Written by their daughter Rocena Platt Chidester November 1976
Walter Lysle Platt was born 5 November 1900 at Kanarraville, Iron, Utah, to John William Platt and Mary Wilhelmina Perry. He was the fourth child. The other children were William Grant, Rulon Berry, John Elton, Jay Clair, Mary Rebecca, Minnie, Leila, Melvina, Verna, Vernon (twins), and Ralph Browning. Lysle spent all of his life in Kanarraville.
Lysle had long ringlets up until the time he started school.
As a boy he learned to work and he worked hard all of his life. He helped his Dad farm. He herded cows all day. He hauled wood and did chores from the time he was big enough to do them.
He played in the grain bins and rode calves. They had to make their own fun. They were always thinking up something to do. He used to have a bob sled. They would load the sled with kids and run the horse until it almost dropped.
Lysle played marbles all the time. He would win and sell the marbles and buy is own clothes. His Dad said he worse all of his pants our playing marbles so he wouldn’t buy any more. He had Inflammatory Rheumatism from playing marbles in the mud and snow so much.
His mother aid he made a threshing machine out of her sewing machine when he was a little boy.
Lysle went through the ninth grade in Kanarraville. He couldn’t afford to go to Cedar City to High School.
When he was nineteen years old he had the flu and nearly died. He lost all of his hair. He didn’t have any hair anywhere on his body. He must have grew it back because he always had a lot of hair, even when he died.
Lysle was always active in the church when he was young.
Lysle married Alice Campbell 10 November 1922 at Kanarraville, Utah in his parents front room.
Alice was the daughter of Lewis Ezekiel Campbell and Mary Amelia Isom. She was born 7 February 1903 at Tropic, Garfield, Utah. She was the fourth child. Other children were Reeta Iantha, Lewis Irwin, Edith Alene, Kate Golda, Maurine Ianthus, Ianta (twins), Marcus, Virginia and Florence. Alice weighed three pounds when she was born. That night she had twenty-one convulsions. She wasn’t expected to live so they blessed her that night. Two weeks later they took her to church and had her blessed again.
When Alice was three years the family moved to Virgin, Washington, Utah. When sh was about eight they moved to Hurricane, Washington, Utah. This is wehre Alice spent her girlhood.
Alice went to the eight grade twice because they didn’t have a ninth grade in Hurricane. She didn’t go to High School because she couldn’t afford to go to St George.
When Alice was seven years old, she had Inflammatory Rheumatism and she couldn’t stand anyone to touch her.
When she was a girl, Alice like dto play marbles.
She started to work for people when she was sixteen. She ws nineteen when she married Lysle.
Alice’s parents died in Hurricane. Lewis Ezekiel Campbell died 24 july 1936 and Mary Amelia Isom Campbell died 12 March 1929.
Lysle’s parents died in Kanarraville. John William Platt died 11 March 1943 and Mary Wilhelmina Berry Platt died 6 July 1960.
Lysle and Alice spent their married life in Kanarraville.
After they had been married a few years, Alice had lock jaw caused from a tooth. The Doctor had to pry her mouth open with boards. They had to remove her jaw bone on one side. For months all she could eat was liquids, something she could sip through her teeth.
Lysle had speep of his own before the Depression. He had to sell them.
He worked on the W. P. A. during the depression. He then wored at the Iron Mines west of Cedar City, worked in different coal mines and herded sheep for different people. He finally started to farm a little land. Alice worked right along beside him in the fields. Everything they did they did together. They always had to work hard for everything they had.
Lysle started to add on to their house abuot 1953. Alice worked right along beside him.
One thing Lysle and Alice taught their children was how to work and be honest.
Lysle and Alice had eleven children, eight of whom are still living. The children are as follows: Golda, Elmo W, Calone, Mary Lyle, Rocena, Olga, John Lewis, Phyllis, Ruth, Walter C and Alice. To this date, they have twenty grandchildren and two great grandchildren and two on the way.
Calone and Walter C died as babies.
Elmo W was drafted into the service at the age of eighteen during the Second World War. He was so proud to have been able to get into the Marines. He left 27 December 1943. He was from Cedar City to San Diego, California where he took his basic training. He went to Camp Pendelton, California where he shipped out. He never got a chance to come home after he was inducted into the Marines. He had to stay in San Diego for special training and then he was sent over seas. He was in the Third Marine Division.
Elmo was killed by a Japanese mortar shell, 1 March 1945 on Iwo Jima, an island in the Pacific. The news of his death nearly killed Lysle and Alice. His body was shipped home 3 November 1948 and was buried in the Kanarraville cemetery 4 November 1948.
Golda married Eugene Michel, 11 July 1953. They have three children, John Elmo, William Eugene and Terri Marie. Terri Marie married Larry D. Finley, 9 July 1976.
Mary Lyle married Mosdell Paul Judd, 3 July 1947. They have four children, Paula, Kathryn, Lyle C, and Chris P. Paula married Richar Marion Walker, 27 November 1968. They have two daughters, Kristine and Wendy. Richard served a mission for the church in Germany.
Rocena married Arnon Reeve Chidester, 21 June 1950. They have two sons, Randall P and Dennis Lynn. Randall married Sandra Gay Gines, 28 February 1976. Randall served a mission for the church in California.
Olga married Jack Christensen, 17 March 1956. They have four sons, Lon Duane, WAlter Kirk, Kevin Jack and Don I.
John Lewis married Dixie Wilene Williams, 16 May 1958. They have three sons, John Cory, Jeffery Lewis, and Richard Lynn.
Phyllis married Ernest Richart Atwood, 25 May 1957. They have one son, Mitchell Wade.
Ruth married Douglas Blaine Hash, 27 August 1963. They have two daughters, Nancy Sue and Rocena Kim.
Alice married Jack Trigg, 6 June 1973. They have one daughter, Linda Kae.
The last few years of their lives, Lysle and Alice were not very well. Where one went, you would see the other.
Alice died 31 March 1969 in Cedar City, Iron, Utah at the age of 66. Lysle was really lost without her. He died 24 April 1973 in Kearns, Salt Lake, Utah at the age of 72. They were both buried in the Kanarraville Cemetery.
Lysle spent many days and hours on the Welfare farm of the church. He worked in the M. I. A. and was a Home Teacher. He was the janitor of the church for a few years.
Alice was in the Primary Presidency, M. I. A. Secretary, Relief Society Visiting Teacher and Secretary of the Relief Society for a number of years.
Lysle was the Sheriff of Kanarraville at one time. He was a Town Board member and also the Town President.