The Life of Pauly Gabaldon Brown

Edited by Lilly Sue Brown Bond,
His daughter

 

 

I, Pauly Gabaldón Brown, am the third child of Orson Pratt Brown and Angela Gabaldón.  I was born January 29, 1924 in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México. 

Early Childhood Experiences in Mexico 

When I was about three years old my family moved from Ciudad Juárez to Colonia Dublán.  I can say proudly, as Nephi of old, that I was born of goodly parents to whom I am eternally thankful.  I was blessed and given a name on February 19, 1924 by Trenial Pauly, who was a very good friend of my father and being that he had no family of his own, my Dad named me after him. 

My immediate family is composed of four boys and two girls: Silvestre Gustavo, Bertha, Pauly, Saul Aron, Mary and Heber Jediah.  Heber Jediah, our baby brother, died the day he was born.  Our cousin, Martha, was reared in our home as our own sister and took our name.

Our home in Colonia Dublán was a three-bedroom red brick house with no running water.  Some of my chores were to milk the cows and to feed the pigs, chickens, calves etc.  Also, it was my job to make sure that all the gates and doors to the chicken coops and the granary were locked and secured for the night.  I liked to stay and help Mother gather the dishes after supper.  She would tell me stories until I would fall asleep, then she would pick me up and put me in bed.

 Early Church Experiences 

I was brought up as a Mormon.  My father was a bishop and my mother was a new convert. Father and Mother saw to it that we attended our meetings and exhorted us to be good examples to other kids.  We attended the Dublán Mexican Branch and would walk about three miles to different meetings.  Sometimes we would ride the buggy to Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting.  When we got home, Dad always made sure we fed the horses, cows and other livestock before we ate.

We held Family Night and I recall the home teachers coming to visit us.  We all left what we were doing and came in the parlor to listen to the message.  Keeping the Sabbath day was strictly taught in our home.  We had daily family prayer and often had personal interviews with Dad. I was very devoted to my priesthood assignments which included taking sufficient wood to church for the wood heaters, filling the baptismal font by hand, collecting fast offerings.  It took most of the day on the Saturday before Fast Day to gather the fast offerings because back then people gave fast offerings in kind.  We collected whatever the saints had, for example: corn, flour, wheat, beans, eggs, potatoes, cattle, hogs, grains etc.

 Dad always taught us not to discriminate but to try and lift others out of their state of ignorance. Father worked very hard to get equal education for the poor and disadvantaged.  He felt that we would have better relationships with the Mexican government and the natives if we would permit non-members who kept the standards of the Church to attend our church schools. 

Jr. High and High School Experiences 

When I was about sixteen I was 5'8" and weighed about 140 lbs.  I enjoyed good health and never had a tooth pulled.  When I was eighteen I had my appendix taken out.  About this time I found out I needed glasses.  I liked plain clothes and enjoyed playing the harmonica and the guitar.  My best experiences were attending youth dances and parties. I attended the church high school, Juárez Stake Academy, also known as J.S.A., in Colonia Juárez.  J.S.A. was a well-built brick building with large classrooms and we would ride the bus about twenty miles to Colonia Juárez every day. When I was about seventeen, I dropped out of school to help Father on the farm while Gus was on a mission in Mexico City.

 Social Life as a Teenager

 My interest in the opposite sex developed early in my teens and even though I was a bit bashful, I was always one of the first ones on the dance floor.  My dates were usually in groups since my parents were very strict.  I had to be home by midnight or the door would be locked.  The Brown's and the González's were good friends and we always invited each other to birthday parties etc.  I liked their daughter, Lilia, although I always called her Lily.  She had a boyfriend so I didn't want to interfere until I felt the coast was clear. 

Immigrating to the United States

 At age 18, I decided that I wanted to go to the United States and learn a trade.  I had worked two years in Nuevo Casas Grandes as a mechanic's helper in a small shop from 1939 to 1940.  In May of 1943, I immigrated to the U.S. and attended El Paso Technical School in El Paso, Texas.  I took courses in auto mechanics and welding for a year.  I registered with the El Paso Military Draft Board but I was never drafted because the company I was working for had deferred me because I was needed in the transportation industry.  I was interviewed to go on a mission by a General Authority and called by President Grant but the Draft Board wouldn't allow me to go because of the war. 

Our Courtship and Marriage

In May of 1945, Lily and I started to correspond by mail.  When Lily came to visit her Aunt Minnie and Uncle Andrés Gonzalez in El Paso we dated a few times and decided that we wanted to get married.  On August 19th, her birthday, I gave her an engagement ring.  Both our parents were in agreement and later we set the date for our marriage in June of 1946.  Due to my father's illness, he suggested that we get married in January because he felt he wouldn't be around by June.  He prophesied that he wouldn't live to see his next birthday.  Dad died the 12th of March in 1946 at the age of 82.  

Lily and I got married January 18, 1946 in the Arizona Temple.  My sister, Bertha, and her fiancé, Everardo Navas Molina, were also married on the same day.  My father-in-law, Manrique Gonzalez, and his wife were present but my parents were unable to attend because Dad was ill.  After the wedding ceremony in the temple, my Dad's 4th wife, Eliza Brown and my half sisters Gwen, Anna and Elizabeth gave us a beautiful reception.  We called her Aunt Eliza.  Everyone was very nice and we received many gifts.  We stayed at Aunt Eliza's that night and the next day we returned to El Paso by train.

 Early Married Life and Starting a Family

Our plans were to make our home in Phoenix, Arizona where I expected to find work with Fruehauf Trailer Co. We rented a little apartment on Fourth and McKinley.  After we settled down in Phoenix we kept ourselves busy in the Church helping out with welfare projects in the Ward.  In 1947, we returned to the colonies in Mexico after World War II.  I drilled water wells and farmed for my father-in-law.  It was hard work but a good experience.  At this time my wife was expecting our first baby.  Our first baby girl was born in Colonia Dublán on July 18, 1947.  We named her Ana Marina Brown.  We were struggling financially and so we decided to move back to El Paso where I had an opportunity to work for Fruehauf Trailer Company again.  Our first home was on 73 Dunne Blvd. in Central El Paso. Our next child was born March 14, 1949 in El Paso and we named him Orson Pauly Brown.  Orson after my father and Pauly after me.   Next, Richard was born on December 27, 1951.  Then we were blessed with a little baby girl whom we named Doris.  She was born on March 31, 1953, also in El Paso. Our last baby came six years later and we named her Lilly Sue Brown.  She was born November 7, 1959.  

Our Second Home and Serving in the Church

 In June of 1959, in anticipation of our last child, we moved to a new home on 7827 Basswood in East El Paso. We kept ourselves busy with our church callings.  My wife was called to be Relief Society President of the Spanish American Branch and I was called to be 1st Counselor in the Branch Presidency.  In 1952, Elder Spencer W. Kimball and Elder Harold B. Lee of the Counsel of the Twelve came to El Paso and organized the El Paso Stake.  I was ordained a High Priest by Elder Spencer W. Kimball and sustained as 1st Counselor in the 3rd Ward bishopric. When the Stake Center on 1212 Sumac was completed on May 14, 1961, we transferred our membership to Fourth Ward, being it was only a block away.  At the first service held in the new Stake Center, I was released from the 3rd Ward bishopric and I was sustained as an assistant in the Stake Sunday School.  I enjoyed being in charge of visiting the different Mexican branches throughout the Stake.  Later the Ysleta Branch was created and several couples were called out of the 4th Ward to help organize it.  I was called to be the 1st Counselor. We started out with about 80 people – many inactive but when we left 4 years later there were over 300 active members.  In November of 1967, I was called on a Stake Mission.  I enjoyed working with the regular missionaries and we worked Monday and Tuesday, my days off from work.

 Moving to Van Horn

On September 24, 1969, Western Gillette had a change of operations and moved to Van Horn, Texas.  I was laid off and started looking for a job. At this time, our son, Pauly, had been called on a mission to the Mexican Mission, later changed to the Mexico Mexico City Mission.  On November 5, 1969, one of the servicemen that went to Van Horn, moved back to work in the El Paso terminal leaving a vacancy.  I received a cablegram from Western Gillette with instructions to report to Van Horn.  We were glad to have a job again but had mixed feelings about having to move to a place we didn't know anything about.  The town was small with about 2,500 inhabitants.  It is located 125 miles east of El Paso.  This was our first move out of town.   Marina was married and living in Provo, Utah.  Pauly was on a mission in Mexico City, Doris and Richard were Seniors at Eastwood High School and Lilly was in 6th grade.  I moved to Van Horn and I left the family in El Paso until the school year ended and Richard and Doris had graduated.

Seeking the Church

 I immediately looked for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and contacted Bro. Larry James, the Branch President. There were only a few Mormon families living in Van Horn at the time and they were holding Sunday School in the James's home.  Many of the Branch members worked for a local mine and when it closed, they had to move.  Brother and Sister Long, Brother Jose Valdez and I were the only members left in Van Horn.  This left us unorganized and we had no place to worship.  After getting together with Bishop John Swanson of Pecos, Texas, he came down and organized us and installed me as President of the Dependent Sunday School.  The summer of 1971, I moved Mother and Lilly to Van Horn. Marina and her family lived in Provo, Utah.  Pauly and Richard stayed in our house in El Paso and Doris went to Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. 

Our Branch

 Right away I started to look for a place to meet.  I found an old Presbyterian Church and asked the minister if he would be willing to rent the church building to us when it wasn't in use. He said that we were welcome to use the church and that he was getting ready to retire and move away.   Later, we were made a Dependent Branch from the Pecos Ward, which was 90 miles east of us, and we received 2 missionaries from the Dallas Texas Mission.  My wife, my daughter, Brother José Valdez and I were the entire church there much of the time.  Brother Valdez was an elderly man in his eighties who was ordained a priest and who helped us with the sacrament.  He was very faithful. Despite some set backs, we had some very good experiences.  The visiting High Councilor always commented on the sweet spirit that prevailed in our Branch.  My wife held Relief Society every week by herself and taught our daughter Seminary, Mutual, and Sunday School. 

While we were in Van Horn, our son Richard served an honorable mission to the Belfast Ireland Mission from 1972 to 1974.  Also, our daughter, Doris, was called to the Bristol England Mission from 1975 to 1976. 

Coming Home

We had been praying for the opportunity to move back to El Paso again.  On December 30, 1975 we finally moved back to El Paso after 6 years of living in Van Horn.  Roadway Truck Lines bought Western Gillette and moved it back home.  I started to work right away in the El Paso terminal.  At this time, our daughter Marina was living in Santa Barbara, California and had 3 children.  Our son Pauly graduated from BYU and got married in 1977.  Megan returned from her mission and also married in 1977 and settled in Utah.  Richard worked in American Fork and married in 1979.  Lilly married in 1981 and moved to New Mexico.

Our Mission

With all of our children gone, we were able to realize our lifelong dream of going on a mission.  On September 15, 1983 my wife and I were called on a proselytizing mission to the Guatemala Quetzaltenango Mission in Central America.  I took an early retirement at age 62 after 27 years of service with Western Gillette and Roadway.  After a few months in the mission field, Elder Richard G. Scott recommended that I be called to serve as 1^st Counselor to the Mission President, Jorge Pérez, a native of Guatemala.  President Pérez was replaced a few months later by President Manuel Cedeño of Mexico City, D. F.  The day we were being released from our mission, September 15, 1984, Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi called from Salt Lake, Utah and asked President Cedeño to ask us if we would consider serving for another 6 months as temple trainers and workers for the new Guatemala City Guatemala Temple which would open December 14, 1984.  We asked if we could return home to put our affairs in order and discuss it with our children. When we returned home, it was only for a month., and then we reported to the MTC in Provo, Utah.  We were trained in the Provo Utah Temple and I was set apart as a Temple Sealer and my wife was set apart as a temple worker.  Once in Guatemala, my wife, with the help of the missionaries, was also a genealogy specialist in charge of helping them get their family group sheets in order to submit to the temple when it opened.  These two missions were the most beautiful experiences that we had ever had because first, we were teaching Father Lehi’s children the gospel and then later we were able to perform the ordinances for them when the temple opened.  We were never happier!

Life After A Mission

After their missions, Mom and Dad came home to El Paso and Dad returned to managing his apartment building on 7242 Dale Road.  He made many improvements to the property and added 2 more apartments.  He also started a pallet business of his own where he picked up old or broken pallets, repaired them, and resold them.  His pallet workshop was on a lot in Tigua that he had rented from Mr. Molinar.  He bought a flat bed truck to transport them and a forklift to load them.  His business grew so much that he hired 3 other men to help him. In picking up and delivering the pallets, he was often given produce that had been thrown out.  It was still good but no longer pretty enough to sell.  He started distributing it to his neighbors and to those less fortunate.  His next-door neighbor also had a day-old bakery business and gave them baked goods on a regular basis.  The apartments, the pallet business, and distributing produce and day-old items occupied most of his time.  This gave him an enormous amount of joy.  To this day, people thank my mother and tell her that they’ll never forget Mr. Brown helping them so much when they needed it.  

High Council

Dad was called to serve on the High Council of the El Paso Texas Stake.   We believe that this was his crowning achievement.  He loved serving on the High Council.  He was assigned to the 12^th Ward which was a Spanish-speaking ward.  They all loved him very much and he attended all of their meetings along with his own meetings in 4^th Ward on Sunday.  He was there for all of their parties, baptisms, & programs.  Later, he was assigned to the 11^th Ward where he also served faithfully.  His fellow High Counselors loved him because of his devotion and his sense of humor.

 Dad’s Accident & Heart Surgery

On September 11, 1996, Dad fell off his pallet truck and broke his ankle.  At first, we thought he had passed out but later found out that he may have had a small stroke. During the next few months, while his ankle was healing, he started having chest pains. The night before Thanksgiving they found out that he had an embolism and had to be hospitalized.   They were told that 5 of his arteries needed to be replaced and they scheduled him to have bi-pass surgery December 9^th, 1996.  All went well with the surgery even though we were bracing ourselves for the worst.  By Christmas, Dad was walking around and seemed to be back to normal.

All of these health problems made it necessary for him to be released from the High Council.  It broke his heart to be released.  We think it made him feel useless.  Also, all of the new dietary restrictions on him were difficult

 Albuquerque and Dad’s Stroke 

In April of 1997, the Albuquerque New Mexico Temple was announced.  In 1998, Dad and Mom started looking for houses in Albuquerque so that they could live closer to a temple. They made several trips to Albuquerque to look at houses with a local realtor who was a member of the church.

They never made the move, however, because Dad had a massive stroke to the brain stem on Sunday, August 9, 1998.  He died on Wednesday, August 12, 1998 surrounded by his wife and all of his children.  His funeral was more like a missionary farewell than a funeral.  Dad was a great missionary and loved people.  Book of Mormons were given out at his funeral.  He taught us to serve God and our fellowmen.  He was known for his sense of humor and his constant joke-telling.  He loved to tune the radio to the old Mexican stations and dance with Mom.  He was very friendly and was always talking to strangers.  He was a great uncle to all of his nieces and nephews and was a surrogate father for some of them.  He was a faithful servant in his church callings and also served in the Family History extraction program for about 6 years.  Family and Church were the two most important things in his life.