Part 2 - Life Story of Patricia Peterson Thorley

Part 2 - Life Story of Patricia Peterson Thorley

When Evan was offered the position in Lincoln, the agreement was, if after 90 days his addition to the practice produced sufficient income to match the salary he received in Lander, the practice would match it. Further, they would also provide medical insurance, which was not initially offered. When the 90-day point was reached, he was informed that receipts for his services had more than met expectations, and they were pleased; however, the CPA for the practice stated the doctors should expect to profit from Evan’s services and recommended no increase in salary. Evan had more than fulfilled his part of the agreement, but the practice refused to honor its verbal agreement. What had been a good experience was suddenly soured. Since we had not yet sold our home in Lander, Evan decided to look elsewhere for a better paying position and one that would hopefully be closer to Lander. The only position he could quickly secure was in Las Vegas, a position that became available quickly when the doctor’s partner suddenly died of cancer. Even though Las Vegas was also a long distance away from Lander, it was felt that Las Vegas would ultimately work out well. Evan continued with the Lincoln practice until a few days before Christmas, gave his notice, and returned home to Lander.

Evan’s job in Las Vegas began the first week of January (1981). By this time our home had been on the market for over six months. A miracle was needed, and the miracle did come in May, though it was the result of a rather unfortunate circumstance. An elderly ranching family lived across the valley from our home. The husband suffered from depression, and his wife came home one day to find he had committed suicide in their kitchen using his hunting rifle. It was a grewsome scene, and the wife swore she would never enter their home again. She immediately began looking for another home. Fortunately for us, she was using the same realtor we were using and was soon shown our home. She took no time deciding and made a full cash offer which included moving in as soon as possible. Of course, this was okay with us. The contract was signed, and suddenly we were free from our Lander home.

While awaiting settlement, I left our girls with our good friends, the Hardys, drove to Salt Lake, and flew to Las Vegas to join Evan. He had been on the lookout for a new home and had found one he thought I would like. It was a FSBO, - “For Sale By Owner” home, and I did like it. It was located in an enclosed community called Montara Estates. We met with the owner and quickly came to terms. The owner was a musician who had lost his job due to the ongoing recession. Not finding new work, he had decided to sell his home and move back to Buffalo, New York, to be with family until the recession was over. Since he had two upright pianos in the home, Evan negotiated for the better of the two pianos, and it became a part of the deal. And so it was, just a few weeks later we packed up our things and moved to Las Vegas. Since it was now late in the Springtime and near the end of the school year, we did not try to put our girls back in school until the following Fall.

Our home had a long flat roof extending from the front yard toward the back. As you stepped inside the front door, the living room was open all the way to an upstairs loft. A wide stairway led to the upstairs level which had three bedrooms, a full bath, and a master bedroom suite complete with full bath, and a large walk-in closet. A slider door opened from the master bedroom onto a balcony extending over the 2-car garage below. Downstairs on the main floor was the adjoining living and dining rooms. Overhead in the dining room was the loft. The kitchen and family room were open to each other as well. A powder room and laundry room were off a hallway leading from the family room to the garage. Large windows in the kitchen looked out onto the backyard, and through the slider door from the kitchen was a large patio area with a pergola covering. All of the lots in the community had block walls with back gates off each lot allowing access to a winding path which was shaded by trees. These paths all led to a large grassy common play area in the middle of the community where there was also an outdoor pool, a clubhouse, and tennis courts. We would enjoy each of these amenities while living there.

Each of our girls quickly developed friendships, especially with the girls in our Las Vegas ward. One of the ladies in the ward had a studio where she taught dance, and our girls soon became involved, which they loved. While living in Las Vegas our ward boundaries changed as a new ward was created, and our new ward was in the stake center not far from where Evan worked at Valley Pediatrics and Allergy Clinic. I worked in the Primary in both wards.

Las Vegas is an interesting place to live; there is Las Vegas the tourist destination, and Las Vegas the community. Unless we had friends or family visit who wanted to see the touristy part, we rarely went to the casinos. The community, on the other hand, was a big part of our lives. There was an abundance of wholesome things to do, especially as related to Church activities. Evan and I often went to the St George Temple with friends from our Ward, and Evan and I participated in a wonderful regional choir which performed one of the few allowed performances of Robert Cundick’s “Reedemer”.

We enjoyed frequent visits from Evan’s parents, and Evan and the girls often went to Modena to go fishing and camping with his parents. Since fishing and camping were not high on my list, these weekends away for them were a pleasant break for me to have some time alone. It was nice for our girls to get to know and love their Thorley grandparents. We also enjoyed the occasional Thorley family get togethers on the Thorley property on Cedar Mountain.

After a couple of years in Las Vegas, we began to look at a possible move to Cedar City. We had become tired of the relentless Las Vegas heat, the area crime, and Evan had begun to have some issues with what he felt was a dying medical practice. The practice had no steady input of pediatric patients, and the number of patients were becoming fewer as the average age of the children grew. Some cost-cutting measures Dr. Merkin instituted also effected Evan adversely, and he began to look elsewhere. Evan had been made aware of two Cedar City physicians whose family practice had grown considerably in just a few years and they were now in need of someone to help with the newborn and pediatric-age patients. At the time, Cedar City had no pediatrician. Contact was made, the negotiations successfully completed, and our move was a go.

Our family had all agreed we would rather live in Cedar City than in Las Vegas. Our home was sold to some members of our ward and our move was underway. It was now July 1983. Initially we rented a home up on top of Leigh Hill on the west side of Cedar City across I-15 from the university. Only a few homes were for sale at the time in Cedar City, and these were either not to our liking or way more than we could afford. About two months after our move, we discovered a home that had just been put up for sale by its owners. This, too, was on Leigh Hill but on the east facing slope of the hill looking out over downtown Cedar City and Southern Utah University. It was perfect, except for the asking price. With some cash infusion for the down payment from Evan’s parents, we were able to make it happen.

Our time in Cedar City proved to be mostly wonderful. There were many things contributing to the quality of life there. Evan loved his association with his hiring physicians, Dr. Paul Barney and Dr. Paul Nelson at the Cedar Family Clinic. His patient load grew nicely, and he was also providing newborn care at the hospital. Brooke, Kellie, and Jaime as well, were again in dance groups. Tana and Brooke were learning to play cello and violin respectively under the tutelage of Evan’s relative, June Thorley, who was the orchestra teacher at Cedar High School. As Tana’s cello skills improved, we made a trip to Las Vegas to purchase a better cello for her, and she became a student of one of the cellist instructors at SUU. Evan and I participated in some wonderful community musical programs and SUU events. Tana was in high school, Brooke in middle school, and Kellie and Jaime in elementary school. We really felt at home in Cedar City and planned to put down our permanent roots there. We loved our home and our yard, and having the mountains so near provided for fun in the snow in the winter, and a place to escape in the summer from the heat. There was much to our liking.

With plans to remain in Cedar City indefinitely, we began looking for ways to bolster our income, and provide a wholesome place for our girls to work as they got older. After considerable discussion, we settled on establishing a drive-through, one-hour photo processing business, which Cedar City did not have at the time. With a loan from Evan’s parents, this became a reality and KIS 1-HR Photo was born. KIS was the name of the French franchising system. The franchise required attending a week-long training program in Santa Monica, California, which we enjoyed. Soon the photo processing equipment, signage, and kits for advertising arrived, a satisfactory drive-up location was found, and our business began. I ran the business initially, then Tana and a college student were added to give me time away. The business grew slowly that summer but was soon helped when Evan made a pitch to the real estate companies for their business. One firm, Century-21, also wanted Evan to take their real estate pictures and put up their signs, which he did on his lunch breaks from the clinic.

Despite our desire to put down our roots, and unknown to us at the time, changes were coming that would result in yet another move. Evan’s employment was as an independent contractor with Cedar Family Clinic. Despite the continued growth of the practice, 1986 proved to be pivotal; - malpractice insurance rocketed upward, doubling and then tripling and even more for some physicians depending on the type of practice. Dr. Barney and Dr. Nelson’s scope of family practice included providing OB care, newborn deliveries, and performing some surgeries. These malpractice rate increases hit them especially hard, and the doctors were faced with a choice of no longer providing more than basic family practice services or dramatically increasing their fees. Ultimately, both doctors decided to accept offers from group practices where malpractice insurance was included in their terms of employment and Cedar Family Clinic was put up for sale. The successful buyer was one of the other family practice clinics in town, the Brown Clinic. Unfortunately, they were not interested in having a PA. This was devastating news for us. No other PA opportunities existed in Cedar City, and a search revealed nothing available elsewhere in Utah. Returning to Las Vegas was not even considered.

Evan’s job search resulted in several opportunities, but none were close by. The position of greatest interest was in Minnesota with a large pediatric group called Oakdale Pediatrics and Adolescents Limited. The group flew him to Minneapolis for an interview and an offer was made. Their offer meant an increase in pay and a retirement plan. Previous employment had offered little in the way of a retirement plan, and with Evan now in his 40s, putting aside money for retirement was becoming paramount. The offer was accepted and soon Evan was on his way to Minnesota. This was August 1987. Our lovely home was put on the market and waiting for an offer began all over again. Our girls were devastated with having to move, especially Tana who was now sixteen and was dating the young man who would eventually become her husband.

Our move to Minnesota finally happened in early October of 1987. We learned of a local (Richfield, Utah) moving company and Evan arranged our move with them. The moving company would travel along with us all the way to Minnesota. Evan had found a home we could afford, and it proved to be okay, but it was not a home I loved. We made some improvements which included new carpeting and new kitchen and bathroom tile, and Evan added an additional room in the basement which became our office.

Evan’s work was going well. Mostly he worked at the practice’s satellite clinic in nearby Maple Grove, but sometimes also worked at the main clinic in Robbinsdale. The clinic was in a large building across the street from the hospital. The main clinic needed someone to help with pulling patient charts and with filing. I was asked if I would be interested in the job and I accepted. The staff was fun to work with and I enjoyed my part time job with them.

Tana enrolled at the High School in Plymouth where they were reputed to have a better strings program. Brooke enrolled at Cooper High School, which was closer to our home than Plymouth. Kellie and Jaime both attended the middle school a few blocks away. Tana remained unhappy with our move; however, her mood improved when she learned that she could qualify under a special advanced education program which would allow her to enroll at the University of Minnesota as a freshman while fulfilling the requirements for her senior year. She loved her college exposure. Before our move, Evan had bought a small, used Toyota pickup, so we now had three vehicles. Our VW Rabbit became Tana’s, which was necessary for her to get back and forth to the university. A year later, Tana returned to Cedar City to attend Southern Utah University and began her true college life as a sophomore.

The retirement program offered by the practice turned out to be not so great; working for them meant Evan would have to work for seven years before becoming fully vested, and in order for the benefit to have real value, money would have to be contributed from Evan’s salary in addition to what the practice contributed. Even then the retirement was not a true pension but a lump sum payment payable at retirement. So again, here we were, having to figure out how we could build retirement income and put our girls through college. Tana was already in college, and our other daughters would soon follow. We had a growing sense of concern about how best to fund our retirement, and with this Evan began looking into the possibility of returning to the Air Force Reserves to augment our income. A happen chance encounter would soon again alter our lives…………..

Our home lay within the boundaries of the Crystal 1st Ward and for the first two years this was the case, but soon a new ward was created, and our home was within the new ward’s boundaries. As our new ward began to function it was wintertime. Evan began playing on our new ward’s basketball team. One evening as the game ended, a member of the team, someone he didn’t really yet know, needed a ride home. Evan offered him a ride. This was fortuitous. During the drive home, the new friend (Rex Morris) asked Evan about his profession and Evan told him he was a PA. Rex turned out to be a Navy medical recruiter. Rex told Evan the Navy had begun commissioning its PAs and were now seeking to attract more PAs into its Medical Service Corps. Evan returned home that evening excited to share this news with me, and we discussed the idea at length. After praying about it, we decided this was the answer to our retirement needs. The recruitment process began and soon Evan was offered a direct Navy commission as an O-3, the same grade level he had at the time he left the Air Force. All of his Air Force time would count toward retirement eligibility. Returning to active duty as an O-3 meant Evan’s salary would actually be better than what he was currently receiving, and it meant we would no longer need to take money out of his salary to contribute toward a military retirement. It was a bit of a gamble, however, in that he would enter the Navy as a Reserve officer with no guarantee of serving long enough to qualify for retirement.

The recruitment process was completed by the following summer. In July of that year (1989), we were invited as guests of the Navy to an air show in Duluth, Minnesota, and later that afternoon one of the Navy Blue Angels flight team performed the commissioning ceremony. Evan, an MD, and two RNs were commissioned. By that time Evan had received orders to report in late November to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard near Vallejo, California, but first Evan first had to attend the six week Naval Officer Indoctrination School (OIS) at Newport Naval Station, Rhode Island.

Even before Evan left for OIS, we had placed our home on the market. Again our timing was not good as the real estate market was slow. Thanksgiving was spent without Evan, but he was able to return home for the Christmas holidays. The home finally sold in April, nearly six months after being placed on the market. Since we were now back in the military, our household goods were packed up and shipped courtesy of the Navy. Settlement occurred in late May, and Brook, Kellie, Jamie, and I drove cross-country, stopping in Ogden to see my family, and then a brief stop in Cedar City to see Tana at SUU.

Our new home would be in military housing near Novato, California. The housing was located on a retired Air Force Base called Hamilton Field. I had very mixed feelings about this new phase of our lives and especially our new home. We arrived at Hamilton at about the same time our household goods arrived, and so were able to move in right away. Our “quarters” were better than I expected. We were in the east end of a duplex. The west end was occupied by another family, the Barnes. Our carports were adjoining. We were made to feel very welcome right away by the other families in the vicinity. These included the Barnes, the LeBeaus, and the McGuires, whom we learned to love as our lives became very intertwined, especially when Evan received orders 18 months later to serve on an aircraft carrier, the ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Our ward, the San Rafael First Ward, likewise was very welcoming.

While living at Hamilton, Brooke graduated from Novato High School. Both Brooke and Kellie found jobs. All three daughters had many friends and so they were kept busy. Jaime and two of the Barnes daughters joined a gymnastics training gym, and Jaime fell in love with gymnastics. I worked at a law firm for a time, filing and helping arrange documentation to support their cases, and then I was offered a job working as a classroom aid at an elementary school in San Marcos, about 20 minutes from our home. While Evan was at sea on the USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, we received word that he had been promoted to LCDR. The resulting increase in salary was a wonderful addition to our family income, and, perhaps even more important was that he had been made a Regular Naval Officer. This meant he could expect to serve until retirement eligibility.

Evan’s first “at sea” deployment (called a WESTPAC Cruise) ended just before Thanksgiving, 1991. We experienced the thrill of standing on a large pier at Alameda Naval Air Station and watching as tugboats maneuvered the huge ship to the pier. We joined with hundreds of others looking up to spot their sailor amidst the hundreds of sailors “manning the rail”. Finally, we did spot him but could only wave until sometime later when his turn came to leave the ship and meet us on the pier. It was a wonderful reunion.

After a time in port for ship repairs and renovation, Evan’s next WESTPAC Cruise was to take place. It was during that time we learned he had been selected to become the Navy’s second PA to receive training in orthopedics and sports medicine. This would require a move to the San Diego area. With this knowledge, and prior to Evan’s deployment, we traveled together to San Diego to determine where we might live. Our first experience with military housing had been positive, but we were not anxious to repeat it. San Diego had several military housing areas, but each was congested and the waiting list to move in was long. We instead chose to buy a new home, which was still under construction. This was in a new community called Carmel Mountain Ranch, which was along I-15 about fifteen miles north of San Diego. The completion date would be while Evan was away, but we could move into it as soon as it was ready.

We were able to time the move perfectly so our girls could start school in the Fall (1992). Kellie and Jaime enrolled at Poway High School that first year, but Jaime didn’t find PHS to her liking and so transferred to Rancho Bernardo High School. This proved to be more to her liking. Kellie remained at PHS. In the meantime, Brooke had enrolled at Weber State College in Ogden, Utah, but after one quarter she decided to move to Salt Lake and work for a time until she decided what she wanted to do.

In the meantime, Tana’s relationship resumed with the same boyfriend she had while we lived in Cedar City. He was serving a mission in the Hawaiian Islands at the time Tana started school at SUU, but upon his return, their relationship blossomed and became engaged soon afterward. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple by Curtis’s mission president, now a General Authority Seventy. Upon graduation, they transferred from SUU to the University of Utah where they both were accepted as graduate students, Curtis in Audiology, and Tana in Communicative disorders. Because we were in California, arranging for a wedding reception in Utah was a challenge. We were relieved to be able to arrange everything using a wedding reception center in Bountiful, Utah. Fortunately, Evan’s ship was in port at the time of the wedding so he could be with us the Tana’s wedding.

Evan’s return from his second WESTPAC would prove to be quite different from the first WESTPAC. He left the carrier off the coast of Somalia where the ship had been suddenly deployed in response to the “Blackhawk Down” incident. It would him take more than a week of catching military hops to get back to Bahrain, his intended departure point to return to the U. S. Meeting him at the San Diego airport was certainly less dramatic than waiting on a pier; nevertheless, it was wonderful to have him back home. He began his new training program almost immediately.

Our new home was wonderful. Because it was not completed when we first saw it, we were able to choose our own colors for carpet, tile, and paint. After Evan’s return, Brooke came to live with us, and enrolled in a Paralegal training program at the University of San Diego. During her time at USD she was also working at a nearby Togo’s sandwich shop. There she met Sam Knight, another employee at Togo’s. Sam was initially “just a friend”; however, she would later marry him, so her return to California proved to be a major turning point.

Evan’s training turned out well, and he became a part of the sport medicine training staff as a next assignment. We were truly being blessed; I was busy with my job in San Marco, the girls were settling in nicely, our ward family was wonderful, we had many wonderful friends, Evan loved his work, and we loved our new home. The problem with liking present circumstances is that a change is often waiting in the wings,…..especially in the military. Evan received orders to report to the Navy Personnel Center (NPC, - also known as the Bureau of Naval Personnel or BUPERS) in Washington DC where he was to be the Head of the Navy’s Health and Physical Readiness Branch. The BUPERS buildings were just up the hill from the Pentagon.

Now we were faced with having to sell our new home and move all the way to the East Coast. This time the housing market was good! The home sold quickly and we did well with the sale price. Since Kellie was now enrolled in an Occupational Therapy training program in San Diego, she opted to remain behind and live with a good friend in order to complete her training. At about the same time, Brooke and Sam (still “just good friends”) were planning a move to San Francisco where Sam had been accepted at the University of San Francisco with the plan of completing his degree in Geology. Jaime was now our only child remaining at home; she would need to complete her senior year at a new high school yet to be determined.

Prior to our move, Evan and I flew to DC to find a new home. After a couple of days of looking, and with help from a wonderful realtor, our offer for a townhome in Burke, Virginia was accepted. With this box checked, we took 30 days of leave to prepare for our move, to get Kellie moved and settled, and to visit family and do some sightseeing while in route to DC. It was now summer of 1996.

Our move went rather smoothly. Jaime enrolled for her senior year at nearby Robinson High School (RHS). I did not seek employment; instead, I focused on painting and fixing up our townhome to our liking. Incidentally, townhomes are the most common form of housing in and around DC. Our little community of townhomes was called Burke Pond as we were clustered around a small pond with that name. The neighborhood had asphalt walking trails that extended in all direction for miles. It was a lovely place to live.

To my great surprise, I was called to be one of the two seminary teachers for high school and middle school students living in our ward area. I felt very unprepared to meet the challenge of teaching gospel subjects, and much study and prayer was required on my part. The reward for this was a tremendous increase in knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. I experienced great growth in my testimony of the purpose and truthfulness of the Church’s restoration. Each October, Evan and I took advantage of the Columbus Day holiday weekend to travel to many of the Church history sites in upstate New York, in Vermont, and in the Kirtland, Ohio area. A release from teaching came after serving for three years in the calling. It was sad to let go of that experience; I had gained so much, - probably more than any of my students.

We remained in our Burke home for six years. This was longer than any other place Evan and I had lived to that point in our married life. Jaime graduated from high school in the Spring of 1997 and, like two of her sisters, left home to attend SUU in Cedar City. During those six years, Evan filled three different assignments in the DC area, two years at the Naval Personnel Center, two years with the orthopedic department at Bethesda Naval Hospital, and two years at the military’s medical school, - the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Evan was eligible for retirement by this time, and we decided this was what we wanted to do, and to move back to the West to be closer to our families. His retirement ceremony in April of that year (2003) was a highlight in our lives. He received several honors, and I was honored there as well for my role as a supportive wife. I received two bouquets of beautiful red roses, one from Evan and one from the University.

And now it was time to move again. As Evan’s retirement approached, he interviewed at several practice locations and had offers from most of them. Which offer to accept and where to live was a hard decision. In the end, being closer to family in the West was the biggest factor in choosing to accept an offer from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. Montana was now the home of Tana and her growing family, which included four biological children and several adopted children. Brooke and Sam had married and were now living in Boulder, Colorado. Jaime was married by this time to Jay Richwine, who she had met while attending SUU, and they were living in Mesa, Arizona. Kellie had finished her OTA program and had joined us in Virginia for her clinical training. It was there in our LDS ward she met her future husband, Shawn Leonard. As we left for Montana, Kellie opted to remain in Virginia to work and to await her eventual marriage to Shawn. Shawn was the son of our bishop in the Burke Ward, Lou Leonard, with whom Evan served as first counsellor in the Burke Ward bishopric.

After accepting the Rocky Mountain College (RMC) offer, we both flew to Billings and met with a realtor. After showing us a number of completed homes, he drove us to a new community just west of Billings called Pheasant Brook. The development consisted of newer homes under construction on 1 to 5 acre lots. We opted to buy one of the 1-acre lots and signed a contract with a building company called Beartooth Construction. Where to live during the home’s construction was resolved when we learned the realtor’s mother had an older rental home in Billings that was available, and we contracted with her to rent the upstairs portion of the home. Since the rental would not hold all of our household goods, we arranged for the Navy to ship only a part of our things. The remainder would come when our new home was complete.

Evan’s new job at RMC was with its Physician Assistant training program. He was to serve as the Academic Director. The program director was also new. Both he and the program director were hired at a time when the program was to begin offering a master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies. It was soon apparent to Evan that his view of how best to implement the needed changes were quite different from that of the program director. Her demands, in Evan’s view, were not in the programs best interest, and after several unsuccessful attempts to work out some middle ground, Evan resigned. I was somewhat aware of the disagreement, but when Evan came home and announced he had resigned, I was caught off guard to say the least. My concerns were how we could afford the home we were building.

A few weeks after leaving the RMC program, Evan accepted a position with the Billings Clinic and Hospital system, where he would be working with two physical rehabilitation medicine doctors. This was not the job he wanted but took it while awaiting consideration for a PA position with the orthopedic clinic at the same hospital. Unfortunately, the ortho position went unfilled for months and was eventually withdrawn. Evan then had to remain in his present job even though it was not to his liking.

Our new home was completed just before Thanksgiving, and we were able to move in on Thanksgiving Eve of 2003. Our remaining household goods soon arrived, albeit a bit damaged from exposure to water in the Virginia warehouse. Some items had to be replaced, plus we needed some additional new things to furnish our lovely new home. We were delighted when our entire family committed to spend the Christmas holidays with us. It was wonderful to be altogether, but our reunion became even more memorable when we were all exposed to an intestinal flu bug. The bug spread rapidly to everyone within a short period, and it was a good thing the home was equipped with three bathrooms!

Evan’s job at the hospital was two-fold; he saw stroke and other rehab patients in the hospital in the mornings and pain management clinic patients in the afternoon. The latter proved to be most challenging as it involved patients addicted to their pain medications. After two years Evan had had enough of a job he didn’t like, gave notice, and began looking for a more rewarding position. After several weeks of looking, nothing in the area became available.

Not wanting to leave our new home and the area, we began adjusting to the idea of truly retiring and live purely on Evan’s retirement income; however, a position Evan was offered prior to retiring from the Navy suddenly became available again. Having interviewed Evan earlier and being aware of what he could offer, they were anxious to have him fill the position. This was in the Orthopedic Department at the Air Force Hospital at Luke Air Force Base. After a long discussion, we decided to accept the offered position. This, of course, meant leaving our wonderful new home, but it was not the first time we had been in this position, and so we were prepared to do it again knowing that other homes we could enjoy were out there.

And so it was, Evan left for Arizona in April 2005. I would join him later that summer when our home sold. We decided to rent rather than buy a home as we quickly found the Arizona heat not to our liking, and we knew we would not remain once it was time to truly retire. Our rental home was in Surprise, a Phoenix bedroom community just north of the air base in Glendale.

Our time in Arizona proved to be shorter than we had planned. In September of that same year, the Air Force announced the hospital at Luke AFB would be downgraded to Dispensary status as a cost saving measure. This meant all specialty services, including orthopedics, would be referred out to civilian hospitals. Evan’s job would end on September 30, which was the end of the Air Force fiscal year. Ever resourceful, Evan reached out to a friend at Camp Pendleton who was now head of sports medicine at Camp Pendleton. As it turned out, a position was available. It was offered and we accepted.

We found a lovely home to buy in Temecula, California, complete with a wonderful view of the Palomar Mountains. Temecula is located some 20 miles east of the huge Camp Pendleton complex. Evan’s commute to the base was possible through the east gate of the base. We moved into the home in early December and loved the home from the beginning. Even though the home was move-in ready, it did need some of my decorating ideas, and these continued over the next several years. Our plan was to remain just a couple of years, and then truly retire; however, it would be six years at the same location before we felt ready to do so.

We loved Temecula. It is located in a beautiful unspoiled part of California. The Temecula Valley is located far enough south from Los Angeles and far enough north from San Diego that the smog and the crime and the traffic did not really affect us; still we were close enough to these metro areas to take advantage of events of interest there as often as we wanted. Our time in Temecula proved to be a very happy time in our lives. The only downside was a nationwide home mortgage crisis which triggered a severe recession.

Because of easy credit offered by banks and mortgage institutions at the time, too many people got into homes they couldn’t afford. The real estate bubble burst when banks and mortgage institutions began foreclosing. Business in general slowed and hundreds of people lost their jobs and were not able to pay on their mortgages. It was an awful time for many. Fortunately, other than the severe decline in the value of our home and higher food costs, we were otherwise unaffected.

While Temecula was very much to our liking, the cost of living in California, and with its near bankrupt condition at the time, we became convinced we needed to look elsewhere for a place to retire. Since home values in Montana had stayed pretty steady during the downturn, Montana was high on our list to consider after retirement. Ultimately Tana found us a nice home in Miles City, we investigated it, bought it, and in July 2010 we made our move to Miles City.

Living in Miles City put us close to Tana and Jaime (who now also lived in Montana) and their families; and since we had also discussed serving a Church mission, this too fell nicely into place. A married couple was needed to work with the Church Education System (CES) in eastern Montana. In that assignment we would be able to live at home and travel as needed to train seminary and institute teachers, and to oversee the instruction process. We submitted our papers and the call came to serve in that capacity.

Our mission experience began at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. The first week of training was in common with all senior missionaries. This involved learning the principles of the proselyting discussions, which were not too difficult to learn, but having to present the discussion principles and practice them before mock investigators succeeded in provoking much anxiety on my part. I was so glad when that first week was over. I was much more relaxed the second week as we moved on to training that was specific to our roles as CES missionaries.

As it turned out, the demands of our mission were not full time. We began our mission in September (2010) with the new school year. After making the rounds of the branches and wards where seminary was offered, we were able to do much of the training and day-to-day requirements of our callings by telephone or video conferencing. This technology became particularly important when winter set in and travel became difficult. When not busy with our duties, we used the downtime to perform renovations on our home. Concurrent with serving our mission, Evan and I worked in the ward as the Nursery Leaders.

The release from our mission occurred the following August as another couple arrived to begin serving in the same calling. Our mission release resulted in Evan being called as the High Priest Group Leader and I as the primary chorister/pianist, alternating with another sister in the ward. Working in the primary was always my most favored calling, especially with the music.

We greatly enjoyed being closer to family. Gathering for holidays, baptisms, graduations, and other occasions was now possible. Brooke and family were just six hours away by car in Colorado, and we continued a tradition of traveling to visit Kellie and her family in Virginia in early October each year. Retirement made it possible to just pick up and go and do whatever we wanted without having to plan vacations and trips around a work schedule.

And so it was that we gathered with Tana and Jaime and their families for Christmas Eve, 2012. We had a wonderful Mexican meal of carne asada, rice, and salad, which had become our traditional Christmas Eve dinner when together. As the evening wore on, I was beginning to feel ill with body aches and a slight cough. My symptoms worsened overnight but I felt well enough on Christmas Day to go to Jaime’s home for cinnamon roles and hot chocolate and gift opening, and then to Tana’s to see what their kids had received for Christmas. Later in the day I was really feeling crummy and my chest started to feel tight. Since influenza was going around, we felt certain that, despite getting my flu shot earlier, I had nevertheless contracted it. Flu is usually best treated with rest and fluids, and so it was that I waited for a couple of days with Evan checking my lungs for congestion, which seemed clear at that point. My symptoms worsened and we made an appointment for me to be seen. I was seen by a nurse practitioner who, after my exam confirmed that I did indeed have influenza and advised pretty much the same regimen I was already on of rest and fluids and some OTC medicine to help loosen my cough. Since I was a bit nauseous, she prescribed something for my nausea. The following day I did feel somewhat improved and we felt I was beginning to recover; however, during the night I began to have difficulty breathing and slept in a recliner to be more upright. I was clearly now worse. We returned to the clinic where I was seen by my usual provider and X-rays were ordered. My exam and my X-rays suggested possible pneumonia. Admission to the hospital was advised where I could be placed on IV antibiotics and helped with supplemental oxygen.

My condition worsened during my stay in the Miles City hospital (Sacred Heart Hospital), and after several days of declining blood oxygen levels, I was transported by a life-flight helicopter to Billings where I was admitted to Billings Clinic Hospital under the care of their team of pulmonologists. I did indeed have pneumonia, and it was getting markedly worse. I should state that years earlier I had been seen on three different occasions for chest pain. The first workup was done at the Scripps Hospital in San Diego. This was while we lived in Temecula. My workup showed a spot on my lungs consistent with possible pulmonary fibrosis, which is always fatal, and usually within a short time; however, my lung function remained strong over the years and my condition did not seem to worsen, so specialists were puzzled but relieved (as was I) that this did not support pulmonary fibrosis. Previous to our move to Arizona I was admitted overnight at the same Billings hospital in 2011 under care of the same pulmonologists who were now taking care of my severe pneumonia. At that earlier time, they too were not able to make a specific diagnosis. Then two years later while in Arizona, I was again evaluated for chest pain. Since I had copies of my MRI and chest X-rays, they were able to compare results and felt there had been no progression of my lung condition; further my chest pain symptoms didn’t seem to be related to the lung findings.

Thus, on three different occasions, evaluations by respected pulmonologists had not confirmed a diagnosis, yet here I was now in the ICU struggling to breathe. Even with maximum oxygen flow my blood oxygen levels were declining. My lungs were simply not exchanging air well and my prognosis was looking grim. With the increased resistance of blood flowing to and through my lungs due to infection, a new problem had developed. The increased resistance to blood flow from my heart to my lungs had caused what is known as a patent foramen ovale (PFA). This foramen ovale, which had been closed from birth, was now allowing blood to bypass the lungs by crossing from left to right through the opening in the upper chambers (atria) of the heart. This is a normal condition while in the womb since oxygenated blood comes via the umbilical cord from the mother to the fetus, but it is not a useful condition for an adult woman. My blood was being pumped out to my organs with little oxygenation from my lungs. I was now on maximum oxygen a machine could force into my lungs yet I was still getting inadequate oxygen needed for continued good health. A cardiac surgeon was invited to consult on my care. He advised a procedure using a device that would pass a patch up through my portal vein and into the right atria of my heart to close the PFA. While this would not improve my lung condition, it would force all the blood to the lungs to receive whatever oxygen the lungs could provide. The procedure was discussed and agreed upon as a sort of last resort, hoping that I would be able to survive long enough for the infection in my lungs to improve and provide needed oxygen once again.

The procedure went well, but the question remained as to whether I would last long enough for the closure of the hole to make a difference. I was placed in a comatose state and put on a ventilator which would breathe for me. This was done with the hope of buying me some time to reverse the infection. Unfortunately, my body could not wait for this improvement. During the same evening of my surgery, with inadequate oxygen in my blood stream, my organs began to shut down. Evan was called about 2:00 a.m. and advised that my condition was deteriorating, but that I should survive the night. Evan called all four of my daughters, and my sisters, and told them of my condition. Tana and Jaime drove early in the morning to Billings, and Brooke soon arrived by air from Colorado. Kellie had just returned to Virginia after spending time with me, but this was before my turn for the worse. Since it was unlikely she could get back to Billings in time, the family advised her to remain in Virginia and they would maintain frequent contact by cell phone.

The pulmonologist left the decision whether or not to continue my breathing tube to my family. There was no conceivable way my oxygen status could be improved in time to make a difference. After prayer they arrived at the decision that the ventilator was probably prolonging my life unnecessarily, and the decision was made to have the tube removed. Once the tube was removed, they watched anxiously anticipating that I might not breathe on my own. After a long interval I began to breathe spontaneously, but these breaths were like gasps, taken at irregular intervals. My oxygen levels actually improved for a time, then slowly my blood pressure and heart rate declined until my heart stopped and it was done. The time of my death was around 3:00 p.m. on January 25, 2013.

When my spirit left my body was not apparent to my family gathered there around my bed. They were not aware of my presence in spirit but, by faith, knew I was nearby as my breathing stopped. I saw them grieve as my heart stopped, and then before leaving the hospital room, they each expressed their love to me and to each other. After a time of grieving, they discussed whether or not I would want to donate my organs to someone else and concluded that I would probably want this. This message was relayed to the ICU personnel, but, as it turned out, only my eyes could be donated because of my age.

A full account of the family experience surrounding my admission and death is available. It was written shortly after my death by my beloved husband, Evan. I invite you to read more of the details which he has written. My passing would prove to be a very sad time for my family, but, through faith, they know that I am in a wonderful place where I have contact here in the Spirit World with my parents, my grandparents, and other loved ones who have gone on before. Death, like birth, is not a final condition; just the passing of a person from one condition to another. It is essential for everyone to go through death to know for certain that life continues and is eternal. My spirit carries with it all of my life’s experiences and memories, my knowledge, my talents, my essence, and my love for my family. Only my body remains on earth. I now await the Resurrection when my body, in a now perfected state, will be reunited with my spirit, never to be apart again. For this great blessing I will forever be indebted to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Till we meet again here in the Spirit World, know that I love you all…………….

This account is prepared in memory of Patricia Kay Peterson Thorley by Evan Ashby Thorley, her husband for more than 45 wonderful years.