Burton Garr Badger

Our beloved son Billy, by his mother Lila Bradfield Badger

Our beloved son Billy, It just doesn’t seem possible that you will soon be celebrating your fifty-fifth Birthday. Time goes by so fast. I think back to the day your father and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. I think of our plans and dreams. It seems a million years now that I have been without him. As time went by we wondered if our dreams would ever come true that we might have dear children of our own. Then it seems that I can still see how proud and happy we were when we found out you were on the way. We could hardly wait for that time to come. Then our worries really began. We had painted the inside of our new home and that really caused trouble. We were invited down to Art and Lucille’s for supper. On the way home we ran out of gas. It was very cold. Daddy decided he would try to push the car and I would steer it. I don’t know how many miles he pushed the car before we came to the house where some Japanese men lived. They were in bed but soon came to the door when Daddy knocked. They were happy to let us have enough gas to get home on. The smell of paint was strong in our home and soon I was in great pain. We were very worried because it was not time for you to come. The next morning Daddy went some place and called Dr. Baker. He said to give me a teaspoon full of paregoric every hour. He did that but the pain continued. All day and all night. Daddy called the doctor again and he came out and gave me a shot. He was very worried. There was no hospital around here. I slept a little while but the pain continued. Late that afternoon Aunt Josie came over and daddy went for Sister Paul, Lillian Wood's mother who was a midwife. She was a dear soul but had a quaint way of talking. They moved my bed in the northwest corner of the front room and that night Daddy called, the doctor came. More hours passed by and the pains grew worse and closer together. Forty eight hours after the bad pains started you decided that was the proper time to make your entrance on to the stage of life. There were complications and Dr. Baker worked like mad to get you here safely. It about broke Daddy's heart to see me suffer so long, but he was so happy and dear when he told me we had a little son. You were premature and Doctor Baker pointed out that you had no toenails or fingernails but you had the whole world to grow in. We had a large wicker clothes basket we had bought long before you were on the way and I had lined it with silky pink material for when our baby would arrive. Since you were premature it was necessary to keep you very warm. Blankets were placed in the basket on a pillow, and you were packed inside the blankets with a hot water bottle to make it as near like an incubator as possible. The next day my mother was here and was bathing you when you had convulsions and we nearly lost you. She knew what to do and pulled you through. When Dr. Baker was told, he wasn’t surprised that you had convulsions, he had expected that but he hadn’t thought you would live. We were very thankful that your life was spared, and we felt that Heavenly Father had a mission for you to fulfill here on earth. How we loved you, and what joy it was to see you begin to fill out. You were very terribly skinny but you were beautiful to us. It was such happiness to me as you drew the warm milk from my breast and I continued to nurse you until you were old enough to wean. The Sunday you were blessed of course you were the most beautiful baby there. The little dress you wore was the finest material with dainty hand embroidery and lace. Pink and white booties—daddy loved pink and I liked it too. All the boy babies wore dresses in those days but none was nice as yours. It was still necessary to keep you extra warm. So we took the basket to church. Some one who did not understand said, “Why you will smother that kid. We followed the doctor’s instructions and you grew and did well. When you were ten months ol...