Sally Stratford

Funeral Talk by Lynn R. Stratford

Oh how I miss my mother. I think I loved her stronger and longer than any soul

on earth. I know she’s 93 and I know she’s happier where she is and she lived a long

and full life, but still I have been so sad this week. It’s been like a dark cloud

hanging over me and I dearly miss her. I’d like to thank all of you folks for coming

today, many from long distances. You’re so kind to be here and I know you feel how

much my mother appreciated and loved each one. I’d like to tell you a few little

known facts about my mother.

You’ll hear a lot of common themes today, but she really had a thirst fbr

knowledge. When she was bedridden the last couple of years, she would read books

and magazines and she would read a church book and think it’s the greatest book

ever written. She would assign me to read it and she would buy five copies and give

it to everyone for them to read. She loved poetry. I remember finding a little

handwritten notebook that she had written a long time ago and it had all of her

favorite poems in it. And there must have been like 50 poems and how excited I was

to see this side of her.

She was an “in charge” type of person. When it was in her realm of influence of

household or entertaining or even in her particular church job she was in charge and

she directed the way it went. She knew what was proper. She knew what to wear

and how to act and how to introduce people. I remember her telling me that I

shouldn’t shake hands with a woman unless she offered to shake hands with me

first. She had a sense of quality and things that were well made and craftsmanship

and things of good value.

She was a sports fan. Lately she was completely tied in to this BYU football

team and I believe their losing the last two games has hastened this funeral service

here. She knew the players, the strategy, the ranking. I didn’t know even a part of

what she knew. She had a great memory even until the last days. She could

remember what happened and her faculties were with her and what a great

blessing.

She was known by many names, the first was Vera. She was born as she used

to say, oh six, oh six, oh six. And I’ll fiIl in the story of how she got she got the name

S”lIy. It was Dave and mom was about four or five and Dave had a lizard in his

pocket out on the ranch in Vernal. He tried to get Sally to come over and put her

hand in the pocket so her could scare her. But mom wouldn’t do it, she knew what

was up. Dave tried to make it happened, but it wouldn’t. Finally Dave said, “WeIl

you’re just as ornery as that old horse Sally.”

She was known as Mrs. Richard C. Stratford and she complemented my dad. He

was organized and in charge and sort of controlled the situation and my mom would

have the heart. She would have the feeling and the warmth and the humor that

certainly made a wonderful couple. They dearly loved each other. She was a friend,

and, as you know, she was just so warm and loving and everyone was her equal.

There was no one underneath her. I remember in Los Angeles that she had a black

maid who was called Hazel and for fifteen years she would take care of the house

once a week. And I could never understand it, my mom would hurry around before

Hazel came to clean everything up, so, you know, she wouldn’t have to do so much.

She found out what her favorite soap opera was, and at 2 o’clock she would sit Hazel

down in front of the TV and let her watch her program and then she’d start serving

her a three-course meal. When she left she’d pack up all the food and give it to

Hazel to take home. We had Mexican workers and she would bring them in at lunch

and put the China out and treated them like family. I remember in Sam’s CIub we

would go shopping and she started to introduce herself to the lady who looked at

your card to get in. Pretty soon, afber a while, they were the best of friends. I sort of

raised my eyebrow and said that this is the aggravating lady that makes you show

your card. But she was her best friend. I would go in by myself and this lady would

say, “Oh, how is your mother? You know she is such a dear person.” You knolv there

was just everyone that was important to her.

She was known as Sister Stratford and she loved the Lord and served with great

vigor and enthusiasm and distinction. I remember when I was three, she used to

put me in the back of an old coupe, in the back window, and she would run off to

MIA, Mutual Improvement Association and teach young women. She would just

take me wherever she went. She usually had in the back seat, you know, a great

deal of food that she took to help motivate these young women.

In the latter years she was pretty sick and when she got sick she would call me

to give her a blessing. Of course I started out by saying, “Mom, do you have faith

that this blessing will make you well?” “Oh yes, oh yes.” And I would just put my

hands on her head and it didn’t matter what I said, her faith would heal her. And

then she would say, “Oh that’s it. Okay, I’m all right now. You can go now. I can go

to sleep now.” She would create great faith.

She was also a little irreverent. I have a fond memory in the mission home.

Back then we would have a dining room table and all the missionaries would stand

behind the chairs until everyone was there, until my mom came in. She would

regularly be late and we’d have to sit and wait and she would get to the top of the

stairs and she would slide down the banister, you know. You would hear a swish,

boom landing and then she would walk in, you know. Then the missionaries would

help her sit down at the table. I loved that about her.

She was known as Aunt Sally. You know the Calders and the Stratfords that

have such a fond and loving relationship with her. Everyone was part of her family.

She was known as Grandma and you know she loved each one of her grandchildren

and they all thought they were her favorite because that was the way she treated

them. Amy told me last night when we would go over to West LA to see them many

times and Grandma would take a towel and put it in the dryer and got it all warm

and smelling good and then she’d pin it on the grandkids and so when they went

home they’d be all warm and comfy.

And, of course, she was known to me as Mother, and I don’t think there is

anyone that went grocery shopping with her as much as I did. Sometimes we would

go 2 or 3 times a day. I just loved it and it was an event. It was not a task and this

was the wherewithal that she put things together and made other people happy. I

remember when she was real sick, we went to Days and she would hold the cart and

she would just point to things, and I would take it and put it in the cart. I remember

one time I came home late and when she was out of bed, Iike 1:30 in the morning.

She was in her beloved pantry that she loved and she took a pot and put it upside

down and put her feet on it and that’s where she would write letters. So I came in

late and she found me and said, “Oh, Lynnie Oh Lynnie, you’re home. And I’d say,

“Oh, Mom, I love you.” And she’d say, “I know you love me Lynnie.”

In closing I’d like to refer to the words of Shakespeare when he wrote 400

hundred years ago about people being born and living and dying. In “As you Like

It”, he said that all the world’s a stage and all the men and women are players and

during their time they play many parts. They have exits and entrances and it goes

into seven phases of this–the infant, the whining school boy, the lover, the soldier,

the statesmen, the old, old men and their finally he says the, last scene of all that

ends a strange eventful history is the second childishness, the mere oblivion,

without teeth, without eyes, without taste, without anything. And just two weeks

ago I lifted my mom up out of the bed so they could change the sheets. She didn’t

like to be lifted and she was nervous. I held her tight and comforted her and got her

down again. And the next day I went in and she wanted me to come over and she

was all excited. She put her hands out and said, “You know yesterday you lifted me

up just like I lifted you up when you were a baby.” She held me tightly and she

comforted me and it’s my prayer as we face our last acts in life that we might be as

prepared as Sally Stratford. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

One summer when I was about 11, my grandma told me and some of the other grandchildren that we could have a garage sale. We spent all day Friday gathering things and pricing them. My grandma made a lot of angel food cakes to sell to our customers. There were five grandchildren there…Tige, Travis, and I can’t remember who else.

We got up early on Saturday to put out all of our wares. We waited and waited and we got very few customers. Apparently garage sales aren’t very popular in Bel Air. I do remember the mail carrier coming by and she bought most of the fabric and some cake.

We were feeling a little discouraged because dividing up our measly sales wasn’t going to give us much money. Grandma was trying to think of a way to make more money so she told us we could sell her car as part of the garage sale. It was a little red, hatchback.

We sold the car to the gardener and we made a lot of money.

Amy Stratford Barker

Darling Sally Stratford was the life of every party and so graciously opened her home to everyone.  It was always a special treat to be invited to their lovely, fun home in the Bel Air hills on Stradella Road. She was a devoted mother and wife and her wonderful children and husband loved her dearly. As Lynn’s special Westwood Ward friends, she always welcomed us  with her gracious personality, beautiful smile, and yummy treats. Her light within truly did shine. She was a blessing to everyone. We all loved her.  

Vickie Webster Birchall and Val Webster Guyman

• 

Vera Calder Stratford, known to the world as Sally, was the sister I never had.

Vera was the only daughter of Aunt Nellie and I was the only daughter of her younger sister Edna. There was a great difference in our ages. She was teaching high school long before my time. She married Dick Stratford and moved to Portland, Oregon.

My husband Bryant Alfred Alder and I came to Portland to enter dental school in 1947. The only people we knew to contact were Dick and Vera Calder Stratford. We called and they welcomed us into their home with open arms! They became our very best friends. More than that, they became our family.

We did everything together.

We worked in the LDS Church, and we spent our social lives with Dick and Sally. They were our family.

We traveled together! We went on many trips to Canada and we made the trip of a lifetime to Japan and to Asia, traveling for three weeks together.

Dick had many contacts throughout the Orient and he made many special arrangements for accommodations and for tours throughout the country. We have traveled everywhere since then, but nothing can equal that trip with Dick and Sally to the Orient!

My children grew up calling her “Aunt Sally.” She fulfilled that role well. Aunt Sally was our family and she was involve din our lives every day.

We loved Dick and Sally! We remember them with love and affection. They still mean the world to us.

Afton Alder

May 2020

Sally Stratford will always live in the hearts of my family. She was such a special human being…and how we miss her here on earth. Life was just one big party for her. She loved absolutely everyone no matter their station in life.

1. I remember the stories of her making a delicious lunch for her cleaning lady and would have her sit down at the table to enjoy it.

2. She had far more things to do than make sure her house was neat and orderly. She claimed that if anyone broke into the house to rob it, they would look around and be convinced that someone had already been there.

3. Her impersonations of her husband were hilarious. She would put on a bald head hat, a suit and carry a attache case. She would mimic his praying by signing off with “Sincerely Yours, RCS.”

4. Her driving technique was memorable. She once had my son in tow as she raced down the very curve filled hill in Belaire to get to the post office before the deadline to pay their taxes with Ty hanging on for dear life, even crossing himself in case that would help them survive.

5. One of most endearing qualities was when you conversed with her, she gave you her complete attention. She never lost eye contact or stop to answer a ringing phone. She was totally yours and she always had valuable advice whenever it was desired.

6. Once after a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with all of the family, my mother and father-in-law were off to Hawaii. Sally gave them a gorgeously wrapped bon voyage gift with instructions not to unwrap it until they were over the ocean. Eagerly they were able to open it only to find the turkey carcass from the Thanksgiving dinner.

She and Dick were very close to my husband’s parents inasmuch as her romance with began with them taking care of Sally when she came to Portland to be wooed by Dick. Every Christmas was spent together and always followed a schedule.
When Cal and Ralph Stratford’s son, Ralph Jr., decided to wed, Sally cooked up the perfect scheme for the wedding night. She told Cal that she was concerned that his bride, yours truly, would be scared to death about that occasion and that she felt it important to provide him with a pair of pajamas (which he never wore) so that I would be less frightened. To slow down the activities of the evening she sewed the pant legs of the pajamas closed with very small stitches. How she loved a practical jokes.

Sally was one in 10,000 trillion!

Marla Stratford

President and Sister Stratford were serving their mission in the Northern States Mission. We Chicago buddies used to go over to the Mission Home, especially when Lynn’s parents were traveling. When we were there, we had the freedom to explore that huge ‘castle’.

Once, Lynn painted his bedroom black with a reflective design on the wall. I was waiting for the hammer to fall on Lynn. When he finally reported how his parents responded to his graffiti, he said that they were, of course, upset. If I had done that in my bedroom my parents, especially my mom, would have grounded me for life. When I next saw Sally, I was waiting to be scolded for the poor influence we had on Lynny Treasure. Instead she asked how I was doing, hugged me and expressed her love. John and Roy’s mothers would have given me the ‘dickens’.

Sally, Lynn’s mother, made me feel like I was special. It was like the other guys were so-so, but I was absolutely the best of the bunch. Now I know that she probably treated all the guys that way but she made me feel special. She would pinch my cheeks with love and tell me that I was an extraordinary young man, a blessing for her son and that she loved me. All I can say is that her ability to make me feel like I was worth something was a trait she shared with the world. Lynn’s mother had the gifts of warmth and an ability to communicate her tenderness. I loved her then and I look forward to seeing her again.

Randy Turner

When Randy and I were dating in college, my roommate, Hilma, was dating Randy’s dear friend, Lynn Stratford. For Thanksgiving 1966 (?)Lynn invited us with some other friends to come to his home in Westwood, California. I hadn’t been to California in fall or winter and I was incredulous that it would actually be warm. When we arrived the weather was perfect and Lynn’s home was lovely.

As we entered the house, Lynn’s mother, Sally, took Randy’s face in her hands and looked long and hard into his eyes. “I am so glad you’re here, Randy!” she said with such a warm infectious smile and a twinkle all around her.

We later sat down to a gorgeous Thanksgiving dinner! I had never been to a dinner party were the hostess actually heated the dinner plates and chilled the salad plates and forks. Sally had prepared a beautiful spread of delicious food. Every dish was perfectly presented. I remember hearing one of the guests say, “ This sweet potato casserole is wonderful! May I have the recipe?” Again with that delightful sparkle, Sally answered, “Some things are too sacred to share.” I wouldn’t be surprised if she shared it in private with that woman after dinner.

As I look back upon impressions of people who have had an influence on my life, I do think of Sally and her personification of graciousness.  In my adult life when we were called upon to entertain groups, I remembered the day that Better Homes and Gardens visited the Stratfords.  Sally, ‘the hostess with the mostest,’ was the example I tried to emulate. Planning and preparing such a meal was her gift to others, all the details designed to show her guests her love. And the food was memorable, too!

Lynda Turner

In 1938, Dick & Sally Stratford bought their first home at 4042 S.E. Ankeny Street in Portland, just east of 39^thstreet (see photos below). The purchase price of the 1,400 square foot home originally built in 1916 was about $2,500.

For sure, it was a “starter home” and needed some repairs and maintenance.  Sally tells the story of how one Saturday during the summer, dad decided to paint the living room or the main area off the front door.  By the time he got seriously working on the project, it was the afternoon and the weather was hot and humid.  Dad was on a ladder painting the top wall by the ceiling, but the heat just became too uncomfortable.  He took off his shirt and pants and was then painting in his underwear.

This was an opportunity that mother could not let pass.  She snuck out the back door of the home, went around to the front door and … rang the doorbell.  Dad about fell off the ladder thinking someone would see him in this state of undress.  As mother told this story, she had this playful smile of her face and laughed at such a  perfect prank.  This is a clue into her unceasing sense of humor and her impish disregard for what some might consider “proper.”