Item Detail
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Smith, Lola Nielson
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1921-2012
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MSS 2340
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Autobiography
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Lola Nielson Smith was born on 5 November 1921 in Hunter, Utah. She was one of 6 girls born to Ernest Elbert and Lavina Da Nielson, the others being Laverne, Alta Lorraine, Leone, Margene, and Phyllis Marr. She went to school at Cyprus High School in Magna, Utah, and after her graduation from there, she attended the LDS Business College.
Lola worked also for 4 years at Kraft Foods Company in Salt Lake City and later served a mission in the Southern States Mission. It was there that she met her future husband, Robert, as they worked in the same treasury office. Upon his return home, Lola took his position as Treasurer, and they corresponded via letters. Some time after he had gone home, he sent her a ring by mail, on her birthday in 1944, and they were engaged.
She married Robert Junius Smith on 5 November 1945 in the Salt Lake Temple. Her husband was an accountant and graduated from BYU with a bachelors degree in accounting. They had 8 children together, Junola, Lynette, Lynn, Shirley, LaRae, Jeanine, Larry, and Sheldon. The couple served as prominent players in the construction of the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, and they later served as missionaries in the North Carolina, Raleigh Mission. They also served in the MTC, training couples for mission office work. Later, they were honored to be called to serve as director and matron of the Provo Temple, which they did for 3 years.
Lola also served many callings within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, filling positions on both ward and stake levels, for the Primary and Relief Society, as well as in the ward choir as director, chorister, organist, and librarian.
She spent her life in service to her family and the Lord through church service, dying on 29 December 2012 in Orem, Utah, closely following the death of her daughter, Junola, earlier that year. -
This is a red, hardbound, printed autobiography of 336 pages with photos. The title of the book is Life is Beautiful: A Personal History. Lola neatly organizes her autobiography into chapters and subsections. She writes from childhood and her years of schooling to her mission, marriage, children, church assignments, and her travels together with her husband later in life. The book ends in the year 2000.
Throughout her life, she greatly enjoyed music piano, organ, violin, orchestra, vocal groups, and conducting. She writes about family traditions, trips with friends, one of her best, Avanelle, her school years, and even includes all her report cards.
Lola also includes stories of the weddings of their children, trips to Alaska and the Mediterranean. She writes about family events, deaths in the family, family reunions. Many family photos are included.
She recounts their experiences as missionaries in Jerusalem serving to oversee and help with the construction of the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Lola addtionally mentions notable events in church history, births of grandchildren, health problems, BYU growth and church growth. She writes often of her love of music and the outdoors, but most of her writing is centered on developments in the church and her family.