Cyclo-teacher

Olive had purchased a set of World Book Encyclopedias when her children were young. With the set came a cyclo-teacher.  By inserting a clean round piece of paper in on top of the instruction sheet into the cyclo teaching it was ready. Viewing through a open slot would be the question. sliding the handle would reveal the next question and the answer to the previous question.  She would sit down with her childern and go over the questions.  One of the favorites was the flower names.  They would practice until  all the flowers memorized.

1960

In this photo Olive was around 25 years old and was living in Mesa Arizona.  She had three children, Daniel, Deanna and Kaven and was married to Chester Cluff.

A Tender and Loving Heart

 Olive always had a very tender and loving heart.  She was known to pick up those that would be down on their luck on the side of the road holding up a sign "will work for food" and have them do some chores at her own home and feed them.  She would also give them a place to sleep. She followed the admonision of King Benjamen in the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ

Mosiah 4: 16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

 17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

 19 For behold, are we not all ^abeggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?"  

  Many through the years have enjoyed the love and comfort of her giving heart.  She also was a great hugger who would reach out to others and pay generous compliments and lift them. What little money or things she had in her life she generously shared with others.

She spent the last weeks of her life helping her niece and nephew in need.  Then she followed that by helping her granddaughter who in turn made her last days more joyful and pleasant.

Olive exemplified faith and charity.

The Nannies and HennyPenny

I've three favorite pets in my life. One was a little goat named Nanny I had as a kid. She thought she was a person. She ate everything. Nothing was safe from her appetite not even clothes on the clothesline. I had another goat as an adult also nammed Nanny. I had a chicken I called Henny Penny. She followed me everywhere in the yard and if I sat she would fly up into my lap. She would peck on the kitchen window to tell me to come out to see her. She'd lay an egg right by the door so I wouldn't miss it.
Painting by Olive Walker "Couple" 11"x14" oil

Burying the Gravy

I cooked for over 200 people for two years at the Overton Senior Center. When I left they gave me a plaque that read "to Olive Walker, the Best Cook in the State of Nevada" a white leather purse, and a large crystal vase. I love to cook but didn't do well in the beginning.

My first cooking experiences started when I was ten years old in Napa, Idaho. The family was thrashing wheat in the field. Mother decided I would be more useful making dinner and sent me in to cook up the chickens we'd killed and plucked. I peeled the potatoes and fried the chicken up nice and golden brown. I boiled the corn on the cob and then started the gravy. I put the flour in the grease but when I poured in the milk I didn't stir fast enough. The gravy got all lumpy. I was so embarrassed of the gravy I hurried and took it outside and buried it with a shovel before any one could see it!

That same year I made a cake from the recipe off a Crisco can. I forgot to put in the Crisco. It was hard and dry but we ate it anyways.

Rupert Idaho

I was born in Rupert, Idaho. My Grandma Ella May Dockstader also lived there at 501 Second Street. She was a midwife delivering over 500 babies in her home, including me. I went to grade school in Rupert. We lived there until shortly after my bother Curtis Russell Christensen was killed. I was about eight years old.

Around the age of eight we moved to Napa, Idaho to a 80 acre farm. It had a beautiful home and my mother had a wonderful flower garden as big as our vegetable garden. We had cows, sheep, chickens, alfalfa, wheat, an orchard of fruit trees and sugar beets. When were harvesting sugar beets we'd throw the beets on a truck bed. I was too little to toss them up so they had me drive the truck. Daddy would put me on the seat and tell me to stay with in the rows. At the end of the row Daddy would jump in the truck and turn it down the next row.

What's in a name?

My maiden name is Olive Ella Christensen. Christensen is Danish. My grandfather Fredrick Christensen was born April 2 1880 in Frederickshavn, Hjorring, Denmark. Fredrick's wife, Anna Safrone Andreasen, dad was from Denmark and mother from Sweden. Anna was a first gerneration American born in Box Elder Utah. My father Gilbert Marinus Christensen(photo) was first generation American on his fathers side.

I had a few nicknames growing up. I was small and very thin with white hair and they called me "midg" short for midget. At times I was called "Olie" short for Olive. At school my friends would call me "Chris" because of Christensen but my favorite nickname was by my brother Gilbert. He would call me "PollyWog!"