Eunice Mae Stoddard

Mae was the 2nd daughter and 4th child of:

WILLIAM MARCELLUS BEATTIE (Sep 15 1861/ Jan 02 1944)

RHODA ANN WATSON (July 16 1859/ Oct 28 1914)

Parents Married: Nov 22 1880 Tooele, Grantsville, UT.

Mae spent her early years in Utah. As a young lady, she moved with her family by covered wagon to Burton, Idaho. Besides being a hard worker, Mae was a fun loving girl. She enjoyed the usual round of picnics, sleigh rides, buggy rides and parties. Mae was one of two in her High School graduating class. And, she had to wait till the next graduating class to have her picture taken.

Mae attended Ricks Academy for a while. It was there where she met a handsome auburn haired man named THOMAS STUART STODDARD. After a year's courtship they got married on February 16th, 1910. The winter was so bad that they waited until summer for their honeymoon which they took at Yellowstone Park. Later they went through the 'sealing ritual' at the Idaho Falls Temple in 1948.

Mae sang in the church choir. She usually sang as she ironed the families clothes in the evening. Those old/sad irons were hot and heavy, and singing lightened the load! Mae loved flowers and pansies in particular. Every week she would gathered wild flowers for church services from the sawmill. She was a very good cook too. (Her children & grand-children remember her sugar cookies to this day!) Mae was an excellent sempstress. She learned sewing from her mother Rhoda, who sewed wedding and burial clothing. Mae sewed sock monkeys which were treasured items for all the grand-kids. In her later years she embroidered many pillow cases, and was known to skip a French knot or two (or three or four).

When her mother Rhoda Ann Watson Beattie died in 1914... her little baby sister Lucille Owen was just 9 years old. It was a tragic time for Lucille as well as the whole family to loose their mother. So, Mae and Tom took Lucille under their wing to help raise her. Marion & Ethel Brown (Mae's other sister) had Lucille too. Both Mae and Ethel lived behind each other. Making it easy for Lucille go over the fence, as she pleased. They were a close knit family.

Mae and Tom were blessed with a large family. They had 10 children: Glen, Gerald, Alta, Ralph, Arlin, Reed, Helen, Bert, Betty June and Jon. The family often spent winters in Rexburg and summers on the dry farm. After ranching for 3 years at Wilford, the family moved back to Rexburg and then spent every summer at Island Park at the sawmill.

Mae and Tom loved to dance and enjoyed an active social life. Mae worked for over 50 years in the Primary; she organized a Primary at the sawmill and was able to serve for 50 consecutive years. She was awarded a special 50 year pin by President David O McKay (president of the LDS church) for her service.

In Mae's life spanned of over eight decades she saw the advent of many new fangled inventions. From covered wagons to cars and airplanes. From candles and karasene to electric lights. From close knit farming communities to families scattered far and wide across the county. Mae lived a rich life and enriched the lives of everyone she knew.

On September 27th, 1978 Aunt Mae had just finished dinner. She was walking out of the bathroom when she fell onto the bed and never woke up. Mae was 91 years old. After her death the next sister in line was quoted as saying "I guess I'm next". Sure enough each sister after the death of Mae died from oldest to youngest. Most have passed on from natural causes due to old age.