Don's son Ralph Scoffield's remarks from the funeral service



 A scripture has kept coming to my mind the last month or so and I couldn’t figure out why until dad had a stroke and passed away.

Ether 12:27     "And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Dad used to complain about the two hour Utah Mormon funerals-well rest easy dad-today we are going to have a one hour Montana Mormon funeral.

Two weeks ago dad and I were loading fifty yearlings on Tuesday for the sale on Wednesday, not bad for an 83 year old guy.

We sure had a lot of fun fixing fence and moving cows even though it didn’t seem like fun at the time.

Thank you for coming to help us say goodbye to dad and celebrate his life.  I think he is probably mad right now because he can’t visit with each of you.  My dad loved to talk.  Thanks to everyone for the food, cards, and help with the funeral. 

As people have called this week, one thing they said was "Don was like a father to us." When he asked about your family he really wanted to know, he loved people, he wasn’t perfect but a good man.

I’ve heard dad say many times, "When Brigham Young said this is the place in Utah, well Brigham was about 500 miles too far south" because dad thought Three Forks "is the place." He loved the area, he loved the people, he loved to farm and ranch and he was good at it.

One of dad’s greatest gifts from God was the gift of gab, he didn’t know a stranger.  When I was a boy I remember dad was offered a job at a car dealership in Bozeman, at the time I thought we would be loaded because of this gift. He turned down the job, his heart was in farming and ranching.

One of dad’s happiest times was when dad worked at the vet clinic in Three Forks for Jack and Hester Rea.  I think he got to use that talent of his there, the gift of gab.  Thank you Jack and Hester for taking such good care of dad.

Many in the world aren’t as lucky as we are, many suffer from hunger and the break up of the family.  Dad and mom provided a good home life for us and I can’t ever remember a day when I went to bed hungry during the last 59 years.  Thanks mom and dad.

 Dad used to say, when I pass, just shove me under the ice in the river by his house.  Well sorry dad, there’s no ice this time of year.

Ever since I was a boy, I’ve dreaded this day.  I thought dad was invincible until I was twelve and he was hurt out in the corral.  Guess what he was doing?  He was working with a young horse and it whirled around and kicked him in the chest.  I thought he would die.  Mom told me to go get the Ford station wagon.  We loaded him up and mom took him to see Doc Bertagnolli.  The day is finally here.  Dad, we love you and will miss you.

One thing I’ve wrestled with for years has to do with three little words.  I Love You.  For 59 years I can’t remember him saying those words to me. Why was it so hard? It’s just not the Scoffield way.  I do know he loves me and I know he loves you grandchildren, too.  Think of all the ball games he came to see and all the things he did for us.  He loves us.

I can remember back about 55 years, mom and dad always took us to church.  Up until last week dad sat over here somewhere each week.  He was the Branch President here three different times serving 5 years each time.  He believed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and tried to live it.  He was always doing something for someone; plowing a garden, helping Sister Tinjum with her heater, he just liked being busy. He’s a good example for me, I wished I was more like him.  The sign of a true disciple of Jesus Christ is the way they treat other people.  Dad loved people.  He loved to visit with them and he loved to help them.

He loved the gospel of Jesus Christ and has shown us the way to work out our salvation by church attendance and temple attendance and by being Christlike to other people.

He showed us the way we can return and live with God in family units.  Now it’s up to us whether or not we will follow his example.

I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe this church is where we can perform the ordinances of salvation for ourselves and our ancestors so we can live in the eternities with God in family units.

I love you dad---until we meet again.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

True High School Sweethearts

Blanche Cahoon Moss cherished her children including her youngest baby Patsy Del. She kept precious diaries about Pat as she grew up. Such treasures like on February 16th, 1928 when Patsy was 6 months old her mother wrote "A better baby darling never lived" or on April 14th, 1929 "Patsy Del says "Oh! Bull."

Pat's family owned a Dairy and when she was in high school Pat found herself in the unique position of holding an important role in its success. This was during World War II and having enough men to help run the Dairy was difficult, especially since Pat's older brothers were overseas serving in the military. During this difficult time for their family Pat's father, who she lovingly called Papa, learned to trust and rely on her help and hard work. She kept the dairy running on the weekends and missed school on days when Papa was short help. When the war was over and her brothers returned, Pat was able to look for a "girl's job" to her mother's relief.

Entries from December 1945 to June 1946
Note the last entry about Don and Jim coming
to "comfort" the girls while their parents were away.
Click on the image to see it enlarged.

On March 11th, 1946 her mother wrote, "Pat started working down to Beneficial. Sure seems good to be working at a girl's job. Pat sure helped save the Moss Dairy."

Grandpa always joked about marrying a rich girl from the south end of the county; that he had to teach her how to work. Well, to the surprise of NOONE Grandma Pat had an incredible work ethic that riveled Grandpa's long before he came along.
 

January - March 1944

Don's name first enters the journal on February 12, 1944 when Don and Pat were Juniors at Davis High School. They first met in school as Sophmores in a typing class but on February 12th, 1944 they attended a girl's choice dance. Don's name shows up on nearly each page after that day.

As I continue to scan these journals I will share the special pages about these two high school sweethearts. In fact, there are many juicy details to share about their early days! Like the time Don kept Pat out until 3:00am. As the journal said, "Don better watch out!" Keep checking back and I'll be sure to get that one on soon.



Memories from Don's nephew Gary Cleverly

 (Please send your memories to
 kristinsbaldwin@gmail.com
to contribute to Don's legacy)

A Cleverly family visit in the 80s



My name is Gary Cleverly. My mother, Connie Cleverly, and Pat are sisters, the last 2 children born to Blanche and Walter. Of course, Don grew up in Kaysville and Pat, Connie, and Jim grew up in Woods Cross, so I don’t think Don ever met the other three until they all entered high school at Davis. I asked Mom if Dad (Jim) and Don were friends in high school. She said "No, not much." I have to take her word for it on account of I wasn’t born yet, so my memory during that time isn’t so good. But that sure changed after Pat and Don were married. Not the memory part, the friendship part. Anyway, I figure Dad must have considered Don his best friend. At least growing up that was my observation. Every summer when school got out, Dad and Mom, mostly Dad I think, would pack up the family and head to Three Forks for a week to ten day stay. If you’re asking me, Dad would have rather been up there on that ranch with Don than anywhere else on earth, bar none. I know that was the case with me. Pat and Don and Three Forks were bigger than life to us.

During our stay at the ranch us kids were bound to do something real dumb sooner or later. When that happened, Don would say something like, "Now just what do they teach you ‘cake eatin’ city kids anyway?’" Or if he saw something that he liked, he would express his pleasure with "goodie, goodie, gum drop!" And in my young mind Don was the best yodeler on the planet, mainly ‘cause I never heard anybody yodel before. Well, those are some memories during the time frame of 1950 through about 1960.

It was about the end of May or first part of June in 1963 and Pat and Don were visiting Utah. I had just finished my 9^th grade year in school. I have no idea what the purpose of their trip to Utah was. As everyone knows, especially in those days, when a cow had to be milked and farming had to be done, a visit from the Scoffields was rare and always abbreviated. Well, on their way back to the ranch, they stopped off at our house in Woods Cross. Pat and Mom are talking. Dad and Don are talking. Of course Don is itching to get on the road and back north where he needs to be. I’m not privy to the particulars of the adult conversations. And I can’t remember how it was put to me but Dad came in and either said "Gary, do you want to go to Three Forks for the summer?" or "Gary, you are going to Three Forks for the summer". I figure it was probably the 2^nd phraseology. In those days kids weren’t asked what they ‘wanted to do’, they were told what they ‘were going to do’. Anyway, it didn’t matter to me whether I was asked or told. I just remember thinking, "I get to go to that ‘bigger than life’ place………for the whole summer! " Well, as you can imagine, spending the summer on the Scoffield ranch was quite an experience for, as Don reminded me often enough, a "cake eatin’ city kid".

Ralph was 11 and I was 14 my first summer in Three Forks. Don used to say something like, "Well, you two confirm what I’ve always been told, ‘You put 1 boy to work, you got a worker. You put 2 boys to work, you got half a worker. You try to put 3 boys to work and you got nothing but trouble.’" Well, I guess I didn’t ruin Ralph too much, because I was allowed to come back the summer of ’64 and also ’65.

Ralph and I shared the same bedroom and every morning Don would wake us up with "Come on girls. Time to get going", or "Let’s go girls, can’t sleep all day". It was always "girls this" and "girls that". Got to where I was checking every time I pulled on my levis in the morning to make sure Don was just joking around. One of those summers, ’64 I think, Don bought me a Hohner harmonica and taught me how to play it. The first song I learned from him was The Strawberry Roan. Those summers long past were probably the best 9 months of my life. Pat’s homemade bread every day along with everything else she cooked and bottled. Don’s life lessons about working and relaxing combined with his sense of humor. Ralph, Sandra, Bonnie, and George to enjoy it with. Yeah, I owe the Scoffield family more than I could ever repay.

One last story and this one is more about a "cake eatin’ city kid" than anything else. I have to preface the following story with this. In those days Utah had 4 television stations. Three Forks had only one. Remember that fact when you get to the end of this story.

There was a piece of land across the river and toward town that was considered a picnic area. As I remember, there was a picnic table and a couple of trees and the ground was semi covered with a bit of wild grass. I don’t remember ever seeing anyone actually have a picnic there, but it was still known as the city "picnic grounds". I think the land was donated to the city by Mrs. Otto, the original owner of the Scoffield ranch, but I could easily be wrong about that. Anyway, about once a summer it was up to Don to knock down any weeds and overgrown grass in case anyone really decided to use it. So one morning Don told Ralph and I to take the tractor down and get it done. I don’t know why he thought he had to send us both. Seemed like a one man….er, uh, one kid job to me. And if he would have only sent Ralph without me, it would have worked out much, much better.

Let me tell you what happened. As we were mowing the weeds down on one of the two Ford tractors that Don owned, both of us riding, all the sudden we hit a bump and the battery, which wasn’t all that securely fastened anyway, jarred loose. Now the battery compartment is up toward the front and not all that far from the gas tank. Far enough to be safe, I guess, but close enough that when filling the tanks with gas, a bit of spillage might cause a problem. Well that must have been the case that day, because when we hit that bump and the battery moved a bit, a spark must have been enough to light some spilled gas. I can’t remember whether Ralph was driving or me. All I know is I was scrambling off that tractor and high tailing it to the nearest ditch for protection. Meanwhile, Ralph is looking for some dirt or something to throw on, what was at that point, a small flame. When I looked back at Ralph I yelled, "Ralph, get away from there. It might explode!"

Ralph, glancing over his shoulder at me hunkered in this ditch, replies, "Don’t you think we should put it out?"

"No! Get away from there! She’s ready to blow!"

Now I already mentioned that I had 4 years on Ralph. Maybe that was what overpowered his common sense, I don’t know. Anyway, he throws the fist full of dirt he had in the general direction of the still small flames and sprints toward me and the safety of the ditch. And we proceeded to watch, this small fire get bigger and bigger, and bigger, working its way back from the middle portion of the tractor, until everything was aflame. Burnt that tractor, tires and everything, to the ground! And to my utter amazement, it didn’t even explode!

Well, now we have to walk back across a couple of bridges to the farm house and report to Don, which we did with as deliberate a pace as was humanly possible. After relating the event to Don and sugar coating it as much as we could, (using terms like "Don, we had a little accident" or "Don, there was a little fire"),it was obvious that he didn’t think it was that big a deal. He just said, "Well, let’s get in the truck and go see what happened." As we approached the scene, and even from way down the road, it became obvious that this was no "little fire". The closer we got the more obvious it became. We finally got there, the tires still smoldering and the rest of the tractor burnt to a crisp. Don looked at the tractor, then looked at me, then back at the tractor, then at Ralph, then tractor, then me, tractor, Ralph. After a few seconds he comments, "I thought you said it was a ‘little fire’. You want to tell me what happened again? And start from the beginning." So we did. When we got to the part about "small flames", because at first, that’s what it truly was, he stopped us and said, "So why didn’t you put it out?"

"Well Gary said to get away from there, it’s going to explode!"

"He said what!"

"He said it was ready to blow up!"

"And you believed him?"

"Well no, but…."

Don then looked at me, looked at Ralph, tractor, me, Ralph, tractor. Then Don, in that unique ability he had to express himself, said, "Ralph, I never want to hear you whine about Three Forks only having one television station again. You see what happens when you watch too much television!"

Don we will all miss ya, ‘till we meet again.

Don's daughter Bonnie Foy's remarks from the funeral service

Bonnie with her mom and dad
in the 80s

What a day of celebration this is!!!  Even though dad has been temporarily called away, his spirit will remain with us always.   As we go throughout our daily lives, dad will be with us.   He will watch over us, care for us, and help us with our challenges.  I would like to thank Boni Cook  and Mary Bert for watching and caring for mom and dad for the last 10 plus years.   

Dad and mom frequently came to Utah for 2-day trips.  Not to see Clay and I but to make we were caring for  Grandpa’s little Ashlee in a way which dad approved of.  Dad adored this little girl.   When he came to visit, he would sit  right by her on the couch and sing and watch Peter Pan.  Have your ever known my dad to watch any cartoon, let alone “PETER PAN”!!!  Dad loves all of his grandchildren!!  It did not matter what they did, he may shake his head and give you “THE LOOK” but you are still loved.   Grandpa is proud of you!!!

When we celebrated mom and dad’s fiftieth wedding anniversary dad did not want any big Party.  So on Friday night our family went to the church and had a great time.   Little did mom and dad know, we hand sent out invites to have a party at the house on Saturday night.  I kept telling him to go get out of his manured boots and filthy levis.  He said “NO WAY”!!!  Guess what happened??  So along comes the Sixtieth Wedding Anniversary.   Again invites are sent.  This time his nephew Cal and Shirley had to be used to get him to the church, once again in his manurery boots and levies.   Dad said that night,  “For my Seventieth Anniversary I am going to wear a “TUXEDO”  the entire month of October.”   Well, Dad I am sure you will…..

Mom, dad loves you immensely.  His last words were “Take care of your Mother.”   He has spend the last 64 years caring for you, providing for you and loving you.   Mom always remember how much dad loves you. 

To close my remarks I would like to read a letter I wrote to mom and dad a few years ago.

Dear Mom and Dad:

        Just a note to tell you how thankful I am that you have always put up with me and my nonsense.  When I have needed anything, you have always been there for me.  Whether it was a death (of which I really messed up your trip) or a missionary or a surgery (which was minor) , you have always made me feel loved and accepted and been there. 

        Thank you for staying together, even when times were bad, you still hung in there and kept our family as a unit.  For this, I will be eternally grateful!!  You have always been an example to me and to the kids.  When times were extremely tough, you still kept plugging along and  helping those around you who were less fortunate. 

        I know us kids have not always been easy (ok, dad, we have never been easy), but thank you for always being there and giving us the “common sense” knowledge that not very many people seem to possess.   When we lost Amber, dad, your love and sense of humor kept me “together” and mom, your staying with me for the month following that sadness, kept me from having to go through giving her possessions away by myself. 

        Thank you for the many, many kindnesses you give Ashlee every trip you come to the house.  Very few people acknowledge her existence or presence and are afraid of her.  But every time you come, you both go out of your way to make her feel important.  This touches me in a way which I will never be able to repay.  

        Thank you for coming to UTAH to have mom’s surgery.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to help in some little way.  Being so far away, I do not get to do much to help you.  Thank you!!  

        I just wanted to thank you for everything before there isn’t any more.  No more hugs!  No more being able to reach up and twist your ears!  No more hickies on your cheeks.  No more sucking up your hair in an electric clothes brush!  No more of mom’s laugh and dad’s teasing!   No more phone calls (which you think we spend too much time on)! 

        I thought you would be here for Christmas but since you are not, I just wanted you to know and feel how much I love you and miss you.  Sometimes, what we care about and love most, goes away before we get the chance to say “I Love You”.  I want you both to know how much I love and appreciate you in my life.  Heavenly Father blessed me with you both and gave me great “Tender Mercies” by letting me have such special parents!!!        ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU ARE LOVED!!!

Sandra Gaskin's(Don's daughter) remarks from the funeral service

One of my fondest memories of Dad was one morning early in July when I was 10. He came into my bedroom and plopped a boot box on the bed and told me to get up and get dressed. I was coming with him to drive tractor. I’m not sure I would call it driving as I look back at it. It was more like steering. He would drive to the field, get the tractor lined up the way he wanted and put it in gear, then jump down and stack hay on the hay boat. All I had to do was drive between the rows of bales. That was until we got to the end of the row and that was an entirely different proposition. That was the start of summers of hay dust, plugged machinery, and a lot of wonderful experiences.

I knew Dad had made the ultimate sacrifice when he came to watch Three Forks 1st girls’ basketball team play in White Sulfur Springs when I was a junior. We played girls’ rules and were less than proficient to say the least. However, this didn’t dampen his love of sports,

He has sat through countless ball games. He has watched all of his children, his grandchildren, and a couple of great grand children over the years. And when you get home, he will tell you there isn’t a football or basketball coach out there who knows a thing about the game. He will continue to watch over his family, he just won’t have to sit on a hard, cold bleacher anymore.

Family has always been important to Dad. When Zac was born, he and Mom came to the hospital, all proud as punch, the 1st grandchild and all, but they had to be on their way because Dad’s mother, Grandma Scoffield was turning 90 the next day and his sisters were having a party and he was going to be there.

Every Christmas morning, you knew that Dad would show up shortly to find out what Santa had brought, make sure it was up to snuff and see if there was anything he could use.

He loved watching his family grow up.

We often don’t recognize the heroes in our lives until they are gone. Then we realize that there are some pretty big shoes waiting for us. I know I can’t fill those shoes, but what I do know is I can find my own way to make a difference in the lives of those we come in contact with each and everyday.

In the infinite wisdom of my youth, I thought the choices I made only affected me. Even when I got a bit older I didn’t understand how far-reaching my actions would be on those I love and come in contact with, but as I have watched Dad live and work in this community, surrounded by family and friends, I have come to appreciate how much of an impact we all can have if we look beyond ourselves and reach out.

The real question here is how many milk shakes did he buy to pay off all those bets on report cards. As much as he loved sports, he knew that learning and knowledge would be the key to the success of those young people’s lives.

I’d like to close by reading a poem.

Miss Me – But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set on me,

I want no rites in a gloom filled room,
Why cry for a soul set free.

Miss me a little-but not too long,
And not with your head bowed low,

Remember the love that we share,
Miss me-but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take,
And each must go alone.

It’s all a part of the Master’s plan,
A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know.

And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds,
Miss me-but let me go.

Jack Rochford's message from the funeral service

(Don's oldest son Ralph asked Jack Rochford to speak at Grandpa's funeral. Jack and Don were not only members of the same church congregation but they were close friends. I asked Jack if it would be okay to share his message because I've had several people ask for copies. It is a wonderful tribute and taught me things about my Grandpa I never knew. Thank you Jack!!) 


My wife Cheryl and I have often commented that the busyness of today’s world has gotten so crazy that we fail to be kind or even civil to one another. Don Scoffield was busy, but he took the time to be kind. My family and I moved to Three Forks in 1980 and Cheryl’s father had told her to look up his old childhood friend named Don Scoffield. As young boys they used to tend their parents cattle together as they grazed on the banks of the irrigation canal near Tremonton, UT. But she didn’t have to go find Don--Don found her. While enrolling our kids in school, a thin, friendly, salt of the earth, man came up to her and introduced himself as Don Scoffield. He made no mention that he was the School Board President, but instead, he was interested in our family. Where was she from? Who was her husband? What brought us to Three Forks? And what could he do to help us? That began a family friendship that has endured over thirty years. Don became more than a friend, he was a father figure. I’ve been hearing other people say that all week.

That was Don’s nature--Don sought out friends wherever he went. It was Will Rogers that said “a stranger is just a friend that I haven’t met”. Will said it and Don lived it. The scenario I described repeated itself over and over in Don’s life. I would bet that the first time you met Don, it was he that took the initiative to first extend his hand and introduce himself.

I am honored, but humbled to be asked by Don’s family to speak today. I recognize and acknowledge my inadequacy and I would ask for your faith and prayers that I might say something that is worthy of Don and also comforting, spiritually uplifting, and of benefit to those who hear.

Don was not a perfect man. He would be the first to tell you that. None of us are, but Don was a good man--a very good and decent man. I’ve struggled with what to say. It wasn’t a matter of coming up with what to say, but rather a matter of limiting what I would say. We all could tell stories of Don from now until dark. At Bobby Kennedy’s funeral, his brother Edward said, “My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it…” That very same statement is so true of Don.

From my perspective, Don’s priorities were relationship with God and Savior, relationship with family (and we might add friends), a work ethic and charity. By charity, I mean much more than handing over money--I mean a Christ like love of his fellowman. Essentially all four of those principles could simply be called living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don came to Montana, not much more than a kid, with a loving wife, a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, unlimited ambition, the promise of a job, and not much more. Through hard work he and Pat built a beautiful ranch. He worked for Doc Ray at the vet clinic and then went home to finish the work that he hadn’t gotten done before he went to the clinic and the work that Pat didn’t get finished during the day. Jack and Hester Ray and Don and Pat have been the very best of friends.

When Don got to Three Forks the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had no building. Worship was important to Don and Pat so they welcomed the few other Church members they found to Sunday meetings in their home. In our Church we have no paid ministry and Branch Presidents and Bishops usually serve for approximately five years. Don was Branch President three times and served as a counselor for other Presidents at least twice. He was teaching in his men’s group at the time he died. He has stayed in the service of the Church his entire life. Don was proud of his Mormon heritage and his religion, but he fiercely defended those of other faiths. Any criticism of our Catholic or Protestant friends was quickly rebuked.

Don was instrumental in building the facility that now houses the Three Forks library. That building served the Three Forks Mormon community for nearly 45 years. When our local congregation had outgrown it and we built the building we are now in, Don played a critical part in convincing Church Authorities in Salt Lake City that the building should be sold to the City for just the cost of the land it sat on. Others have taken credit, even calling it “my library”, but although it was never properly acknowledged, the truth is that the City would not have that building without the effort of Don and a few other members of the Church. Don loved this community and served it well.

Don attended every High School sporting event that he could get to. He liked High School sports, but the real reason was because Dad loved his kids and Grandpa Don loved his grandkids. Kristin recently wrote that “…the combination of farm work and parenting didn’t always result in perfect harmony.” I still chuckle when I visualize he and Ralph going at each other over whether the youth of the Church should be camping or working. “If you want to get close to your kids, you work with them”, Don would say, “not sit around a fire burning wieners”.

He cared about all kids. Don was an honest man--he paid his bills. But I found out this week that he has several debts in our community that are unpaid. One of his ploys with the community students was to “bet” them a milkshake on getting an “A” or getting on the honor roll. My kids and their spouses have come forward this week to say that Don left without fully honoring all those milkshake bets. Someone else said the same thing on Kristin’s blog. So Pat, you may have to buy some milkshakes sometime.

Don would do just about anything that someone asked him to do. But--if you tried to tell him what to do--it was like trying to push a chain down the road--it didn’t work. No one really ever made Don do something that he didn’t want to do. And if you were the delicate type, you might be better off if you didn’t ask his opinion on a sensitive matter. Don was honest and he would tell you what he thought--maybe “more honest” than what you bargained for. On more than one occasion Don has chastised me and called me to repentance for something he saw out of line. How many here have experienced that wagging finger of his, and the words, “hey fella--we need to have a talk”? Or maybe, “come over here a minute--I’ve got something to say to you?” He used to say, “no sense being timid here, might as well talk plain so that everyone understands what you mean”. And talk plain, he did!

In my estimation, the scolding and the rebukes came to those who were out of line and deserved it--and were strong. On the other hand, he was tremendously forgiving and tolerant of all those who were spiritually or emotionally down. He had a knack of recognizing the difference. In what was probably the darkest period of my life, when others had lost hope and patience, Don came to my house and did that finger wag thing. But there was no scolding. He put his arms around me and around Cheryl, sat us down on the couch and told us that the sun was going to come up tomorrow. He gave assurance that God still existed and my life and my well being mattered. He was in a leadership position in the Church and he told me that he had just returned from visiting with our Stake President and they wanted me to teach the lesson to the men each Sunday. That single small act of someone caring and giving me purpose, changed my life and quite possibly saved my faith.

I’m going to tell one story that my wife said I shouldn’t. But it is a good one about his brutal honesty:

One time Frank Kemmerer from M&W Repair sent a fellow and his wife over to the bank who were looking for some assistance. Their vehicle needed some minor repair to get down the road and they were broke. They had told Frank that they wanted to see a Mormon Bishop. Frank didn’t have a clue who that would be, but he knew that I was LDS. It just so happened that Don was in my office at the time.

The more we visited with these folks the more we felt that it was a bit of a scam and the husband got a little pushy. He kept saying, “I don’t care about myself, but I’ve got to get some food for my wife”. After he had said that about three times, Don started the finger wag, and said, “Look fella, I’m trying to figure out how to help you and we’re going to, but from where I’m sitting it looks to me like it wouldn’t hurt her to miss a couple of meals”.

My recollection is that Don then got his son Ralph to do some minor repairs, we fed them, got them some fuel and sent them down the road. Brutal honesty followed by compassion.

As I said, Don would do things if you asked him. I got him to go swimming one time at Fairmont Hot Springs. (I always wondered where he got the swimming suit) I talked him into playing golf, once! He agreed to go to the movie, “The Right Stuff” about the Mercury VII astronauts. Among other awards that movie earned four Oscars, but it wouldn’t have if it had been up to Don. It turned out to be over three hours long and he pouted and shook his head for the last two. Afterward we went to a fast food restaurant. I don’t think Don was quite 60 yet and the young clerk asked him if he wanted his senior discount. Don wagged his finger and said, “young fella if I couldn’t afford a hamburger, I wouldn’t of ordered it”. I’ve remembered that for 20-some years.

All this last week people have been telling me about the acts of kindness of Don Scoffield and how he has touched their life.

One widow told me that when her husband died, Don showed up unannounced with a big load of cut and split firewood because he knew they heated with
wood.

Another said that her son would not have graduated had it not been for Don.

One said he doctored their animals when they couldn’t afford it.

Another said he came and showed us how to build a fence and then helped us do it.

One lady said that she and her husband owed their happy marriage to Don. When Don inquired about her well being she confided that her marital relationship had run aground. Don asked “ well, do you love him?” When she said yes, he then wagged his, “come here let’s talk finger”, went to a more private corner and then gave her a sermon on repentance, forgiveness and love.

The list could go on. The outpouring of admiration for Don is unlike any I have experienced in my life.

Don served as a director at my bank and he was a darn good one. It seemed like he knew everyone in our trade area and what kind of an operation they had. His experience and wisdom helped me a lot. But I often doubted that he would have been a good lender. My fear would have been that he was so generous that he might have broke the bank. His family knows of many generous things that he did, but I found out this week that the list is longer than any of us thought.

In 1 Peter 4:8 we read, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” If that is true and I believe it is, I submit to you that Brother Don Scoffield is in good standing with his God. Our Savior’s sacrifice and grace cover the imperfections.

This event that we mortals call death is but a separation of the spirit and of the body. This separation naturally causes sorrow and shock among those left behind. The hurt is real--only the intensity varies. Even when the elderly or the infirmed have been afforded merciful relief, their loved ones understandably do not want to let go.

That is normal and healthy. Mourning is one of the deepest expression of pure love. Tearful separation now will help us appreciate joyful reunions later. The only way to take sorrow out of death would be to take love out of life and we can’t do that.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die.” (Eccl. 3:1-2) Without death the Father’s plan of happiness would be destroyed.

Death is a part of life. It is an essential element of God’s plan of progression and happiness for his beloved sons and daughters Death is the gateway to immortality and eternal life.

In John 14:1-3 the Savior promised “…my peace, I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”.

To gain this special kind of peace requires an understanding of the gospel and an eternal perspective--things that Don and Pat both have. Life does not begin with birth and it doesn’t end with death. The scriptures tell us that we once dwelled with God, and in Job 38:7 it is recorded that we, along with the hosts of heaven “shouted for joy” for the opportunity to come to earth to be tried and tested. But we are also told in scripture that as good as earthly life is, it is the return home that we most looked forward to.

To return home to our Father requires that we pass through--not around--but through the doors of death. Most of us, before we go on a journey, want some assurance of a round trip ticket. In this eternal journey, that assurance of a “round trip ticket” comes from Jesus Christ and only from Jesus Christ.

Our all-powerful Savior, who healed the sick and raised the dead, freely gave Himself as a sacrifice and atonement for the sins of mankind. He had done no wrong--only good, yet on a cross on Calvary he died--for me, for each of you, and for Don Scoffield.

Jesus was placed in a borrowed tomb with guards outside the door, but nothing could hold back the Son of God. The earth trembled, the guards fled and stone was moved. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, stepped forth triumphant over sin and over death.

Don did not want to leave Pat and others in his family and circle of friends--but he also did not live in constant fear of death. What we fear most on this earth is the unknown, and the gospel was not unknown to Don Scoffield. He understood what it was about and he embraced it.

It is a belief in our religion that marriages and family ties can endure beyond the grave. Studies have shown that most people who profess a belief in the hereafter share that concept, even if the official doctrine of their denomination does not. Logic and the Holy Ghost tell them it is so. I have two CD’s of old time non-denominational bluegrass gospel music. I love them. Evidence that they are good is the fact that my teenage grandchildren would rather walk, than ride in the car, while they are playing. At least half of those songs speak of the reunion of family in heaven. Andrew Jackson epitomized this hope when he said, “Heaven for me will not be heaven, unless I find my wife there”. I testify to you that Pat will be able to find Don there someday. Don isn’t gone from us--he has just gone on before us.

Elder Paul H. Dunn offered the following analogy:

In a beautiful blue lagoon on a clear day, a fine sailing-ship spreads its brilliant white canvas in a fresh morning breeze and sails out to the open sea. We watch her glide away magnificently through the deep blue and gradually see her grow smaller and smaller as she nears the horizon. Finally where the sea and sky meet, she slips silently from sight; and someone near me says, “There she is gone!”
Gone where? Gone from sight--that is all. She is still as large in mast and hull and sail, still just as able to bear her load. And we can be sure that, just as we say, “There she is gone!” another says, “There, she comes!”

President John Taylor said, “While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil.”

Try to envision the joy when a son--this son--is reunited with parents and other family members and friends that have gone on before. Think of Brother Scoffield’s excitement as his eyes closed on time and reopened on eternity. Maybe he and my wife’s father are tending to cows along a canal somewhere.

For a long time Don couldn’t breath. His hearing had failed and his body was getting tired. After this last episode he was mostly paralyzed and couldn’t see. The Easter Brothers sing a song entitled, A Heart That Will Never Break Again. These are the lyrics:

I remember standing at my Daddy’s Bedside,
And the tears filled up the wrinkles in his face.
As I held his withered hand he smiled and whispered,
Son, I’m going to live in a better place.

And I’ll have eyes that will never fill with teardrops.
I’ll have legs that will never ache with pain.
I’ll have hands that will never age and wither,
And a heart that will never ache again.

I have often heard and read about that city,
Where with Jesus we shall live forever more.
There are mansions in construction for my dwelling.
And the streets of gold will run by my front door.

And all the eyes of the blind will then be opened,
And they’ll join the victory march with the lame
And the deaf who’s never heard the roar of thunder
Will rejoice to hear the Savior call their name.

I testify to you that Don still lives, that he will have a restored and healthy body and that family relationships and friendships can continue if we are diligent. That burden now shifts to us. I believe that Don’s counsel might now be that we need to turn to the gospel, not from it. He would say in his blunt way, with his finger wagging, “If you need changes in your life, make them now”. He would say to get over the mourning, and like he told me years ago, “the sun will come up tomorrow”. He would probably then tell me it was time to sit down because he had chores to tend to at home.

As the days go by, some of them will become quite long for Pat. I know that you folks love her--how could you not? Remember her in your thoughts and prayers--but more important turn those thoughts to action. Helen Keller appropriately said, “Sick or well, blind or seeing, we are here for a purpose, and however situated, we please God better with useful deeds than with prayers of pious resignation.” Make a phone call, stop by and visit--turn worthy thoughts to action.

One great lesson from Don’s life is to do something rather than just talk about it. My old Branch President, Keith Fairbank used to say that, no one had been taught unless you changed their actions. We can expound from the pulpit all we want, but our example of reaching out to help others is a better teacher and far more likely to change behavior. Let’s try to follow Don’s example of kindness and true charity.

Brothers and sisters we must love life and each other. Cherish each moment as the blessing from God that it truly is. May we live life up to our potential; so that with the help of the Lord, our actions and our hearts will qualify us to receive everlasting joy, glory and eternal life. For this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Slide Show Tribute

What is the measure of a man?

Don F. Scoffield, 83, of Three Forks passed away quietly at St. Vincent Hospital in Billings on Monday, September 20^th.

Don was born in 1927 in Layton, UT and grew up on a farm, the youngest of 13 kids.  He learned to work hard and enjoy life from a young age.

He met his sweetheart Patsy Del Moss as a sophomore in high school. Pat asked Don to a girl’s choice dance and their life together began.

October 23, 1946

They graduated from Davis High School in 1945 and were married the next year in the Salt Lake City Temple.





September 1956

The newlyweds headed north in 1949 to work for Don’s brother on the Park Trail Ranch near Toston, MT. An opportunity arose to run a ranch near Three Forks in 1951 and they seized the chance.

Scoffield Ranch May 1959

They were able to purchase the ranch soon after and have been ranching and farming the Scoffield land outside Three Forks every day since.

George Brian(1), Ralph Don(8), Bonnie Lou(3) on the horse
Sandra Jean(5) in the front in the Spring 1960

Don was a proud husband and father. His sons and daughters learned to work at a young age and everyone was expected to do their part. The combination of farm work and parenting didn't always result in perfect harmony but there is no doubt Don loved each of his children immensely and that they were the pride of his life(just a little ahead of his horses and somewhere intertwined with his grandkids;).  

Three Forks School Board 1973

In addition to ranching, Don worked at the Vet Clinic in Three Forks for 17 years. He also involved himself in the community over the past sixty years serving on the school board, Security Bank board of directors, participating in bowling leagues and attending as many TFHS sporting events as possible, especially when his children and grandchildren were participating.

Don with Dexter in the 1970s. He caught the racing bug
after taking Dexter to the track.

Don had a special love for horses from the time he was a boy. In the 70s Don bought a colt he named Dexter and raised him. He showed Dexter at the fair and decided to try him on the race track. This was the beginning of a life-long passion for owning and training race horses; a hobby that Don and Pat enjoyed together for decades.

LDS church built in the 1950s. The building has served as
the Three Forks Public Library since 2000

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the Scoffields helped establish the Mormon congregation in the Three Forks area. They also played an important role in the building of the first Mormon chapel which now serves as the public library on Main Street.

No-one was a stranger to Don Scoffield and if you knew how to talk he’d soon know something about you. He loved to tease and though he’d surely deny it, he was the life of any party. His work ethic, jokes, songs, stories, and friendships are a hallmark to his memory that have left a print on thousands of hearts and that is the measure of a man.