Eric S. Bair

I search for historical documents, photos, videos, stories, etc. to compile information on my family members that are deceased. I love my family. I want to get to know them more and recognize them for all that they've done. Because ultimately, without them I would not be me.

In doing such research, I sometimes overlook and fail to celebrate my living family members who also mean so much to me. Today, and in future posts I'd like to put together and spend more of my time celebrating my living family who I love, care deeply for, and want to develop stronger relationships with. 

Today I'd like to highlight my brother Eric. 

Eric is two years younger than me. As an older brother I try to live in such a way to be an example and someone for my siblings to look up to (even though I realize I fall short in so many ways), but there have been several key moments that I can recall looking up to Eric.

We grew up in an area of diversity. Diversity in culture, thinking, religious observance, socioeconomic status, etc. I love diversity, but there is challenge to live a religious standard when so many around you do not. Our parents taught us about God and His commandments. I did my best to follow God, but I also found myself in difficult situations as I tried to balance following Him while being around others. I look up to Eric for standing firm in his beliefs. When he was put in difficult situations he held on tight to what he believed was true, followed it, and fled from anything that was contrary.

Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are cultural pressures similar to other organizations. One of those pressures is for young men when they turn 18 (when we were growing up the age was 19) to spend two years of their lives in an assigned area in another part of the world serving others and teaching about Jesus Christ. This service is not paid for, but young men and women pay their own way. For young men, it is expected that they go. When I did this service, some of the other missionaries that I worked with didn't have their hearts in the work as much as they could have. For some, this lack of heart is attributed to the reason why they served (parental pressures to serve, peer pressure, obligation). Eric chose not to go when he turned 19. I admire him for not going despite the pressures he faced. I'm sure that time was extremely difficult for him. I'll never forget when we were attending school at BYU-Idaho together and Eric came to me and told me he was going to go and spend two years serving God. He was excited. I admire him for his courage to do things for the right reasons at the right time despite whatever social pressures are around. 

There are also many other qualities that I admire about my brother. He works hard for his family. He teaches them about the Savior, particularly through song. He is very handy and has taken on several impressive remodeling jobs in his home. If he doesn't know how to do it, he figures it out or checks out a book from the library and reads about it. I recently found out that Eric has been learning how to play the cello. I've always wanted to learn an instrument, but haven't put in the time and effort like Eric. Eric is great at playing games. He serves in the scouts. He is a man with a lot of great strengths. 

I've done my fair share of picking on my little bro, teasing, beating on, etc. I've also come to admire and appreciate many things about my brother. I've missed opportunities to strengthen our relationship or broship, but I'll keep trying.

I love you brother. Happy Birthday!

Prayer

What is prayer?

Communication between man and God. Opportunity to recognize life's blessings, petition God for help, and come to know His will.

Prayer (from the Latin precari "to ask earnestly, beg, entreat")^[1] is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. (Wikipedia)

How do we pray?

Address God, recognize blessings from Him, ask Him to intervene in different areas of ours or others lives,

Vocally, silently, individually, in groups or congregations, throughout the day, by hymn, reverently, respectfully

Communication with God, speak and listen, thoughtful, not repetitive, picture who we are speaking with,

What are the benefits of prayer?

Communicating with the God of the universe, opportunity to discover the will of God for matters of my life, opportunity to show gratitude, opportunity to develop my relationship with my Father in Heaven

Each of us has problems that we cannot solve and weaknesses that we cannot conquer without reaching out through prayer to a higher source of strength. -James E. Faust

Findings:

Once, as I sat by my father’s bedside through the night, he talked about his childhood. He spoke of the love of his parents in difficult times and of the love of his Heavenly Father and the Savior. I knew he was dying of cancer, so it did not surprise me that at times he mixed up his feelings for his Heavenly Father with the love and kindness of his earthly father. My father had often said that when he prayed, he thought he could see in his mind the smile of Heavenly Father.

His parents had taught him by example to pray as if he spoke to God and that God would answer him in love. He needed that example to the end. When the pain became intense, we found him in the morning on his knees by the bed. He had been too weak to get back into bed. He told us he had been praying to ask his Heavenly Father why he had to suffer so much when he had always tried to be good. He said a kindly answer came: “God needs brave sons.”

And so he soldiered on to the end, trusting that God loved him, listened to him, and would lift him up. He was blessed to have known early and to never forget that a loving God is as close as a prayer. -Henry B. Eyring

Meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work. -David A. Bednar

Action:

-Remember that God is my Father in Heaven. Converse with Him like a father. Develop my relationship with Him. Give Him opportunities to communicate back. Listen. Show the importance of this relationship by putting more time and effort into praying.

 

LIFT

“What if your neighbor asked you to take 20 minutes one night to help him? Would you do it? Most decent people would. But what if he asked you every night following, with no end in sight? Would you be willing to do it? … When would serving your neighbor feel more like servitude?”

That big day not too long ago...

I'll never forget that day that I married my sweetheart. Everything seemed to come together perfectly. One of those  moments that I'll also remember is the support we received from our family coming to our marriage in Logan and our receptions in Burley and Caldwell.

Today I took a few minutes to think about my Grandpa and Grandma Bair in particular. I miss them. During days in which I feel like I'm needing someone to stand beside me to help me swing the bat, I think about Grandma Bair. A strong, good woman.

Grandpa and Grandma Bair weren't able to come to Logan for our wedding because of the cancer Grandma was fighting. I'll never forget when they were one of the first cars to pull up to our reception in Caldwell, going over to give them a hug, and taking this picture with them. It made the day even more special.

I also couldn't help but spend sometime looking and thinking about my beautiful bride. 

Dear Sheila Hensen,

Dear Sheila Hensen,

I see that you found my blog. It is the place where I've chosen to organize all kinds of information on my family. I love learning about my family. I feel a closer connection to my family the more I come to know them.

I acknowledge that though I try to be as careful as I can with my research that I do have errors and oversights. They aren't intentional. I do not try to act maliciously with information that I post. My intent is solely to be as factual as I can.

To address your concerns. The posts on Kevin Hensen, Laura Hensen, and Robby Hensen were last updated on 6/24/2012. Since that time and before it, I have not had conversations with any of the listed individuals about who their children are, who there grandchildren are, or any other details regarding their families. In an effort to include as much on my family that is living and dead, I took what information I had and posted it. With most of the posts I make, I come back to them and update them when I have new information.

Thank you for sharing with me the information you did on Robby's daughter's name. I knew they had a little girl, but such information about living people can be more difficult to come by when using the resources that I do. I appreciate the fact that living children's information is somewhat more protected when parents are careful with social media and the internet. I also appreciate the update of your children's names. I will take all the help I can get from family members.

With regards to the child that you made numerous comments about. The intent of my blog is not to share my opinion about legal/custody situations. In 2012 I appreciate my cousin taking such good care of this child sharing all the love that she had with them. She did so much for him and still loves him with her full heart. When I made this post in 2012, she was so graciously taking care of this child and had previously taken and shared Christmas photos that I included on my blog.

No such custody battle was taking place at this time and to repeatedly declare, "Get your facts straight" with such animosity is childish and foolish. My post was completely accurate when it was made. The child was listed with a father, mother, and brother who cared for him and took care of him. They were there for him when he needed them.

I will update my posts to match what I've heard from family members about the difficult situation that the child is in. It is unfortunate that such a matter could cause such heartache and tension amongst family members; tearing relationships instead of strengthening.

If there are other errors you find or other ways in which you'd like to contribute to the information on the blog, feel free to share it. I hope you do so in a manner in which you appreciate all the time, energy, and effort that I've put into publishing hundreds of stories, documents, pictures, finding missing members, having success in my search, and also running into dead ends.

Regards,

Michael Bair

Remembering Grandma

Birth Certificate

Birth Certificate

Marriage Certificate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm7r74STIJU

Becky Bair's Thoughts (daughter, 2009)

The things I remember about my childhood is that our family didn't have alot of money to spare. But it seemed like mom and dad made sure that we took family vacations. The one I remember is when we went to yellowstone. We rented a u-haul trailer to pull behind are car. At night time my Dad slepted on the back seat of the car,I slepted on the floor of the car and my brother Jim slepted on the front seat of the car. The rest of the family slepted in the back of the u-haul. It saved money so we didn't have to have a motel. Alot of our family vacation I remember we would bring along my Grandma Churchill. She came with our family alot. Most of the time we would just grab food and sleeping bags to go camping with. We would bring a big tarp and lay it on the ground and then put all our sleeping bags on it. We would put a tarp on top just in case it started to rain. Another thing I remember about my growing up years is that my Dad would always like to take a Sunday drive. I used to dread those sunday drives and mom would always make us go. We would sing in the back seat of the car to entertain ourselves. One time we were on are way up to featherville and a deer jumped out in front of the car of course we hit it. We had to be towed. Another time we had an old station wagon and the tire fell off of it. I remember the time it was my mom,dad, Loretta and I went to disney land. We all shared a room together. My Dad snored alot well my sister Loretta would make these loud sounds to try and wake him up. Of course it didn't wake him up but it woke my mom and I up. Dad was a carpenter and some times he would take jobs out of town to make money for the family. He was working in Las Vagas we got to spend a month down there living in a camp trailor at a KOA camp ground. It was fun. I remember that I went swimming everyday why we were there. They also had a two seater bike that the seats were side by side. On payday Mom would let us rent one for an hour to go riding around. The other things we would do to keep our selves intertained is play card games like old maid. Needless to say some of us would tend to cheat. But I remember laughing alot. I guess the best part I remember being together as a family no matter what the case was.

Ruth and Oscar

Michael Bair's Thoughts (Grandson, 2009)

I do not see my Grandpa and Grandma Dawson as much as I'd like, but I have some great memories with them. I love Christmas parties in Grand View. The party is even better when Grandpa gets out his guitar and plays some music. Grandpa plays the classic old country songs that I love. He does it with a huge grin on his face with his foot tapping to the beat. It is impossible for anyone there to look at Grandpa and not smile yourself. I really appreciated Grandpa and Grandma showing up at our wedding reception. He is a great guy and still working hard at his age.

I love grandma. Just like Grandpa it seems like she is always wearing a smile and you can't help but smile back. I love the sound of grandma's voice. It is sweet and kind and is usually asking me how my life is. I enjoy playing games with grandma and some good ol Scrabble. Every once in a while Grandma and Grandpa will stop in at home with a load of wood or just to say hi. I'll never forget every year my parents letting us open a present on Christmas Eve. For a while we were able to open what Grandma got us, but eventually we started to choose to open up something else because Grandma Dawson always got us body wash and we wanted toys. I also appreciated my Grandma sending me a card every once in a while when I was on my mission in New Mexico.

Ruth's School Picture

Michael Bair's Thoughts (Grandson, 19 December 2011)
I was really excited when Grandpa decided to strum the guitar a bit. He put on what he called his "Vegas shirt" for me. He referred to the guitar he chose to play as "this blonde" when giving the reason why he chose to play this guitar because it looks good on camera. When Grandpa plays I can't help but smile. He walks into the room, makes time for you, and makes it a point to say hello and leave you smiling.

Grandpa and Grandma both talked about how they met each other playing a game of "ditch 'em". The game entailed chasing each other around in cars. They eventually moved to Grand View from Caldwell because of work and for the opportunity to be out on their own.

Grandpa had several stories that he shared this weekend of hanging out with his brothers. He talked about experiences they had of run ins with others and how they'd take care of problems by smacking someone with a solid punch in the face when something was going wrong. He and his brothers looked after each other and spent a lot of time together. Grandpa said when he came back from Korea that he was in great shape and was a solid 240 pounds.

Grandma talked a little bit about what it was like growing up. They did not have electricity for a long time. She would have to milk the cows every morning before running a quarter of a mile to catch the bus. Kids have it a lot easier these days she said. Her sister Faye had to feed the pigs. She said the greatest invention that has come around during the time that she has been alive is the washing machine. She recalled the huge task it was to have to wash clothes before the washing machine came around.

My favorite part of the Dawson Christmas Party this year was spending time with my Grandpa and Grandma. I love them and am grateful for who they are and what they do for me.

Obituary:
     Ruth Isabelle Dawson, 83, of Grandview, Idaho, who died on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at a Boise hospital, funeral services will be conducted on Monday, January 12, 2015, at 1:00 PM at Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Caldwell.  Ruth’s viewing will be held on Sunday, January 11, 2015, from 12:00-4:00 PM at Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Caldwell.  Interment will follow at Middleton Cemetery, Middleton, ID. 
     Ruth was born May 12, 1931 in Caldwell, Idaho to Conrad and Mary York.  Ruth married Oscar “Swede” Dawson on July 11, 1954.  They have been married 60+ years. 
She is survived by her spouse and their six children:  Sharon (Terry) Hensen, Irma Johnson, Diana (J.R.) Whitted, Jim (Dena) Dawson, Loretta (Ron) Wilson, Becky (Stan) Bair.  Ruth leaves behind 21 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.  She also leaves behind two sisters:  Faye Dunlap and Betty (Bob) Allen. 
     She is preceded in death by her parents, 3 brothers; Bob, Richard, and Con York; and her sister Edyth Truesdall: step-dad, Hank Churchill. 
     The family would like to give a big thanks to the staff who took such great care of our mom at St. Alphonsus, and thank them for taking such great care of us too. 
     Mom loved bowling, and was still on a team up till her death.  She loved anything that was with family.      She enjoyed doing word search books and loved all her grand, great, and great-great-grandchildren.  She also enjoyed the quiet peaceful times with just her and dad.  We all will cherish the wonderful memories that she will forever leave in our hearts.  Condolences can be given to the family at www.flahifffuneralchapel.com 
Click here for the obituary.

Document displayed at the entrance of the funeral.

Burial, 1/12/2015, Middleton Cemetery

Ruth (York) Dawson Chart

Spouse:
'Swede' Oscar Ross Dawson

Children:
Sharon Ruth (York) Hensen
Irma Jean (Dawson) Johnson
Diana Lynn (Dawson) Whitted
Jimmy Ross Dawson
Loretta Kay (Dawson) Wilson
Becky Rae (Dawson) Bair

Parents:
Conrad Ray York
Henry M. Churchill
Mary Louise (Phillips) York (1st Marriage) Churchill (2nd Marriage)

Siblings:
Edythe Oma (York) Truesdail
Robert R. York
Baby York
Faye Louise (York) Dunlap
Richard Conrad York
Betty Joan York

Overcoming Challenges and Death

I know that we can overcome challenges and hard times, because of Him.
-Michael

Research

This isn't my typical family post. I've almost completed an Education Specialist degree at BYU and I'm excited to have done and share a big part of it, my thesis.

Here is the link for BYU's online archive:
Click here. 

Identifying Elementary School Student Understanding of Learning Disabilities

#sharethegift

Jesus Christ is the reason. I am so thankful for Him. True joy in life comes from learning about and following the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Jacob Michael Bair

Thoughts by Michael Bair (12/11/2015), click here.

Spouse:

Children:

Parents:
Michael Quinn Bair
Kylie Meeshel (Barrus) Bair

Siblings:

Adelyn Rae Bair