~ Our Story ~: MOM'S FUNERAL

Idaho County Free Press
Obituary

Becky Wilcock Roundy Olsen
Harpster, ID
October 3, 1959 - November 27, 2013
Becky Olsen, 54, was born Oct. 3, 1959, in St. George, Utah, to Arthur and Lenna Cox Wilcock. She was taken from us Nov. 27, 2013, in a tragic car accident near Tonopah, Nev.
She married Steven Roundy in 1978. They made their home in St. George, Utah, where they raised their nine children. There, Becky worked as a mail carrier. After a divorce in 2004 she married Charles Olsen. They moved to Harpster, Idaho, where she served as a home healthcare provider.
Becky was an outdoor girl who loved playing ball and riding horses. She was an excellent student in school and an avid reader. Music was her passion; she sang and played the piano, flute, guitar and more, and delighted in being part of the Idaho County Orchestra directed by Larry Paul. One of her favorite past-times was singing and playing music with Charles, whom she loved so much and was most devoted to. She also enjoyed crafts, sewing, gardening, and cooking healthy and tasty foods.
Innovative and resourceful, she could build and fix almost anything. Having developed building skills from her carpenter father, she built three houses, learning as she worked how to install solar power and a rocket stove for heat. The second house burned down, but she and Charles worked to build a new dream home. Her greatest attribute was her gentle, loving, patient, cheerful disposition. We will always love and miss our dear Becky.
Becky was preceded in death by her father, Arthur Wilcock. She is survived by her spouse, Charles Olsen; former spouse, Steven Roundy; mother, Lenna Wilcock; four sisters, Gloria Taylor, Laura Earl, Carol Seegmiller, Lucile Brubaker; and five brothers, Steven, Daniel, Arlen, Jim and Paul Wilcock. Becky's five daughters are Teresa Stocks, Kathrine Wilson, Cristi Cota, Jennifer Jenks, Pamela Jackson; and her four sons are Doug, Shawn, Phillip and Kyle Roundy. Her posterity also includes14 grandchildren, all of whom she cherished dearly.
Her greatest attribute was her gentle, loving patient, cheerful disposition. We will always love and miss our dear Becky. Surely, God has called an angel home.
Funeral services will held on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Kamiah LDS Chapel on Valley View St. on Hwy 12. The viewing will be from 10-10:45 a.m., followed by the funeral at 11 a.m. A family luncheon will be provided directly afterward. Burial will be at the Harpster Cemetery. Kelly Herring made her casket.
Donations may be sent to Sterling Bank in Kooskia. The family thanks everyone for their kindness and assistance.

Kellen and I decided to fly together with our 2 kids out to the funeral. It saved us several hundred dollars to fly into Salt Lake City instead of Boise, so we flew to Utah and rented a car to drive up to Idaho. We also got to pick up my niece Lily in SLC to take with us, it was great to get to spend some time with her. We flew and drove up to Boise the first day and spent the night in Boise, where we caught up with my family who were travelling from Carson City, Nevada. It was an unexpected expense, and I thought about going by myself or only with the kids, but on the flip side, Kellen and my kids got to see/meet a whole lot of family they would not have otherwise. My mom has 8 brothers and sisters, and her mom is 91 years old and still living up in Idaho, so the family decided to have the funeral up in Kooskia. It was quite a drive for most everyone involved, 12+ hours for my siblings in Nevada, 14+ for my brother and uncles from St. George, and 9+ for those of us who drove up from Salt Lake City (plus the flight for me and my family...). I suppose funerals are supposed to give you some kind of closure, giving you "one last chance" so to speak, to see the person. And to console one another during a difficult time.

All my siblings made it except for one. All my mom's siblings made it. I haven't seen some of them since my wedding in 2004 (my siblings and I have had very little contact with that side of my family since my mom re-married, for various reasons). Kellen and I made one trip up to Idaho to visit shortly after we were married, but even then, it was more than 7 years ago. So this was the first time (and probably the last) my kids got to meet their Great Grandma Wilcock (my grandpa died right before I went on a mission). So it was definitely bittersweet. The reason we were all together of course was horrible, but it was so good to see that part of my family again. And I must say that Koskia, Idaho, is incredibly gorgeous. We used to go to family reunions up there as a kid, and driving up through the green mountains right next to the big Snake River is absolutely beautiful. But this time it was right after a snowstorm. I have never seen those mountains covered in snow and the river so icy. It was strangely beautiful, even though the drive was a bit intimidating sometimes.

The funeral itself was very nice. All of my aunts and uncles sing really well, so they all sang some beautiful songs. They chose some of her siblings to say a few words, and then told us kids that we could all say something if we wanted. But instead, I got elected to kind of put all our thoughts together. It was a lot harder to say those words than I had expected. But one other sister, Jenny, also got up to give some thoughts. One thought was beautiful, that she would like to think that my grandpa was there to catch my mom when she was thrown out of the car so that she didn't feel any pain.

One other experience I got to have. My aunts decided they wanted to prepare my mother's body for burial, not have a funeral home do it. And they invited my sisters and I to participate. Only my sister Jenny and I decided to go. I mean, I have seen people pass away in the hospital, and dealt with some of the cleaning up afterwards, but it is different having it be someone you know. Strange, perhaps, but an experience both my sister and I are glad we got. She helped with my mom's makeup and nail polish, we chose green because that was her favorite color, then covered it with a light pink to lighten it up. Then my older sister got to braid her hair before the casket was closed.

Unfortunately, when we all drove over to the cemetery to bury the casket, we found out that the company who had been hired to dig the hole had not done it... so after a long discussion with everyone involved, it was decided to take my mother back down to St. George area to be buried. My brother Doug was the one who took the casket back down there. It was a bit difficult, though, since St. George had just had an actual snowstorm itself (very rare), and a lot of the roads had been closed.

Since we spent all that money to fly out there, we decided to take a couple extra days and spend some time with Kellen's family who live in Salt Lake City area as well, especially since we flew into and out of Salt Lake. It was good to see all of them, even if it was for just a few hours for some of them, and Olive got to meet her Wilson grandparents and grandpa Nikolaus.

So on to some of the happy moments.

THE DRIVE/FLIGHT