Grandma passed away in the summer of 1982, in Mesa, AZ. I was beginning my sophomore year in high school. She was sixty years old. Born in 1921, in the mining town of Miami, and grew up in the small town of Safford, AZ. Wait! I’m getting ahead of myself here, I need to back up to 1921 in Miami Arizona.

Birth of Reva May McBride as told by June McBride

Reva May McBride was born on the 9 October 1921 in Miami, Arizona to Rolla J McBride and Lydia June ANGELL Matthews. Rolla was 32 and June was 29. This was the fifth and last child of Rolla and June McBride. Reva’s siblings are Glenna McBride, Rolla Ted McBride, Vera June McBride, and Roy Arthur McBride. Roy Arthur died in November 1920. There is quite a story around the birth of Reva and I believe it is best told by her mother June McBride.

“Today is Oct. 9, 1921, and Rolla and June are still living in Miami with the three children, Glenna, Ted, and Vera. It was a beautiful calm evening and the whole country was aglow from the brilliantly lighted sunset. Rolla noticed that all was not well with June. Her speech was vague and not rational. He took her to her bed and then called the doctor and her mother.

The doctor arrived shortly and, after observing her for a few minutes, turned to Rolla and said, “She is a very sick woman and anything could happen here before morning.”

Rolla and June were expecting a new baby and June was on the verge of convulsions caused by uremic poisoning. The doctor started medication at once. He told June to lie quiet and not try to talk. After an hour or so, she became rational again. By this time the labor pains were very severe but were not helping any. The doctor had been up all night the night before and he said, “I don’t think the baby will be born for hours yet. If you have a bed close by, I’ll just lie down for a few minutes. You can call me if there is any change.”

June said, “Doctor, may I get up? I can’t stand lying here any longer.” He told her that if she thought she would feel better, then she could get up. The doctor went into the other room and was just ready to lie down when he heard June say, “Mother, the baby is being born.” June was standing in the middle of the room when the doctor rushed in, shouting, “Don’t move, don’t move, or you will kill your baby.” Those present lifted her on the bed and the baby was born.”

Is it REBA May McBride or REVA May McBride

In my research, I came across an interesting fact that many family members don’t know. Throughout Grandma’s life, she was called Reva, that is what I knew her by and what others called her. That wasn’t the official name listed on her birth certificate. On her office birth certificate, she was known as Reba May McBride. It wasn’t until 15 April 1981 that the Assistant State Register for Arizona signed his name on the amendment to the vital record that her name was officially changed to Reva May McBride. The supporting document for the name change was a certificate of blessing from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints dated 11 December 1921.

Gila, New Mexico

In June of 1922, Reva’s parents were invited by President Andrew Kimball of the St. Joseph Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to move to a big cattle ranch in New Mexico that was being divided up and sold for farms. President Kimball thought it would be a good opportunity for some church members and their families to get a good start in life. Rolla and June were on the fence for a time, unsure if it would be the right move for their family. After talking with other families, they bought a team of horses, and a wagon, loaded up the family belongings, and moved. They arrived in Gila, New Mexico on June 12, 1921. Reva wasn’t even a year old yet.

Death of Reva’s Father, Rolla McBride

When Reva was 3 years old her father Rolla McBride passed away on the 8 June 1924. Just before his death, a conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held in Thatcher, Arizona. After the meeting, President Kimball, Brother Payne, and an Apostle came and gave him a blessing and he felt sure he would be healed.

Just before Christmas of 1993, Rolla called his wife June to his bedside, he said: 

“June, come and sit down by the bed. I want to talk to you and I want you to remember what I say. First I don’t want you to buy me any presents for I won’t be able to use them. Now what I am going to say, I don’t want you to ever forget. The prayers and blessings that were given me last Sunday by the Elders were good for me, and when they said I would be healed, that was alright too. I don’t want this to affect your faith in any way. The Church is true and all the blessings that goes with it. So be faithful and true and God will watch over you and help you with the children. I wanted so much to be with you, but I know now my work here is done and that I can’t get well”.

And with that, he passed about 9 PM.

Ice Pick in the Eye

In 1927 when Reva was about 6 she had an accident that almost cost her the eye sight in one eye. The story is: “…the iceman brought the ice and put it in the box, but forgot to put the ice pick inside. After he left, Reva saw it, proceeded to put it inside, but accidentally hit the side of the ice box door. It slipped and pierced her eye. Vera was standing near her and when she saw Reva’s eye, she cried, “Mama, Reva has run the ice pick through her eye.” When June looked at it, she felt sick. She did not know what to do or how to get her to a good doctor; so she called the Moody’s and told them what had happened. They came right over in their car and took Reva and June to Dr. Squibb’s Hospital.

After examining the eye, the doctor said the pick had pierced the eye and may have injured her eyesight; all he could do for her was to dilate it. He recommended an eye doctor in Tucson, and a Dr. Christensen in Globe. He felt there was no better eye doctor than Dr. Christensen in Globe. It was so late by this time that he advised them to go down early the next morning.

June had to make some arrangements for leaving the other children. Glenna and Vera were left with their grandmother McBride in Pima and Ted stayed with Aunt Lizzie Cluff. Dr. Squibb had phoned Dr. Christensen in Globe and he was waiting for them.

They immediately took Reva to her room and prepared her for the operation. The doctor told the nurse to put a gown on June and let her go in. She stood by the little one as they gave her the ether. The first can of ether put her out, but they kept giving her ether until they used six cans. June wanted to know why they were giving her so much and they explained that every muscle in the body had to be made inactive, that if one muscle in the face or eye should twitch, they might lose the eye. June kept wondering why the doctor did not come in. It seemed a long, long time before he appeared… He came over to June and said, “I never operate but what I pray for God to assist me.” Oh, how happy she was to know that the doctor was a Mormon and had such faith. When the nurse put on the operating gown, he said, “Do you want to stay in here?” She nodded her head and he said, “Then I want you to hold the tray for me.”

Reva rested well the first night, but there had been a murder case and a lot of confusion in the hospital. When the doctor came he asked if there was someone in Globe to whose home Reva could be taken where it would be quiet. June called the sheriff and his wife and explained how things were. They came right over, but before they got there Reva had a slight hemorrhage in the eye and some blood came through the nose. The doctor was operating then and the nurse told him she thought Reva had, had a nose bleed, but that it had stopped. She asked the doctor if it would be all right to move Reva to a friend’s home he thought it would be all right.

Mr. Henderson carried Reva in and put her on the bed; she hardly knew she had been moved. When the doctor came to see her that evening and removed the bandage, both were frightened. Where the eye was, it looked like a red balloon and Reva was unconscious. The doctor stayed with Reva and June all night; he and June put scalding hot towels on her eye. Every time the towel started to cool off, Reva would start to moan. The doctor left about ten the next morning, but was back by two in the afternoon and stayed until the next morning. They kept the hot towels on her eye for two and a half days and then the doctor said that Reva’s strength was giving out and for June to let her have a 15-minute rest and a 15-minute application of the hot towels.

When the doctor returned and took off the gauze, he found her face to be one great big blister. He said we could not put any more heat on her, as she was getting weaker. He took a quart bottle of Vaseline and put all of it on a big piece of thick gauze, made two holes in it and put two straws through them and into Reva’s nose and placed the gauze with the Vaseline on it all over her face and neck, which had been burned from the hot towels. He said he had another operation and would not be back unless she called for him. He said to keep Reva as comfortable as possible and to keep the pack on her face.

June had prayed for Reva constantly and hoped she would live. But when she saw Reva’s face and just knew it was going to be scarred and disfigured, she slipped out into the bedroom and prayed that if Reva had to go through life so disfigured, she was willing for Him to take her.

Two days passed before the doctor was able to come again. He said there had been so much doing at the hospital and when June had not called, he thought things were no worse. When he felt Reva’s pulse, he said the beats were stronger. He then removed the pack from her face and neck and to June’s surprise there was only one blister on Reva’s forehead and it was a small one. The eye had just a small balloon on it about the size of an egg. The doctor turned to her and said, “I have never seen faster improvement.” He put a small patch on the blister and told her to remember that, if one of the children ever had a burn from hot water or steam, to cover it at once with a lot of Vaseline and leave it until it was healed and there would never be a scar. The next morning Reva gained consciousness and she came home the next week.

It was Sunday afternoon when the sheriff drove up to the yard in Thatcher. The yard was full of friends waiting for them to come. When June saw all of the people, June could not keep from crying. There were Glenna, Ted, and Vera too. It had been three long weeks since she had left them.

1930 Census Solomonville, Arizona

In the1930 US Census Reva is age 8 living in Solomonville, Graham, Arizona with her family, Andrew J McBride age 37, June McBride age 37, Glenna McBride age 14, Ted R McBride age 12, and Vera McBride age  11. On December 24, 1927, her mother June, married Andrew J McBride the nephew of Rolla McBride who was also a widow.

1940 Census, Graham County Arizona

In the 1940 Census Reva age 18 is living Andrew age 48 and her mother June age 48, in Graham County, Arizona. This record appears to be supplemental or a correction record recorded on 29 Nov 1940.

Senior Year of High School, Safford Bulldogs

1940 was Reva’s senior year in high school. She attended Safford High School in Safford, Arizona. The school’s mascot was the Bulldog. Reva was a very busy and social young lady. She was on the Bulldogs yearbook staff. The yearbook staff was mentioned in The Arizona Republic. She was in the Dramatic Club, I’m assuming it was something like the Drama Club today, Spanish Club, and Prep Squad.

Reva Meets Her Future Husband.

In late 1942, maybe at a New Year’s Eve party, Reva met Ralph Veldon Naylor, the son of Ralph Sutton Naylor and Effie Bingham. He had just returned from a mission to the Eastern States Mission in New York City on December 24, 1942. They met at a church dance. He says, “Reva fell for me, line and sinker.” I believe it was more he fell for her and he was hooked. They went out a few times, he gave her a box of scarce candy and a book on Celestial marriage.

Separation.

On January 10, 1943, just after meeting Reva, he left for basic training at Camp MacArthur in California.  Grandma is not around to dispute this part of the story but Grandpa, in his life story says,

“Reva was too bashful to come to the train. She thought I would kiss her goodbye.”

Before Veldon shipped off to Camp Roberts from Camp MacArthur, Reva went to California and they had dinner. There must have been something there, for Reva that would have been a long train ride just for dinner. After Camp Roberts, Veldon was transferred to the University of Idaho in Moscow Idaho in the Army’s Specialized Training Program for interpreters.

Reva was also busy. Reva moved to Ogden, Utah, and now working at the Ogden Army Depot. They had been writing letters back and forth. Veldon was coming to Salt Lake City for a church general conference in October of 1943 an they had planed to have dinner.

Reva had gone to her brother Ted’s house and had made Veldon a meal. Veldon never made the dinner appointment. After the conference, he ran into an old family friend, and neighbor from Safford, Arizona who insisted he and Clearance Naylor come to his house for dinner. Veldon thought he would have the time to catch the trolley to Reva’s brother’s house for dinner. That didn’t happen. Veldon says; Grandpa the following quote regarding the missed dinner in his life story.

“Reva was so mad at me, I believe she is mad at me to this day about this experience.”

The family friend who held Grandpa up was the newly called Apostle Spencer W Kimball who later became the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Proposal

To make it up to Reva, Veldon took her out the next night, gave her a ring, and asked her to be his Celestial companion in the backseat of his friend Newell Layton’s car in Layton, Utah. What a way to make up, ask the girl to marry you!

First Years of Marriage

Veldon was graduating in March of 1944, he called Reva and asked her to come up for graduation. Reva and Veldon’s mother, Effie Bingham Naylor came up for the graduation ceremony. Reva and Veldon had decided to get married. While Veldon attended to his responsibilities, Reva went around town with the institute director, George Tanner obtaining all the licenses and affidavits necessary for the marriage to happen. The couple was married at 5 pm in the Institute Chapel.

Reva and Effie were rooming together at the hotel and unbeknown to Reva, Effie had made arrangements to move to another room. Reva was embarrassed. The next morning the newlywed couple attended church. The song director asked Veldon to pick a song for song practice. Being the joker he was he picked the song;

“Oh It Is Wonderful!”

Reva and Effie returned home while Veldon was transferred to Camp Adair, near Corvallis, Oregon. After his transfer, Reva came up to Camp Adair and stayed with Veldon for a few weeks. They stayed in a room that was about 8’x9′. Afterward, Veldon was transferred to the East Coast for training and then onto Europe until he was discharged and returned home in February of 1946.

The Family Starts – Birth of First Daughter

Veldon was on the frontlines working to locate and document the atrocities of the Nazis in Europe, and Reva was home. I assume that she was living with her mother, June McBride preparing for the birth of her first daughter Pauline Naylor. Pauline or Paula was born on April 6, 1945, in Safford, Graham, Arizona.

She was born on Veldon’s birthday. It was nearly 4 months after her birth before he got word that he had a daughter. It would be over a year before he saw her for the first time.

Upon his return home, Reva met Veldon at the bus station with their new little daughter who was now about 11 or 12 months old. To learn more about my grandfather’s service in WWII check out this post “My Grandfather the Spy.”

First Home and Moving to Claypool, AZ

Veldon and Reva stayed with Reva’s sister Vera for a few days before buying a home for $6,300. Shortly after buying the house, Veldon and his father purchased a general merchandise store in Claypool, Arizona. Reva and Veldon rented a home in Claypool for a year after opening the business and bought a house in Central Heights, Arizona. The home was on top of a hill next to a water tank. They remained here until around 1950.

It was here with their baby girl that Reva supported Veldon when he was called to be the Bishop of the Miami, Arizona Ward. This must have been a great sacrifice for Reva. Being a Bishop, of a ward is no small task and can be very time-consuming, but somehow they managed.

Birth of Second and 3rd Child and move to Mesa.

Reva gave birth to her and Veldon’s second child, Ralph Stephen Naylor on the 29 of February 1948 in Miami, Arizona. In 1950 the family moved to Mesa, Arizona, and purchased a home at 427 South Horne. They moved so Veldon could finish up the last classes he needed for a degree in Economics. Katherine Naylor, Reva’s and Veldon’s second daughter and third child was born on 23 March 1951 in Mesa, Arizona.

Time in Provo Utah

Spencer W Kimball wrote Grandpa a nice referral letter and he was accepted into Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Reva and the family moved to Provo with Veldon in July or August 1951. If you live in Arizona you know how hot it gets during this time of year and can you imagine traveling across the desert in 1951 in a car that may not have had air conditioning with all your belongings and 3 kids? It would have been by today’s standards it would have been miserable.

In Provo the family lived at a fish hatchery that backed up to the Provo River, Veldon was the manager and was required to take care of the place while working on his master’s degree. The place had turkeys, 200,000 trout, guineas, pheasants, chickens, and 1,000 geese and ducks. The family stayed here until Veldon finished his master’s degree in economics. Just as Grandpa was finishing up with his master’s degree the Provo River flooded and wiped out the hatchery. After graduation, grandpa was offered a fellowship at Michigan State to work on his PhD but he and Reva turned it down and the family moved back to Arizona.

The Move Back to Mesa.

After graduation, the family moved back to Mesa, Arizona. They sold the house on Horne and built a new home at 1518 W. Pepper Place. They built the house on a shoestring and moved in without window screens and carpeting. I read that it cost them $11,000 to build the house and make it “liveable” They lived here for about 20 years. Slowly they added the luxuries of screens, flooring, and other amenities, they paid for things as they went. They were never ones to go into debt.

Surprise, Child Number 4 is Born

Here surprise number 4 came along on the 23rd of July 1962 when Michael Douglas Naylor was born. This was a surprise to the family. Reva and Veldon thought they were done having children 10 years earlier with the birth of Kathy in 1951. I wonder what the conversation would have been like around the dinner table when Grandma broke the news.

The World Fair, New York

In 1964 after Grandpa had a good real estate sale, the family purchased a new car and headed to the World’s Fair in New York. Doug was so young that they left him home with Veldon’s parents. The trip took them about 3 weeks. Paula had just graduated from high school, Steve was about 16 and Kathy was about 13. Grandma and Grandpa, want the children to experience the finer things of life so the family ate all their meals in restaurants, fast food was a no.

853 North Barkley

Reva and Veldon bought a lot at 853 North Barkley in 1972 and built a home. When they purchased the lot it was surrounded by cotton fields. This was basically what I would consider the easterly boundary of Mesa at the time. They worked together to design a home. They took what they liked from several house plans and combined them into what was theirs. Life was good, they traveled and took trips. They came to Brussels to visit my family when we were living there. I remember coming to this house from Brazil at Christmas and summertime. The house now is a shamable compared to when they owned it.

Sickness, and Death

On July 1, 1982, Grandma became ill and they took her to Mesa Lutheran Hospital. On July 4, they operated and the surgery was reported as successful and she was stable for a few days. She then went into intensive care and then critical care. They couldn’t figure out what was causing the infection. She never left the hospital again and on 19 July 1982, she passed away with Veldon and her children around her. Grandpa said this was the saddest day of his life.