, his desire to serve thee and his love and respect for his family and his loved ones and his friends. Accept of our gratitude and watch over us now while we further wait before thee. Let thy peace attend us in all of our prayers, we pray most humbly in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ . . . . . Amen[.]
Remarks By - - - - - - - - - Bishop Preston W. Parkinson
"Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted."
I am sure this promise of our Saviour has been made manifest in the home of the Glades this past week. I am sure the influence of our Father in Heaven has been there to abide with them, that it will continue to comfort them in this their bereavment [sic].
William Lester Glade was a faithful member of the High Priests of the Wasatch Ward. He was beloved by all that knew him. He was generous with his earthly means, he was honest in his dealings with our Father in Heaven, he was an active Latter Day Saint. The saints of this ward mourn his passing. We will miss his genial smile, his sense of humor, his attendance here at our meetings. But we rejoice this day in our acquaintance with him, in the many hours we have spent with him, in church, in the canyons, and every activity that drew us together. We rejoice that he has been relieved of his agony and suffering and that our Father in Heaven has seen fit to call him home.
It has been said that we have three responsibilities, that of living the gospel and teaching it to our family, to preach it to others, and to redeem our dead. Brother Lester has fulfilled these requirements to a very fine degree. He has a fine Latter Day Saint family. He always encouraged missionary work, performing a mission himself, supporting his son on a mission, and keeping in touch with the missionaries of the Wasatch Ward and the boys and girls of his friends who are on missions. He was always interested in genealogical and temple work. As a worker in the Temple he and Lucille [sic] spent many fine hours there laboring for those friends and relatives, and assisting others to do that fine and noble work.
Lester's will and determination to live was miraculous in my opinion. I haven't seen a man with stronger faith and the desire to accomplish those things he set out to do. I am sure that only the faith and prayers of his family and loved ones kept him with us long enough to see the return of his son, Robert, from the Great Lakes Mission approximately a week before his demise.
The love and devotion of his wife Lucille [sic] has been marvelous to behold. She has certainly given us a fine example of the relationship that should exist between a husband and a wife. There's [sic] has been a religious home. As Nephi of old they were born of goodly parents and, therefore, they were taught the teachings of their father and mother. We sympathize with them in their loss, with these fine children, the grandchildren, the mother of Brother Glade, his brothers and sisters at this time.
The Ward members will long remember Lester and I hope they will continue to be kind, to assume the burdens and hardships of this family, and to share their love and devotion.
The services today have been arranged by the family. The opening prayer will be offered by Brother James H. Sullivan, a member of the High Priests Quorum of this Ward, and also a Temple worker at the time Brother Glade was in the Temple. We will then be favored with a vocale [sic] solo by Sister Jessie Evans Smith, who will sing, "Thy Will Be Done." She will be accompanied by Melva A. Johnson who has played the Prelude Music. Patriarch Rulon J. Sperry will be the first speaker, the former Bishop of the Ward and a friend of the family. We will then be favored with two violin trio selections by [Dorothy] June Glade Moss [the daughter of Lester's cousin James Vernon Glade and Bessie Hocking Cushing], Marian Flandrow [Flandro], Mildred Gaddie, and accompanied by Lucille Swensen. We will next hear remarks by President Bryant S. Hinkley [Hinckley], a relative of Lucille's by marriage. Then President and Sister J. Stuart [and Clara Watkins] McMaster will favor us with a vocal duet, "Beside Still Waters." We will then have remarks by Elder Spencer W. Kimball of the Council of the Twelve.
To be continued...
I wanted to include the musical selections from the funeral, but couldn't find them, so instead, here is a song by Clara W. McMaster, who sang a duet with her husband at the funeral.
Lester and Lucile shared a love of the gospel and working in the church. They supported each other in every calling to serve. Lester was President of the Y.M.M.I.A., also in the presidency, a genealogy chairman, in the Elders presidency, Seventies presidency, and a Temple worker for twelve years. He was a real enthusiastic worker, always eager and available to help the cause of Jesus Christ. The ward vegetable garden grew so well during World War II because Lester alone would keep it going. Lucile served as a teacher in Seminary, MIA, Primary, Sunday School, and religion class when she was 14. She was also Principal of the Seminary and Relief Society President and Secretary in that organization.
The children will always remember their father up early reading from the Doctrine and Covenants. He was always doing genealogy in his spare time, in fact he made time to do genealogy. He was an ideal Latter-day Saint. He loved his wife and family and was very proud of their accomplishments. The gospel was very important to him. He never passed up an opportunity to tell his friends and business acquaintances about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved anything of a cultural nature—music, opera, theater, art or great speakers. Lester was very intelligent. He was deeply patriotic. He was very thoughtful and considerate of other peoples [sic] needs and wants. His personality wasn't showy or outgoing—more quiet and reserved, but on occasion he would cut-up or joke and be a lot of fun. He was sincere and not prone to flattery. He didn't show his feelings and did not become angry. He could write well and earlier in his life wrote poetry.
Labor Day picnic, 1944.
Left to Right: Beverly, Jack Green, Eliza Turner Green, Bob, Marjorie, Lester, Lucile.
Lester at the Labor Day picnic, 1944.
A blow came to Lester and Lucile when they found out he had Leukemia. For eight long years Lucile took care of him patiently, untiringly, and devotedly. Doctors tried many experiments as a cure on Lester, but none were effective. Through their faith, he was privileged to send his son on a mission, a life-long dream. Just ten days after Bob's return from the Great Lakes Mission, Lester passed away June 18, 1952. He only knew four of his seventeen grandchildren, and was so proud and happy to show them off.
Left to Right: Lester holding Ann, Beverly, Bob, Marjorie and unknown.
A few remarks from his funeral services are as follows:
Patriarch Rulon Sperry said, "I have never known a more Christ-like man than Lester Glade. He never spoke unkindly of anyone or made any derogatory remarks or criticized anyone. He never told unfit stories. Lester was always willing to help when needed. Lester was a man of great faith. He wanted to always serve the Lord."
Bishop Parkinson said, "Lester was a devoted family man; he had a miraculous will to live. He was a genial, friendly man and had a great sense of humor. Lester fulfilled the three great purposes of life: Living the gospel and teaching it to his family; Preaching to others; and Redeeming the dead."
Lester with his father, William John Glade, on Father's Day, 1945.
Bryant S. Hinckley said, "Their home was a good home. He never did anything spectacular, but lived a clean, virtuous life. He was an honest, kindly, modest man."
Spencer W. Kimball concluded the funeral services with a gospel sermon and said, "Here today is a part of heaven... Death is a great release and part of the plan of exaltation."
Lester has a glorious place in heaven!
Thanks to my mother for the copies of all the pictures. Next will be the entire text of the funeral service, and then on to a biography of Lucile Green Glade.
