Sharing My Story

Over the next two weeks I will be reprinting the copy
from my June-July 1977 prayer letter. It speaks on my
father and his life. It seems as if a day doesn't go by
that I don't think about my father (and mother also)
even though he has been gone from this Earth for
over 30 years. He had a real struggle with cancer in
his last years and I think except for that he would
have lived another 5 to 10 years (his father was almost
81 and his grandfather almost 85 when they died).
I look forward to the time when I see my father again.

"During the evening of May 4, 1977 my father,
William Russell Ensign went home to be with
his heavenly Father. The following is how I
knew and remember him.

"Dad was born in Hartford, Iowa in 1902. Several
years later the family moved to Missouri and then
to western Colorado. In 1913 the Ensigns moved
to northwest Washington (Lopez Island) but in
less than a year came back to settle in the
Delta-Montrose area of Colorado. Dad worked
as a farmer with his father for many years.

"In September 1936, Dad married my mother,
Lucille W. Holden. They had four sons: Elvin (1937);
Russell (1939); LeRoy (1942); and Donald (1948).
During their early marriage the folks homesteaded
a barren track of "adobe" land in Peach Valley
(near Delta). In 1944 they gave up full time farming
and moved to Bellingham, Washington. Dad then
first worked as a custodian for the Darigold Co.
(a local dairy farm) and later worked as a custodian
for the Bellingham School District. First he worked
at the Bellingham High School, then at Birchwood
Elementary School and finally as head custodian at
the newly built Shushan Junior High in 1958. He
was also custodian at Immanuel Bible Church for
many years and finally retired from that in
September 1975.

"When the folks originally came to Washington they
purchased a small farm (about 8 acres) on the Bakerview
Road. For over 23 years that was only home I knew.
Dad did provide a good place for us kids to grow up.
Dad had several cows in which he developed his own
small dairy business (we were on the Darigold milk
pickup route as well as selling raw milk to regular
customers) as well as chickens (yes we had our our
egg selling business too—that was my job taking
care of those chickens— $.50 a dozen, extra large).
We also had at one time or another rabbits, pigs, goats,
horses, calves and assorted dogs and cats. We had an
apple orchard (three varieties of apples) and several
pear and plum trees as well as blackberry, gooseberry
and raspberry bushes. Each year the folks put in a
large garden with everything you can think of. There
were always an ample supply of weeds to pull too!
Then every summer there was hay to cut, rake, and
bale and put into the barn. Mind you all this was done
before and after work. Dad was very definitely a worker.
Dad was not a rich man but we kids had an abundance
(we used to compalin about eating too much steak!)
and variety of things to eat and many good home
made clothes to wear.

"Temperament wise Dad had a strong natural
tendency toward being phlegmatic. He was basically
calm, easy-going, stable and dependable. When he
gave his word to do something he was very conscientious
in carrying it out. In a time of credit cards and general
indebtedness, Dad kept short accounts and paid cash
for every car (and almost all other purchases) he ever
owned. Dad was a quite man and not given to an
excessive amount of talking. When he did talk it was
well worth listening to and often very edifying. He
had a good, clean sense of humor.