HISTORY OF WILLAMINA WITTWER BUNKER

Wife of Hector Bunker.

My mother, Willamina Wittwer Bunker, was born in Santa Clara, Utah, on September 27, 1886. She was the daughter of Samuel Wittwer and Bertha Tobler who were both of Swiss descent.

Mother was the third child of ten children. She lived in Santa Clara until she was a year old, then Grandfather moved his second family to Bunkerville, Nevada. Their home was one of a real pioneer family. Later, Grandma shared her new one room adobe home with Annie Hafen who had no place to go.

Mother’s first teacher was Lois Jones who assisted Martha Cox in teaching in Bunkerville in the old adobe School House.

Mother was very conscientious and worked hard to please her parents. Grand¬father was at home to Bunkerville only half the time and it often fell to Mother’s lot to make the bed to fit Grandfather’s round aching shoulders. Their mattresses were made of straw or corn husks, so she chould arrange them to fit his back more comfortable.

Being the oldest daughter living, Mother assumed responsibility in the home. She tended the baby, helped pick cotton, did the washing, also learned to sew, besides helping with all the work. She made long hours of work happy hours, because of the stories she told the children to keep them happy and content while at rag-bees, picking over grapes to bottle, or the many endless jobs of those days.

Mother started church work early in life. Her first job was Secretary of Religion Class at the age of fourteen. She held this job for three or four years at the time Myron Abbott was the President. Religion class was very successful at this time.

Her best girl friends were Effie Jones, Caddie Banker, and Vilate Lee. When they moved away she found Elzina Leavitt Robinson to be a wonderful friend.

Grandfather and Grandmother desired that all their family have a good education. There was no higher schooling than eighth grade at this time in Bunkerville so arrangements were made for mother to go to Cedar City to attend High School.

When grandmother Bunker, who had been sick for a long time, heard of Mother leaving for school, she sent a message to her asking her to come and see her. She asked mother if she loved Hector, and mother admitted she did. Grandmother then said, “Please do not make him wait too long before you marry him. I know you under¬stand him better than anyone else. I can go in peace if you are his help-mate.” Mother said this was a beautiful and spiritual experience. That was the last mother saw Grandmother Bunker alive.

Mother was a very good student and the year at Cedar City proved very profitable to her through life. Father, Hector Bunker, her sweetheart sent her five dollars three or four different times during the winter. She greatly appreciated this because of being so short of money.

The year before mother got married she made many beautiful articles. She did lovely sewing. Her wedding dress was designed and made by herself. This same year Joseph Wittwer, mother’s brother, and his wife Ella, lived at Grandmother’s place. Joseph taught school and Mother did all the work for them and then received the money which they paid for their board and room. Grandfather Wittwer also gave her a heifer calf, as he did all of his children.

Mother was never without a job in the Church. She loved to serve our Father in Heaven by serving her fellow men. While her family was a small she worked in the Primary as counselor, also as a teacher. She worked as a Stake Board member also, hut this was harder for her because of the difficulty of getting transportation to Overton to their meetings. She loved Primary work very much. Even after her sickness late in life, she taught a primary class. Often she was so lame she couldn’t walk to the school house but would have the children sent to her home to have their class. As far back as I remember mother worked in Relief Society. For years she worked on the burial committee, sewing clothes and decorating coffins for those who passed on. She was a visiting teacher but later became the secretary. For five years she was Relief Society President. Many hours were spent looking after the sick and those in need. She would not give up with all of this work until her health would not permit her to carry on. During all these years, besides doing the sewing for her eight children, she also done sewing for her folks and other people in town.

Father was interested in Genealogy and mother also worked us the secretary spending many hours getting family sheets and records. Her whole life was one of service to the Lord, to her husband, and to her children.

Problems of raising her eight children were met by right living and the cooperation she and her husband had in correcting their children. Many lessons were taught by the beautiful stories and illustrations she gave at bed time and around the table. Family prayer, too, was an enriching experience.

Mother honored the priesthood in our home by helping her husband and boys understand and live it. In an excerpt from a talk that Mother gave she expressed her appreciation for the privilege of Motherhood and of having the priesthood in her home, that we would like to share with you. “We mothers are paid many times over for the things we do to make life go a little more smoothly for our sons, when we can see them earnestly, happily working toward a goal which will make their life really worthwhile, and help to make others happy. Their kind words of appreciation and encouragement and their acts of helpfulness are to welcome and often lighten our load so much. How we love these boys who have spirit and will to do. When the task is hard they do not use the words “I can’t,” but the nobler words, “I try.” Whether they are at school, in the work shop, on the farm, at their home projects or where ever they may be they work with an honest will to do their part.”

Wanda in a letter to mother on her 49th birthday, very aptly expressed some of her outstanding characteristics as a mother. “Already another year has slipped away and leaves you another year older in age but it doesn’t seem to leave you any older in being, than you were a long time ago, I believe if you still had little girls you could still “how them how to make the prettiest dresses for their baby dolls, how to cut and play paper dolls, or how to make the most beautiful valentines. You were always so patient and sweet with us. Ho matter how naughty we were your gentleness soon brought us to understand. What a wonderful mother we had given us to direct our actions in the right direction, We don’t notice those things so much when at home as we are growing up, but let us get out in the world and watch other people then we realize a little what wonderful parents we have been blessed with, I only hope and pray that we can live worthy of the two most wonderful people in the world. We know we have been taught right by you, now it is up to us to do our part.

Mother never missed a day without doing some reading and always read worth¬while material. She also collected good thoughts and poems for a Scrapbook.

For the last ten years of mother’s life she suffered much but through all her sickness and suffering, mother never complained but was cheerful and helped very much in making things easier for us to care for her.

She was full of faith, never murmuring, but encouraging and helping us to meet life’s problems. Mother passed on to her rest on October 5, 1941 in Bunkerville, Nevada, where she was buried. Merrill in a letter to mother very beautifully expresses for us all, our feelings toward mother.

Mother Dear: I want to wish you a happy birthday. As the years go by, I realize more and more all the time what a wonderful and great spirit God gave us to lead and guide us in the paths of righteousness. I am happy for the birthright you and father have given me, and I only hope that my life may be such that, that birthright will stay with me and be carried on down through the ages of time.

POSTERITY OF HECTOR BUNKER & WILLAMIMA WITTWER

Ardyce Bunker (md) Joseph Fielding Hardy

(ch) Carol Hardy
(oh) Mina Joy Hardy
{ch) Jay Fielding Hardy Wanda Bunker (md) Ezra Vaughn Abbott
(ch) Karen Abbott
(ch) David Wayne Abbott
(ch) Eileen Abbott Reva Bunker (md) Foster Ward Polley
(ch) Susan Polley
(ch) Jennifer Polley
(ch) Mary Polley
(ch) James Bunker Polley

Hector Merrill Bunker (md) Delilah Keturah Fugal

(ch) Roger Merrill Bunker
(ch) Paula Delilah Bunker
(ch) Shirley Bunker

Ferren Wittwer Bunker (md) Violet Terry Bunker

(ch) Janet Bunker
(ch) Dianne Bunker
(ch) Norma Bunker
(ch) Terry Bunker
(ch) Brent Bunker

Marva Bunker (md) Samuel M. Davis

(ch) Paul Bunker Davis
(ch) Robert Owen Davis
(ch) Donna Kay Davis
(ch) Jo Lynne Davis
(ch) Laura Lee Davis
{ch) Daniel Alan Davis
(ch) David Samuel Davis
(ch) Kathy Davis
(ch) William Anthony
(ch) Shauna Davis

Kent Edward Bunker (md) Rosalie Maureen Walker

(ch) Glive Arthur Bunker
(ch) Glenda Gay Bunker
(ch) Lowell Kent Bunker
(ch) Margaret Ann Bunker

Owen S. Bunker (md) Alice Joanne Oxborrow

(ch) Steven Earl Bunker
(ch) Jeffrey Owen Bunker
(ch) Lisa Marie Bunker
(ch) Elaine Bunker
(ch) Pamela Bunker
(ch) Christine Bunker