144th Evacuation Hospital 50-year Reunion

08/29/2019

We encourage friends to know about out 144th Evacuation Hospital page, which we created for our 50th-year Reunion. We were activated to FLW Missouri in 1961, returning to Utah in 1962.

03/26/2019

Several colleagues have asked me to keep them up to day on what is happening.

01/25/2019

We have the funeral for Howard R. Allen of the 144th Evac Hosp on January 29, 2019, with a viewing the day before at the mortuary (11800 So 700 East, Draper UT, 6 to 8 pm, and an hour before the service an hour before the funeral at 13300 So 1300 East in Draper. For more information, write me at [email protected]

01/09/2019

One of our NG Buddies, just passed away:
Stephen Smith Jacobsen(1938 - 2018)
Stephen Smith Jacobsen 5/28/1938 - 12/27/2018
Stephen Smith Jacobsen, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away at his home in Draper, Utah on December 27, 2018 due to complications from Mesothelioma.
Born May 28, 1938 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Theodore Christian and Florence Smith Jacobsen, he was the oldest of three boys. He attended East High School and then the Browning School for Boys in New York City while his father served as President of the Eastern States Mission. After graduating from high school, he returned home to attend the University of Utah where he met his sweetheart, Patricia Theresa Rosenbaum, who he had the privilege of baptizing before serving a two-year LDS mission in Great Britain. Upon his return, they were married on September 8, 1961 in the Salt Lake Temple. Steve was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and graduated from the University of Utah in 1965 with a degree in Civil Engineering.
After graduating, Steve worked for Jacobsen Construction which was started by his grandfather, Soren Jacobsen. While there he was the project director for the Jon M. Huntsman Center. He also worked on the Washington D.C. temple and Hotel Utah. Eventually, Steve left his family company and formed Jacobsen Robbins Construction with his life-long friend, Doug Robbins. Thirteen years later, Steve went to work for Oakland Construction where he was the project director of the Nauvoo Temple reconstruction, the Conference Center at BYU-Idaho and the Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah.
Steve was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and loved the Lord. He served in the bishopric and as bishop of the Little Cottonwood Ward in Sandy, Utah. Other church callings included stake Young Men's President and High Councilman. He and his wife also served as baptistry workers at the Jordan River Temple and as service missionaries at the Bishop's Storehouse. However, his favorite callings were in the Boy Scout program and in the nursery.
Steve was an Eagle Scout and loved serving on various boards and councils in the community. He loved to fish, water and snow ski, hike with his family, play basketball and tennis. He was an accomplished artist who loved to draw, paint and work with wood. His favorite places to vacation were his family home on Balboa Island and cabin on Hebgen Lake. Everything he did was done with perfection. He used to say, "Well done is better than well said." He was a man of honesty, integrity, selflessness and hard work.
Steve loved his family, had a special relationship with his grandchildren and made a point to attend their performances and activities. He also loved helping them make pinewood derby cars, which became more of his project than theirs. He supported his wife's love of ballet and never missed her performances until he became ill in 2017. He loved to travel and go on road trips with his bride who he loved above all. His last words to her were, "Are you okay?" Steve's relationships with his family and many friends were most important to him. He will be deeply missed by all.
Steve is survived by his loving wife, Pat, his brother Heber (Christine Lake) Jacobsen, his three daughters, Carrie (John) Bourne, Krissie (Craig) Bushman and Kathy (Trent) Holmberg, his twelve grandchildren and two great grandchildren on the way. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Alan.
Special thanks to Gregory Litton, M.D., the Utah Cancer Specialists, Bristol Home Health and Hospice, and hospice nurse Debi Poulsen.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the South Mountain Seventh Ward, 272 East Traverse Point Rd., Draper. Friends may greet the family at the viewings on Friday, January 4, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E. Dimple Dell Rd. (10600 S.), in Sandy and again on Saturday, January 5th from 10:00-10:45 a.m. at the church. Online condolences may be offered at www.larkincares.com
In lieu of flowers, monetary donations can be made to Primary Children's Hospital at https://give.intermountainfoundation.org/primary-childrens-hospital.
Funeral Home
Larkin Sunset Gardens
1950 East Dimple Dell Road Sandy, UT 84092
(801) 571-2771

Published in Deseret News on Dec. 30, 2018

09/22/2017

Many of our 144th colleagues were also graduates of Jordan HS in 1957. I'm working on getting a page set up for Jordan57 and would like your participation and ideas. [email protected]

08/23/2016

We had the death of a 144th Evac Hosp colleague this week:
Nephi Ray Fitzgerald
January 29, 1937 - August 18, 2016
Born January 29, 1937 in Draper, Utah to Printess Fitzgerald and Ruth Anderson. Passed away Thursday, August 18, 2016, from natural causes. Nephi married Leona Leonard on August 18, 1961 in the Salt Lake Temple. They were married for 55 years. They had 7 children, 30 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. Lenny (Tammy), Denece (Hiley Kitto), William (Alison), Beatrice (Linden Holloway), Sheri (Steve Nelson), Elizabeth (Micah Ladle), and Daniel (Krissy).
Full biography and funeral information is listed on Premier Funeral Services website - www.premierfuneral.com
Published in Deseret News on Aug. 21, 2016 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=nephi-ray-f-fitzgerald&pid=181134328&fhid=29616 .9c2MviNt.dpuf

Email Lon Pearson for an obituary: [email protected]
[email protected]

Nephi graduated Jordan High in 1955. His full biography was not posted in the link above. After many tries, it finally gave it to me:

Nephi Ray Fitzgerald
Born January 29, 1937 in Draper, Utah to Printess Fitzgerald and Ruth Anderson. Passed away Thursday, August 18, 2016, from natural causes. Nephi came from a family of 16 children. His father, Printess Fitzgerald, married Beatrice Murphy and they had Gail (Hill). Soon after Beatrice passed and Printess married Jane Roberts Kimball. Together they had Printess K., Gerald, Maydell (Ellswood), Bliss, James Walter, Leah (Smith), Paul, and Crozier. Jane passed and Printess later married Ruth Anderson. Their children were Betty Ruth (Bell), Nephi, Perry Glenn, and Orene. Later Printess passed and Ruth married his second cousin, Arellius Brown Fitzgerald. Their children were Brian, Colleen (Winkler), and Katherine (Fullmer). Later, A.B. died and Ruth married Eric Bennison (who became the grandpa to all of Nephi’s children.)
Because Nephi’s grandparents had passed before he was born, Crozier Kimball (the father of Jane) told Nephi that he was as much his grandson as all his older brothers and sisters. He also gave Nephi his Patriarchal Blessing. Nephi loved all athletics and sports and especially loved playing baseball. While growing up he was a BYU football fan because his uncle, Eddie Kimball, was the BYU head football coach. And his other uncle, Rodney Kimball, was the BYU Athletic trainer, and another Uncle was the BYU quarterback during WWII. They were all brothers to Jane Kimball.

Nephi grew up working on his family’s dairy farm from 1937-1959. He went to Draper Elementary School, Draper Junior High, and Jordan High School, graduating in 1955. (Go Beetdigger’s!) He loyally served on the Northern California Mission from December 1957 - December 1959 and had 65 baptisms. After his mission he attended Utah State and Weber State Universities.
Nephi married Leona Leonard on August 18, 1961 in the Salt Lake Temple. They were married for 55 years. They had 7 children, 35 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. Lenny (Tammy), Denece (Hiley Kitto), William (Alison), Beatrice (Linden Holloway), Sheri (Steve Nelson), Elizabeth (Micah Ladle), and Daniel (Krissy).

Nephi joined the Army Utah National Guard 144th Evacuation Hospital in 1954. He took basic training at Fort Ord in California. From Fort Ord he was sent to Fort Sam Houston, in Austin, Texas. He trained as a Medical Corpsman. Then his unit was activated and evacuated and called to the Berlin Crisis when the communist overtook East Germany. He was sent to Fort Leonardwood, Missouri for one year active duty. He became a Sergeant in the medical unit and honorably finished his 8 years of service in 1962.

Nephi began his working at Draper Feed and Egg, Hercules Powder Company in Magna, and retired from New Skin International in 2005. He received the Aaronic and Melchizedic Priesthood, and later became a High Priest. Nephi and Leona served two missions together, one at the Provo, Utah MTC in the call center where Nephi had 16 baptisms, and the second was in the employment center at the Deseret Industries in Provo, Utah. Nephi and Leona also served together for a few years in the Mount Timpanogos Temple in American Fork.

Funeral services will be 11:00 am, Saturday, August 27, 2016 at the Sharon Park 1st Ward, 310 North 100 East, Orem, UT where a viewing will be held Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and Saturday prior to services from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Interment at the Orem City Cemetery.

A special thanks to Provo Rehabilitation and Nursing and Mountainland Aging for taking such good care of Nephi, especially during his last few days. We also thank all family and friends who showed their love for Nephi through visits and/or letters.

Upcoming Events
Funeral Services (Map data ©2016 Google)
AUG 27. 11:00 AM
Sharon Park 1st Ward
310 North 100 East
Orem, UT, US

Cemetery Details

Premier Funeral Services | Funeral & Cremation Services for Salt Lake City, UT - Orem, UT - Roy, UT - Residents

04/09/2016

I am sad to add that our sister-in-law Linda Ballamis Stepan passed away on February 4 at 3:00 am after intestinal problems. Her funeral was held Feb 10. She was with us soon after Christmas of 1961, following her wedding in the SL Temple with Keith Stepan (supply sergeant) and Janet's brother, whom I recruited into the unit in about 1957. Here Keith and Linda are at 13A Ozark and Lon & Janet are leaving 13B Ozark (we had the two duplexes in the same building and could share our stereo music through the thin walls). In August 1962 we all returned to Utah. See below for Lon's color shot of the duplex from the air.
Oh, and I should add that in the Hispanic world, numbers like 13 Ozark are not given out, because they denote bad luck!.

04/09/2016

Shirley & Gary Howlett with granddaughter Lauren in 2014

04/09/2016

Rob, Enniss, & Christopher Berrett at a U of U function in 2014..

04/09/2016

Chuck Minnick (brother of Owen) and Sherrell Berrett together at a graduations. Both were in 144th Evac back 50 years ago.