Funeral service for Sidney Lysander Cornum Bishop Sidney C. Paulson, officiating: “We are gathered here to pay tribute to our Daddy Sid and we’ll ask Robert Brady to offer the family prayer.” Family prayer by Robert Brady: “Our Father in Heaven, we bow our heads at the beginning of this special moment in time as we gather around our beloved Daddy Sid. Each of us joins together in prayer and expression of appreciation and gratitude for this man and what he has meant to us individually and collectively. “Father, we are grateful for him, and grateful for his time, and grateful for the opportunity that we had to associate with him, and to learn and to love and to be with him. We pray that this day will be a constant and special event in all of our lives, that each will extract in their own way the special significance that will lift us, inspire us, and carry us to higher planes and levels, that we might pause from the busyness of the world in which we live and to concentrate upon Thy face and the special memory of the life lived by Daddy Sid, and we pray that each will remember fondly and extract from his life those blessings, teachings, and understandings that will take us to happiness and to joy. “Daddy Sid taught us to be happy. He taught us to find joy and to seek the good things, and we pray that we will constantly be reminded of this, and we pray that this event and this day will be memorable and will be in accordance to those who’ve planned it. “We ask this day to be a day of comfort, that we as a family might pull together in love and renew acquaintances and recognize that the laws, the ties, the bonds that bring a family together are eternal and are stronger than any other. We’re grateful for these bonds, and grateful for this great patriarch that we come today to celebrate, and to be together on this occasion. “We ask thee to bless all of those who participate today and pray that thy Spirit will be here and rest upon us, and as his ship departs we are grateful for those on the other side who, seeing that ship coming to You, have been able to welcome him home and to renew their acquaintances and friendships and love with him as he moves into the next state. This prayer we offer, these thanks we give, thanks we express unto Thee for this man and for his life. We say these things humbly in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, amen.” Bishop Sidney C. Paulson: “Good morning, brothers and sisters. As a member of the family, I welcome you to this service to honor and pay tribute to Sidney Lysander Cornum, or affectionately known to immediate family as ‘Dad,’ and to many of us as ‘Daddy Sid.’ “Our prelude music has been played by Verne Hansen, a grandson-in-law. He will also play the postlude music. The family prayer was offered by Robert Brady, a grandson. All of those who are participating in this service today are members of the family, which I think is a great tribute to the heritage that has been left by Daddy Sid. The invocation will be offered by Mark Levingston, a grandson. Following the invocation, the obituary will be read by Kathy Llewellyn, a sister to Mark and a granddaughter. We will then have a musical selection. It will be sung by the great-grandchildren and the great-great-grandchildren. We would ask them to come forward and stand here and they will sing ‘I Am a Child of God.’ They will be accompanied by Carol Larson, a granddaughter. Following that musical number, our first speaker will be Alger Cornum, a son. Following Alger, we will hear another musical selection, sung by Dorothy Runyon and Carol Larson, granddaughters, and Graylon Wheeler, a great-granddaughter. They will be accompanied by Verne Hansen. Following that musical number, our speaker will be Max Paulson, a grandson. Following Max, we will hear a final musical selection, ‘How Great Thou Art.’ We would ask the young adults who are the great-grandchildren of Daddy Sid to come forward and sing ‘How Great Thou Art.’ They will be also accompanied by Verne Hansen. We will go to that point. Mark.” Opening prayer by Mark Levingston: “Our Father in Heaven, humbly we bow our heads this day with gratitude in our hearts for our many blessings. We are thankful for the safe travel of those who’ve gathered here today and for the common bond that has brought us together. “We’re thankful for the exemplary life that Daddy Sid led, for his dedication, determination to the gospel of thy church. We’re grateful for the times that we had with Dad Sid, for his wit and humor that brought a smile to all of our faces. We’re grateful that Dad Sid and Mom Queen instilled a work ethic and determination in their children, and even though they have gone on, their character traits and ideals live on in each of us. “We’re thankful for our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, and we know that Dad Sid has been reunited with the loved ones on the other side and that someday we will all have that opportunity. “We ask thee to watch over us this day and bless us. Help that as we go about our travels that we will be safe and return home safely. Help that thy Spirit will be with us that we may have a renewed commitment and determination to live as Dad Sid lived, that we too may join as a family unit on the other side, and we’ll be proud of what we have done here on this earth. Comfort us this day, we humbly pray in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, amen.” Obituary by Kathy Llewellyn: “Sidney Lysander Cornum, age 99, died February 24, 1995, in Orem. He was born January 30, 1896 in Sanford, Colorado, a son of Paul Heber and Mary Emily Brady Cornum. He married Queen Naomi Faucett on December 23, 1914 in Sanford, Colorado. She passed away February 12, 1968. He then married Clara Jensen on July 14, 1969. She passed away on February 26, 1977. He then married Wally Daute on September 22, 1982. “Sidney attended school in Sanford, Colorado. He was a member of the LDS Church. He had been a Sunday School Superintendent, a home teacher, and a stake missionary. He enjoyed entertaining the senior citizens and being involved with the Senior Citizen Center. He loved to recite poetry. He enjoyed being out of doors, and especially hunting and fishing. “Sidney is survived by four daughters and one son: Theresa Paulson of Orem, Utah; Martha Brady of Gilbert, Arizona; Phyllis Queen Levingston of Provo, Utah; Alger Ray Cornum of Salt Lake, Utah; and Dixie Colleen Edwards of Palatine, Illinois; 25 grandchildren, 97 great-grandchildren, and 65 great-great-grandchildren; one brother and one sister: Edith Parkinson of Young, Arizona; and Evart Cornum of Denver, Colorado. He was preceded in death by one son, Lynn Sidney Cornum, and two great-grandchildren: Shad Liddiard and Lois Llewellyn. “Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 28, 1995 at 11 a.m. at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Provo. Friends may call at the Mortuary Monday evening from 6-8 p.m. or Tuesday morning one hour prior to services. Interment will be in the East Lawn Memorial Hills.” Musical selection by the great-grandchildren and the great-great-grandchildren, “I Am a Child of God,” accompanied by Sheryl Larson. Speaker Alger Cornum: “Last Saturday, I had breakfast with my four sisters, and we decided by a four to one vote that I would be the one to talk about some of the things that I remember about Dad and the family, but Martha and Phyllis and Colleen are going to help me. If my voice goes monotone, Martha’s going to give me a hand signal for to raise the pitch or to lower the pitch. She’s right over here on the side, so I have an eye on her. And Phyllis is over there, and if she can’t hear me she’s going to do this with her right ear, and if I’m too loud she’s going to cover the left ear, and if the talk gets so bad that I should just sit down, Colleen’s going to give me the signal by taking hold of the nose like this, so with all of that help how can I go wrong? “I remember many years ago that my brother-in-law, Fred Paulson, told me if something can’t be said in just a short time don’t bother to say it, so with that in mind I’ll share some of my memories of Dad. “When I was nine or ten years old, I got a job setting pins in the bowling alley in LaJara and Dad would pick me up every night after work and we would talk about the evening’s activities on the way home. I also remember working with him in the hay fields. I would guide the team of horses pulling the wagon and he would load the hay. I earned $.50 a day and remember saving $8 one summer and giving it to Mother to buy me some school clothes. “I really, really liked to go hunting and fishing with Dad, and before I was old enough to carry a gun he would go along, or I would go along and carry the ducks and pheasants and rabbits or whatever we could find. Incidentally, we weren’t just hunting for the sport of it, we were hunting for food. “Dad was a good shot with a gun and I remember one time when we were on a hunting trip and we were standing on a riverbank when two ducks come flying along the river. Dad raised his gun, waited until the ducks lined up and pulled the trigger and got both of them with just one shot. Needless to say, I was impressed very much. “One time we had a pheasant hunting trip planned, and we were living in the adobe house in town and I was so excited about going, I woke up early and after a while when Dad didn’t get up I went into his bedroom and he told me we had to cancel the trip. I don’t know why, but I remember shedding a tear and going back to bed, and that might give you an idea how much I enjoyed our hunting and fishing trips. “My sisters have always been very good to me and treated me like one of their own kids. I remember a time when Phyllis was tending me as best she could and we were in the car parked on the street in Alamosa on the desert doing a little shopping. I was about six years old and decided to go find Dad. Well, I got lost. I wandered down to the Alamosa River where a nice family took me into their home. After some tears and what seemed like a very long time, Dad showed up, and I can’t tell you how happy I was to have him carry me out of that house. Martha said that they found me because I had a little sack of candy and I’d spill a little bit as I’d go along. I don’t remember that part of it, but I do remember sharing my sack of candy with the kids in this house. “Phyllis and I took a wild ride with Dad one day when we lived on the ranch. He allowed the two of us to ride home in the back of an open trailer, and as we were riding along a dirt road the trailer came unhooked and Dad didn’t know and just drove on and when he got home Mother says, ‘Where are the kids?’ And Phyllis and I were thrown out of the trailer and landed in some soft mud alongside the road and by the time Dad returned we were walking home dirty with mud but none the worse for wear. “Throughout the years I learned a lot from Dad. Some of the little things that come to mind are: how to ride a horse, how to milk a cow, how to clean and cut up a chicken, how to catch and clean a fish, how to ride a bike and how to drive a car, how to shoot a gun, gun safety, and perhaps mine was better than his if Therese will agree to that, because Dad left a loaded gun in the house and she shot a hole through the kitchen floor. I remember that very well. I was in the bedroom and I was afraid to come out for about twenty minutes. He taught me how to chop wood and start a fire, how to plant a garden, and how to throw a bowling ball, and how to work, and how to play. “About a week ago, my daughter, Suzanne, her husband and her daughter and I came from Salt Lake to visit with Dad, and as we walked into the nursing home, the nurse was pushing Dad in the wheelchair. I slipped up from behind and continued pushing the chair and asked him if he knew who was wheeling him down the hall and he replied, “I think I recognize the voice.” His memory at ninety-nine was about as good as mine at sixty-seven. He took me to his room, or we took him to his room, and while we were visiting, my eighteen-month-old granddaughter started doing a little dance, and I looked over at Dad and he was doing the same little jig in the wheelchair. Then he put out his finger and Kayla took hold of it, and I was pleased because it appeared that he really, really enjoyed our visit. Even though he was having some discomfort, he never lost his sense of humor, and as we were leaving that day his parting words were, ‘See you later, alligator.’ “Dad loved kids and kids really loved him. He had the attitude (I have to take time out here once in a while and dry things out.), he had the personality to entertain both young and old. He would sing and recite those verses at parties, tour buses, and etcetera, and made a lot of friends as a result. He enjoyed life to the utmost and a lot of people benefited and enjoyed knowing him. “I’m going to play a poem and a song that Dad recorded. I don’t know where he got all his poems and songs, but I know where he got the song that you’re going to hear because Grandma sang it for me and for some of you many years ago. First we’ll hear the poem followed by the song ‘Johnny Samms.’ I should apologize for this inexpensive ghetto blaster. I hope that you’ll be able to hear back there. We’ll see what we have. (Tape played of Dad Sid reciting poem and song – indistinct on the funeral tape.) “Now I have a short poem for Dad: ‘Somewhere under a bluer sky In a higher realm than where eagles fly, In a land of beauty beyond our knowing, With trees, and flowers, and waters flowing, And mountains of an earthly grace, Our loving Lord has made a place. And one day through an open door We find that glorious evermore.’ “I’d like to close with this thought: ‘A dad holds your hand for just a little while, but he holds your heart forever.’” Musical selection sung by Dorothy Runyon, Carol Larson, and Graylon Wheeler, accompanied by Verne Hansen. Speaker Max Paulson: “At least Alger got a vote. I want to say that I was very honored when my mother asked me to speak in this service for Dad Sid, slightly confused, greatly confused because there are so many members in this family that are so much more practiced at public speaking, but you’re stuck with me. “As I contemplated what I was going to say, and especially last night as the time got closer, I thought it might be appropriate, rather than me saying anything, I singled out a few people in the audience and asked them to maybe give some of their memories of Dad Sid, because I’m sure that every one of them has their own unique and special memories, but I felt like I probably would not want to be on the receiving end of that request, so I have chosen not to do that. You can rest, Ken. Up to now, prior to starting this meeting, he says, ‘I wish this meeting was held in a chapel.’ He says, ‘I’ve come a long way and I would really like to hear you speak in church one time.’ Now this is going to be as good as it gets. Anyway, I do consider it an honor and I feel like I could probably just get up here and offer the closing prayer and we could go home, but I won’t do that. “Sidney Lysander Cornum, Daddy Sid, my grandfather. It is with great sadness, but also with much joy that I stand here today to talk about my grandfather. The sadness is obvious, for we have seen the passing of a great and wonderful man, one that was kind, loving, forgiving and generous at all times, true to his Father in Heaven. The joy comes with the knowledge that he is where he would want to be at this time, with his loved ones that have gone on before him, free of the restrictions that have been placed on him during his mortal existence, able to move freely without pain, to express himself as his keen mind would not always permit during the last few months of his life. He was blessed to enjoy a long life. One that was full of happiness, love, sacrifice, hard work, and especially gratefulness for all the blessings that God provided him well on this earth. “As I paused to reflect of the many memories I have of Dad Sid, I wondered again as I have many times previously, why do we call him ‘Daddy Sid?’ People here me talk about him and say ‘Daddy Sid’ and they look at me kind of funny, so I asked my mother and she told me, she said that it goes back many, many years ago when her mother was born and her mother’s mother passed away with a small baby and she was raised by her mother’s sister and husband, and out of respect for my grandmother’s mother they asked my grandmother to call them Mother Dolly and Daddy George. Because of this, it was my grandmother’s wish that we address them as Mama Queen and Daddy Sid, so for the rest of my talk I will speak of my grandfather as Daddy Sid, the way most of us know him. “My first recollection of Dad Sid was in 1947. My parents had decided to return to Utah from Portland, and we were able to stay with my grandparents until we found a place to live. I really didn’t get to know him very well at that time. However, my family moved to a home that was only six blocks away, and on many occasions we boys would ride our bikes to our grandparents’ house to spend time playing there. “I’ll never forget that Dad Sid had a drawer in the kitchen that was full of all kinds of odds and ends, including nuts and bolts, tape measures, hammers, nails, screw drivers, and balls of string, and about anything else you can imagine that they would throw in a drawer they didn’t know where else to put things. To a boy, that was nothing but a delight. What more could a seven-year-old boy need to keep him occupied for many hours of major construction? “At that time Dad Sid’s mother lived next door where he could help take care of her. A few years later, my brother, sister, and I had the opportunity to stay with her at night as she was alone and needed someone to keep her company. I’ll never forget her. She loved to play cards. She was the one that taught me to play Canasta. She also taught me a few choice words, especially after I learned the game and managed to win once in a while. This was but the beginning of the many opportunities that I was to have to be with and do for Dad Sid. “He had been selling Electrolux vacuum cleaners for many years, quite successfully I might add, and I think that he thought that I wasn’t amounting to much and that perhaps I would be interested in becoming a salesman. This particular trip, he loaded the car with seven new vacuums and a couple of used vacuums that he had taken in on trade and away we went headed for Sunnyside in East Carbon. We were gone for two days, knocking on doors, demonstrating vacuums, and for the most part making me wonder why anybody could make a living being a door-to-door salesman, but not only did he sell every vacuum that he took with us, but he also sold two trade-ins that he took in while we were there. One of those trade-ins bothered him so much that it was in the car as we were coming home. We stopped in a home just south of Provo there on the old highway going to Springville. He knew a lady there that needed a vacuum. We stopped and sold her the last trade-in that he had. Amazing man. “He also knew every home in town and what kind and how old the vacuum was in that home. He often told the story of one couple that couldn’t decide whether to buy or not. As the husband struggled with making a commitment, Dad Sid told him that he reminded him of another customer that needed a vacuum but also struggled with the decision to buy. The husband asked Dad Sid what the other customer had done. Dad Sid looked him in the eye and said that he finally did buy the new vacuum but it took him until two in the morning to make up his mind. At that point, the man told Dad Sid that he would buy the dang vacuum. He said he wasn’t going to sit there all night with Dad Sid like the other man had done. I can’t say that this story is true, but knowing Dad Sid I would bet that it is. “Most of my experiences with Dad Sid actually occurred later in my life after I was married. For some reason, Dad Sid had the misconception that I could do anything that he needed done. Aside from mowing his lawn for many years, always having to cut it late in the week so it looked good for Sunday, I also painted his basement utility room, repaired his cars, skirted the trailer house that he later moved into, built a porch for the trailer, did his income tax yearly, and somehow wrote a prenuptial agreement for him prior to his last marriage. I tried to tell him that I wasn’t qualified to do most of those things, but he wouldn’t be swayed. I think that he thought that I was saving him money and that made it okay. “Dad Sid had seen many hard years raising his family during the Depression and had taken every job that he could to provide for his family. I often heard it said that he probably has the first dime that he ever earned. I don’t believe this is true, but I’m sure that he remained frugal because of the many hard years that he had seen and that he had learned to sacrifice for those he loved. “Dad Sid was a simple man not driven by the need for grandeur and luxury. His needs were basic and practical. He knew that mankind could get caught up in the pretentiousness of possessions and glory and that this obsession often leads to their downfall. He chose instead to invest in his family’s needs and in his responsibilities to the church. He was forever faithful and true to his calling on this earth. “After the death of his second wife, Dad Sid started going to the senior citizen dances. Because these dances were in Orem, he would stop at my house each Saturday night for supper. During this time we talked about many things. I came to realize that he had led a very interesting life. He talked of many experiences, including the need to hunt for food for his family during the lean years, as Alger has mentioned. He was out climbing hills and hunting deer when many men much younger than him would quit because they were physically unable to do the things that he did. Many times he related the story of how he had shot a hawk in flight with only one shot, and I didn’t hear the duck story, but I did hear the one about the two rabbits with one shot. Some of the stories that he told me seemed to be a slight exaggeration, such as how he was the only one that the ladies at the senior citizen center liked to dance with. Or that he was the best kisser any of them knew. Or that when he was sick a few years back all of the nurses at the hospital wanted to care for him. “Once when we were rabbit hunting, he told me that he could get plenty of rabbits without firing a shot. I decided that was the time to call his bluff. That was a mistake. He proceeded to cut a length of barbwire, pushed it down the hole that a cottontail rabbit had run into, twisted the wire, causing the barbs to tangle in the rabbit’s fur, and dragged the rabbit out of its hole alive and squealing. I’ve never forgot that and I learned never to call his bluff again. “He also talked of his great prowess of bowling and shooting pool. He was a good bowler, averaging over a hundred and seventy during his good years, and bowling many games over two hundred even after he turned eighty. He was also a pretty fair golfer for his later years, not always hitting the ball very far, but always hitting it straight down the middle. “Dad Sid was strong. He would always have me feel his shoulders and arms and tell me he had gotten his strength when he was young and worked on a drilling crew. Right up until he passed away he always had a very firm grip and would delight in showing me how strong he was. “Dad Sid was full of life. Many a time at the family camps he would be the first to rise in the morning. After he was dressed, he would go around letting out the loudest war whoop that I have ever heard, waking everyone. I think that this was his way of saying that we kept him awake at night with our fun and now it was his turn to keep us awake. “One time he attended church while I was blessing one of my children. Right after the blessing when I held the baby up for all to see, he yelled out loud and clear, ‘That’s my grandson!’ “I always remember taking him to the bank. As we were leaving the parking lot, we had to wait while a young couple crossed in front of the car. I don’t know what prompted him, but he reached over, tooted the horn, and when they looked around wondering what was going on, he immediately stuck out his false teeth at them. I think he delighted in causing me embarrassment at times. “As you all know, Dad Sid was very famous for his many songs and poems. It was amazing to me that he could remember so many. He and Wally often took the bus to Wendover with the senior citizens. He loved to entertain them all the way there and back with his many poems. His favorite song during his later years was ‘Strawberry Roan.’ On his last birthday in January, he sang the whole song once again even though he really didn’t feel that well. He also would sing his songs and poems and occasionally let out his whoops at the Eldred Center when he was down there for lunch, much to the concern of my mother, but he seemed to enjoy that. “Dad Sid was a great man. He was patient, tolerant, kind, and generous. I can honestly say that I never heard him say anything bad of anyone. He rarely if ever cursed. He loved his family and spent many of his years providing a home for his mother, his brother-in-law, and his son’s family. That example came to play a part in his later years. I know that if he were here today that he would be eternally grateful to his family and especially to my mother and to Phyllis for the many hours that they have sacrificed in his behalf. They have set a standard that will be hard to meet in their devotion and dedication to their father. In his behalf, and also to the family, I want to publicly thank them for the example that they have set and the sacrifices that they have made to make his last years more comfortable. Thank you. “Dad Sid has a posterity that few men can boast of. As the obituary stated, he had a hundred and ninety-six descendants including his wife and children, of which only five have preceded him in death. Most of his descendants are following his example and are active in the church. There have been over thirty of them that have served on missions. Many have served in bishoprics, some in the stake presidency. One has served as a regional representative. What a testimony to the life of one man! He has much to be proud of. “In recent years, my brother, Mart, asked Dad Sid what message would he like to give to his descendants. Very quickly he said, ‘I would ask them to pay their tithing and keep the commandments.’ How much like his own life. “Not too long ago, I’d say about four months, I had an opportunity to take Dad Sid for a ride when he was down at the family retirement center and, for lack of knowing where to go, we took a ride over to the American Fork Temple when they were just starting the construction. In fact, I think the holes had just barely been dug. For some reason, that seemed to leave an impression on his mind and in the last few months he expressed a desire to donate a considerable sum to the building of the American Fork Temple. I have been told that this has been done. “While he was living at the family retirement center there were many times that he felt very sad, depressed, probably not too happy being in the place. He once said that he kneeled down and prayed about this situation and he was told as plain as I’m speaking to you now that ‘You’re in the best possible place you can be at this time.’ He often said that he talked to God every day. “As we’ve mentioned, Alger and I both, Dad Sid had many, many poems and stories to tell. I don’t know the authors of all of his poems, but I would like to share a couple with you. One of the poems that he recited, not often, but it was one that had meaning to me goes like this: ‘God does not promise skies always blue, Flower strewn pathways all our lives through. God does not promise sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, or peace without pain, But God has promised strength for the day, Rest for the laborer and light for the way, Grace for the trials and help from above With unfailing sympathy and undying love. So help us, O God, to realize The great atoning sacrifice, The gift of thy Beloved Son, The Prince of Life, the Holy One.’ “This says so much for what Dad Sid believed in. He was ever faithful and true to his beliefs. He set an example that if all were to follow would bring peace and joy to a much troubled world. I want to share one more of Dad Sid’s poems with you. It goes like this: ‘My hair is white and I’m almost blind, The days of my youth are far behind. My neck is stiff, can’t turn my head. I can’t hear half of what’s being said. My legs are wobbly and I can hardly walk, But, glory be, I still can talk! And this is the message I’d have you get, I’m still kicking and I’m not dead yet. My teeth are gone and my dentures new. They wobble about when I try to chew. I lost my tonsils long ago So now my voice is harsh and low. My memory is gone, no good at all. There’s so many things I can’t recall. My muscles ache when the weather is wet, But I’m still kicking and I’m not dead yet. My joints are stiff and won’t move in their sockets And nary a dime is left in my pockets. Everybody says I’m a total wreck. To tell the truth I look like heck, But I’m still having lots of fun, My heart in joy is overrun. I have many friends so kind and sweet And many more that I’ve yet to meet, For this is a wonderful world of ours Shade and sunshine and beautiful flowers, So you just take it from me, you bet, I’m still going and I’m not dead yet. I have corns on my toes and ingrown nails And do they hurt dear language fails. If I told all my troubles it’d take too long And if I tried you’d surely give me the gong. I go to church and Sunday School, too, For I love that story which is ever new And when I come to the end of the row I hope to my heavenly home I will go, And when I leave this house of clay If you listen closely you might hear me say I’ve done a lot of things that I still regret, But I’m just passing by and I’m not dead yet.’ “I believe this to be true. Dad Sid is just passed through, but he will live forever, not only in his eternal glory, but also in the hearts and minds of each of us who have had the privilege of sharing a part of his life here on earth. “During Dad Sid’s last days when he was at the convalescent center, he turned to a picture of Christ that was hung on the wall. I would like to show you that picture. I’m sure many of you that visited him there had an opportunity to see it. This was an important picture to him at the time. If you see there on top of the picture, it says, ‘You are never alone.’ He made a point of pointing to the Savior and made a statement that, ‘He is all I need now.’ In that picture in bold words was the message ‘You are never alone.’ I’m sure Dad Sid could read that. “The picture referred to chapter fourteen in the book of John where Jesus is speaking of the many mansions in His father’s house. I would like to read from that chapter if I may. In verses one through six it reads: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ “I know that Daddy Sid knew Jesus Christ. In versus fifteen through eighteen it says, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ ‘I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.’ What a marvelous promise! I can testify to you that that Comforter did come to Dad Sid and that Dad Sid is going to inherit his mansion, that he will share that mansion with his beloved, that he is even now helping to prepare a way for each of us to join him. “I love that man. He was the only grandfather that I ever knew, and he set an example for me that will be a struggle for me to meet. I pray that we may all strive to continue on the path that he and our Father in Heaven has set for us. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Musical selection by the great-grandchildren, “How Great Thou Art,” accompanied by Verne Hansen. Remarks by Bishop Sidney C. Paulson: “I wonder how many of us wish that were us, ourselves, over there and could look up and see that great heritage that’s left. “Before I conclude with some remarks, I would like to announce the rest of the service. Following my remarks, Gary Cornum, a grandson, will offer the benediction. We will then proceed to the East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery at 4800 North 650 East in Provo, for the interment will be there, and dedication will be offered by Mart Paulson, a grandson. Following interment, there will be a family dinner at the Timpanogos Park 6th Ward in Orem, Utah, and that is at 935 North 300 East. Since you don’t have your pens and pencils with you, just follow us from the cemetery. It’s there in Orem. It’s not very far from where we are, a few miles. The pallbearers, all grandsons, are Fred Paulson, Jr., Max Paulson, Sid Paulson, Scott Paulson, Robert Brady, Mark Levingston, Steve Levingston, Randy Levingston, Gary Cornum, and David Edwards. “I believe that we have been richly blessed by being here today. Little did Alger know that last night when his sisters were all at the Brick Oven, Colleen was telling me all the things that she was going to do in case he didn’t do exactly what she thought he should. She was going to make all these signs. I looked over during the time that he was speaking and she was quite quiet, and I told her last night if I saw her making any signs since I had the last opportunity I would be sure and invite her to speak, so little did he know he was doing just fine, but she wasn’t going to do that anyway. (Indistinct comment from Alger.) He asked how come he didn’t get invited to eat because he was hungry, and as I was looking through this service and arrangements, it was very clear who had the votes in this. The sisters obviously are sitting and enjoying this and haven’t been called to speak, and I know that Colleen may have been nervous a little bit, but, Colleen, I don’t think I am going to ask you to speak. Anyway, it’s been great to be here. “What a heritage! I appreciate the privilege of offering a few remarks. This is a solemn, but it’s a wonderful day and it’s a wonderful occasion. I say wonderful because it would just be a great thing, first of all, to live to ninety-nine, but to live the rich and full life that Daddy Sid did, what a great blessing and what a great blessing to members of the family. You know I think about that, and I not long ago went through a physical and part of that physical exam was to do a family history at least a couple of generations back, and I want to share a little of that with you, particularly the great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, and even for those of you who are grandchildren that may not realize this, but when I started looking into this, it isn’t really a wonder to me why Daddy Sid lived so long. “In his immediate family of four boys and two girls, he had a brother that lived to age eighty-eight, a sister to age eighty-one, a brother to age seventy-five, a sister four months, Dad Sid at ninety-nine, and still has a sister living at ninety-seven and a brother living who will be ninety-one in May. His father died at what we would consider today an early age, at age sixty, although in that time the life expectancy certainly wasn’t age sixty. He was a diabetic, but it was interesting because Daddy Sid’s great-great-grandfather or his father who was age sixty, his grandfather, lived to eighty-nine years of age and that was from 1792 to 1982. Now that’s a long time when life expectancy certainly wasn’t beyond fifties, I don’t believe at that time. His mother lived to age ninety-five. Her father and mother lived to age ninety-one and ninety. They had thirteen children. Five lived from ninety to ninety-five, four to eighty-five to eighty-nine, two eighty to eighty-four. So out of thirteen, eleven of those thirteen lived to at least eighty years of age, and five to over ninety. One at fifty-nine and one at three months. There were two sets of twins in that family. So for the rest of the family, if you think you’re about ready to pass away from this life, give it another thought because you probably have a lot of years left if we’re fortunately enough to inherit those genes. “I, like those who have gone before me, have many fond memories of Daddy Sid and Mama Queen. I remember as that song “Johnny Samms” was playing, me listening at an early age as I would go with my mother and father to the rest home where Daddy Sid’s mother, my Grandma Guymon, was and she would sing “Johnny Samms” and she would tap the edge of her chair as she’d sing it, and I thought as Alger played that which member of the family is going to continue that tradition on. I don’t know but maybe it’s Alger. We’re going to have him memorize “Johnny Samms” and sing it to us and then somebody else has got to pick it up because that’s a famous song for our family. Again many fond memories. “I think many of us who are fortunate enough to live in Orem and Provo remember our early childhood days, and it still goes on, but the family has become so large that we need to do some of our own things because we had over a hundred in my mother’s family there this Christmas, but those Christmas Eve parties that we used to have in our Mama Queen and Daddy Sid’s home over on, by 44 North 4th East, somewhere like that, and it was full, but I think Mart still has pictures and slides of those days when we would gather in their home and have those great Christmas Eve parties, and that Santa Claus’s son is now our Santa Claus at our parties and knows our family well. “Later on I would stop there to eat my lunch that my mother would kindly fix for me before going to BYU and I would work at Sears in the afternoon and I would stop always at my Daddy Sid’s and Mama Queen’s and eat my lunch and I can’t, I’ll never forget those times because it was just a treat to stop and Daddy Sid was usually gone, but I’d have an opportunity to talk with Mama Queen and look forward to the time when she would invite us over for flapjacks. I’ll never forget her stretching that bread out after it dries and she’s poking a couple of holes in it and put it in the oil and have the syrup on it. It was really great. And how could I forget the few times that Daddy Sid was there, that Mama Queen would fix the roast, and some of you may have seen this before and I still can’t hardly believe this, but like most of us that have a roast today, those who still eat beef, they’d cut the fat off and we’d throw it away, obviously. Not Daddy Sid, I mean he’d just put it on a piece of bread and butter, fold it over and eat the whole thing. I’m sure it was cholesterol free. But it’s just what amazed me, I mean maybe he lived so long because his pipes were so well greased, I don’t know. Wow, I mean I just still think of that and it’s still unbelievable how he did that. “And I know that he must have been a good shot. I heard that before about his ducks and about the rabbits, but he not only was a good shot with the gun but I remember a few times playing golf with Daddy Sid, and he loved to golf, and we were down at the Provo Golf Course, and they have a lot of those little prairie dogs, and I think Max may have been with us, I don’t remember if you were or not, but they’d pop out of their hole, a little head kind of like goes in the things where you hit them with the hammer, and it looked up and Daddy Sid said ‘Watch this’ and he took a golf ball, and wham right on the head, right down in its hole, it was done. He was a good shot. “I remember many times over at their home and he’d be repairing his vacuums, putting a new belt in or something, getting them ready to sell, and going down to the basement, getting the tools, and Uncle Bruiser (Oren) sleeping in the basement. “I’ll never forget the couch either. My, that was a famous place! Those of you who like to couch, and I have at least one in my family that does, they inherit this from Daddy Sid. He loved the couch. I think he loved it because Mama Queen would always get him up at least six a.m. and he was threatened that she would make the bed right over him if he didn’t get out of there, so he just found his way from that bedroom in to the couch. We are left with a rich heritage. “Daddy Sid was a banker. I don’t know how many of you know that, but those of us who got our first loan from Daddy Sid made our monthly payments. Remember Daddy Sid as a banker? “He was active in the church as has been expressed. He was a high priest, and he active and would attend regularly even in the rest home with my mother and those that would go and attend with him. “He supported his family with hard work. It is hard work to be a farmer, and I’m not sure because I’m a salesperson how hard it is to be that, but he was a great salesperson, selling over one hundred vacuums, and I believe that was with Electrolux wasn’t it, Alger? But he did that one month; over a hundred. When you consider twenty-two working days at the most, that’s a lot of vacuums every day. A lot. So those of you who want to be a salesperson, you’ll probably be blessed with that from your Daddy Sid. “He loved to read his favorite poems and recite them, and I’ll never forget almost every time we went to visit him he would recite ‘Strawberry Roan’ and he would tell us exactly how many minutes it took and he said that he used to do that in his mind because he didn’t have a watch and he’d know how long it would be because of how long it would take him to recite ‘Strawberry Roan’ to himself. Yet he had a great mind right till the end. “Just a few weeks ago, it was a week or so, I think, Bill before you went to Louisiana, but Bill was there and I stopped in to see Daddy Sid, and he wasn’t feeling the greatest, I can say that, but as soon as Bill started talking about Louisiana, Daddy Sid started telling about the chicken they’d pile on the plates, and I mean in every detail, didn’t he Bill, it was unbelievable how that even though he wasn’t feeling very well his mind was still superb, and I think of the good health that he had and know we might have it. “He would only really wear his glasses sometimes when he’d do his crosswords or his fill-in-the-blanks or his circle the words, and he didn’t have a hearing aid and yet he still heard us. What great health and what a great blessing to have that. “Most of all he left us as family members a rich heritage in the way he lived his life. Now late in December, I attended my aunt’s funeral, and shortly after that one of the people in my ward passed away who I had been a home teacher to and who I had known for a long time, he was in his nineties, and it gave me a chance because they were so close together to reflect about funerals, and I conducted that funeral and I thought, you know, there’s some things about funerals that I really like and I said at that time, you know, it would be nice if within our lives we had an opportunity to attend funerals regularly, and little did I know at that time, and I certainly hope it doesn’t continue on, but every two weeks I’d have a funeral to go to. But I can’t help but reflect upon that time and think about funerals and the reason that I enjoy them, and I think about attendance at funerals, and it usually causes deep reflection to our own lives and to somebody else’s life, first and subsequently, we can’t help but think about our own and could we measure up to that person who’s passed on, and could we take those good qualities and could we live them. Or we say to ourself, I wonder if they could say that about me when I die. “Some other reasons that I like funerals: One, another one is that usually nothing but good is said about the individual. Number two, there is a rich outpouring of love by family and friends. Three, it causes family members to gather from long distances and reflect on their good times together. “Isn’t it interesting that we have to have weddings and funerals in order for us to make sacrifices to make airplane tickets and so forth to come together and enjoy the good times together as family. I don’t know why it is that a funeral causes us to stop from everything we’re doing. It doesn’t matter about the produce at Albertson’s or the health clients at IHC or that the people are going to go on strike maybe tonight at Geneva. It really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter the airplanes are still flying, the insurance is still being sold, and produce is still there, but we’re here and we stop everything we’re doing and those things continue to go on, and the reason we stop is because there is something more important in our lives and that’s the life of another individual. I wonder how it would be if we didn’t have to have funerals for that to happen. And finally, it causes reflection in our own life. I can’t help but think that I have been made better by all of the funerals that I have attended, and collectively, hopefully, I’ve found something in each of those as I’ve tried to live my own life better for the life of someone else has lived. Maybe if we attended more funerals more often we would be kinder, more loving, more soft-spoken, more gentle, and thus more receptive of the Spirit, enabling us to not only to receive the whisperings of the Spirit but to interpret them and obey them. “As I close, I would like to share just a few thoughts from some others regarding life and regarding death and the resurrection. First of all from a couple of people who really weren’t members of the Church, but I think what they had to say was something that was priceless to me. “From Harry Emerson Fosdick: ‘I am sure that some of you who think yourselves very modern, nonchalant about death and what lies after it, may someday run abruptly into an experience which will shake you to the depths. Somebody whom you love, the most priceless soul it may be you have ever loved, will die and you will find that you cannot say that you are not interested, do not care, and that it makes no difference to you what lies beyond death for that personality.’ “From Dr. Arthur Compton, the 1928 Nobel Prize winner in physics. He said, ‘No reason remains for supposing the soul dies with the body. We scientists find strong reasons for believing that man is of extraordinary importance in the cosmic scheme. It takes a lifetime to build the character of a noble man. The exercise and discipline of youth, the struggles and failures of maturity, the loneliness and tranquility of age; these make the fire through which he must pass to bring out the pure gold of his soul. Having been thus perfected what shall nature do with him? Annihilate him? What infinite waste as long as there is in heaven a god of love there must be for God’s children everlasting life.’ “From Norman Macleod: ‘We picture death as coming to destroy Let us rather picture Christ as coming to save, We think of death as ending, Let us rather think of life as beginning And that more abundantly. We think of losing, Let us think of gaining. We think of parting, Let us think of meeting. We think of going away, Let us think of arriving. And as the voice of death whispers, ‘You must go from earth,’ Let us hear the voice of Christ saying, ‘You are but coming to me.’ “I couldn’t help but think of that and my reading of that when these young people came to sing, and I thought how this room might be if we were all dressed in white and we were on the other side and how big that group must be that is there to welcome our Daddy Sid as he passed from this existence. “Brigham Young had this to say: ‘We shall turn around and look upon it, the valley of death, and think when we have crossed it, Why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence! For I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free. I thirst no more. I want to sleep no more. I hunger no more. I tire no more. I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, what ever is required of me, nothing like pain or weariness. I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my Heavenly Father.’ “May I read from Second Nephi, chapter nine, the words of Jacob to the Nephites regarding the resurrection and the promise that we have that we might when we leave this life join our Daddy Sid again. ‘O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave. And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel. O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect’ (2 Nephi 9:10-13). “May I conclude with these words from the New Testament. Max said part of them. What great comfort these give us as members of the church having great faith and hope and testimony that God lives and that Daddy Sid lives yet. He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’ (John 14:27). ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know’ (John 14:2-4). ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you’ (John 14:17). “My peace I leave with you and my peace I give unto you and I leave my testimony with you that I know that God lives, that we, as surely as we are sitting in this room today, will be resurrected and be reunited because we have a kind Father in Heaven who gave the gift to us of His Son and was resurrected that we might also be resurrected, and as spoken by Jacob to the Nephites, that we might join that physical body with the spirit, that we might once again be together and be with our God, He who created our spirit, and I leave that testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Benediction by Gary Cornum, a grandson: “Our kind Heavenly Father, we’re so grateful we’ve had this time together today to have a moment to reflect. We’re grateful for the life of Daddy Sid, for the great example that he set for us. We’re grateful for the words that have been said, and for the Spirit that we’ve felt, and we’re grateful to be counted among his posterity, and we’re grateful for the profound effect that he’s had upon our lives. We’re grateful for the atoning sacrifice of thy Son, for the gift of the resurrection, and we’re grateful that we will have the opportunity to overcome spiritual death and enter into thy presence. We ask thee to please bless those that have traveled as they return to their homes and, Father, please help us to remember that this is our eternal family and how grateful we are to be counted among those members. These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” Bishop Sidney C. Paulson: “Would everyone please stand and the pallbearers come forward. They’re here already.” (At the cemetery.) Bishop Sidney C. Paulson: “This is a beautiful day. The rain stopped, the sun is out. Mart Paulson will pronounce the dedication on the grave, and this will conclude the service. Remember there will be food at the Timpanogos 6th Ward following things.” Dedicatory prayer by Mart Paulson: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. We, the posterity and friends of Sidney L. Cornum, are gathered here today in our final prayer prior to his burial, and we thank Thee, Father, for the life of this great man, the example that he has been to us. We’re so thankful for our health and strength, the things that have been taught to us from these great parents. “Now, we’re so grateful to be family members, and appreciate the Spirit which has touched us this day, helping us to understand the meaning of mortality, and to celebrate Daddy Sid’s birth. We also rejoice in his birth into the spirit world where he has joined with many others of our family. “And so we gather together in this dedication, and by authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood I dedicate and consecrate this burial plot as the resting place for the body of Sidney Lysander Cornum. We join together and ask thee to make it a hallowed place, a place where it will be protected until the morning of the resurrection. “Help us, Heavenly Father, to come here and recognize the sacredness of it and to evaluate and ponder over the life of Daddy Sid, remembering always his living testimony of thy Son, Jesus Christ, and his instruction to us to keep the commandments. Help us to reflect upon our own lives that we may improve, that we may learn and go forward and be heirs of the eternal opportunities which are ours, and the great example that this great patriarch has given to us. May we live our lives in goodness and in peace and in joy and in service to each other, I so dedicate and consecrate this ground to this end in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”