Clara Ann Page Stewart Gay

by Laurel Ann Gay Gibson

My mother, Clara Ann Page Stewart Gay, was born on Nov. 25, 1874 at Provo, Utah. Her people were sturdy pioneer stock, her grandmother coming to this country from England. She was a widow with two small daughters. It was while living in St. Louis that she was again widowed.

When the saints crossed the plains she brought her own prairie schooner and supplies and hiring a teamster crossed the plains, with her two small children (this was Lydia Ann Hicks Page). Lydia arrived in ut Lake City, Utah in 1862 and later drove her own ox team to Provo. Lydia’s daughter, Julia Ann Page Stewart, was Clara’s mother.

My Mother’s father, Louis Stewart, crossed the plains several times to help bring the saints to Utah. Of such sturdy stock my mother came.

She lived at a time when conditions were most depressing and being the eldest of 5 children, four girls and one boy, she had to help out as much as possible. Her people were thrifty and industrious, but everyone had his share to do, so at the age of 10 she went out to do housework. For the next 10 years she helped out as best she could, getting her schooling between times. My mother was a very beautiful girl. My father’s sister tells me she was the most beautiful person she had ever seen with large blue eyes, brown hair and a most lovely pink and white complexion. Her pictures show her as beautiful and it is no wonder my father fell in love with her at first sight.

She was visiting her cousin in Lake Shore, Utah at the time. He was rather shy and could not bring himself to ask her to marry him so when she went home he sent a letter he had copied from a magazine asking her to marry him. She was insulted and told him by letter. He finally mustered up the courage and rode 18 miles on horseback to ask her.

She told him she wouldn’t marry him unless he would go to the temple. That stopped things for a time, but finally dad decided if he wanted her he would have to comply with her wish and so on Jan. 30, 1895 they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. There were 8 children born. One of them dying at the age of six months (John William Gay).

Mother was a great influence for good on my father’s life. Through her constant faith and prayers she kept him in the gospel. He always gave mother credit for his being the kind of man he was.

Two weeks after her marriage, mother had typhoid fever and from then on she had one serious illness after another. She had some of the most serious sick spells one could have and not die. She was promised that she wouldn’t die. Before our last brother was born she knew she would die. On going to the dedication of the 2nd Ward Chapel she met one the the apostles who came for it. As the people passed out of the church everyone shook hands with him. When it came to mother, he took her hand and said, ‘Bless you dear sister, you shall live to have your children’s children call you blessed’. This she surely did.

Mother never had much of the material wealth of life, but she was always good to her family and waited on them hand and foot. I always have said she did too much for us. If her sisters family’s were ill it was always ‘send for Aunt Clara’, and if she was well she always vent. In later life when her grandchildren were ill, she went to them if she was able and helped take care of them.
Mothers life was one of service to her fellowmen and what more can be said of one then that he helped his fellow man. Christ set our example of this.

If anyone of her family were in need of food and she had any, she gave it to them if she went without herself. I have scolded her .ore than once on account of it and told her that was why she never had much herself.

Mother had three great sorrows in her life. Losing her son was one (Johnny), losing father was another, and my brother not being able to do the things he should was the third. She always said to lose one’s mate was the most tragic thing in the world. To lose father, mother and son were bad enough, but a husband was infinitely worse.

Mother was ill six weeks before dad died. One night, about two weeks before my fathers death, I was sleeping with her and she seemed to be in such agony. I raised her up and she said, ‘The spirit said when you're about to die...’. This she repeated several times and finally she said she had been climbing a high mountain. There were two lines of people on the mountainside, one going up and the other coming down. She said she and someone else were going up. When she reached the top she was told that she must go back and the others were to go on. She came back but in about two weeks my father died so we have always thought he was the one to go on.
Mother lived twenty three years after the apostle promised her that she would live to hear her children’s children call her blessed. She lived 6 years after the time father passed on.

Mother was first aid in the first camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers in the Grand View Ward. She was also in the Presidency of the Primary, and the Relief Society block sister teacher for several years. She worked in the temple for her dead ancestors.

Mother was always a home woman. She regretted not having as good an education as my father. Mother suffered for 16 long months before her death, but she loved life so she wouldn’t give up. She lived three days after she told me she was no longer afraid to die.

She never believed fully in tithing but after dad died and before her death she paid tithing on ever cent she received. The Bishop remarked that he couldn’t see how she could think of tithing when she was so ill.

She died 3 March 1935. Just 16 years to the day after moving on the farm in Grandview Ward.

(This is a copy taken from the original writing of my Aunt Laurel Gay Gibson, pertaining to her mothers and my grandmothers history. Copied by Joyce Gay Johnson, grand daughter to Clara Ann.)