My father John Henry Bridge left Coalville, Utah at the age of
eleven years with some of his family members in a covered
wagon pulled by one team of horses, and also one riding
pony in early May 1900. Some days this little company
travelled twenty-five miles, other times it was less. After
many hardships of travel, they arrived in tent town Magrath
the last day of June.

The challenges that they faced, produced lives of increased
strength and endurance, as they journeyed onward with faith
in every footstep. Humbly yet anxiously these pioneers looked
to the future.

My father's mother died when he was only a few months old
in Coalville. After their arrival in Magrath, Alberta, the father
James Bridge bought a building lot in the north east side of
town and there built a two roomed home for himself and
his young family of four, Mary, Annie, Orson and John. James
worked hard to provide for his family, his firm testimony
of the truthfulness of the gospel was firmly planted in the
heart of each of his children and they became stalwarts
in the LDS. church. At a young age they learned to love
the Lord.

John received his formal training in the Magrath schools
and also at the Knight Academy in Raymond. In October
1911 this fine six foot three inch young man John received
a mission call to the Eastern States mission field. With Ben
E. Rich as his mission president, John was required to
memorize scripture, because of his diligence in accomplishing
this task, he became an outstanding teacher and public
speaker. During his lifetime he spoke at over eighty funerals.
He had a natural talent for singing, his deep base voice was
enjoyed in Male Quartets and also the male chorus of which
he belonged, he was a choir member all of his active life.

Besides owning a small farm he earned the living as foreman
of a road-building crew on the secondary roads around
Southern Alberta. As a community builder at various times
he was town policeman, a town council member, chairman
of the hospital board, a school board member and mayor of
the town. At church he was Sunday-school teacher and
young men's mutual improvement president, besides being a
loving and tender husband and father.

After retirement he did many endowments by proxy for the
dead in the Alberta temple. One year he did the most in our
stake numbering 500.

My mother Alvira Dickson Bridge moved with some family
members from Wyoming to Magrath in May 1913. She was
the ninth child of a fami}y of twelve.

My parents were married December 17, 1914. They had five
children, three girls and two boys. Avilda married Duane
Harker, 2- Garth Coleman, Betty married Pingree Tanner,
Geraldine married Henning Anderson, James married Margaret
Allen, John married Maxine Dudley.

My two sisters and their companions and my two brothers
and their companions have each filled two church missions.

The gospel is to make bad men good and good men better.
Also the gospel is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal
life of man.

My mother Alvira was a very well educated and talented
person. Because she was so filled with the arts, she was
qualified to be a loving wife and an outstanding homemaker
and mother.

Both John and Alvira were active members of both church
and town committees. As I grow old I realize the priceless
gifts our parents gave us for deep appreciation for the gospel
and love and affection for each other. Sweet and precious
memories cause me to realize our feet leave our parents home
but our hearts never do.

John and Alvira have 213 direct descendants.

Alvira Bridge directed many home dramatics, She was an
excellent seamstress and designer, besides sewing most of
our clothes, She sewed many costumes, including woman's
mohair hats, she helped women of our stake sew their own
temple clothing. While she was ward Relief Society president
she helped trim the burial caskets the priesthood made. When
she was Relief Society president the money needed was earned
by the membership, she assisted in sponsoring Bazaars. The ladies
sewed kitchen aprons and children's clothing, making quilts,
braiding rugs, weaving baskets, doing a great deal of baking and
making various crafts to enhance the homes, all to be sold.
They catered to dinners etc. Yet never did these dedicated
women of the church say:

• _ I have planned and worked for the church too much.
• _ I have studied and prayed too much.
• _I have done my best too much.

In spite of their individual problems they were always willing
to help for a needy cause. Later Alvira was a councillor in
the Stake Relief Society.

I am convinced that my parents lived noble and productive
lives, with faith in every footstep.They were not perfect,
they made mistakes along the way but they diligently tried.

Two days before my father's death, he repeated all verses of
" Come Come Ye Saints " knowing his time on earth was over
soon, he emphasized: "All is well, all is well!".

They both lived to be 85 years old. We honour and respect
the standards our parents taught and lived by.

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