Delbert Abraham Penrod |
| Posted 2009-08-13 by Sharla |
| Delbert Abraham Penrod 1864-1938 Delbert spent his younger learning years in Wallsburg, Utah, and Show Low, Arizona, very small towns with not to adequate schooling facilities at that time, so his formal education was about equivalent of the third grade. But he learned fast from every source. In his life time of experience in real pioneering he learned how to work, love and live with his fellow men in a way he never could have done from books. When Bert had been married a year or so he took his young wife on a visit to Utah, and his twin brother Delbert accompanied them. Del went for the express purpose of renewing acquaintance with a girl he knew in Utah with whom he thought he might be in love. They stopped off in Marysvale and while there they "took in a dance." Del caught glimpse of a small girl weighing eighty-nine pounds (as he later learned), five feet four inches tall, with long reddish brown hair and light blue eyes. He was smitten at once and sought an introduction, dancing every dance available with her. The girl's name was Merintha which seemed to fit her perfectly and added to Del's admiration. Merintha in turn was attracted to this handsome youth, seven years her senior. He had blue eyes but his hair was coal black and he wore a full black mustache, a striking contrast. Five feet ten inches tall with broad shoulders, a quick wit and ready smile, he would have swept any girl off her feet. Del remained in Marysvale until he won Merintha, the other girl forgotten. Merintha Altheria Calaway, daughter of Thomas and Eliza Newby Calaway, married Delbert Abraham Penrod on the 18th day of August 1887, at a gala wedding. A month later the couple journeyed back to Arizona by team and wagon. Delbert often told his children throughout the years that when he first laid eyes on Merintha, he thought she was the prettiest little thing he ever saw in his life. In 1889 0r 1990 Del and his bride moved to Pinetop where Merintha had the first post office. A small part of the office she used for the sale of novelties of all kinds. Here nine of their ten children were born, Mildred, the last, being born in Snowflake. Children's names are as follows: Delbert Cecil who married Ida Bell White; Thomas William died in infancy; Merintha married Paul E. Amos; Harvel married Louise Rhoton and they live in Lakeside; Albert, deceased; Lottie Enes married Thomas Jay Woolford; Dicye Polly married George Easley; Leonard Lamar married Beulah Goodman; and Leslie Mildred married Edwin Whiting. Another child died in infancy. In writing about her father, a daughter states that he was a great joker and loved to sing, especially with his children. He was strict when occasion warranted, a very just man and well loved. Especially close to his identical twin brother Bert, never a day passed that they were not together. In 1913 they each homesteaded 160 acres two miles apart at Pineyon, but visited everyday. Birthdays together were special occasions. After Bert passed away, Del would be seen almost daily leaning on his shovel in the field or on a fence looking into space for minutes at a time. At this time his wife Merintha was a true helpmate and comforter, trying to finish her housework quickly so that she could spend time with him in the field and keep him company. Delbert Penrod's devotion for that beautiful girl he had fallen suddenly and completely in love with in 1887, remained steadfast and grew over the years. She returned it in full and they were an ideal couple. In 1937, Del and Merintha celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary at their ranch in Pineyon, with 500 Utah and Arizona friends and relatives present. It was a wonderful affair, never to be forgotten. Del built a pavilion beside a huge pine and he and Merintha danced a schottische together without missing a step; there was a barbeque, programs all the rest. It was a memorable and crowning tribute to a rich and rewarding life together. A year later Delbert took sick and died on June 14, 1938, at Holbrook. According to his wish they took him back home to his beloved ranch where his beautiful roses seemed to have bloomed just for him. He was buried in the family plot at Pinetop. He was seventy-four years old. Author: Delbert Adair Jr. See Also: Find A Grave |
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