Hearing Our Heritage

Richard Smith is a wise, gentle man who has lived a faithful and blessed life. He is married to his lovely wife, Norma, and together they have four sons and have many grandchildren, and even a great grandchild. He was raised in Utah and after attending BYU, working many jobs, joining the reserves and getting married, he ended up in Kansas City for dental school and then set up his practice in California. He has travelled the world doing humanitarian dental work as well as serving four missions abroad and then for three years at the conference center. He has been bishop and a stake patriarch and has blessed the lives of many. 

Norma Smith is a happy, bright bubbly and beautiful woman who loves her family more than anything else. She was raised in humble circumstances as a young girl before her mother remarried. She was an actress and she attended Brigham Young university where she met her husband, Richard. Together they have built a beautiful life and have four wonderful sons. 

She has spent her life serving others including on five missions with her husband. Norma has lived such a selfless, service focused, happy and blessed life. She has an adoring family and attributes all her blessings to the Lord and her faith. 

Dorothy Tall is a beautiful, vivacious, caring woman. She is the mother of five children and has been married to her sweetheart, Tom, for fifty-eight years. She is the daughter of German immigrants and had a very happy childhood. She has devoted her life to her family and her faith in God. 

She had an incredible career as an elementary school teacher and was beloved by so many students. She worked hard to balance her job with raising her children. She is a humble, positive person who makes the people around her feel loved and appreciated.  

Tom Tall has a remarkable story. His journey began in the hills of Los Angeles. He eventually landed at Snow College before being drafted into the army and stationed in Germany. He graduated Brigham Young University at the age of thirty-three and travelled all over the western United States selling western wear. As an expert salesman, he has overcome many obstacles and experienced a variety of fascinating jobs. 

He met and married his lovely wife, Dorothy and together they have five amazing children. He and Dorothy have both worked so hard to provide a beautiful life for their kids and the home they have been in for over forty years. His unwavering faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a cornerstone through his extraordinary life.

Gloria Melendez is one of the most beautiful, kind, positive and resilient people I’ve ever known. She has had a fascinating life full of learning and travel.  She is a devoted mother and grandmother who has been a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints her whole life, including serving three missions. Her story takes place all over the world but has a common theme of “life is good”. Despite some serious hardships she has chosen to be happy. 

If you spend five minutes with Gary Bikman, there's a good chance he'll have you laughing. He's a quick-witted eighty-year-old with a fascinating history and an inspirational life. He married his first wife, Suzy, after falling in love at BYU, and together they had nine wonderful children. After tragically losing Suzy to cancer, he remarried his now-wife, Sheila, and inherited four more children. He has spent his life carrying on the business his father started, as well as participating in local politics. He's a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he will tell you that his faith in God has carried him throughout his life.

Lester Broadhead is a kind and humble man, who has   learned some really profound life lessons throughout his journey. He explains those lessons through entertaining and unique stories from his 80 years on earth. He was born in rural Utah to fairly old parents, he played sports and loves cars. He has 4 kids to whom he was a single father to for a while, and then had 2 more with his wife, Diane. Les’ stories are something special!

Bill Cranney has spent his life providing for his family, enjoying sports and the outdoors, and diligently serving the Lord. From his stories it’s clear that he has tried, all his life, to do the right things and do what he has been asked to do– which has actually quite a bit. He and his wife Ann raised four strong, successful, athletic kids. Bill also  started and owned his own automotive parts business, and together the Cranneys served 5 church missions. 

Ann Cranney is a gentle, kind soul. She has devoted her life to raising her four amazing children and serving in the church. She is a capable and hard worker who says she has hard time sitting still for long. She has always enjoyed being busy and doing good. 

She met and married her sweetheart Bill when they were just freshmen at BYU and together they had four kids. Ann was the full-time mom and was super involved with her kids’ various activities. Later in life, she took that work ethic to Nigeria, Ghana, San Francisco, Virginia and Cypress as a missionary for her church.

Did you know that only .1% of marriages make it to 70 years? Well, Ellis and Carolyn Allred are in that tiny group that makes it to their platinum anniversary. The two met in high school, have 5 amazing children and one foster son. The couple worked hard to build a faithful family, served in the church, and loved each other the whole way through. This episode is honor of Ellis Allred who passed away just 17 days after this interview. Ellis and Carolyn are truly an inspiration.