Gabi joins the Church

On my mission in Germany in 1967 we baptized a girl named Gabrielle Christine Kreisel. This is her story.

Gabi was 17 when we knocked on her door. She stayed at home to take care of her baby while her mother and older sister worked. We asked if we could return later when the rest of her family was at home. They belonged to the Catholic Church, and her mother appeared to be very pious. The family treated Gabi with distain because of the embarrassment she had caused the family. She felt miserable because of her sinful past, and wished that there was some way she could change her life. She had prayed every day for many months to heavenly father asking for forgiveness, and for help in changing her life. She told us her family would never listen to us if we came back later, and begged us to come in.

We decided to teach her about prayer, and told her about Joseph Smith. When we handed her the pamphlet of Joseph Smith’s First Vision she began to cry. We said a prayer with her and asked her to read the pamphlet before we returned.

When we came back the next day her face was beaming and she related the following to us:
Each night for many weeks following her prayer,

she experienced the same vivid dream. It was always the same and very clear, and she wondered what it meant. She asked her family, and they told her it was of the devil. Her friends told her she must be going crazy. In her dream she saw a young boy kneeling in prayer, with two glorious people standing above him in the air. No one seemed to know what it meant. She had heard of angels visiting people, and apparitions of angel visits, but wondered what this dream meant for her.

One night she asked heavenly father what the dream meant, and promised him that she would do anything He asked her to do. That night after she went to bed, she dreamed a different dream. This time she saw two young men walking down the street. They stopped and came to her door carrying with them a picture of her dream. She knew that this was an answer to her prayer, but she still didn’t know what it meant.

The next day, as she opened the door to us, she began to cry, for she had seen me and my companion distinctly in her dream the night before. She asked us in. She listened carefully as we told her who we were, and then waited patiently for us to produce the picture she had also seen in her dream.

Then we gave her the pamphlet with the picture of Joseph Smith’s first vision on the front. She knew that it was true before she read it. She cried and read it several times before we returned again the next day. We taught her and her family many times. Her sister and mother usually sat in the kitchen, and would not join the Church, but they appreciated our efforts to try to “save her soul.”


Gabi going to her baptism, Mannheim, August 5, 1967

After she was baptized and her sins had been washed clean through the atonement of Christ, she was a constant fixture in Church, and participated in every activity available. She brought her baby and the Sisters in the branch helped her care for him while she completed her assignments and activities.

Later she introduced us to her boyfriend. He was a young American soldier stationed Mannheim. He agreed to listen to the discussions, and was soon baptized and confirmed a member of the Church. They attended church at the servicemen’s branch, but often came to the German branch as well. They were soon married, and set a date to be sealed in the Swiss Temple a year from their wedding day. Following my return from my mission I received word that they had kept their commitments and were sealed in the Swiss Temple prior to moving to Virginia. It was a great day when she had her baby sealed to them for eternity in the temple. He was still in the military, and their second child, born in the United States, they named Joseph.


Gabi and Fritz, new converts Mannheim, 1967

A great lady, my aunt JoAn Blodgett, 1931-2011

JoAn was much younger than my mother - twenty years younger, and her large batch of kids younger than us made us very nervous when they came over to play. Her kids were in to everything and we were afraid our toys would be broken and lost in no time. JoAn was not the neat mother who had all of her kids comfortably in tow physically, but she developed the skill of inspiring and empowering them to accomplish things far beyond their apparent abilities. She wasn't a "cool" Mom, either rather one who helped them to see their mistakes and look for a better way to do it next time.

When finances pressed hard on Jack's ability to provide for their growing family, JoAn decided to help by working at home. She asked a new "key-punching" company if she could have one of their key-punch machinges installed in her garage so she could work in her spare time. She learned it so quickly she said "this is easy, I could teach my children to do it." Soon she had 9 machines installed in their garage and she was true to her word. After awhile she asked her husband, "Why should all this tremendous workforce be working for someone else?" She founded the Blodgett Key-Punch company with her husband as president and each of her children as vice-presidents of the company in charge of sales. I don't think she had an official position in the company, but everyone knew who was in charge.

I thought I was her only favorite nephew. It had to be because of genealogy, her first love. She spent hours exploring her family history, but made me feel that the Blodgett side was the most interesting. She expressed such great interest in everything I discovered on the family that I felt I was becoming a great genealogist. Grandma Blodgett had inspired her and me with great family stories, and she did the same for all her posterity.

JoAn Pritchett Blodgett was born January 9, 1931, in Mammoth, Utah, to Ernest Edwin Pritchett and Hannah Zelma Larsen Pritchett. She was the youngest of seven sisters. She was preceded in death by her parents and all six sisters. She loved spending the summers of her youth at her sister's farm in Wanship, Utah. She graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1948. She married Jack Donald Blodgett on August 10, 1949, in the Salt Lake Temple. They spent just short of 62 years together in mortality. She passed away on Friday, July 22, 2011, at her home in Sandy, Utah. She was surrounded by her family - just the way she wanted it.


JoAn leaves an incredible posterity, which includes nine children and their spouses, 61 grandchildren, and 51 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by three of her children, Nancy, Jim, and Jack, and one grandson Marques. She was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her lifetime of service in the church included work as a teacher, Relief Society President, and temple ordinance worker with her husband in the Jordan River Temple. From her earliest years, she was a champion of genealogy and family history work. Her diligent efforts enabled her to discover genealogical gems, including photographs of some of her earliest ancestors. JoAn's love of family history work continued throughout her life and culminated in her final calling in the church as a Family History Missionary.

Her faith was unwavering, and she was an example to all. JoAn began her professional career working for her father as a teenager. She inherited her father's work ethic and his positive outlook on everything. In 1968, JoAn left a career with Mountain Bell to start a business in her home providing keypunching services in the fledgling computer industry. She was a pioneer and an innovator in many areas, including helping other women work in their homes. JoAn's keypunching business eventually grew to be the largest data entry company in the western United States. As the business grew, she never lost her personal touch with people. She was a master motivator, always encouraging others. She saw tremendous potential in everyone she met. Her cheerful, positive outlook endeared her to everyone. Many in the business world will never forget "Mrs. B.," as she was affectionately known.

In 2002, JoAn was awarded the Sandy Woman of Achievement Award. She loved to work, and she worked up until December 2010, when her health prevented her from continuing to work full-time. JoAn was fiercely loyal to her family, always encouraging and inspiring them. She was happiest when she was with her family, and wanted them around as often as possible. She was always improving herself, constantly learning new things and trying new ideas. She was a "high-tech grandma." With her sharp mind, she kept current with the latest technology and gadgets. This only added to her already special bond with young people, particularly her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. JoAn was a friend to all. She was everybody's Mom and everybody's Grandma. She was truly a person without guile. She never held grudges and was the first to forgive and look for the good in everyone. She had the ability to find the positive in everything, even the most difficult situations.


While we will miss her, we know that a glorious reunion has taken place in the spirit world, where JoAn has been reunited with two of her sons and one daughter, a grandson, her parents and sisters, and countless other friends and family. The family expresses gratitude to all who helped care for Mom during her last few months, including Julie, Viviana, Will, Marlen, Anna, and the many doctors, nurses, and others who cared for her. Funeral Services will be held Wednesday, July 27, 2011, at 12:00 p.m. in the Crescent 18th Ward Chapel, 2195 E. Pepperwood Drive (approx. 10800 South), Sandy, Utah 84092. Friends and family may call at the Larkin Sunset Gardens Tuesday, July 26, 2011, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.-1950 East 10600 South, Sandy, Utah and at the church 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in the Holladay Cemetery.

My Grandma Gygi

Liesetta joins the Church

Liesetta was five years of age when she and her family moved to the Imperial city of Nürnberg, Germany eight miles west of the town of Leinburg, where she was born October 16, 1874. Her father found work in a brass foundry there, and there she received her only schooling which consisted of three years in the Volksschule elementary school.

Her father was Johann Carl Paulus Riedelbauch. Born in a village 60 miles to the northeast, in Bavaria, where his family had lived for generations. It was in
Liesetta Gygi Wedding 1892

Nürnberg that the family was introduced to the Gospel and taught by missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Her father was the first to join the Church, and was baptized and confirmed on the twentieth of November, 1881 at Sünderbühlteich in Nürnberg by Elder A. H. Cannon.

Liesetta’s mother Margaretha was baptized a month later, the 12th of December in the cold waters of the Zeltnerweier Castle by Elder Anton Ilg. Liesetta was then only seven years of age, the oldest of 8 children.

Liesetta's father found better work at the shipyards of the port city of Hamburg, in northern Germany. In July 1882 he was a brass foundryman living at Schulgangstr. 1 in Hamburg Altona. The rest of the family returned to Leinburg, and there lived with grandmother Kunigunde Blendinger, who resented their joining the Church, but softened her heart while living with them. Liesetta’s father sent large food packages to his family in Leinburg. The first oranges, raisins, figs and prunes the children had ever seen arrived in these packages from Hamburg.

The Moat of the Zeltnerweier Castle

While Liesetta and her mother were living in Leinburg, Liesetta was baptized into the Church on March 31st, 1884 at the age of 9, in the Urspring river by Elder F. Mödl. Both her father and mother related fervent testimonies of the truthfulness of the Gospel which were published in 1885 in Der Stern, the official magazine of the Church in Germany.

In July of 1884 Liesetta's father had earned enough money to move the family to Hamburg.
They lived at Peter Strasse 21 in the western section of the city not too far from the docks. They were a long distance from any LDS gathering, but the missionaries visited them regularly.

Peterstrasse 21, Hamburg Today, Restored


Liesetta emigrates to the New World

Persecution of Church members was intense in Hamburg. The children had to remain indoors most of the time to avoid threats, taunting and physical harm. Liesetta's brother Carl had his nose broken and was beaten by ruffians on his way to school. They made the decision to emigrate to America, as soon as they were financially able. They decided Liesetta would go to go first, accompanying other Saints traveling to Zion. On June 16, 1885, Liesetta, the eldest child, aged 10, was placed on a ship bound for the new World. They stopped in Liverpool, England where they were joined by other members of the Church emigrating to Utah. Then sailed from Liverpool the 20th of June, 1885 aboard the SS Wisconsin bound for New York with a group of 541 Saints under the direction of Elder Jorgen Hansen.



The trip lasted a little over two weeks. Seas were very rough and she often became sea sick. Elder Abraham O. Smoot, one of the returning missionaries from Germany, visited her when she was feeling very ill. Once, at the onset of one of the storms a mountainous wave threw her completely across the ship's deck. Though she came close to losing her life she told her grandchildren that she had been preserved by the hand of the Lord.

The ship arrived in New York harbor on the 8th of July, 1885 and passed by the statue of Liberty then under construction, which would be unveiled the following year. From New York City they boarded a train and spent another week traveling to Salt Lake City, far in the western Territory of Utah. Arriving at last in Zion, Liesetta had arms put around her by Sister Katharina Schoenhals, a native of Switzerland, with whom she lived at 45 South, 7th West for the next few months, and attended the Salt Lake 15th Ward until September of that year. She had arrived in this country knowing no one and unable to speak a word of English.Sister Schoenhals was very kind to her and it was difficult to leave, but Liesetta was sent to live with and work for the family of Mr. John Alexander, a native of Gloucester, England, whose farm was located in a section of the city known as Brighton Ward, about two miles west of the Jordan River.

In the early years this area seemed a long way out in the country. Here Liesetta worked hard and long for room, board, and clothing, but received no monetary compensation. She was a servant, and was not entitled to receive schooling, as were the other children in the household. The Alexander family members tended flocks of sheep and would live at the grazing locations for weeks at a time. Liesetta was often left at home to take care of the house, farm and animals. Her chores included milking the cows, cleaning the barns, feeding the animals, doing housework, cooking for the children, and other tasks.

On October 4, 1887 Liesetta's father passed away in Hamburg, Germany at the age of thirty-five years. His wife Margaretha composed a letter of testimony and hope which was published in Der Stern magazine in 1887 She wrote that despite her loss she was at peace and could sing hymn number 36 "Father, Thou givest peace and rest to Thy children who love Thee." She bore testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet, seer and revelator. Who can separate us from the love of God, she wrote, not bitter persecution, pain or death!"

On June 3, 1888 Margaretha and her five remaining children left Hamburg at last for the New World. Word was sent to Liesetta and her next sister Nellie who had also arrived in Salt Lake, that their mother and the other children would arrive on a certain afternoon at the railroad depot in Salt Lake City. When word came, she was alone at the farm, but decided to walk to the train station herself. Nellie arrived first, but was soon joined by Liesetta. The two sisters waited for hours.

Liesetta, standing, and her newly arrived family 1888 Salt Lake City

Finally after dark, since their mother had not arrived, the sisters started the long walk home. The narrow board across the Jordan River was difficult to traverse at that hour. Upon arriving home Liesetta still had to milk the cows and do all the other chores at a late hour. During the night her mother and family did arrive, and were taken to the old tithing office square, where the Hotel Utah now stands. They were shown a small house where they could stay temporarily. Her mother and all of her children then rented a house on 4th west in the 22nd Ward. Later they moved to a log house on the corner of 6th West and 4th North, and finally lived at 336 S. 10th E.

Grandma Gygi and her children Helen, Florence, Alma, Orson, Mary, Ruth, Wilford, Ralph, Berniece, Thelma, and George 1953

Blodgett Ovens

“The year was 1848. James Polk was the 11th president of the United States. Gold was discovered in California. And Gardner S. Blodgett built his first oven for a local Vermont tavern owner. Things would never be the same in California ... or in the foodservice industry.”



Blodgett Deck Oven

I first saw Blodgett ovens while vacationing in Ohio. I read the accolades about Blodgett ovens and their creator, Gardner S. Blodgett. Who was he and how are we related? We looked for Blodgett ovens wherever we traveled, and did indeed seem to find them everywhere.

“Today, the G. S. Blodgett Corporation is the leading manufacturer of commercial ovens in the world. Restaurants, fast-food chains, hotels, hospitals, institutions, small businesses and large corporations alike rely on the Blodgett name. In fact, their ovens have been in demand overseas since the late 1800s - long before global markets and international trade became the focus of our modern world.

Despite widespread success (or maybe because of it) Blodgett has never strayed from its original goal, or its roots. The G. S. Blodgett Corporation is located in Burlington, Vermont - just 1-1/2 miles from where the company founder and namesake forged a cooking revolution in cast iron over 150 years ago. And while the times and foodservice needs have changed since then, their commitment to building the best remains the same.”

Gardner Spring Blodgett, the son of Luther Palmer and Mary Jefferson Blodgett, was born November 10, 1819 in Rochester, Vermont. He married Sarah Ellis in Burlington, Vermont in 1849. Their only son, Frank Jefferson Blodgett was born there in 1857, and went on to become a prominent New York City Medical Doctor.

Gardner S. Blodgett Civil War officer's commissions, 1861-1864.

Two commissions were issued to Gardner S. Blodgett, the first appointing him as Assistant Quartermaster with the rank of captain, on August 6, 1861, and the second appointing him Assistant Quartermaster on July 6, 1864. Both commissions were signed by Abraham Lincoln, while the first commission was also signed by Thomas A. Scott, Acting Secretary of War and the second commission by Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War. The documents both bear engraved images of an eagle, flags, and other military symbols.

He was commissioned as Assistant Quartermaster with the rank of captain on August 6, 1861 and began his duties in Burlington, Vermont, equipping the First Vermont Cavalry Regiment. In 1862 he was ordered to Annapolis to serve as Depot Quartermaster. In 1864 he was sent to Baltimore to serve as Chief Quartermaster of the Eighth Army Corps. He resigned his commission on October 13, 1865. He died in Burlington, Vermont on April 16, 1909.

Gardner Spring Blodgett is a 4th cousin to our Neuman Greenleaf Blodgett, founder of the Mormon branch of the Blodgett family and Utah Pioneer. Their common ancestors are Samuel Blodgett and Huldah Simmons.




COMPANY HISTORY





1848
G. S. Blodgett Company was founded in 1848 by Gardner Spring Blodgett following his creation of an improved commercial wood-burning oven for a local Vermont tavern owner.
1854 The first patent of an improved product for baking. Created, sold and maintained thousands of ovens throughout the East Coast. Company growth and fame relied on the quality, versatility and reliability of the product. Blodgett ovens were in demand throughout the country, Europe and the world.
1892 John S. Patrick, then secretary and treasurer, purchased the company from G.S. Blodgett. The Patrick family remained involved with the company operations for three generations.

1902 Blodgett began to develop ovens utilizing gas an energy source.
1950s Blodgett pizza deck ovens were introduced.
1960s Convection-style cooking was discovered and Blodgett developed a complete line of gas and electric convection ovens.

Blodgett Rotating Rack Baking Oven

















Blodgett Half-size Combi Convection/Steam Oven


1981 Blodgett acquired the assets of J.C. Pitman & Sons, Inc. a New Hampshire based manufacturer of commercial frying equipment. This acquisition was the basis for Pitco Frialator, Inc.

1982 Blodgett acquired Q Industries Food Equipment Company, a small Chicago producer of conveyorized ovens. In 1989, the operation moved to Burlington and is now part of the Blodgett product line.

1985 Blodgett entered into a licensing agreement with a German manufacturer for the distribution of a unique multi-function steamer oven. The first Combi was introduced in the US shortly after. The contract permitted the manufacture of these ovens by Blodgett, which commenced in 1992. When the agreement expired, Blodgett maintained worldwide manufacturing rights. By mid-1994, Blodgett was self sufficient in the manufacture of combinations ovens under the trade name of Blodgett-Combi.

1986 Blodgett purchased MagiKitch'n Equipment Corporation and Quakertown Stove Works, Inc., affiliated companies located near Allentown, Pennsylvania. These companies have been producing high quality commercial broilers for over 50 years. This acquisition continues operating under the MagiKitchn brand name out of Pitco.
1988 J.D. Johnson and Sam Hartwell lead a group of private investors to purchase Blodgett from the Patrick family.









1995 Blodgett International was established as an operating unit of G.S. Blodgett Corporation with a goal to further enhance and expand its export business-an area where it already had over 40 years of experience.

1997 Blodgett was purchased by Maytag Corporation.
1998 Blodgett celebrates its 150th anniversary

2001 Blodgett was purchased by the Middleby Corporation of Elgin, Illinois. At that time, Pitco and MagiKitch'n began to operate as their own entity and Blodgett International was blended into Middleby Worldwide.

2003 The Blodgett Range line was added. The range line includes premium heavy duty ranges, broilers and refrigerated bases.

2004 The Blodgett Steam line was added. The complete line of steam cooking equipment includes convection steamers, steam kettles and braising pans.

Daniel Blodgett Revolutionary War Hero

Sergeant Daniel Blodgett (1739-1776)

Of the 20 or more of our ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War during the years 1775-1783, there were four who gave their lives in the conflict. This is the story of one of them.





Lexington Common 19th of April, 1775

Sergeant Daniel Blodgett of Stafford, Connecticut, responded to the Lexington Alarm, April 19, 1775. His service as a Soldier in this initial engagement of the Revolutionary War was 10 days. His company marched to Cambridge on the Lexington Call under Captain Zephaniah Allen. The following year, he enlisted in the Continental Army and served under Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Moulton. He held the rank of Sergeant in the battle for New York. In this first major battle of the War, the British captured New York, and Daniel was taken prisoner, and died in captivity in a British Prison camp in New York City, Nov. 12, 1776. He left 9 children for his wife Lydia (Robinson) Blodgett to raise, and a tenth who was born in 1777 after his death. Over 6,500 of their descendants have been identified.

Sgt. Daniel was the son of Lt. Daniel Blodgett, also a Revolutionary Soldier, and his mother was Deborah Ellsworth. His wife Lydia Robinson was a great-grand-daughter of the John Robinson, pastor of the Pilgrim's Leiden Church in Holland who planned the Mayflower voyage to America. She was also a great-grand-daughter of William Bradford who came on the Mayflower to the new World, served as Governor of Plymouth colony, and wrote the history "Of Plymouth Plantation".




The Battle of New York, by Pelham

One of Daniel and Lydia's nine children was Benjamin Blodgett our 4th great-grandfather, who was father of Neuman Greenleaf Blodgett who joined the Church in 1832 in New Hampshire.


Strategic Battle Plan of New York


Battle Scene from New York, by John Quidor

Grandpa Gygi’s Mission to Switzerland and Germany

On June 3, 1888 at the age of twenty-one, Rudolph Gygi, Jr. left Switzerland for America. He traveled down the Rhine river to Rotterdam, Holland where he boarded a ship bound for Liverpool, England. At Liverpool he changed ships, boarded the ship Nevada departing for New York. It so happened that on the same ship were Margaret Riedelbauch and her six children, converts like himself to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints. They were going from Germany to Zion. He learned that the eldest daughter Liesetta was already in Salt Lake City, Utah. After arriving in America, Rudolph saved his money and helped pay for the rest of his family to follow two years later. His father, Rudolph Gygi, Sr. and family arrived in Salt Lake City September 24, 1890.

Rudolph Gygi and Liesetta Riedelbauch Wedding Pictures 1892

In those days young married men were sometimes asked to serve missions. Rudolph and Liesetta were married the 9th of March, 1892 the Logan Temple. A year later, the 9th of March, 1893 their first child, Mary Liesetta was born. When Rudolph received a call to serve in the Swiss-German Mission, it was only six years after he had emigrated from the same mission. He accepted the call and with a group of Elders sailed on his birthday, February 1, 1894 from New York on the steamship Dubbiedam, bound for missions on the continent in Europe.

Elders Christian Kasteler, Rudolph Gygi Jr., Rudolph Gygi Sr., & Missionaries 1886

Missionaries, 1895, Rudolph Gygi Jr. 3rd from right, 2nd row

One of the group, Abraham Woodruff, sent a telegram to his father President Wilford Woodruff on Feb. 13, 1894, indicating that the Elders had safely arrived at Rotterdam. The Elders on board were William McEwan, Abraham Woodruff, C. D. Schetter, J. M. Weller and R. Gygi, all of Salt Lake City, and George G. Naegle and wife from the Mormon colonies in Mexico.

The Swiss-German Mission had been in existence for many years, and included Switzerland and western Germany. Rudolph Gygi, Jr. first served in the area of his homeland in and around Bern, Switzerland. His first baptisms were recorded there on the 12th of April, 1894 when he baptized Marie Emilie Frankhauser, age 32 of Biel, and Margaretha Finschin, age 63 of Waldenburg. By September, 1895 he and his companions had baptized ten new converts in the communities of Schüss, Liss, Weiher, Jura, Biel, Kappelen, Neuchatel.and in the Bielersee (Lake Biel).

Bern Mainstreet Gate


Bern Hinterland


Bern Switzerland Temple










Swiss Chalet, Jungfrau

In October, 1895 he was transferred north to Hannover, Germany. There he taught and baptized Ludwig Rückert, age 24, August Julius Tadje, age 17, and Lina Wieter, age 23. After that he was transferred to Hamburg, where his last baptism was recorded. Maria Prahl, age 43 was baptized May 14, 1896 in Hamburg. Soon after, he was released and made his way home to Utah.

While Rudolph was away for two years, Liesetta found domestic work washing, sewing, cleaning and doing housework of all kinds to provide a living for herself and the baby. Friends and relatives helped care for the baby while she worked by day. When Rudolph left they had saved a total of $26, which they then carefully divided. Rudolph took $13 for his mission, and Liesetta had $13 for herself and the baby.


Occasionally she was able to send money to her missionary husband. For a while she lived with the Christian Kasteler family, her husband's brother. While she was there an epidemic of Scarlet fever swept the area. Immediately, baby Mary became afflicted with the disease and would have died, except for the quick and efficient work of a mid wife, who saved her life. The Kasteler baby, Sarah, however, died of scarlet fever in the epidemic.

One day while Liesetta was walking up to the East bench to visit her mother, she noticed a small house for rent at 625 South, 10th East. She particularly noticed the roses climbing up the side of the house. She inquired of the owner the rental charge. He asked her what her husband did for a living. She informed him that her husband was on a mission and that she was working to support herself and baby. After thinking a little while, he asked: "How would $1 a month be?" This good landlord was James H. Moyle, the father of President Henry D. Moyle.

On one occasion Liesetta was particularly short of funds, and she told the milkman, Joshua B. Stewart, Sr., that she would have to discontinue his services. This kind man said he would deliver a quart of milk to her free each day while her husband was away. Mr. Stewart's son, Adiel F. Stewart, would later serve as Mayor of Salt Lake City. In this unobtrusive way, many kind friends were raised up to help in time of need.

Rudolph and Liesetta and children, 1910

Rudolph and Liesetta raised their children in Salt Lake City and Midvale. Eleven of their twelve children reached adulthood and all were married in the temple. Many of them, and their children and grandchildren like Grandpa served missions in Germany and Switzerland. Current count of missions served is 205 in 92 countries throughout the world. Descendants number 683, of which 643 are still living. A large number of these are under the age of 8.

Compiled for the 2010 Gygi family reunion -- Steven Blodgett


Gygi Family Reunion, 1948

William Durell Blodgett, 1909-1995

William and Ona Blodgett Sr. and children, 1919

His Story of Faith and Healing

My Dad was a man of faith. He would always say, “The Lord is the Great Physician – He rules in the Heavens, and is Master of the Universe – He knows each of his children intimately – He knows our needs and blesses us continually – Not a hair falls from our head without his knowledge – We have but to ask and he will grant us our desires in righteousness – He loves us and knows what is best for us – He has a great plan for each of us – The earth is His and all things are given to us for our learning, our edification, and to help us through this challenging existence - Earth life is the great laboratory of our souls – Nothing can hold us back if we rely in faith and trust the Lord in all our doings.”

He was celebrated as a “healer” when he visited relatives in Montana. Because of their faith he healed a little nephew who had been crippled from birth. When this child was 5 he could crawl, but not walk or talk, and was nearly blind. After Dad blessed him, he was healed, and he became the terror of the neighborhood. His mother regretted some days that he had been made whole. Dad was the eldest of five brothers. He lamented that they wouldn’t follow his example. They all were inactive in the Church, except his youngest brother Jack. They smoked and drank, divorced their wives, and had sad lives.

When Dad was 16, the starter crank to his Father’s new truck kicked back and injured him. He was strong and worked with his Dad delivering tons of coal it to customers in the Salt Lake Valley. He could shovel a whole truck load in two hours. All that summer he recovered from a sore back and broken right arm. He learned to write with his left hand, and pitched horseshoes left handed, and was ambidextrous in many other things after that.

At 18 Dad reported to the draft board. There a medical exam showed that there was something wrong with his back. He had recovered nicely from his injury, and felt as strong as ever. The Doctor offered to fix the problem for free, paid for by the army. He went along with the plan, which turned out to be a grave mistake, as he would find out. It fostered a distrust of the medical community my dad carried throughout his life. He went to doctors and listened to what they said, but reserved judgment in favor of the “master physician who dwells in the heavens.”

The military doctors performed surgery on his back by breaking some of the vertebrae which they said had fused crookedly on their own. The operation didn’t work, and the vertebrae slipped often to the previously healed position. One of the things the doctors failed to consider, was the ability of a young body to adapt and heal itself rapidly, but with a mature body, repairs are more difficult and less effective. The continual slipping damaged nerves, and he developed a stomach ulcer. He could no longer lift anything heavy and had to quit the coal business. He learned the grocery business working in his brother-in-law Ralph Gygi’s grocery store. Later he bought his own store in Cottonwood, which he named Cottonwood Food Center. He always cautioned us – his sons - to take care of our backs, and we did the heavy lifting for him. He went to a chiropractor each week to get his back into position. He could go a week between visits, but sometimes had to go more often.

We knew Dad was faithful and worthy, and we wondered if he would have to live with this affliction all his life.

From 1927 to 1963, a period of 36 years, Dad suffered from a bad back. He had a good attitude about life and was faithful in his Church callings, to his wife and family. He paid his tithing, obeyed the Word of Wisdom, and lived and taught his family the principles of the gospel.

He regretted that he, like President Monson, had not served a full time mission when he was a young man. In part, it was due to his back problems, but he admitted that it was also his lack of faith in knowing how to finance it, and his stubborn insistence that mission calls ought to come directly from the Lord. He figured if the call came from the Lord, then the bishop would call him in. It didn’t happen. Later, under a new bishop he was asked as a young man of 23 to organize the ward teaching program in the ward. He visited every member, assigned teachers, obtained reports, and saw that every member was visited each month for two years. Later the bishop said that the work he had done was the equivalent of a full time mission.

We three sons heard these stories and regrets, and each of us resolved to serve a mission faithfully when the time came. Mo older brother Terry was the first to serve and received his call in December, 1962. As he was serving in the mission field, he realized he was fulfilling Dad’s dream, to have his sons serve missions. He wrote about it in a letter home, and began to pray fervently about it to the Lord. Terry argued that Dad had lived faithfully all these years, as evidenced by his family, and the service of his oldest son in the mission field.

Dad had lived through an age of “miracle cures”. Everyone was promoting the latest great advances in science, medicine, and health, abandoning to a degree, the tried and proven methods of the past. He knew that true miracles were from the Lord, and any knowledge gained by man was in compliance with truths from on high. He had learned that some doctors promote their own skills, and was wary of offers that are made without due thought and confirmation from the Spirit.

“That night,” Dad related later, “he and Mom had retired to bed.” [Their room was in the hall next to ours in our new home on Fairbrook Lane in Holladay next to the cemetery where Grandpa Blodgett was buried. It was built to our specifications by uncle Alma Gygi, Mom’s brother. We boys had our own large room at the end of the hall. Mom and Dad had a master bedroom in the rear corner of the home, but they had vacated it so Grandma Gygi could have her own space, somewhat detached from the rest of us, and the room was large enough for her to keep a few of her things. Their room was intended for Joan, but she was at BYU, and would be married that summer. Grandma would pass away that fall, and with Terry on his mission, Richard and I were “alone” in our big bedroom.]

“As I was resting,” Dad continued, “I awoke as if in a dream, and realized I was floating in the air about three feet above the bed. Although I remained in a reclined position, I was aware that Mother was still sleeping in the bed below. I felt a presence in the room. It was peaceful and my mind was opened and aware of many things. I was filled with light. Then I felt the hand of the Lord pass along the length of my spine. I realized what was happening and lay there musing on the singularity of the moment until morning when I got up and went about my regular duties.”

He didn’t say anything to anyone about it all day, but that evening when he returned home from work, broached the subject to Mom and told her he had been healed. Of course, she wanted to know the whole story. She pestered him to go to the doctor to confirm what had happened. Dad said, “No. Why should I go to a doctor to have him tell me what I already know.” He said he also wouldn’t need to go to the chiropractor any more.

We boys found out a few days later as Mom dropped details to us. Dad told us more of the story over the next few weeks. They wrote a letter to Terry who then related his end of the experience. Later that summer, Mom finally persuaded Dad to go to the doctor for a checkup. The doctor who read the x-ray could not believe there was ever anything out of the ordinary with Dad’s back. “It was perfect, as if nothing had ever happened.”

So we all knew that we had experienced a great blessing. We were asked not to talk about it carelessly. We learned that the Lord really can do anything. We learned that the Lord has his own time table, dependent on our faith and preparation. We learned that doctors don’t know everything, and that we can have access to the blessings of the Great Physician. He does know us personally, and all of our wants and needs. We learned that we must be faithful, and that untold blessings are in store for the faithful, and not necessarily those we anticipated.

After that great experience we were to undergo other setbacks, but we knew that we would come out all right. Trials happen because we can get through them, and are a blessing. An evil designing man and his wife managed to swindle Mom and Dad out of their store and adjoining property that they had worked many years to acquire. They lost their store and livelihood, but still had their home. So, putting their trust in the Lord, decided to serve a mission. They sold their home to pay for it. At the conclusion of their mission they learned that the Supreme Court of the State of Utah had restored their property to them, and they used to money to purchase new home in Sandy. Then they served two more missions. We are grateful for the example of Dad and Mom and remember them proudly. - Steven Blodgett


William and Florence, Missionaries, 1986




William and Florence and Family, 1984