Myrtle Lee Clawson Allred

On Sunday, the sixth day of October 1935, in the small town of Charlo, Montana, Rayand Veva Clawson looked down at their beautiful baby girl for the first time. They named this new precious baby, Myrtle Lee Clawson.

Myrtle gave her parents a run for their money as a small child. She was full of life, exuberance, and energy. This go-getter lifestyle and attitude would quickly become her way of life.

At the tender age of six, a tragedy struck her family when her mother became ill and passed away. Some of the details of this event are lost in the archives of her memory, but she remembers the feeling of her mother’s absence and the pain she felt for her father, who now had seven children to raise on his own. They pulled together through the next two years until her father was remarried to Margaret Leishman. Margaret was a widow and had 6 children of her own. Many trials came from this newly blended family, but Myrtle always knew she was deeply loved by both her father and her new mom, Mother Margaret.

The Clawson family lived on a farm where Myrtle learned the value of hard work. There was always something to be done, like hoeing beets or milking the cows. She looked forward to Sundays the most and said “I loved Sundays because I got to go play with my friends…mainly because I got to get away.” This work ethic is a common thread throughout her life. She was always working and trying to accomplish a task. You would rarely find her sitting still.

As a young girl, some of Myrtle’s favorite memories are of the sweet scent of freshly baked pie and roasted chicken floating through the air of her humble home. The holidays always brought with them happiness and excitement. Every year Myrtle and her family looked forward to the rare opportunity of bundling up and carrying blankets to go see a show together. She had a deep love for her parents and siblings that lasted her lifetime.

Right after high school at the young age of seventeen, Myrtle left home to serve an 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Her assignment was to the Northwestern States Mission. She had always loved the gospel and now she had the chance to share it with others. Regardless of the immense homesickness she felt, her opportunity to go on a mission taught her the values of service, how to live with and converse with others, and obedience. The Lord helped her gain a strong testimony of her own, for which she was very grateful.

Myrtle returned home in January 1955 and reconnected with a man she had met before her mission. After two weeks of dating, she was engaged to her sweetheart Keith Lee Allred and they were sealed in June of that same year. Although they only made $2800 a year, they were happy and healthy. “We made our own fun” she recalls. “We enjoyed being together and we were in love. We didn’t need any more than that.”

Nine months later they rushed into the hospital to have their first baby, but their hearts were broken when sweet Trudy Ann Allred was stillborn. Myrtle never saw or held her first child. Her heart was broken, and she was sent home empty-handed. After much heartache, the couple had their next baby girl a year later, Cindy Lee Allred. It was truly a happy time in Myrtle’s life. They would go on to have 4 more children, Scott C, Leslie C, Tonya, and Keith C. When asked to describe motherhood Myrtle states with pure emotion and love: “When you become a mother your life is changed. When they hurt, you hurt. Motherhood is wonderful even through the trials. Being a mother teaches you what love is.”

Being a wife, mother, and grandmother was her favorite. Myrtle had been married to Keith for almost 68 years when he passed away only 17 months ago. They had gone through a lot together. She said “The love of her husband always carried her. I’ve always had a good husband. He is patient, kind, and understanding.” She also loved being a grandma to 18 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren, each of whom she loved dearly. Making memories and spending time with family always brought her so much joy. Her family was her everything.

Myrtle spent many hours over the years serving in her various church callings, going on two missions with her sweetheart, and serving as a temple worker. She also enjoyed working in the yard, maintaining a garden, cooking delicious food, putting her sewing skills to use, making flower arrangements, keeping an immaculate house, and so much more. She was an amazing, talented woman. She never left a leaf unturned. Everything this courageous woman set out to do she did with accuracy, grace, and beauty. Her outlook on life was encouraging, bright, and optimistic, even through her last days. Her genuine kindness, love, and caring filled the depths of every room she was in. There will never be a woman who worked as hard and lived as boldly as she did.

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