Merri Lou Swan ³⁶⁹

  General Notes:

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I am Merri Lou Swan Ericson. I was born December 12, 1951, just four minutes after my twin brother John. I was number 7 of eight children. My younger sister, Linda, was born just 14 months later. John and Linda and I became known in our family as "the three little kids."

Until I was 11 years old we live on a ten-acre farm east of Stockton, California. Extras were scarce in our family of ten. We three little kids used our imagination to make our own fun. We built a tree house, which was our getaway place from the "big kids." One of our favorite things to do was to look for pop bottles around the yard. Then take them to Joe's Corner Market and cash them in for nickel a bottle. We bought treats, usually a pop and chocolate mallow pie. We would take our little treats to our tree house and have a picnic.

The summers were long and hot. Us three kids tired to find ways to keep cool. Begging for a swimming pool was fruitless. We tried to figure out a way to make our own. Our idea of digging a hole and lining it with a large plastic sheet was quickly vetoed by Mama. Daddy must have felt sorry for us and offered too let us use one of his plaster mud mixing boxes. We accepted his offer for nothing better had come along. We splashed around in the cool water held by a mud box about 16 inches deep and eight feet in length and four feet in width. one summer we used a barrel filled with water. It was a tight squeeze with two of us in it, so we had to take turns. In my very early childhood days the "big kids" would take us little kids to the pump at the back of the place. There was a big square spillway that the water from the pump would spill into before a pipeline would distribute the water for irrigation. The water was over our heads so the "big kids" would hold us "little kids." It wasn't very often that we got to go with them. Mama probably worried about us.

Many September afternoons were spent picking up walnuts from the 80 walnut trees on our farm. All ten of us formed a line. Each of us had our own bucket, from the little ones to the big ones. If our heads were not down and our fannies up we received a reminder to work harder. A Walnut tossed in our direction usually landing on our head was sufficient. After each walnut picking day, Daddy felt joy with the accomplishment of the day as the gunny sacks were lined up filled to the top with hulled walnuts. We kids felt joy that the day was over and an ice cream sandwich was handed to us as a reward for our efforts. We looked forward to the those ice cream sandwiches after every walnut picking day.

When I was eleven years old, Mama and Daddy sold the farm. Allen and us "three little kids" were the kids left at home. The big kids were married, in college or on a mission. We moved to Arizona. We went to a little town called Pima. I was excited for a new adventure and a new place to live. Daddy decided to build a house there. While it was being built we lived in a rental home that was very small. It had two bedrooms. Mama and Daddy had on and we four kids had the other. We lived there for a few months until our new house was built. We lived for a few months in our new house until Daddy couldn't find enough work there.

Our new home was sold and we moved to Bisbee, Arizona. My Uncle Oliver had the Swan ranch just outside of Bisbee. On this ranch there was an underground house. It had two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The bathroom was the only room that had a door. Each room was very small. Us four kids were back to sharing a room again.

By this time john and I were 12, Allen was 16 and Linda was 11. We felt we needed some privacy so we divided the room in two with a curtain down the center. The boys had one side and the girls had the other. The Swan ranch was an adventurous place to live. It consisted of 160 acres. There were three ponds that Uncle Oliver made. One of the ponds stayed full most of the summer. The other two filled up as the heave rain storms caused gully washers to flow through the food hills into the ponds. When the thunderstorms ceased we ran to the edge of the pond to watch the water pour into the empty pond.

The mile-long dirt road that led the from the ranch to the highway was a dreaded walk to the school bus every day. It was long and boring. Often times John would take a shortcut through the brush, but I was always afraid of rattlesnakes so I stayed on the beaten path. This long dusty road was no longer boring when Daddy would allow John and I to practice our driving skills as we learned to drive at age 15.

Eventually we moved to a mobile home in Palmominas, about 20 miles from the Swan Ranch. This was also a two bedroom home. However, the bedroom was too small for three kids. (Allen was married by this time.) John slept in a little shed behind the house. This is where we lived during my high school years.

My senior year at 17 I moved to Las Vegas to live with Carol Ann and Chuck and their family. It was there that I graduated from high school in June of 1970. The Summer after I graduated, Carol Ann and Chuck moved to Utah. I decided to go with them. In the fall I returned home to Arizona fro a short time. In January 1971 I moved to Salt Lake City, where I enrolled in the L.D.S. Business college. Chuck helped me find a small apartment three blocks from the school.

I began dating to meet new friends and started a new life on my own. Three weeks after arriving in Salt Lake City I met my husband to be, Howard Ericson-a native of Salt Lake City. three weeks after we met we were engaged. Six months later, September 17, 1971, we were married in the Salt Lake Temple.

Howard was 30 years old when we were married. I was 19. He was accused by his friends of robbing the cradle. We were in love and age didn't make a bit of difference to us. We wanted to start our family right away. Our first baby was born June 8, 1972. Brent Wayne was born a healthy 8 pound 2 ounce baby boy. His three week early arrival was very much appreciated by his mother. At the time Brent was born we lived in an apartment in downtown Salt Lake City. A short time later we moved to a duplex on the east side of Salt Lake City. Melinda was born just 16 months after Brent on October 1, 1973.

In March of 1975 we bought our first home in Murray, Utah-a suburb of Salt Lake City. Sara was born September 9, 1976. A few weeks after Sara was born, Howard had very serious surgery that required follow-up radiation treatments. Due to the extreme amount of radiation he received we were told by the doctors that it was very unlikely that we would be able to have more children. This news was not too upsetting to us as we had three children, which was more than some people have. Eight and one half years later Brian was born on April 8, 1985. We were very surprised and extremely delighted to have another addition to our family.

It is now 1994. Brent is married to a lovely woman who he met while on a mission in Bremmerton, Washington. They were married in the Seattle Temple December 11, 1993. Melinda is in her fourth year of college-working toward her degree in elementary education. Sara just graduated from high school. Brian is nine and enjoying being the only child at home.

Howard and I have been married for 23 years. Our joys and trials have been may. We are grateful for both. Though the trials are hard, we would not have received the blessings that follow without them. ³⁶⁹

  Life Events:

1. Church Affiliation: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ³⁶⁹

Merri married Howard Wayne Ericson on 17 Dec 1971.³⁶⁹ (Howard Wayne Ericson was born in 1941 ³⁶⁹.)