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Mary Houston was born in the small town of Panguitch Utah in 1925, to Thomas Ray and Emma Heywood Houston. She was the third of nine children and for the first few years of her life, their family home consisted of just two-rooms – a living room and a kitchen. They all slept in the living room, including her parents, except for the youngest who slept in a crib in the kitchen. Eventually they added onto the home, which was much needed for a family of 11!
Money was tight, but she had hard-working, loving parents and a happy childhood. Mary was beautiful inside and out, and she was always bright. On her first day of 2nd grade, her teacher recognized how far ahead she was, so she took her by the hand and walked her across the hall to join the 3rd grade class. Even though she skipped that grade, she still remained at the top of her class and graduated as valedictorian.
After high school, Mary joined the Cadet Nurse Corps, a program sponsored by the US government to ensure the supply of nurses for civilian and military service. World War II had been going on for over a year, and the government offered free room, board and tuition in return for the commitment to work as a nurse at home or abroad.
It was a rigorous program and she excelled, graduating from Salt Lake General Hospital School of Nursing in Salt Lake City. A small town girl at heart, she was lucky that she was able to serve at home, rather than abroad, as a nurse at Panguitch Hospital. Despite their service, she and the other cadet nurses never received veteran status, but there are still some of them alive who may yet receive the honor.
After meeting and marrying Howard Simkins, they bought a small farm in the even smaller town of Circleville, UT. They had 4 children, two boys and two girls. The two boys, Tom and Bruce, came first, and Mary stayed at home to care for them and help on the farm. Their 3rd child Joyce, was premature, and lived for only 20 minutes, but Mary had to carry on after the loss. She took a job as the Garfield County Public Health Nurse, where she worked until she had their 4th child, Elizabeth.
When Liz was in school, Mary went to work at the Beaver Hospital, and continued nursing until she retired at the age of 60. She was a dedicated and respected nurse, and beloved in her community. After she retired, she traveled all over the country, but didn’t like to be far from home for very long. She remained a small town girl her entire life.
Mary was always kind, always singing, and had a poem for almost every circumstance. She loved to read, and she would hide her stacks and stacks of “trashy” romance novels in her closet, and we’d love to sneak a peak. She insisted we drink our orange juice every morning, and she loved all of her Grandchildren dearly. She was part of the reason why I went to nursing school, and thanks to her sacrifices and those of the other women who came before me, I was able to choose to go in a different direction.
Mary Houston Simkins was a friend to everyone, and an inspiration to all. I love and miss you Grandma!
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