Share your stories #3 Your Family

From which countries did your ancestors emigrate? How did they travel? When did they arrive? Where did they settle?

Mom, can you help me with this one? I know they came from Europe, most by boats and then wagons. Many of them went wherever the government was giving away free land.

Who are your parents? What are their full names? Where and when were they born? Where did they grow up?

My dad is Charles Von Hugo. He was born Charles Von Clark, but was adopted by my Grandpa Hugo soon after my parents were married. He was born in 1944 in Denver Colorado. As he grew up his parents moved a lot. Most often he lived in Denver or Placerville, California.

My mom is Nancy Kay Hugo. Her maiden name is Everett. She was born in 1946 in Alburquerque, New Mexico (at least I think that's where). She grew up in a couple different places. The one I've heard the most about was Midland, Texas.

What did your parents do for a living?

My mom went to Ricks College and became a Registered Nurse. She worked as one until she had children and then she became a Mom. She was home for most of my younger growing up years. Around my 9th birthday she took a nursing refresher course while working at the Cotton Shop. Then she went back to nursing at the Orem Community Hospital as a Labor and Delivery Nurse.

My dad earned a Bachelors degree in Sociology from BYU. He worked as a carpenter for a few years, then became a building inspector. He worked for Provo City for over 30 years and was the Chief Building Inspector for quite a few of those years.

What do you remember most about your father from your childhood? About your mother?

The thing I remember most about my dad was how hard he worked at making me feel important. He would read the newspaper on the floor with it spread out in front of him. I would sit on his lap and he would explain what he was reading to me. I remember asking him to explain why some of the comics were funny, and he did.
He answered every question I asked him, no matter what it was. I remember driving down the road in our minivan and I asked him why it snowed more in the winter than it rains during the summer. He explained it very carefully to me. I didn't really understand what he was saying, but I knew that he knew, so it was ok.
Our elementary school participated in a reading program through Pizza Hut. If you read a certain amount each month you got a free personal pan pizza. I loved earning them each month so Dad would go there with me. He always got a meat lovers pizza for him and I got my pizza.
He always made an effort to come to anything I participated in. I was in a spelling bee in 4th or 5th grade and he came to watch me. He also came to each of my concerts for band and choir. It made me so happy that he came.

The things I remember about my mom is how much she did and how much she taught me. She took care of all 7 kids, cleaned and directed cleaning of the house, and all the other things that come with being a mom. She made quite a few of our clothes and was always a room mother for each of us at school. In addition to this she was always busy with a church calling. And of course she had projects going all the time, whether cross stitch, knitting, crocheting or quilting. She had a big cupboard in the living room full of sewing stuff. I remember thinking she had tons of projects in there (and now I have many more than would fit in that cupboard).
One of my first memories of Mom is her teaching me how to do laundry. The fun part was throwing the clothes over the railing to the laundry room, then comes the sorting and putting into the washer. She taught me how to match socks. I would make a line of all the socks down the hallway and then go down the line with each one to find its match. She taught me how to set the table and how to clean. She taught me the alphabet and made a game where she put cards with letters on the floor and then would make the sound of a letter. I would try to hit the letter that made that sound before whoever I was playing against did.
As I got older she taught me how to do projects. I learned how to do all sorts of handwork from her. She always made sure I had the supplies I needed to do projects and stay busy. She even promised me that if I took a sewing class she would pay for all my projects. I learned how to show love by giving from her. I think I have given away most of the projects I've made because she gave away the projects she made and it never occured to me to do differently.

Who were your grandparents? What do you remember about each of them? How old were you when your grandparents died?

My grandparents on my mom's side were Mark Franklin Everett and Esther Corilla Everett (Wilden). My Grandma Everett was a lot like my mom, always busy doing and helping. I don't have very many memories of her, but I have read her life story, which has helped me feel like I know her.
I remember seeing her and Grandpa all dressed up to go work at the temple. I remember her making hot chocolate in her white mugs with blue flowers and putting one big marshmallow in it. I remember that she had a tin with candy in it in the cupboard to the left of the fridge on the top shelf, and she always wanted me to give her a hug before I got any candy. I remember how bright blue her eyes were. Grandma Everett died when I was 7 of stomach cancer.

Grandpa Everett was one of the most wonderful men I've ever known. He was full of love and he knew how to do everything. I remember him helping dig out the cement room at our house. I remember going to visit him after Grandma died. One time we ate leftover stew he had made, the other time we went to the store and bought fresh fish, then went back to his house and he fried it for me. I think the reason I don't like fish now is that I've never had any that tasted nearly as good as that fish did. I remember going to visit him after I got my drivers license. He was always so happy to see me. His wife at the time always had some dessert made and we would sit around and talk while we ate it. He helped me make a hope chest for one of my Young Women projects, and helped me finish my sewing table from woodshop. After I got married he asked Karl and I to move into the duplex so we would be near him. He asked me to cut his hair whenever it needed it. The time we lived there I got to know him really well and it was hard on me when he died. I was about 26.

My grandparents on my Dad's side were LeRoy Everett Hugo and Gladys Kathleen Hugo (Whitlock). I didn't get to know either of them very well because they lived so far away (in Placerville, California).
Grandma Hugo made a lot of afgans. She loved me sending her my picture each year, and I always got a birthday card from her and Grandpa. She died when I was 8 of lung cancer. I have since wished I could have gotten to know her better.
Grandpa Hugo was always in a wheelchair. He lost his legs in WWII. He had a really cool round chair that was "his" chair. You could sit on it, but when he was ready for it, he got it. I remember whenever he came to visit we would put a ramp on top of the stairs to get into the house. I had a lot of fun riding my bike down it. It was amazing to watch him drive because he used a system that let him push handles using controls with his hands. He died when I was 16 from complications of bone cancer. I wish I could have known him better as well.