July 24, 2020

 Your Grandpa Ipson passed away on this date, so I want to mark the day by preserving the words that were created as part of our celebration of his life.

 Photo taken December 2019 by Darr Moore

(used on the cover of the funeral program)

OBITUARY

Lance Waine Ipson, 60, passed away unexpectedly on July 24, 2020. Lance was born March 12, 1960 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Gerald and Dorothy Ipson.

He grew up in Murray and South Jordan, Utah and graduated from Bingham High School. He served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Spain Sevilla Mission. Upon his return he attended Brigham Young University where he met his wife, Valerie Giberson. They were sealed in the Jordan River Temple in 1982. Lance ultimately graduated from Utah State University with an accounting degree. Lance and Valerie raised their eight children in Utah, Israel, and Mesa, Arizona.

Lance valued marriage and fatherhood as vital to God’s plan for His children on earth. Fond memories include regular date nights, family dinners and birthdays, laughing and playing games, vacations, and family reunions. Getaways with his wife were important to him, with trips to Spain and Costa Rica among the most memorable.

Lance was a cherished son, brother, and friend. He was loyal to his childhood friends. He had a great love for his parents and siblings, and since the death of his father was an amazing support to his mother. He loved his ancestors, and genealogy and temple work were fundamental in his life.

His love for the Lord and the gospel of Jesus Christ defined Lance as a person. He sought to exemplify the Savior in his daily life and in his interactions with others. He enjoyed serving in the Church and held numerous callings mostly in scouting and the young men’s organization. He also served on the High Council, in a branch presidency, and as a bishop twice. Lance was currently serving as bishop in a Spanish-speaking ward. He loved sending missionaries off, ministering to others, and studying the gospel. 

Lance was known for his incredible work ethic. He began his accounting career as an auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency which eventually took his family to Israel for over two years. He spent seventeen years in the accounting and sales tax departments of Freeport-McMoRan in Phoenix and Miami, AZ where he enjoyed traveling internationally and using his Spanish. He said he “failed at retirement” and went to work for Viad Corp. and was currently an employee at Mitel in Mesa as an Indirect Tax Manager.

Lance played sports in school and was physically active all of his adult life. He ran two marathons and hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim. He loved camping and fishing, especially in the High Uintas of Utah. He grew up attending BYU basketball games with his dad, and proudly supported BYU and USU sports, the Utah Jazz, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. One of his greatest joys came from supporting his children and grandchildren in every sport and activity possible. He organized family sporting activities such as basketball and baseball games. He launched the Ipson Family & Friends 5K. Lance enjoyed working in the yard, raising chickens, and gardening. He valued education and was thrilled that his children followed his example of seeking college degrees.

Survived by his wife, Valerie, his eight children, Jarom (Starla), Landi Johnson (Lance), Megan, Justin (Anatosha), Kara Willford (Tommy), Kristen Williams (Nate), Jordan (Sarah), and Kylie, and seventeen grandchildren, as well as his mother, Dorothy, and four siblings: Gerald Jr., Lynette Vawdrey, Joseph, and Natalie Muterspaugh. Preceded in death by his father, Gerald Ipson.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Pueblo Ward Mission Fund in c/o Bishop Ipson at 8811 E. Florian Ave, Mesa, AZ 85208.

A Birthday Gift from a Friend

When I was fourteen I received a Book of Mormon as a birthday present from my friend Dean. He loved the Book of Mormon, everyone knew this about him, and he wanted to share his love for it with me.

It may sound strange but this was my very first personal copy of the book even though I grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My mom's parents joined before she was born and my dad joined while he was a college student at BYU (a great story for another day.)

My family attended church every week. We prayed and read scriptures in our home. We held Family Home Evening (we called it Family Night.) I never felt forced to believe, but my parents created an environment where a testimony could grow and conversion could happen if we chose to allow it.

Despite all ^^^that^^^ I actually never remember my parents (or any teachers either) handing me a Book of Mormon and telling me to read it. Now my memory might not be the best but this is my story and I'm sticking to it. (Back in the 60's and 70's children didn't carry around their own set of scriptures like they do today--I only remember the Sunday School giving us our own copy of the Holy Bible when I was a teenager.)

Anyway, this was my gift from a friend. I didn't make it through very far on my first time reading it, but I kept trying--truthfully probably because of Dean. I didn't want to be a failure at something that clearly he had mastered.

Soon a verse here and a story there began to make sense: Abinadi, Amulek teaching Zeezrom about the resurrection, and then in a big way 3rd Nephi:17 where Christ blesses the children and angels encircle them with fire. These were the beginnings of my love for this sacred book.

I began to experience what Alma taught in Alma chapter 32. Like it says in verse 28, I "[gave] place that a seed may be planted in [my] heart. He compares the word (meaning the word of God--Jesus Christ--) to a seed. We plant it with our desire and nurture it with our faith and it begins to swell within us and soon we know that it is good.

That's what happened to me. All kinds of good things began swelling in my heart and I was blessed with testimony-building experiences and knowledge. Light and truth and joy filled my life like never before.

In Seminary, I think when I was sixteen, we began a goal-setting program called Quest for Exaltation. The first goal I set was to read the scriptures everyday. I began to fill up my chart with check marks, and I read my scriptures everyday because I wanted to fill every space on that chart. At the end of the Seminary year the spaces were filled but so was my mind and my heart. So was my life filled with the good fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was changed by it just as I had been over the two years prior. All of the light and knowledge and spiritual experiences came "line upon line, precept upon precept...here a little and there a little." (Isaiah 28:10)

I am a witness to the good fruit that comes as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and His word. I am a witness that my faith is not blind because I have seen too much of the workings of the Lord in my life to ever want to live without it.

Alma 32

27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than ^adesire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a ^aseed. Now, if ye give place, that a ^bseed may be planted in your ^cheart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your ^dunbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to ^eenlighten my ^funderstanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

30 But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.

31 And now, behold, are ye sure that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth unto its own ^alikeness.

32 Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good, but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.

33 And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

34 And now, behold, is your ^aknowledge ^bperfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your ^cfaith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your ^dmind doth begin to expand.

35 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is ^alight; and whatsoever is light, is ^bgood, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

36 Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.

37 And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

38 But if ye ^aneglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

39 Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ^aground is ^bbarren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

40 And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the ^atree of life.

41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with ^apatience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree ^bspringing up unto everlasting life.

42 And because of your ^adiligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the ^bfruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.

Note: the blue highlighted word links won't work because I cut and pasted the verses.

How I Met Your Grandpa

My parents met while attending Brigham Young University in Provo. As the story goes, Richard spotted Eileen across the room and decided to ask her to dance.

Eileen & Richard, 1954, BYU Junior Prom

(not the dance they met at)

I met your grandpa the very same way. We were both at BYU living in an apartment complex called Alta Apartments. We attended a ward Opening Social dance, and Lance spotted Valerie across the room and decided to ask her to dance. The side note to the story is that he probably would have asked my roommate who was sitting next to me on the stage, but by the time he made it over to us, she had already been asked.

That first dance was memorable because we talked the entire time, and when the music stopped we were still talking so we danced again. This was September. He had returned from his mission to Spain the previous spring so when I said I was from Amarillo he said, "It's not Amarillo, it's ama-ree-yo"--pronouncing it like the Spanish word for yellow.

There's much more to both of these love stories, but this is how they got their similar starts.

I promise cameras were invented back then but we don't have many early pictures of us. (I will add more as I find them and scan them into the computer.)

This one is most likely when we were already married

Us at a ward dance in 2013!

A Good Friend and an Apple Tree

Last time I mentioned a cherry tree-- 

this time my story involves an apple tree!

When I was twelve I was invited to a sleepover birthday party, my first one in junior high, and my first one with friends from school. My best friend from church, Shelli, was friends with this same group and was invited too. We did the usual birthday things, we even went to a movie, then later that night someone decided we should go outside to walk around the neighborhood. At some point we were at the end of a street where there was a house with a big apple tree. Its branches were filled with apples, and we all followed Lori, the one with the birthday, up to the tree. While at the tree I glanced back and saw Shelli standing on the sidewalk. She hadn't followed everyone up to the tree. She wasn't picking apples without permission that didn't belong to her.

In that moment I learned a great lesson. It's okay to stand on the sidewalk. It's okay not to follow what everyone else is doing, especially when they are doing something wrong. Maybe picking an apple is not a serious offense, but having integrity (being true to what we know is right) is more important than an apple.

Shelli's example made a huge impact on me, and the lesson is one that has blessed my life ever since.

Two Dad Stories

I always loved going to Portland, Oregon to visit my Grandma Owen, and to spend time at my Uncle Bob & Aunt Ruth Owen's house, also in Portland, and my Aunt Lois & Grant Gibson's house in Hillsboro, outside of Portland. (About 220 miles from where we lived in Richland, Washington.)

My mom, Eileen on left, Uncle Bob, Aunt Lois, 

with Grandma Owen in front, 1964

One of the favorite things I remember about Uncle Bob's house was playing with my much older cousins' Barbies. They were the early Barbies that looked different than the ones I played with at home plus they had such unique accessories. And I don't mean things to wear. Just cool stuff.

Vintage Barbie, 1959

At the Gibson's one of my favorite memories is of their huge cherry tree in the front yard, and sitting in it to pick cherries and eating most of them as I went. I can't eat a Bing cherry without thinking of summer vacations spent there.

Anyway, for Father's Day I have two stories. One at Uncle Bob's and the other at Aunt Lois's.

On one visit (maybe I was 7 or 8) I developed a painful earache while we were staying at my Uncle Bob's house. I remember being put to bed in an upstairs room and my dad and Uncle Bob laid their hands on my head and gave me a priesthood blessing. I fell asleep soon after and in the morning I felt all better. I'm sure I received other blessings as a child but this is the one that stands out in my memory because I remember such a feeling of peace surrounding the event. And when I woke in the morning, pain-free, it made an indelible impact that I have never forgotten.

When I was 8 or 9 years old we did a trade with the Gibsons. Me and my sister Robin went to spend two weeks at my cousins, and my two favorite cousins went to our house. (I call them my favorite because they were closest to my age--Dan was just older, Evan just younger. They are also the two that I have had the most contact with since becoming an adult and the only cousins of mine your Ipson parent has met. Also, they are amazing people. Side note: they happen to be the only boys in a family of ten siblings--they had 8 sisters!)

Gibersons, Gibsons, and Owens in front of the cherry tree, 1966.

That's me toward the right side in front, with Danny on the left and Evan on the right.

Anyway, this is my second "Dad" story, so I will continue...

As mentioned I always loved spending time at my cousins' house, and this time was no exception, but I will never forget what happened when that two weeks was over and my family came to pick us up. All I remember is they arrived, the front door opened, and there was my dad standing there and I just started crying. I was so happy to see him, and he came right in and hugged me tight. In those two weeks I hadn't realized how much I missed my parents and my brothers and sisters. In that hug I felt such a sense of LOVE and HOME. 

I think it's true that there really is no place like home, and there's no place like your very own family. 

My Earliest Memory

I have a memory of when I was very small eating ice cream cones with other kids in front of a big house. But not just any kids and not just any house. I always thought the kids were some of my brothers and sisters as well as some of my cousins, and that the house was my Grandma Owen's.

I consider it my earliest memory but I don't know how old I was, and it's not really that specific. Like if I said, Remember when we ate ice cream cones at Grandma's big house my siblings might say, Um, sure. We probably did that.

Recently I was looking at family photos on FamilySearch.org and was in the Memories section for my grandma, Olevia Owen, and I discovered a picture of her in front of a house.

A big house.

I got excited.

This was the house in my memory!

But I had to verify it because Grandpa Owen is in the picture and he died in 1959 before I was born, and he is holding a baby that I knew immediately was my cousin Ed who is way older than me. What were the chances that Grandma still lived in this house when I was born and long enough after that so I could be eating ice cream there?

The big house on Weidler Street, Portland, Oregon

Grandma & Grandpa Owen with Eddie Owen 

(the home was divided up and they rented part of it)

Well, I emailed my siblings, and then my cousin Dan who grew up in the Portland area and visited our grandma way more than I did. He confirmed that she lived there at least until 1965 or 1966. I was born in 1961.

My earliest memory is real! 

Piano Prequel

There's more to the story about my mom Eileen Owen (that's her name before she married) and playing the piano. This goes back to her childhood so we'll call it a prequel.

As mentioned before, her father was quite a bit older than her mother so when he retired, her mom went to work. Eileen didn’t like making dinner so when she heard the bus that her mom took home from work, she would sit down at the piano to begin her lessons. Her mother would come in and find her practicing and couldn’t bear to make her stop to help with dinner. That’s how my mom never really learned to love cooking but also how she became an amazing pianist. 

Now she would never call herself amazing, but her talent and skill went on to bless the lives of many, many people. And in case you were worried about it--I was always fed while growing up. As I said before, my favorite thing ever was listening to her play the piano, and I wouldn’t change that for all the gourmet meals in the world!