How old were you when you got your first job?

Just out of High School. 18 years. Perhaps this is not correct. When I was in High School I worked for a neighbor lady. Doing homework & tending kids for 25 cents an hour.

r life change when you left home? Did you feel grown up? Were you a little scared?

I was not very brave. I was always bashful but working with people and clerking gave me more self confidence so I was able to improve. Schooling always helps.

As you think of your mother, how do you remember her looking? How old was she then? What did you call her? What did others call her?

Mother was always a thin lady full of ambition with thin baby fine hair. She was always "Mom" to me. She was "Vinnie" to her family & friends.

When and where were you born?

Reva, my older sister, told me Mother was expecting me the summer of 1919 and Dad was pretty much down with rheumatoid authritis and wasn't able to do much so she chose to go up by her folks on the "Nowood". My folks lived in a house across the creek from Grandma and Grandad (accessable by swinging bridge) where they lived. That is where I was born in Manderson, Wyo.

Who was your favotire president?

President Ronald Regan.

Did you know your grandparents or great grandparents?

I knew my mother's family because they lived in the Big Horn Basin. However, my dad's folks were all in Arizona and we did not know them.

Grandfather: Ben Lomans Leithead

Grandmother: Eliza Ann Brinkerhoff

I did not know my great-grandparents.

Did you go to religious services on a regular basis?

Yes

What part did religion play in your family?

My parents were married in the St. George, Utah temple. They were not very active in Lovell. We kids were always taught to go to Church. I never remember when I did not attend church.

Although the folks didn't attend very often they always made sure we went.

Mother always went to Relief Society and so on Tuesdays she would let me make corn starch pudding for supper. My favorite. I'd hurry home from school so I could.

Where did you live and go to school?

I lived at home during school in Lovell and lived with my Aunt Lucinda "Cindy" Snell in Salt Lake City, UT at 375 1st Ave while attending Business College in Salt Lake.

How many children and grandchildren do you have?

Smokey and I were proud parents of

4 children:

Janeta Kay - born march 7th, 1952

Dave Harry - born August 10th, 1955

Joel Fred - born October 16, 1958

Jay William - born February 16, 1961 - Jay only lived 2 days

5 Grandchildren:

Michael Aaron Neves - March 12, 1975

Kristin Kay Neves - September 1, 1977

Megan Marjory Neves - October 26, 1979

Hali Vivian Neves - Jan 31, 1981

Grady Fritz Grabbert - Jan 21, 2004

Great Grandchildren:

Miranda Leslie Hanson - July 24, 1994

Kaitlyn Rae Hanson - August 7, 1997

Aspen Kajsa Cross - November 16, 2000

Delaney Jane Neves - December 18, 2000

Cienna Vivian Neves - September 4, 2002

Joel David Neves - January 17, 2006

Ember Sage Beasley - January 3, 2008

Smokey and I had been married for 7 years and decided we weren't going to have children. What a great blessing we both felt when we were so favored by the Lord and given 4 special children.

How Long Did You Attend School?

I graduated from Lovell, WY high school in 1939. I got a job at the Dime Store and worked several months until I was able to go to Salt Lake City to Business School for about a year. I was fortunate to be able to live with my mother's sister, Aunt "Cindy" Snell while there.

Which Family Member Do You Resemble?

They always told me I looked like my oldest sister, Reva (Hansen) who was 10 years older than me.

Did the Family Move Around Quite a bit? What made them move?

Answer: No. My memories are all about my childhood in Lovell. Although I was not born in Lovell, I was raised there from infancy.

I was born at Manderson, WY up the Nowood River near my Leithead grandparents ranch.