Personal History of Robert Mack Twitchell

Written by Kip M. Twitchell for Robert and Mary Twitchell’s 50th Wedding Anniversary in October 2000. It was updated for the centennial of Robert’s birthday on November 30, 2025.

Introduction

As a 14 year old I remember having a spaghetti dinner fund raiser at the church for scouts. We decided that for the entertainment we would spotlight some of the couples in the ward. I was assigned to spotlight Mom
and Dad. Mother had completed a two-page history, and I had a copy of it in my book of remembrance. But I didn’t have one on Dad. I remember wishing I had more to tell.

I have wanted to write one for a while. Their 50th Wedding Anniversary provides the perfect excuse. As this history testifies, Bob and Mary have been very good parents to their children, grandparents to the grandchildren, and friends to many people. May all who read this come to know a little more of these two who mean so much to those who have known them.

Father and Mother

Bob’s Father was John Mac Twitchell. Mac, as he was known, was born 14 Nov 1892 in Canon City, Fremont, Colorado. He grew up in Canon City where his Father, Fred “A” Twitchell, was a Dentist. His mother, Catherine Gilmour Barron, had been a schoolteacher. John was probably taught well. He spent time, as any
boy would in the country, hunting and fishing, working and helping around the house. He studied and became a Veterinarian. He was in World War I in France. His parents moved to Center Colorado, about 80 miles
Southwest Canon City, probably while he was away at war. After returning from war, he met his future wife, Ruth Batchelder, on Easter Sunday, probably 1922.

Ruth was born 15 September 1897 in Bee, Seward, Nebraska. Her early life was spent playing with her older brothers and sisters, and helping on the farm and around the house and taking care of her younger brother. In 1912, at the age of about 15, her family moved t o Monte Vista, Rio Grande, Colorado, about 40
miles south of Center. She was a good student, and gained a teaching certificate from a teachers college in Greeley, Colorado. She taught school in Del Norte, Colorado, about 20 miles West of Monte Vista. She also taught for a year in Wyoming.

After Mac had graduated from Veterinarian School, he took a trip to try and determine where to set up practice. He decided upon Delta, Millard, Utah because the previous vet had recently passed away. He returned to Monte Vista, where they were married on 23 August 1923. They immediately returned to Delta.

Birth and Early Childhood

Bob’s birth certificate states he was born on November 30, 1925 in Delta. He was born a t 8:20 PM. I imagine Ruth was very glad to have a child to care for. She was 27 at the time. Mac had just turned 33. Robert, as he was known as a boy, was 3 when a baby sister, Catherine Joyce joined him, on Christmas Day 1928. Ruth thought Catherine was a wonderful Christmas gift.

As a boy they lived in a small home i n Delta. Bob told me once that his sister had scarlet fever and was quarantined for 30 days. Bob’s mother planned to send him to a neighbor’s house t o stay so he won’t get sick. She kept him separate from Catherine until he could go. He was taking a bath in a wash tub by the coal or wood burning stove. H e stood up and bumped a pot of oatmeal that was on the stove, knocking it onto himself. It burned him very badly. He probably was out of school as long Catherine was.

They did not have refrigeration. During the summer they would keep milk out in the back yard, in a box under a tree. They would place a pan of water on top, with a cloth draped over the pan and the box. The cloth would absorb the water, and the evaporation cooled the box.

The Depression arrived by the time he was 5. There was very little money for any one. His Father probably worked quite a bit of the time because animals kept getting sick. But the farmers didn’t have any money to pay. Often he accepted goods, like carrots or potatoes, as payment. Although the food was welcome, it is difficult to pay for items that are needed without some cash.

In order to earn money, his took a job, first with the State of Utah, and later with the federal government probably around 1936. The government determined to keep certain diseases from infecting the US cattle
population. But this required a lot of traveling. He would be gone for two and sometimes three weeks at a time. And because they were required to work a 48-hour workweek, he would arrive at home Saturday night and
return to work Sunday evening.

Bob was 10 or 11 at the time. It would have impacted him very much to have his father gone so much. It also left all the work around the house for Bob’s mother to do. He was certainly called upon to do his share.
Letters from his Father often remind him to help his mother, and complete specific assignments. Ruth’s letters to Mac often include decisions she has made and things that need to get done. There are even a few pleas to
send some money.

Even though money was scarce, Bob’s parents added onto their small home. I believe they added a new bathroom and another bedroom. Commenting on the depression’s impact, Bob would tell a story about his mother trying to get these two rooms finished. He said he remembers very vividly his mother talking on the phone to the man who was supposed to come and plaster the walls. She was pleading with him to come and get it done. She desperately wanted to have the rooms completed.

But it was not all hard work. There were good memories as well. The family often would travel with their Father. Bob would take fishing trips with his dad. He gained a life-long love for camping and outdoor recreation. They went to San Francisco and Los Angeles to visit grand parents. It may have even been the
year the Golden Gate Bridge opened, in 1936. They also went back to Colorado. Bob remembers riding the training down to Monte Vista, with the black smoke blowing in the open windows of the cabin. Their father, working in Southeastern Utah, came over after finishing the job and picked them up and took them home. From these trips he gained a life-long love of traveling and seeing new things. Times when they were together, like Christmas, were treasured. These times gave him his life-long love of having his family around.

Teen Age Years

During his teenage years he worked in the hay fields, bailing and watering. He learned how to work hard, be responsible, and do a good job. He was once looking for a job as a boy, and one of the men in town sent him to the hardware store to look for some stripped paint as a joke. Needless to say he didn’t find any.

Although he probably views himself as pretty conservative in risk taking, growing up in a small town meant you had to make some excitement. I remember him telling m e about hoping on a freight train one day when he was in High School. He and a friend intended to ride to a nearby town, jump off the train, and then catch one back to Delta. But when they arrived in the next town, the train didn’t slow down. it was an express train. It was moving too fast to jump off. So they kept riding until it did slow down. Finally, after a good portion
of the day, they were able to get off. But it was too late to get home. So they had to call Bob’s father to come pick them up. He wasn’t happy about having to drive so far to get them.

He also told a story about riding along the railroad tracks in his neighbor’s truck. They would let a little bit o f air out of the tires, and ride the truck up on the railroad tracks. They chose tracks that were only busy
once a week or so. The tracks were the same width as the truck tires. His neighbor even had a way of sticking the gas pedal down. While riding rails, the truck would follow the tracks, so there really wasn’t any need for a
driver. They would climb up on top of the cab while the truck went down the tracks.

Bob was well liked in school and in town. That says something, especially since he wasn’t a member of the church like almost everyone in town. But he and his sister often attended primary, and Bob was in Boy Scouts. He earned the rank of Tenderfoot. He must have been a good young man. They liked him so much
that his classmates elected him Senior Class President at Delta High School. He has taken this responsibility very seriously. He has faithfully organized class reunions and kept in contract with class members and coordinated class reunions throughout the years.

The War

Bob had just turned 16 when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He remembers listening to news reports on the radio at a neighbor’s house, and listening t o the adults talking about what it meant.

The war changed the atmosphere of the town. The problems of the depression were already beginning to ease. Now conservation was required. Young men just older than Bob volunteered or were drafted. A Japanese Internment Camp, called Topaz, was established Northwest of Delta. Bob even worked there for a time. The radio was very important as they heard news reports of the great battles of Europe.

In January 1944, Bob was one of the older boys in the class and had turned 18. He joined the army in the United State Army Air Force while still a senior in high school along with two other boys in his class. Bob returned to Delta to graduation ceremonies as an Air Cadet. Only one of the others returned for graduation. The third was killed on the island of Iwo Jima.

He served as an Air Cadet, and was stationed in Kansas, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Bakersfield, California. He was honorably discharged in November 1945.

While he was in the Air Force his parents moved to Provo Utah. Mac was given a position in the State lab there. So Bob returned from the Army to his new home, much like his Father had probably done. He became friends with Fred Schow, a next door neighbor. It was friendship that endured throughout their lives.

Utah State University

He attended Brigham Young University winter and spring quarters of 1946. But after having been on his own, living a t home was not that fun. He wanted to be on his own again. He also didn’t feel the need to take religion classes. So Bob transferred to Utah State University in Logan, Utah the fall of 1946. He majored in Business Administration, receiving his degree in 1949.

While at Utah State University he took a job as a cashier at the cafeteria. Another employee, Jan Rigby, was a roommate with Mary Dalley. After Bob started work, Jan went home and told Mary, “you need to meet this great guy at work.” She introduced them. They started dating and soon feel in love.

Mary was born September 24, 1927 i n Teasdale, Wayne, Utah. She was the daughter of Ronald Jones (RJ) and Margery Hiskey Dalley. She was majoring in Food Science.

Although they enjoyed each other’s company, and were dating seriously, Bob told Mary that they not going to get married until they had completed school and received their diplomas. Mary needed to complete a one-year internship to become a dietician. She was going to Seattle, Washington in September 1949. So they spent a year writing letters to keep i n touch. When she returned, they were married at her parent’s home in on October 14, 1950 by The Stake President, Willis Oldroyd.

Early Years of Marriage

Bob and Mary settled first i n Provo, where Bob took a job working as a salesman with Utah Valley Furniture Company. They were close to Bob’s family, and occasionally saw Mary’s family, either through visits to Teasdale or when they came up to visit. During this time in Provo, Ann Cecil and Dal Robert were born.

Bob worked for the Furniture Company until October 1954. In 1954 he had an opportunity to go with W. T. Grant and Company, a department store. They moved to El Paso Texas and lived there until December 1956.

Although Bob had always been around members of the church, h e hadn’t felt the need to join the church. But while in El Paso he began to feel the need to provide religious training his children. I suspect that, like many others, the small branch or ward in El Paso was quick to adopt them. Bob was needed b y the branch, and welcomed into the community by them. He took the missionary discussions and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Robert J . Drake, who had become Bob’s friend, baptized and confirmed Bob
a member of the church on July 3, 1955.

In August 1956 Bob was transferred t o Phoenix, Arizona. While there, Bob had some medical problems. The doctor recommended that all his upper teeth be pulled. But while they were doing this they injured his neck. He had to be admitted to the hospital for a while.

While in Phoenix, Bob was ordained a Teacher by James O. King on April 1, 1956, and a Priest by Wallace P. Stowell on July 15, 1956 in the Phoenix 5th Ward, East Phoenix Stake.

Murray, Utah

They lived in Phoenix for a little over a year, and i n 1957 moved to Salt Lake City. They moved to South Salt Lake, and soon after built a home at 712 East 5600 South in Murray, Utah. Bob went to work for Gold Strike Stamps Company. Gold Strike Stamps issued trading stamps, used to entice customers to grocery
and petroleum companies. Bob had decided he would do better in accounting rather than as a salesman.

While living in Murray, Chad Alan, Kip Mack and Lane Jay Twitchell were born.

Bob grew in understanding of the church. He was ordained an Elder, and later called a s Elder’s Quorum President. He also was called to serve as scoutmaster. I believe he was a very good scoutmaster. A list Mary once made of all Bob’s major scout camps and activities fills two pages. He was well-versed in Utah
geography from traveling with his father, and h e showed many boys all of it. I remember a s a boy helping Dad put up chairs and set up the Stake Center for the Stake Court of Honor every other month.

In some notes for a history that I have, Bob wrote, “One evening in May 1959, I was visiting a neighbor, Merlin Shaw. He mentioned that they were going on to rubber raft down the Colorado River from Hite to Crossing of the Fathers, which was about fifteen miles above the dam at Lake Powell. The dam was under
construction at the time. He asked, ‘Why don’t you come along?’ It sounded like a fun thing to do. After checking with my wife we made the arrangements to go.

“We left Murray in a bus and drove to Hanksville where we transferred to a cattle truck with high side board. All fifty Explorers and the leaders were on top o f the World War Il rubber rafts a s w e wound our way
down the dusty was into Hite.

“Arriving at Hite in mid afternoon, the group took turns pumping up the rafts. About dusk the eight rafts and a small motor boat started to float down the river. We were on the river for five days.” Thus began a love
affair with Lake Powell.

Bob and Mary developed many long lasting friendships while in Murray. It was a golden time in the history of the church, and their ward functioned as the center of their family’s social lives. I remember them tucking us in bed at night and going off for shakes with the Finlinsons. We had a wonderful tradition of a progressive breakfast (although it wasn’t called that) on Christmas morning with the neighbors.

The family continued to take vacations. One highlight was a trip t o New York for Ron Carpenter’s graduation from West Point. I don’t remember much about that trip. I spent the whole time at Aunt Catherine’s home in Bountiful.

Bob also went in with Clain Erekson and bought a boat. The family discovered Lake Powell before most people. Probably more than 100 ward youth learned to water sky behind that boat, and we have had only a few “incidents,” such as wind storms, out on the lake after dark, and forgetting to put the plug in.

In 1974 the companies that sponsored and distributed Gold Strike Stamps decided to close up shop. So Bob was unemployed. He was hired to keep the books for the Utah Stars, a professional basketball team that was part of the American Basketball Association (ABA). It wasn’t to last for too long. I have heard him say that h e came home from the office soon after starting work and he told Mary, “This won’t last too long.” The ABA was not financially sound.

But he and the family enjoyed the time very much. He was given a company car. It was a green Fiat, the sportiest car Bob ever owned. The family had seats on about the 6t row to all the home games. Bob enjoyed working i n the Salt Palace and seeing all the changing exhibits and show come and go.

When the basketball team association folded after a few games in the 1975 season, Bob was charged with tying up all the loose ends. He was the first person I had ever known to “work at home” because he brought the whole office home with him. H e had the desk, and h e even had a copy machine. The work lasted for a few months, but then in the spring o f 1976 h e found himself unemployed. I remember worrying a little bit about Dad’s not having a job. W e seem t o have everything we needed. Dad had always been very good to put
money away for a time of need. I think we took a couple o f vacations during this time, one to Pasadena to visit Ann and John for Christmas.

Ogden, Utah

Amalgamated Sugar Company was looking for a new accountant. Two auditors who had known him at Gold Strike Stamp Co. as a good accountant recommended him. Chad was a senior at Murray High School. Dad didn’t want to make him change schools for his last year. So he bought a small Toyota Celica and started a
year of commuting to Ogden. It was unbelievable that someone would drive an hour to and from work every day. But today there are thousands who make that same commute.

He would sometimes take a few moments on his drive home t o scout out places to build a new home. One day while looking at subdivision a guy approached him and asked what he thought. Bob said he liked what he saw. They guy said, “Well let me build you one.” H e picked out a lot, and chose a home similar to one the
developer was just finishing. The contractor agreed to start without Bob even paying one cent.

The home was finished in July 1977. The family moved i n and soon felt settled in the new house. Bob started work on the yard and then the basement. He enjoyed having something physical to work o n after sitting at a desk all day at the office.

In the church he had various callings. He was the ward financial clerk, which felt a lot like work. He organized a Stake Exercise Festival. He served in High Priest Group leadership. He has served as a missionary with Mary to the Manor Care retirement home. But I think his best calling was as a home teacher. I
remember home teaching with him. He completed his assignment almost every month, and was very good about watching over those who needed it.

When I came home from my mission, I knew I needed at least a typewriter before heading back to school. Dad suggested we check out computers. So we did, but neither one of us could do anything with them. I finally suggested we give up and just buy a typewriter. A few years later while I was working at Novell, I heard about a computer sale to employees. I didn’t have the money, but Dad agreed to buy one. That first machine was a DOS 286 machine. It probably had a 7-megabyte hard drive and ran at an astounding 33 megahertz.
That started Bob on a computer hobby he has enjoyed. He has used it t o do taxes, track his financial investments and those of others, write letters, do e-mail and even play a few games.

In the fall of 1988 Bob retired from Amalgamated Sugar Company. It came as a little bit o f a surprise to me I remember. I couldn’t imagine my Dad retired. I think i t came as a bit of a surprise to him too. I remember
Mary telling me about taking him to the grocery store after he retired. He kept suggesting certain items, and asking if this was a good price. Mary finally said, “Bob, I have been doing this quite a while.” She later told me,
“Well i have twice as much husband and half as much income.”

Bob soon found work at the Head Start Program. I think it was a real change from the world he had been in. Later, he took the tax preparation course offer by H&R Block. H e has worked with H&R Block for a number of years, and enjoys the people and using the computer.

He has also enjoyed tracking his investments as the stock market has continued to grow every year. He began investing in mutual funds before most people heard of them. I remember Mom commenting one time that she felt investment poor they had put so much in them. But it was a very wise move. The growth of the funds
has allowed them to do many things they could not have done otherwise.

Since retiring they have done quite a bit of traveling. In 1989 they went to Europe on a tour. They have driven across country multiple times. They have seen this country pretty much from top to bottom and side to side. They are very good about keeping in contact with people as they travel. In the summer of 2000, to celebrate their 50* Wedding Anniversary, they took their children and many grandchildren on a curse to the 50th State-Alaska.

Legacy

I think Bob will b e remembered a s a kind, loving father and a good husband to Mary. There is no doubt in any of his children’s mind that he loved them and enjoyed being with them.

A University of Utah Marriott Library Special Collections web sites states that, “The single internment camp located in Utah was at Topaz, Utah, sixteen miles west of Delta, Utah. Named for a nearby mountain, Topaz was in the middle of a n area charitably described as a “barren, sand-choked wasteland.” The first internees were moved into Topaz in September 1942, and it was closed in October 1945. At its peak, Topaz held 9,408 people in barracks of tarpaper and wood.” (http://www.lib.utah.edu/spc/photo/9066/topaz.htm)