Rebecca Irene Knight Cloward   1954 ~ 2010

Our wonderful wife, mother, daughter, and sister was taken home suddenly and peacefully at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center on November 2, 2010.

She was born on June 17, 1954 to Jo L. and Janette Knight and graduated from Springville High School with honors in 1972. After graduation, she was Miss Springville in 1975. She graduated from BYU in 1982 as a Nurse Practitioner before her mission and started her career in Ticaboo and Bullfrog. She served a full time LDS mission in Hong Kong in 1983 - 1984. She enjoyed working in various health care positions, the most recent being the BYU Student Health Center and particularly teaching the pre-marital classes and working at first aid stations for many events at BYU. She also started the Student Health center at UVU before working at BYU.

Becky met her sweetheart Paul Cloward, soon after her mission. They were married June 21, 1985 in the Jordan River Temple.

Becky loved making quilts, crocheting, knitting, reading, and her church callings including young women's, relief society and the Primary Secretary. Becky loved music and was known for her participation in school plays and singing in church. Her belief that singing was a prayer unto the Lord was evident in her choice of favorite song: "Oh That I Were an Angel" and now she is.

Her earthly father Jo L. Knight lovingly received her spirit and she is survived by Paul J Cloward and her children: Casey Lewis, Katie, Kelly Paul, and Cory J Cloward, her mother Janette Mae Chapman Knight, Siblings; Paul, Rachael, Ruth, Berty, Peter, and Joe.

A viewing will be held in Mapleton at Wheeler's Mortuary located at 82 West 400 North on Friday November 5th from 6:00pm to 8:00 pm. The funeral services will be Saturday November 6th starting at 1:00pm at the Mapleton Utah Stake Center located at 970 North 400 East next to the Mapleton Jr. High. There will be a viewing at the church one hour prior to the services. Interment will be in the Springville Evergreen Cemetery

The Best is Yet to Come Part 1

November 2, 2010 my oldest sister Rebecca Irene Knight Cloward died at about 6:00 p.m.. She was 56 years old.

We got the news about 11:00 p.m.on October 29, 2010 that Becky had been rushed to the hospital with a heart attack. 
She was in Provo at Sam's gas station, and a citizen found her slumped over the steering wheel in full cardac arrest. We didn't know how long she had been down
When she got to the ER they shocked her 11 times. The doctor wanted to call it.
One more shock and she came back.
Charlie-Marie is staying with Grandma.

Clint and I got to the ER about 20 min later.
Paul, Casey, Kelly, Clint gave her a blessing in the ER.
They took her to ICU.
She was hooked up to a breathing tube, sedated and had a medicine to paralize her and cooled wayyy down.
So she wouldn't use more oxygen and any brain function wouldn't be further comprimised.
They took her for a head CAT scan.  It showed no brain bleed.
They did an angio gram .  Everything was clean as a whistle.
The did a CAT scan on her lungs. She did not have a blood clot.
Her potassium level was almost non exsistent.
Found out the gas reciept said 9:23 p.m.  Ambulance arrived at 9:51 pm....
Get home at 5:00 a.m. Saturday.  Mom wants me to take her over to the Hospital right then! I understand.
We all need to sleep.
Picked up Mom. 10:30.  She is dressed in her best black pants her prettiest blouse and she even put her feet into squishy heals because they were the only black shoes she had....her feet hurt. She wanted to be dressed up for 'Her Becky'.
Took Mom to the hospital. Gave list of Becky's medicine to the nurse.  Mom saw Becky, held her hand. The nurse talked to us. Mom cried told Becky to wake up.  It is sad.
Got Mom lunch and took her to the store.  She is having a good day because it is overcast and she can see!
Gave trick or treeters candy.
Did you know the day's run together when there is a crisis?  I realize I'm not sure when the EEG was.
Sunday..I went to all three meetings.
Home teachers came.
Made dinner in a pumpkin,rolls,and got out the Peanut Butter ghosts and worms....No one would eat the worms ... but Joe and Jeannette.
Clint and I go to the hospital.
I leave the kids to do the dishes!  Bless them they did.
Ok the EEG happened on Sunday
They did an EEG. Is it brain or muscle seziure?
It wouldn't be read until the morning.
Her hair is pink, due to the goop they had to put on the leads.
Everybody's joking they dyed her hair for Halloween.
MRI on Monday.....................
Get home at about 11:00 p.m. no change in Becky.
Monday morning 8:00 at work.  Fasting all day and will meed everyone at 7:00 p.m. at Becky's to break our fast.
Everybody wants to know and is very concerned for me and my family.
They know when the call comes for the results of the MRI, I am taking the call.
Get antsy about 10:00. Call ICU, she is having the MRI then.
4:00 p.m. cell phone rings.
Joe; she has massive brain damage.
OK well I guess I'll stay at work, thanks for calling...........hang up.....o crap....she's dead....sob, sobs. Lorrie hugs and cries with me.  Get Carol out of her meeting...can't hardly talk Carol hugs me..I try to sob quietly, but  hicups escape.  Log off....go home.
I call Clint, he has to go get Ryan then will meet me at home.
Call Charlie tell her, tell her to drive carefully home..She goes to the hospital and says Goodbye to Becky.
Get home, tell Michael, we hug each other and and cry! Michael comforts me.

Pioneer Days and Cool

My brother Peter invented a character called Jerkamiah.  I don't know who is funnier the character or Peter doing the character.  One of the stories Jerkamiah tells is of the Pioneers and why they were called the Pioneers.  If I remember it right it's because they were always leaving and all Jerkamiah could see were the
"Pi-ron-reers".  If you ever get an opportunity to see Peter perform Jerkamiah, make sure he tells the ant/bear story.

Let me preface...This is what I remember.
When I was little, my Grandma Chapman lived in a big old house by Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.  There were great big trees that shaded the house.  One July 24th, we were all getting ready to go to the great big Salt Lake July 24th Parade.  It was cool and shady in the house.  I didn't feel well so Grandma got me some alka-seltzer.  This being my first experience, I watch the tablets bubble and when I drank it down, it was terrible, then I threw up and felt better.  I remember laying on Grandma's couch with the shade from the trees on me and being cool. 

I remember being with Mom's family at Liberty Park, playing baseball with Uncle Steven and having the big trees shade us. Food on the picnic tables with table cloths, lots of cousins.

Speaking of cousins we used to play in Grandma's attic.  There was an old Victrola record player, the kind you wind up with lots of records.  I always wondered why the records were so thick.  Rachael would always play with Mike.  I loved it up there.  There was a big window at the end, and the dappled sunlight lit the attic.

One time I was staying with Grandma and I along with my cousins decided to climb a chain link fence to play in the boat...which we weren't supposed to do.  I put my right had up on the top prong and sliced by palm open.  Aunt Gail took me into the bathroom and sat me on the tub with the water running to wash all the blood off.  I don't remember crying a lot although I'm sure I did.  But I do remember watching all the blood getting washed off.  It was cool.  12 stitches later and a lolly pop for being brave I was taken back to Grandma's.  About two weeks later Dad took out my stitches with an old timer knife, underneath the shade tree in the front yard of our Springville home.

In writing the post, un-be-know'nst- to me, a  common theme appeared; trees, shade and being cool.  What does it all mean?

Doing Something Good

Doing something good never felt as bad...I tried to help out a friend and this friend wouldn't let me.  It seems I insulted this friend by offering....Am I mad? Sad? Confused?  Well it is not about me, it is about this friend.  My the Lord bless this friend and give this friend the help that is needed!  And may I be forgiven for how I felt afterwords.

Mothers Day Musings

I'm filled with appreciation for my Mother.  She is the Mother of seven children and all in all we turned out ok.  She is the Grandmother to 23 and the Great Grandmother to 4.5. She had at least 5 miscarriages.  She didn't work until the 7th child was in school.  She taught us to work hard for the things we wanted.

I loved to swim, and in order to get a family swimming pass we all had to earn $5.00 towards it.  I had to clean the shelves in the fruit room.  Besides being in the basement, it was dark and full of unknown crawley things.  If I wanted to go swimming that summer I had to do my part.  I remember finally getting it done but especially scrubbing off the grape jelly that had leaked out of the bottles was the hardest.

Thoughts

A week ago it snowed, and it snowed this morning...I love seeing the pink blossoms of the trees peeking through the snow. It makes me wish my hand could paint or draw or photograph what I see..somehow to portray the feelings these beautiful works of God invoke in me.

When my daffodils finally started warming up to peek their little heads out, it was with a lot of trepidation, like they knew of the coming snow. But they kept at it, and at times did a group hug to stay warm, braving the snow that bowed their little heads, almost to the ground at times, then lifting their heads to the sun and following it all day long. I love my daffodils....It makes the winter worth it.

I know you can see this analogy coming...

My kids are like the daffodils...

Charlie-Marie is bowed by the snow at this point...being 18 a senior and 3 weeks of school left is excruciating...Trying to shake the snow off but having to wait for the sun or wind to come along and help...but still lifting her head to find the sunshine and get things moving.

Ryan is following the sun, finding his way, initiating the group hugs and becoming quite the man....He is a very spiritial man.

Michael is doing all the shaking and moving.....Enjoy the Michael that IS.

I can't wait to see how each of my children blossom!

OK tell me about my Shoes or Is it my Glasses?

My deer sweet mother has had another stroke! I feel lucky that it doesn't affect her body as much as her brain. And for all of those that might think I'm insensitive, it is hard to watch Mom try to find her words, or not understand, but so funny what she comes up with. If you saw or spoke to Uncle Brent after his stroke, you would be very grateful that Mom's just affect her brain.

So Mom washed her phone. Since I know all about the phone Becky wanted me to see what I could do. It was about 0800 and Mom wasn't really with it yet. When I asked her where her phone was, she looked at me with a blank expression. After I came back from looking for the phone, I asked her again if she knew where her phone was. This time she pointed to her nose. After three times, she got frustrated with with me, took off her glasses and said they are right here. At about the same time, I located her phone. I said, "Mom, those are your glasses, this is your telephone." She looked at her glasses like OH that's what those are. Oh what a difference four days makes.

Monday afternoon when I was there ordering a new phone for her, I explained what I was doing. When I was done and went back into her room, she said "so tell me about my shoes?" Mom it's your telephone and I've ordered you a new one. It should be here tomorrow." "oh," said Mom "So I'm getting a new pajama top." Yeah Mom.... I Love YA!