This part of my life story will be concerned with my activities in the church, including dates for ordinances and blessings.
As written, I was born April 27, 1920 and according to my memory Mother told me that I was sort of sickly and so my first blessing was given to me 9 May 1920 by my Father at home. I was officially named and blessed 6 June 1920 by Charles R. Jones who was the bishop of the Coalville Ward.
I was baptized 10 June 1928 by Charles Rippon, a Priest, and confirmed by my Father John Ellwood Carruth the same day. I don’t remember much about that day only that I was baptized in the old Coalville Tabernacle. We had to go around to the back of the building and down a flight of stairs to the font. That’s about all I remember of that day.
My next item of importance would be when I was ordained a Deacon and given the Aaronic Priesthood. This was 5 June 1932 by Brother Herbert Woods who was a member of the bishopric of the Ogden 20th Ward. I have a certificate showing my graduation from Primary issued 23 October 1932. Either I was slow or else the ward was slow in issuing this certificate. I served as 1st counselor in the 1st Quorum of Deacons.
I was ordained a Teacher on 17 February 1935 by J. Bennett Moore, a Seventy, and Ward Clerk also in the Ogden 20th Ward. Here I served as a 1st counselor and also as President of the Quorum.
I was ordained a Priest in 1937 by Bishop Arias G. Belnap also of the Ogden 20th Ward, Ogden Stake. I have lost my certificate so do not know the actual date. Here I served as 2nd and also as 1st Assistant in the Quorum.
I was ordained an Elder 3 March 1940 by my Father John Ellwood Carruth.
I served as Stake M Men secretary 1939-1940 for the four stakes that were then in existence in Ogden, Utah.
I was ordained a Seventy 15 December 1941 by Richard L. Evans, one of the Presidents of the First Quorum of Seventy. This was while I was in the mission home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I was set apart as a missionary to the Northwestern States Mission by Richard R. Lyman, an Apostle, 17 December 1941. I have a separate record of my mission activities.
I was ordained a High Priest 10 January 1967 by Stake President Alma P. Burton of the Sharon Stake in Orem, Utah. And as such I served both as High Priest Group Leader with Brothers James Ott and Alan Chambers as my assistants and then as an assistant to Brother Delynn Hirsche.
My Patriarchal Blessing was given to me by Miles L. Jones 7 September 1939. I remember when this blessing was given that one specific blessing gave me a most pleasant feeling. It was about a problem that I was concerned with. Only during my life this blessing didn’t seem to be realized and it left me with bad feelings about my whole patriarchal blessing. It has not been much of a help to me during my life because I have felt that I was not worthy of any of the blessings and so have refrained from reading it very often. I remember one of the General Authorities saying that those were ‘iffy’ blessings and as such I just haven’t been worthy of them.
I was called as a Stake Missionary to the Ogden Stake 29 August 1945 and served until 31 October 1946. My companion was Ray Taylor who lived in the same ward as I did – Ogden 20th Ward.
I was married to Ruth Danese Davis 23 June 1948 in the Salt Lake Temple by Charles R. Jones, the same person who blessed and named me.
After my mission I was called and set apart to serve in 3 different Seventy Presidencies until I was ordained a High Priest. The first one was to the 225th Quorum of Seventy which was in the 20th Ward of the Ogden Stake. This was done by Elder S. Dilworth Young of the First Council of Seventy on 5 February 1953. The meeting was held at the 4th Ward of the Ogden Stake. The second one was to the 216th Quorum of Seventy which was in the 8th Ward of the Lorin Farr Stake. This was done by Elder Marion G. Romney of the Council of the Twelve 23 May 1954. The meeting was held in the Old Ogden Tabernacle. The third time was to the 123rd Quorum of Seventy of the Sharon Stake. This was done by Elder S. Dilworth Young of the First Council of Seventy 19 March 1963. The meeting was held in the 11th Ward of the Sharon Stake, Orem, Utah.
One of my most enjoyable callings was a Gospel Doctrine Teacher in the 32nd Ward of the Sharon Stake in Orem, Utah. This lasted for 5 years and I gained a great knowledge of the gospel especially because of the help of the Spirit in my preparation for the classes. I used to start reading the lesson for the next week on Sunday. I spent my lunch hours in the BYU library reading all of the information I could get from various sources. I also spent one night at the temple for further inspiration and guidance. I must say that I received some wonderful insights from the temple, but didn’t think it should be taught to the class. I started teaching the class that had an attendance of about 20 people and when I was released there were about 100 or more people regularly attending. We had to move the class from the Relief Society room to the Cultural Hall.
I also had the opportunity to teach the combined stake M Men and Gleaners class with Grace Allphin for one year. This was also a very challenging assignment, but one which I also enjoyed.
I was called and set apart as 1st counselor to Bishop Richard C. Cook in the Sharon 32nd Ward 10 September 1976 by J. Vern Dunn, Stake President of the Sharon Stake. I remember when he talked to us he said we were not called because of what we were, but what we may be come. When we were released I asked him if I had become what I should have, but got no answer from him. I only hope that my service was satisfactory to not only him, but to the Lord. I served for over 6 years until being released 7 November 1982.
My wife and I served a mission to the Akron Ohio Mission from 1 August 1984 through July 31, 1985. I have a separate Journal for this activity. Here I also served as 2nd Counselor to Bishop Thomas McKibben. I was set apart by President ________ Williams of the Akron Ohio Stake.
I was called to serve as a member of the high council when our new Sharon South Stake was organized in the fall of 1985 by President Wynn H. Hemmert and served for 3 1/2 years. This was a very interesting calling and I learned much about the workings of the church. The biggest worry I had in this position was when we had to hold a court and I had to make very difficult decisions. But I enjoyed the entire experience. After being released from that calling I was called as financial clerk for the Hillcrest 3rd ward under Bishop Richard Kendall. I also served for a couple of years under Bishop Craig Palmer before being released to become the Stake financial clerk which is my position at this present time. (10 July 1996)
From October 1941 to July 1984 I have been active as the chorister in Mutual, Sunday School, and Sacrament meetings serving almost continuously during that time in the various wards in which I have lived.. I also have been the conductor for choirs and youth choruses in the various wards and stakes I have lived in. In all of these callings I have had many wonderful experiences and blessings. Also many experiences that were just plain funny and enjoyable.
I have had the great pleasure of serving as a designated veil worker in both the Salt Lake and Provo Temples and also a couple of times in the Manti Temple. I have loved doing temple work. In 1995 I had a high of 100 endowments performed. I have only kept records of my activity in this work since Rick received his endowments in 1971, but since then I have done 933 to June 30, 1996.
I recall other positions I have held as a counselor to Brother Thomas Midgley in the Sunday School Superintendency in the Ogden 20th Ward after my mission. I also served as ward clerk to Bishop Truman Madsen of the BYU. 11th ward for over a year, but was released as my wife couldn’t handle the children and requested that I return to our home ward. I also served as president of the Mutual with Jack Lewis and Gene Lloyd as counselors and Eldon Thomas as secretary, in the 12th ward in Orem, Utah.
Some of my great experiences have been in working at the various welfare farms in the areas in which I have lived. I have hauled hay, picked cherries, apples, pears, peaches. I have watered and dug ditches, fertilized and helped spray fruit trees. I have canned some of the produce and hauled it from cannery to storage. I can truthfully say that in all of the hours spent in the welfare work that they have all been happy ones.
The church has been the most important thing in my life and I am grateful for the testimony and knowledge of the gospel I have. I don’t know what I would have become if that work had not been available to me. I know that the gospel is true, that the Book of Mormon is also true, and that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and Savior of the world, and that His Father and my father lives and guides and directs the activities through out the entire world.