557. Born of Goodly Parents -- My father Orson Pratt Miles passed away 40 years ago today..

40 years ago today, our dear father, Orson Pratt Miles, passed from this earth into his Eternal Life. There are many stories about his life that you can find in the "Labels" list under "Miles Orson Pratt", and "my father Pratt".  Today I'm including parts of previous blogs which include memories of his last days and moments, and give both my parent's testimonies.  Also below is a treasured hand written letter with his testimony.

Below are my parent's testimonies, written in blog # 318.

(First my mother's) Ruth Allen Miles, "I intended to spend the rest of my life in the Temple.  This I have done as much as I can.  My walking isn't too good and I sometimes have to be taken in a car.  I am now 85 years old.

I want you all to know, that I know the Gospel is true.  I know, that I know, that I know it is true, and I know that my Heavenly Father, knows that I know it is true.  That Joseph Smith Jr. is a true prophet of God to bring the dispensation, and that all the prophets since him were true prophets and leave you this testimony and do it with all the love of my heart for my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren or anyone who happens to read this.   (This is the way she wrote it -- she underlined it herself.)

God bless you all.  I love you all individually and collectively.  Grandma Miles " (Ruth Allen Miles.)  A photo of my parents is below.

   This testimony was written by my father, Orson Pratt Miles:

"Now that Dad is older and almost seventy years old, (I believe this was hand written by him in about 1960--He always called himself "Dad" when he was talking about himself to us:) I look back on life and see that it consists of a bundle of experiences, which are both good and evil mixed up together.  And now I know for sure that only the good we do makes us happy and thankful, and the evil things give us sorrow and regrets.   Now I know for sure that the Lord places us here to be tried and tested to see who we will serve.  Happy is the man or woman who truly repents while in this life and lives the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and makes it the first thing in life.

 I am thankful for my testimony of the Gospel above all else, for I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of all who come into this world and through His name only can we be saved in the Kingdom of God.  I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God and that through him the Gospel has been restored to this earth in its fullness in these last days, and this is the greatest blessing one can have while here upon this earth.
             Orson Pratt Miles, St. George, Utah."

Also Blog # 153 tells of my father Orson Pratt Miles, and his time in World War I.  It left him permanently in a nervous state, due to his experiences there.   In those days they didn't have psychological counseling as they do today for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, which they then called "Shell shock" or "Battle fatigue."  He was in the Veteran's Hospital in Salt Lake numerous times, even when I was a child in the late 1930's.

                                                                 Dad in World War I

                      Above is a treasured letter giving his testimony.  I will write it out for those who may note be able to read his handwriting very well: 

Darling ones -- 

If you had the faintest idea what it would mean to enter the Celestial degree of glory, you would put forth every effort possible to gain it.  The Lord has said in the pearl of great price:  "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man".  And the gospel was given us for that very purpose.  It prepares us for the highest degree of glory if we receive it with all our hearts and live it the best we can while here.  Try to keep peace in your homes.  Teach your children to be honest.  Place eternal things first.  We only go over this road once.  To be worldly or carnal minded means death, but to be spiritual minded brings eternal life, which is the greatest blessing God can give us.  Be sure to gain a knowledge and testimony of the gospel while here in this life, and the rest will take care of itself.  With much love for all of you and your children, 

Dad.

                                   

                                                               Dad about 60 years old.

Dad in his college yearbook about 1913

Dad also as a young man

My dear dad in a very natural pose.  He was truly an old-fashioned gentleman in every way.  He always wore a tie, and most often had his hat on. 

 (By Pal) I remember Mother (Ruth) telling me of the last few days before Pratt, our Father died.  He died on December 14th, 1975.  Mother was sewing something for Christmas, and Dad heard the hum of the sewing machine.  He asked what that sound was, and she said “Oh, it is just the machine going.”  She thinks he thought she said “It’s the machine gun”, because immediately he became delirious and thought he was back in the war.  He never had talked about the war, and would not tell us of his experiences.

     But some of the experiences he began telling about, (57 years later) as if he were reliving them, were shocking to her, and she said she had no idea he had been through such soul-wrenching experiences.  He told of manning a machine gun, and saying “I didn’t want to kill him, but it was either him or me.”  I don’t know if he actually had to shoot someone, but in his mind it was reality to him at the time.  He also said something about not having any protection from the enemy, and that to have some barricade to hide behind, they had to stack up the bodies of those who had died.  Whether those who had died were his old friends, I don’t know.  I do know they went into the war with a local group, some of whom he would have known his whole life.  

 Mother said that after he had calmed down from that agonizing time of re-living the war, he didn’t say any more until he died, a day or two later.  It is too bad that they didn’t have some kind of psychological help that could have helped him.  I once asked him if he was in pain, when he was telling me of how nervous he felt.  He said he wasn’t in pain, but it was a feeling he couldn’t describe.  I imagine it was sort of a “panic attack” or anxiety attack, or something like that.  I haven’t felt that, but it must have been awful. 

     I remember the day he passed away.  It was a Sunday morning.  We (Pal) lived in Sandy, Utah.  Mother had called us and told us he was close to passing, and we went to Church, but came home in the middle of it, and called her.  He was barely breathing at the time.  We said a special prayer, asking Heavenly Father to take him home, if it was his time to go.  

     Not long after, Mother called, and said he hadn’t breathed for about 10 minutes.  We felt our prayer had been answered and he was finally back with his beloved parents, several brothers who had preceded him in death, and both sisters.  He was able to rest at last. 

For those who would like to read more of his life, look under "My father Pratt" and "Miles, Orson Pratt" and you will find several blogs.  One of them is his journal written while he was in the army in World War I.  Others tell of his life experiences.  He was born, lived most of his life, and passed away in this beloved town of St. George, Utah.  His own parents came as children with their parents with the first pioneer settlers of St. George, the Church's in 1861 and the Miles's in 1862.  Their stories are in this blog also -- William Gustavus Miles, and Paralee Amanda Church Miles.