Beach Haven

Week of 27 February 1984

Grammy Beach (Mom’s mother-in-law) came home from the hospital. Mom herself was recuperating from foot surgery. She noted “really had at work today on crutches, arms and back and shoulders sore from putting weight on crutches.” She suffered from a touch of flu that week as well.

That Friday night she heard two loud booms. It turned out that there were explosions out at Thiokol where Dad worked. She was glad he was in CA for the Navy Reserve so not onsite when it happened. The building that blew up was just behind the building Mom worked in. Several people were hurt, but thankfully nobody killed. She wrote, “overhead cranes loose from M-52, M-53 doors blown off and air sucked out of building, people couldn’t breath, ran outside, many acts of heroism. News media had it all screwed up. Said 35 people killed, not true.”
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Week of 20 February 1984

Mom talked with her mother (Grammy Miller) this week. Learned my other grandmother (Grammy Beach) had a fall that week and was in the hospital. Another relative, Florence Gower Heckman, died of a heart attack at the young age of 46.

The previous week she mentioned an upcoming surgery with no specifics. This time she noted the specifics. “Went to Logan and had foot operated on. Took wedge shaped piece of bone out of top of foot. Wired 2 bones together. Have to be in cast for 1 month. On crutches for a week.”

That note was on Friday. On Saturday she notes that she was in pain all day. She says ‘the kids’ did the housework and waited on her. Curtis came over and helped. We all played games that night. She talked to Dad by phone. He was in San Diego for the Navy and staying at the house of ‘Uncle Ted’. Ted is Dad’s uncle. When Michelle and I lived in San Diego a few years after this, we got to know him and his wife. On Sunday she complained that we kids all left her and went to a missionary farewell in Brigham City. Despite our telling her not to go to work on Monday because of the pain she said, “But must, will take it easy today.”
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