What's the Point? - a Poem

Dr. Jean Feldman, a teacher, author, and researcher, recently wrote this poem and posted it on her blog. My friend and fellow teacher at Hershey, Mary Dietrich, shared it. Dr. Feldman makes a good point, and one that is applicable across elementary school.


WHAT’S THE POINT? By Dr. Jean Feldman

If you cover every objective in the curriculum, but don’t have time to play outside or take field trips—
What’s the point of kindergarten?

If you do every page in the workbook, but don’t have time to laugh, do show and tell, or sing a song—
What’s the point of kindergarten?

If you know all your letters and sounds and numbers and sight words, but don’t know how to be a friend or share—
What’s the point of kindergarten?

If you score high on the standardized test, but don’t like school—
What’s the point of kindergarten?

If you master every skill and have 2 hours of screen time, but don’t have time to play in the block center or housekeeping or do puzzles—
What’s the point of kindergarten?

If teachers are so overwhelmed by the demands, expectations, and assessments they are given that they don’t have time to hug, smile, read, cheer, cherish, and look in the eyes of those wonderful little children in their classroom---
Then what’s the point of being a kindergarten teacher?

But we know that five is a magical time, and children only have one chance in a lifetime to be five. SHUT YOUR DOOR and hold hands, sing, dance, paint, tell stories, make believe, play outside, and continue to give children happy memories! And only you can do that because YOU are a kindergarten teacher and YOU are SPECIAL and AMAZING just like the children you teach!

Reconnecting

Years ago, I lost track of the sister missionaries who gave me the discussions when I was 17. Well, ya gotta love Facebook - I found one of them this afternoon! I sent her a friend request and heard back from her later in the day.

Hi Lynn,
This is Debbie Smith! I can't believe you found me!!! I have wondered so many times over the years about you and where you are and what you are doing. It is an answer to my prayers. I still have a letter that you wrote to me when I was a missionary in Bloomington, Indiana 40 years ago!!! I would love to chat with you sometime. I am glad you live in West Lafayette. Ray and I love Indiana and hope to go back there this summer for the Temple open house. Love, Debbie

Debbie with one of her grandchildren.

Hi, Debbie! And I still have the testimony you helped me develop 40 years ago.  Would love to see you when you come. Let me know when your plans are in place. We have all our kids and their families coming for the open house and staying with us but I would love to see you again and catch up. Will make time no matter what!! Catch me up on your family when you get a moment. We have 6 kids, five of whom are married, and ten grandchildren with another due in August. I am teaching 45th/5th grade and Craig just retired as Institute director here at Purdue. (2 years at Central Michigan University, 27 at the University of Illinois, and 8 back home again in Indiana at Purdue University.) My email is lisenbarger8@yahoo.com Good to hear from you!! Love, Lynn 


I am excited to catch up with her! I wonder if she is still in contact with her companion, Sr. Verna Cook. Verna and I wrote for a couple of years after her mission, but then she suddenly stopped corresponding. I have been unable to find her online thus far. 

Mark Cabutti - the Principal I Never Had

A principal sets the tone of the school and through his or her leadership, helps the school and its students succeed. I've had five principals who have had a variety of leadership skills, but I never worked with Mark Cabutti.

He was the principal at Yankee Ridge School before my time and was very well loved, by faculty and families alike. Mahomet-Seymour School District snapped him up (as they did his replacement and my first principal, Laura Cresap, and then later my colleague, Chris Northrup, as well as one of my student teachers, Melissa Wingate Wills. Mahomet-Seymour School District loved to poach Yankee Ridge employees!)

Today I thought I saw Mark's obituary in the online version of the News-Gazette. Shocked, I clicked on the link, only to discover it was his brother, Mike, who had passed away, not Mark. But it got me thinking about the man who was never my principal yet who still stepped in to help me once, even though we had never met.

In 2004, I was preparing to have my right hip replaced when I received a phone call at home from Mark. He had heard through the Yankee Ridge grapevine that I was facing hip replacement surgery, and called to offer his support as he, too, had had the same surgery.

Mark offered lots of good advice, including a suggestion to raise the height of my bed which would make it easier (and less painful) to get in and out of as I recovered at home. He recommended putting wood blocks under each leg of the bed, and asked if I had any. I did not, but said I felt I could have Craig cut some for me. We spoke for about a half hour, and I hung up quite impressed - the stories of Mark Cabutti's legendary caring apparently were true.

Several days later, a mutual friend delivered a set of wood blocks for my bed from Mark along with a message to not worry about returning them and good wishes for a speedy recovery. I put them under the legs of my recovery bed (because I could not go up and down stairs, we moved a twin bed into the dining room and I slept there for a month.) The raised bed was much easier to get in and out of as I gimped through the long process of recovery. Mark also called me a couple of times post-op to see how my recovery was going.

I did get the pleasure of meeting him once - at church of all places! He was friends with Rick and Anne Taylor, the CES couple who were sent to help with Craig's large teaching load at the University of Illinois, and Mark came to one of their kid's baptisms. It was nice to shake his hand and thank him in person for his concern and caring.

 I wish I had had an opportunity to work with  "the principal I never had."

A Valid Test?

Indiana's ISTEP is a valid test, huh? And one that determines if my school is "good" or not? If I am doing a "good" job as a teacher and should get a raise?

We begin testing Monday, but other schools started last week. Today we were sent this list of known errors that have been occurring - notice how some cannot even be fixed!

Error Code / Problem

Message Displayed / Description

Action Steps

Cannot choose a correct answer

The student tries to click on an answer but cannot select an answer.

This has been reported to CTB. The only work around that has worked part of the time has been click back to the previous question then forward again. They can sometimes then select an answer after doing this. CTB has not given us a solution for this issue at this time

Screen reader not reading at all or partial

No message, when clicked it does nothing

CTB has not given us a solution for this issue at this time.

Freezing or stalled test

No message, testing stalled

Wait a minute, if the test has not resumed restart the machine and have the continue on the machine when it comes back or move them to another machine.

Connection Lost

Connection Lost - All of your answers before this question have been saved. Please ask your teacher for help.

Click exit, restart the machine and retry the test. If after restarting you get an error 99999 code. Please contact your technician to fix the network connection and move student to a different machine.

Error Code 471

Invalid Credentials.

Ensure correct Student Login, Password and Test Access Code are being typed as they appear in the test ticket. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH CTB.  If the credentials are entered correctly, CTB says to wait a minute and try again.

Error Code 475

Test session already completed.

Ensure correct Student Login, Password and Test Access Code are being typed as they appear in the test ticket.

Error Code 9999 - No network connection

9999 - No Network Connection Found.

Ensure the workstation is connected to the Internet. Please restart the computer and if it still does not work see your assigned technician. Your technician will fix the internet connection.

User trying to launch multiple instances of CTB Secure Testing App

The CTB Secure Testing App is already loading. Please do not launch the app again

Wait for the testing software to open. Usually this means the student has accidently tried to open the software twice by clicking on the icon to many times.

CTBClient.exe has stopped responding

CTBClient.exe has stopped responding. This message may also be hidden behind an all blue or white screen and will look like the screen has just frozen.

Version 2.1 of the CTB Secure Testing App resolved this issue. Have technician uninstall and reinstall the client. Technician will need to log in as them uninstall the CTB Secure Client, then log back in as iStep and it should automatically install on login.

I love how the solution to "Connection Lost," says to ask the teacher for help. Well, what am I supposed to do? I don't know!

The tests are timed, too, so these errors cut into the working time the student has to complete the test. I also have to record every error message and contact tech support with a report for each and every problem. While students are testing.

So, what do I do if the entire computer lab freezes? As it did a few weeks ago when the third grade teachers tried to administer the IREAD (which determines if a child repeats third grade or has to go to summer school.) How do I report on 25 kids' error messages?

The past two years, the ISTEP has been fraught with tech problems. Despite spending millions and millions of dollars, CTB still cannot get it right.

So why doesn't their performance on the test affect their raises, and whether they are a "good" company?

Call me fed up and frustrated with Indiana's testing mess.

The "Chess"-shire Cats - Our Chess Club

Classic books. Check that off as something my class loves. Chess? Another thing they love. Put the two together, and you get a great name for our classroom chess club!

The Chess-shire Cats!

Currently Coach Schnepp is helping us determine our five representatives for the 5th annual chess tournament with the 2/3 classroom.

We had five matches going yesterday afternoon plus a few exhibition games for those whose bracket was not currently playing.

 Coach Schnepp, JB, HS, and EK updated the brackets as the play continued.

 Everyone had a bracket sheet and was tracking progress. Our tournament is a double elimination.

Not only do we play in class and have a tournament scheduled in May, but last night was Chess Night at Hershey for the 2/3 and 4/5 classes.

 Families were invited to come in and play or to watch others play. All skill levels were welcome.

 Chess sets can be so unique. I love this Disney one!

 Coach Schnepp brought his 4 player chess set - it was a big hit!

Despite competition from baseball and soccer activities, we had quite a crowd.

Between our twice monthly chess club activities with Coach Schnepp, our weekly Friday chess lunches, and the activities pictured above, our class has done a lot of chess playing!  I think we are just about ready for the tournament with Ms. Williams' class next month.

Movies from Ian's Birthday

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Ian.

Balloon fun!

Eating Cake 1

Eating Cake 2

Happy Birthday, Ian!

Ian, quad number four, turned one last Sunday! Curt and Vanessa hosted a big family celebration.

 Ian loved the big blue balloons that were scattered all over the floor.

 Uncle Kyle and Aunt Ashley sent a fun rattle/ball. Look at that smile!

Grandma Nancy got him a nifty "I'm One!" tie to wear. (There was a hat, too, but he did not care for it.)

Time for the cake smash! Ian had never had anything dessert-ish or sweet. Did he ever LOVE his cake.

It tasted so good to him that he actually used his teeth to scrape every last bit of frosting off his palm!

Happy Birthday, Ian! Love you to the moon and back!

Those Grading Moments!

Sometimes when grading papers, I just have to laugh. My students may be gifted, but they are still just kids, and at times that shines through their work.

Here are two recent ones:

Correct answer? The rabbit population grew as a result of there being no predators, and the vegetation was eaten down and destroyed by the rabbits. 

Nothing in the readings we'd been doing on predators/prey (and the answers were to be based on what was read) were about the heat, and I'm not sure where the vegetarians came in! But if you consider how gifted kiddos think and extrapolate, it DOES make sense that the "vegitarians" were happy!

And then there was this response to an essay that we read on Harriet Tubman and her work with the Underground Railroad.

Question: How did Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad help the slaves?

Answer: She used the Underground Railroad to get the slaves away from the Nazis.

I actually asked this student where the reference to the Nazis was in the essay, and he told me that it was on the second page of the reading! We looked together for it, and then I explained to him that the Nazi movement would come during the twentieth century, about 100 years later. I think I got that cleared up for him!

Grading can be a chore, but there are times when it puts a smile on my face, too.

Putting the Lid Back On

My directions from TSC's director of Gifted Education are to "take the lid off." That's a euphemism for not putting the brakes onto my students' learning, to let them gogogogo. To excite them about creativity and thinking, to allow them to pursue ideas and explore, and to LEARN as they do.

Sadly, that lid gets put back on after they move on from Hershey. And that frustrates me no end.

Last night, I again heard from former students about that lid. Nick N. and William U. surprised me by stopping by my classroom around 4:00. They were on their way to the Hershey playground to film a project for English and decided to stop in.

After catching up a bit, I asked the boys to tell me about their project.

"Well..." Nick said slowly as he looked at William."We're supposed to create a film about integrity."

I said, "What a great idea! Sounds like fun!"  And I was thinking, that's a a perfect assignment for high ability kids! It will allow them the opportunity for creativity. (Nick had even done a stop motion Lego movie while my student as a project for his classic, The Black Stallion. I still show that movie as an example of what is possible to new students each August.)

Again the boys exchanged looks.

Nick N. continued. "Actually, we had the idea to use characters from The Hobbit but our teacher said she didn't think that was a good idea and told use to write a different script. So we're doing a bit about a boy on the playground having trouble with friends and someone who helps him."

Nick looked me straight in the eye and I could see his disappointment that their idea had been nixed.

Oh. My.

There it was again - kids who were excited about an assignment, getting into it big time with creative ideas, and then being limited. (Did the teacher even think about the connection to classic literature the boys' project would bring into her room? That these two were excited about her project and coming up with clever ideas that connected to the assignment?)

Just like the teacher who limited another student's writings to two pages, so a girl who loved to write and express her ideas on paper lost some of the joy in that writing as she was boxed into writing that was more easily graded, the creative ideas of the boys was being rejected.

Sometimes I wonder - do I just set my students up for disappointment after they leave my class? Should I quit allowing the ideas to pop and the creativity to gel? After all, that is not well accepted at middle school.

On the other hand, they have two years to experience the freedom to create and explore their ideas. That is my directive, that is the purpose of my class.

And perhaps down the road they will have opportunities to return to that creativity. Or maybe they will build on what they did in 4th and 5th grade in other ways, so their two years of creativity and exploration are not wasted opportunities.

I'll keep taking the lid off and letting them pop.

OwOwOwOwOw!!

What do you do when a student has an accident and bites clean through her tongue?

KR was playing during lunch recess yesterday when she dropped off the monkey bars, landed harder than she anticipated, and connected her knee with her jaw, biting all the way through her tongue, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of it.

I had just walked into the school office to check my mail when I heard sobbing in the nurse's room. I peeked in and saw my student, gauze stuffed in her mouth, blood running down her chin and arms, and tears streaming down her cheeks. There was a look of absolute terror on her face and she was trembling and shaking.

This is a very stoic girl who never, ever complains, even when she is unwell. I could tell that she was really hurt and that we had an emergency on our hands.

Cindy Evans quickly stepped in and offered to take my class for as long as I needed. I gave her a few instructions, and then helped calm KR down and clean up the blood that was all over her as well as her clothes. I worked with the nurse to keep fresh gauze and ice on the wound until KR's mom got to the school and could take her to Urgent Care.

An hour later, KR was on her way and I was back in class, but I felt pretty shaken and upset even after the school day was over.

Later in the evening I got an email from KR's mother. The tongue had been stitched and KR was home and in a lot of pain. The doctor had given her heavy duty painkillers and she was having to communicate by white board as it hurt too much to talk. It is doubtful she'll be at school today.

Things they don't teach you in your university education classes!!

Think I'm Tough??

I rarely have to get strong in my classroom management and discipline. "Don't make me get out my laser eyes!!" usually works as a warning (and is said with a smile) and that almost always nips anything brewing in the bud. Cellphone and iPod issues are nonexistent, too. (I am lucky in that aspect!)

Nonetheless, I do like this meme David Prowse (the man who played Darth Vader) posted on his Twitter feed!

Easter!

Easter Sunday was also General Conference Sunday - what a treat! Vanessa and Curt came over around 11:00 AM bringing Swedish pancakes for brunch. They were DELICIOUS!

The Easter Bunny delivered a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ball at Grammy's house for Ian! Boy, did he like that! And she hid some eggs around the house, just in case anyone was up for a bit of a hunt.

They were.

Competitive? My kids??

I had no idea until my children were adults that there was a favorite and traditional hiding place for eggs. (I just... er, I mean, the Easter Bunny, just thought it was a good hiding place!)

Inside the clock!

Ian loved that TMNT ball and rolled it everywhere.

And, since he was just about ready to walk, I got out some of our push toys for him.

 Later that day, Vanessa and Curt posted pictures of Ian taking his first solo steps.

Curt had had a bubble mower when he was little, and it was a real favorite.

This one doesn't blow bubbles, but Curt still got a kick out of having a mower for his son to play with.

I also pulled out our little tricycle for Ian to push around.

Curt and his family went home after the first session of conference. Our Easter dinner crowd was small - just my sisters and Leslie's husband, Rick. We ate late because we wanted to watch General Conference (it was a terrific two days!) and then after dinner, Jenny and I took Mom her Easter dinner on a plate and chatted with her for a while.

Yep, I'm Bruised!

I ended up with some nasty bruises from my fall at East Tipp Tuesday morning.

This one is large (about the size of my hand) and looks painful, but it's not nearly as tender as another one on my left hip.

 That one is a smidgen smaller, but it hurts deep into the underlying tissue.

How I avoided breaking my wrist or arm is beyond me! I'm very grateful that I only have bruises.

Face Plant!!

There's nothing like doing a face plant in front of 165 fifth graders. And their teachers. And the middle school principal. Oh, and did I mention the former students who were also in attendance?

While at East Tipp Middle School this morning to introduce the 5th graders to their new school, I missed a step. We were finished with our tour and I had spied a former student, Jerrick, a few feet away across the floor. Forgetting I was standing on a step, I started toward him to say "hello" and...

FACE PLANT!

Rarely do I get down on the floor - it's awkward to get up for me. But I was back on my feet in a flash - I think a combination of adrenaline and embarrassment made that happen! (Thank goodness I was not wearing a skirt!)

Everyone from my former student, current students, the principal, etc. surrounded me, asking me if I was okay. I could feel right off that I had not broken anything, but I could also feel muscle aches and bruises-to-be popping up. I did my best to brush off the fall and move on, saying "hi" to Jerrick and then gathering my class for the hike back to Hershey.

Word travels fast, and Mrs. Fields came down to my classroom when we got back to check on me and make sure I was okay. Because I have to report the accident to OSHA, I had to inform the office and the nurse, too.

I'm home now and feeling lots of aches and pains, with a couple of lovely bruises that have arisen, some in odd places. (The palm of my hand??) I've hopped into the spa tub, filling it with very hot water and then turning on the jets. That's helped some of the stiffness and aches in my muscles.

I have a feeling that tomorrow, though, I will wake up very, very sore and tender.

Welcome Back!

One of my former students, now a mom in her mid twenties, wrote on social media that her brother, also a former student of mine, had returned home from serving in the marines.

JM with his wife and son.

I'm glad he has returned unharmed. (He looks so grown up - where has the time gone??)

Frosties for the Family!

When the boys were little, Craig would take Kyle, Curt, and Cole to Wendy's after the priesthood session of General Conference. The guys have continued on with the tradition even though our family members are scattered throughout Indiana, Florida, Colorado, Virginia, and Tennessee.

Cole began the text chain last night.

 The rest of the family began commenting and posting pictures of their after-priesthood treats, too.

Cole's frosty in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Craig and Curt (and Lisa, too!) ate them at our home after the session while watching the NCAA Men's quarterfinal game between Wisconsin and Kentucky.

 Sarah and her family in Colorado were watching the game as well...

... but they had blizzards from Dairy Queen instead.

No photo from Kyle or Andrew, but my guess is that they, too, were enjoying a frosty in Florida.

"Next Time, I'm Picking the Ponies!"

"Next time, I'm picking the ponies."

This is what Curt says as I am winning in the NCAA Championship. It's a reference to last fall when we did the family NFL brackets and I chose teams with horse mascots (Denver Bronchos, Indianapolis Colts, etc.) Simply because. No other reason. And, I did poorly in my bracket and ended up at the bottom when all was said and done.

The NCAA Men's Tournament is another story! I am winning!!

Group Results

RANK	BRACKET, OWNER	R64	R32	S16	E8	F4	NCG	CHAMPION	PPR	TOTAL	PCT
1	Teachinmama8 1Teachinmama8	260	180	200	320	0	0	Kentucky	0	960	77.2
2	Like Watching The Matrixmightymarg06	210	200	160	80	160	0	Arizona	0	810	50.1
3	YourMomsTeam7 1YourMomsTeam7	170	100	120	160	160	0	Wisconsin	320	710	30.0
4	akmewg 2akmewg	230	180	160	80	0	0	Kentucky	0	650	19.5

 

No "pony" teams were picked, but I did have a strategy - pick all the teams from Indiana first, then choose teams that I knew, and then finally, go with what the computer recommended.

That's my strategy, and I'm sticking to it!!

Teaching Children - a Gospel Perspective

Emily recently emailed a question to all the adult women in our family, asking them to reflect upon what they felt were the qualities a woman needs in order to teach children to have faith and base decisions on gospel truths. Interesting question!

My response was actually what qualities I felt a woman needed  in order to teach effectively, be it gospel principles or secular education. Here's what I wrote:

1) Faith - you can't teach something you don't believe in. Children will see right through you if you do. This does not mean your own faith must be perfect, or that you don't have questions; it simply means that you believe and trust in Him. Alma speaks of the seed and planting it - remember seeds need time to grow into full, mature plants. Likewise, so does our faith. But that seedling (faith) can still have strong roots even in its early stages.

2) Love - another thing you cannot fake or kids will see right through you. You must love those whom you are teaching. One of my favorite education researchers is Nel Noddings, who writes of the "caring classroom" and how the teacher's caring/love for her students is the foundation for their learning. They won't learn unless you establish a loving relationship with them and they know you care about them.  In a secular sense, she is right. But the same applies to teaching children gospel principles. If you do not love them BEFORE you teach them, your message will not have the impact it should. Love is one of the most important principles of the gospel, and it is a necessary aspect of teaching our families and others with whom we come into contact.

3) Patience - this one can be hard, at least for me. Patience communicates love; impatience, not so much. Patience is centered on the person you are teaching; impatience is centered on you and your desire to move forward, get to other things, etc. The Savior asks us to serve and to love others, not ourselves. It was only recently that I realized the connection between that and patience.

4) A pure heart/desire to do what is right - we're imperfect beings. That's part of the plan. It's why we are here on earth so we can learn and grow; it's why we have a Savior. But we don't have to be perfect to teach our children. If we have a sincere desire to teach them, then the Lord will help make up the difference when we try. Yoda said, "Do or do not, there is no try." The Savior says He will be with us always, uplift us, bless us, help us, and ultimately save us. I like Christ's counsel a whole lot more than Yoda's.

I am not perfect. I wasn't a perfect parent, and I still have lots of learning and growing to do. But I do feel that in many ways, the Lord made up for my lack of skills, my newness in the Church, my impatience, etc. as I worked to raise my kids.

I can't wait to read the reflections from other family members.

Easter Egg Fun with Ian

Friday night, we watched Ian while Curt and Vanessa got a little couple-time.  He had a blast with my plastic Easter eggs!!

It all started with Aunt Lisa rolling the eggs off the table to him.

He played with them on the floor for a while. (I love the noise Ian makes when he throws them!)

He played a little longer before finding the TV more interesting, but he came back to the eggs repeatedly all evening.

Hard to believe Little Man is almost one!

Sherm Brown - Obituary

An old friend passed away last week - Sherm Brown, our former neighbor and patriarch of the Champaign, Illinois stake.  

A couple memories of him:

~ When Sarah was a preschooler, she liked to play in our front yard, waving to Sherm as he drove past to and from work. He later told me that those little waves had great meaning to him.

~ Beginning when he was a deacon, Kyle used to go with Brother Brown on Sundays to pick up an elderly lady, Sarah McGlaughlin, for church and then take her back again to her nursing home. This went on for years, and during that time, Sherm and Kyle became very good friends. Kyle learned a lot from him, but Sherm said he, too, got a lot out of their friendship and that he really appreciated that Kyle never, ever complained about having to take the time to drive Sr. McGlaughlin.

~ Sherm was quite an orator, and you never knew quite what would come out of his mouth! One of the most memorable (for me, at least) was when he was recounting being asked to have a beer with a colleague from the university (he was a professor of ceramic engineering.) He drew himself up at the pulpit and said, "I told him, 'To me, beer looks like...' (dramatic pause) ..."HORSE URINE.'"  (I about fell out of the pew at that one!)

A good man has passed on, but he lives on in the next life and in our own fond memories. Rest in peace, Sherm. The Isenbargers are better for having known you.

The Obituary

HIGHLAND, Utah – Our wonderful husband, father, grandpa, uncle, brother and friend continued his eternal progression peacefully on Friday (March 27, 2015). He had been surrounded for several days by his devoted wife and loving family.

Sherman was born Sept. 10, 1929, in Salt Lake City to loving parents, Leon and Leone Brown. He grew up in the Pioneer Stake surrounded by extended family and many friends. He graduated from West High School and continued his education at the University of Utah where he received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

He loved his work as an engineer and excelled in his field. He worked at University of Utah, Jet Propulsion Lab, Thiokol, Rocketdyne, and NASA.

In 1968, he became a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana where he taught for 29 years. He loved teaching and working with the faculty and students. He published and presented many papers worldwide based on his research in ceramics and glass.

He loved his Heavenly Father and his Savior, Jesus Christ. He was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a full-time mission to the Central States Mission where he developed a lifelong love of missionary work.

He served faithfully in many church callings including bishopric counselor, stake young men's leader, high councilor, preparedness specialist, bishop, and patriarch of the Champaign Illinois Stake. He was a devoted home teacher.

Even with all of his accomplishments, his greatest love was his wife and family. He met his eternal sweetheart, Kathryn Anne Smith, in the Pioneer Stake and they were married by Joseph Fielding Smith in the Salt Lake Temple on Sept. 11, 1953.

They were blessed with five children: Leon Henry (deceased), Dannie (Carl) Harper, Anne Crane (Patrick) Pouliot, Suzanne (James) Stephenson and Lori (Matt) Waddel. Together they have 23 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Sherman loved his family dearly and was always so happy to have everyone together. Over the years he wrote many encouraging and inspiring family letters filled with wise counsel to his posterity.

Sherman was an incredibly honest man. He was an amazing example of integrity to those who knew him. He lived his life loving and serving others.

Sherman is survived by his devoted wife, Kathryn, and his four daughters and their husbands, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his sisters-in-law, Nola (Sterling, deceased) Weed, Myrna Smith, Julie (Robert) Lambert, and Linda Brown as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his loving parents, his only son, Leon Henry Brown, and his only brother, David Leon Brown. His family rejoices in knowing they will ultimately be reunited again as a family and in the knowledge that he is experiencing a joyful reunion with loved ones.

Sherman's family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Brighton Hospice Care and the staff at The Ashford Assisted Living and Memory Care in Highland, Utah. Their amazing love and care has blessed all of us.

Family and friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 3, at Warenski Funeral Home, 1776 North 900 East, American Fork, Utah, with family prayer at 8 p.m. A graveside memorial service will be held at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, 200 North N Street, Salt Lake City, Utah.