Ilse

Shortly after we moved to South Jordan I was assigned to home teach the Young family, John and Ilse. What a wonderful blessing it was to be invited into their home each month and enjoy the wonderful spirit that was there. After about a year I was reassigned to other families. The Youngs have a home in St. George and a cabin above Heber as well as their home in South Jordan. They spent a lot of their time with family both here and in St. George and in the heat of the summer were often in their cabin. As a result I didn’t get a chance to see them very often. Then a couple of years ago John was diagnosed with a blood disorder and began to physically go downhill. Even with John’s health problems they were always very upbeat and seemed to be happy.

As John’s health deteriated they began to spend more and more time here. Finally the doctors told them that John really had a very short time to live and they should be making plans accordingly. But that didn’t slow them down much. John was on oxygen much of the time but they were still able to stay positive and continued to drive to St. George to be with friends and family there as well as hosting friends and family at their cabin.

As they began to spend more and more time here, Analia and I were able to spend more time with them. They taught us to play various games and we spent many wonderful evenings with them. Since we knew that John’s time could be very short we took advantage of every opportunity that we could to spend time with them. These are minutes and hours that I will always cherish.

Ilse was a whirling dervish, continually on the move. John was the rock that did his best to keep up with her and help where he was able. Some mutual friends, the Pendleton’s, went on a cruise with them and they described it as a wonderful exercise of trying to keep up with Ilse.

They had been trying to get us to come to their cabin for a while but with Analia’s health issues we never seemed to make it. This summer we finally made it. We had a wonderful time with them and some mutual friends, John and Jan Martin. The Martins had to leave early but we stayed and went riding their ATVs. We had a wonderful time and agreed to do it again very soon.

Analia and I have been planning a trip to Yellowstone for a couple of years and when Ilse heard about it, she got so excited and said how wonderful it would be if we could do it together. So for the last couple of months we have been trying to change our reservations to a time when we could do it with the Youngs.

Last Saturday I took John to a car show at Legacy Retirement Home. We took it very slowly but it was quite warm and John got quite tired and I took him home. Then on Sunday John and Ilse spoke in Sacrament meeting about their mission to Africa. It was one of the most spiritual meetings I have ever attended. Then on Monday evening Ilse called and wanted to know if we would like to get together for pizza and then play games afterward. We jumped at the chance and I went and got pizza and took it to their house. Afterwards we played Rook. Ilse and I were partners and we won every game. It is an evening that I will always remember. Sadly it was the last.

Today John called to say that while they were camping in East Canyon, Ilse and some others went riding on ATVs and the one Ilse was on flipped and landed on top of her and she was killed. I have lost one of my dearest friends.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger
20 August 2015

Ilse

Come listen to a story of fame and of glory unlikely to be known by most.
Of a friend and pal, a quite wonderful gal and one spectacular host.

The Youngs were a pair with a welcoming air who were friends of all they knew.
They were friends to the sad and made their hearts glad, of those who were blessed not a few.

I heard of a tale of a cruise they set sail with friends they had only just met.
They talk of the time with words now sublime of Ilse’s pace, how they sweat.

She often would walk at a blistering trot that left others far in her dust.
Her life was a flurry and always a hurry to accomplish all that she must.

She taught God’s own truth to old or the youth of her witness she often would swear.
Her lessons taught stories of truth and the glory of service to God far and near.

We were blessed to live where we could give service whatever the need.
But somehow it seemed however they beamed it was us that were blessed by the deed.

We stayed one night in their cabin so bright to enjoy friends and nature as one.
We worked together at meals or whatever Ilse planned for our evening of fun.

We played games for a while until it seemed that our smiles surely would split our face.
We rode mechanical brutes up hills and down chutes all at Ilse’s blistering pace.

Often at night we would get an invite to spend an evening at cards.
The stakes were quite high and often a sigh meant John had won by a yard.

These were choice times when evening’s chimes meant nothing when we were together.
We’d laugh and we’d hoot ‘til our eyes start droop and we’d leave to face wind and the weather.

It’s not often in life as we deal with strife that our lives are blessed so well.
To have friends we can share the burdens we bear as we travel through life pell-mell.

Now Ilse is gone to wait for John as the sands of life slide on.
We know she is there beyond toil and care awaiting the breaking of dawn.

As our lives all must close to that gentle repose and we are welcomed beyond the veil
I hardly can wait to enter those gates where promises never will fail.

Where friends we will meet in that blessed retreat and rest on that blissful shore.
Where we’ll never grow old and loved ones we’ll hold in that life we will share evermore.

Gale L. Wolfenbarger
22 August 2015