MY BROTHER'S 60th BIRTHDAY--October 11, 2011

Today is my brother Jerry's 60th Birthday and this post is a special tribute to him.

Jerry is two years younger than me.  He was the first grandson born to Lester and Hattie Rigby after about eight granddaughters.  What a happy day in the Rigby Family!  

He was adored by everyone, especially his sisters!

Okay. Okay.  I know at this point you're thinking, except for Joyce who used to tease you a lot!  I'm sorry about that but you were just so adorable and fun to tease!

Then along came Blair about two years later.

They have been the best friend to each other a brother could ever have!  Jerry was true to Blair and never left him out even when Jerry had his friends around.  Now, that is loyalty!

Jerry was all boy even with three older sisters.  This is a picture of Jerry's shetland pony, Lucky--such a classic pic!  Anyway, we will all remember the day Dad brought home the pony.  We were at our Uncle Harold's home which was surrounded by potato fields.  Jerry got on that pony, and Lucky took off like a lightening strike, jumping and bucking across those rows of potatoes with Jerry landing in the dirt.  That didn't deter Jerry, however.  He rode Lucky many, many times after that.

 Dad and Jerry have always had a special father-son relationship.  In fact, Jerry has practiced law with my father for about 35 years.   In the past few years, Dad has really depended upon Jerry.

We celebrated many birthdays together; Mother always made sure that we felt special on those days.  We all wish she could still be here to celebrate all of the events happening in our lives, the lives of our children and grandchildren, but know that she is close by!  She set the example and we know what to do.

In those growing-up days, we had many days of fun together.  We didn't have a lot of toys (nobody did) but just made our own entertainment.  In the cold Idaho winters with lots of snow, we still played outside making snowmen, igloos and skating on the frozen canal behind our house, using snow shovels first to move off the snow.  One year the field down from the canal was flooded, and we had our own skating rink.  We thought we were in heaven.

Our father loved to travel.  We had some wonderful, memorable trips together as a family.  Dad has made travelers out of all of us.  This is a picture of us kids in Sun Valley, a trip we have taken almost every year to this day.  It has become our Ray and Lola Rigby family reunion.

While we were growing up, we lived in the country and for quite a few years had a highway in front of our house that was not paved.  We all loved riding bikes but for many years just had one bicycle.  If we wanted to ride together, we asked Mike Morris across the street if we could borrow his.  So, when we were in Sun Valley, we would go to this little bike shop and rent bikes so that for the first time in our childhood lives ride at the same time.  We just had the greatest time!

I know that you're not in this picture, Jerry, but the story of the old chicken coop behind our house is a classic.   

Another childhood past time for us was building a house out of blankets and clothes pins on the clothes line behind our home.  One day the girls were playing in the "blanket house" and Jerry had a couple of friends over (probably Mike and Ralph).  They decided that they would play Indians.  They were in the chicken coop and started whooping and hollering like Indians on the attack.  The girls just thought that we were being attacked by Indians.  However, what we didn't realize was that the boys had disturbed a bee's nest and were being followed and stung by the bees!

Jerry was always a lot of fun and always on the go.  At our family meals, he was the first one done eating so that he could get on with his day. 

Another fun trip we would take yearly was a trip to Island Park for the Lester and Hattie Family Reunion.  Our Great Uncle Harlo and Aunt Ess had a cabin right on the river and would let us stay there.  We were very close to our Rigby cousins and looked forward to that event each summer.

Dad also loved to take us to Yellowstone Park each year where we see and count around 30 bears while making the drive through the park.  The bears would get fed by the tourists and so they would come right up to our cars.   

We would also go to Yellowstone Lake, rent a boat and go fishing.  Later, when we were older and after Dad bought a boat, we would actually camp on an island on the lake and troll for fish--great memories!!!

 We took many trips to Disneyland and...

 Tijuana!

I could go on and on about memories with our family and with you, Jerry!  You have been a wonderful brother and friend.  I'll always remember our days at BYU together.  You haven't changed much--maybe a mustache or two...

I'm being sincere when I say this:  You have been a brother to be proud of with such a likable personality, never thinking of yourself--just others, working hard at your successful career, being a stalwart and faithful member of the church and a devoted husband and father, and on and on!  

Have a wonderful 60th birthday!  You certainly deserve it!

We love you dearly, Doug and Joyce