Evaleo Brighton Tidwell

by Dorothy South Hackworth

 

Eva was born 10 November 1891at Salt Lake City, Utah to Daniel Hanmer Wells Brighton and Evaleo McCarthy.  She had two older sisters, Stella and Ruby.

 

When she was 13 days old, she lost her mother due to complications of childbirth. Her father married again with his wife’s sister and the following brothers and sisters were born: Harold, Elliott, Earnest, Catherine, Florence and Paul.  When Daniel lost his second wife, he remarried again and had one son, Dan, and an infant daughter, Hope LaRue.

 

When Eva was about five years old, Robert and Annie  Thornley took, her into their home to rear as a daughter.  She attended school in Smithfield, Utah, going only to the 8^th grade.  Because she only finished the 8^th grade, education was very important to her, and she wanted her children to have an education. They remember that during the summer months they had to learn and pass off a given number of spelling words before they could play.  As a result, her children always strived for excellence to please their mother.

 

As a teenager Eva loved to ride horses and was thrilled with the opportunity to break them. She was thrown from a wild horse once and remained unconscious for a long time. One of her fond memories was when she led the Fourth of July parade and she wore a red, white and blue outfit and rode a white stallion.

 

She dated Robert Frank Tidwell and attended many dances with him. They were married in the Logan Temple April 20, 1910.

 

Frank and Eva had three children before he went on a mission to the Eastern States for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They were: Frank Alton, Ruby, and Thelma.  Eva wrote a letter to Frank every day while he was on his mission. They rented their farm, and she and the children took care of the chickens, milked the cows, and cared for a large garden while Frank was gone. After he returned, two more daughters, Barbara and Eunice, were born.

 

Eva was a counselor in the Young Women's presidency while living in Arimo, Idaho.  Being shy,  she did not hold many church positions, but she supported Frank when he was called as Bishop and in his many other callings. She was also among the first to take food when needed by others. She loved to send pies to the bedridden. They especially loved her lemon-meringue pies. She sent dinner almost daily to Frank's mother for many years. She was a devoted wife and mother.

 

She seldom sang but taught all her children to love singing.  She always went with them to perform.  Today, Monday March 5, 1984, Sister Carol Koerner will be singing one of her favorite songs, “That Wonderful Mother of Mine.”  She never tired of hearing that song, and she truly was a wonderful mother.

 

She loved her children. She and Frank looked forward to the letters  they received from Alton when he was in the Coast Guard. Frank and Eva especially looked forward to Wednesdays when Ruby and Thelma would faithfully come and visit each week.

 

Eva was an excellent homemaker and taught her children many home making skills. Barbara and Eunice loved to sew for their mother.  When Frank was farming, the hired men looked forward to the good dinners Eva would prepare for their lunch break.

 

They had fond memories of trips they took with Wayne and Ruby.  They enjoyed spending several winters in Arizona before Frank’s illness and also enjoyed visiting their family in Seattle.  Eva lost her life’s companion just a month before they would have celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary.

 

Eva then made a trip to Hawaii with her family, but she could never quite adjust to the loss of her beloved husband nine years ago to the day from her passing, and then losing Ruby four years later after Frank’s death.

 

Eva fell and shattered her hip and spent five years in the Sunshine Terrace at Logan with many lovely people caring for her. Mary Parker, an aide there, wrote a tribute expressing her love.

 

Thelma and Joe have been so devoted, usually making two trips daily to Sunshine Terrace to help care for their mother unless they were out of town. Eunice then would try to cover those periods by coming from Seattle. She was glad she was able to spend the final week with her mother in the Logan Regional Hospital where Eva passed away at 6:00 A. M. on March 1st at the age of 92. The family appreciate the care Dr. Bob gave her as he also gave their dear father.

 

The life of Eva will hold many choice memories for her children and grandchildren and the many friends and relatives who knew and loved her.