Jay Osmond - Stages

with Kandilyn Osmond

and Terri Shoemaker

~19551960~

OGDEN ROOTS

Work and play

When Family Night was introduced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to its members in the late 1950s, my parents loved the idea. It was in our living room in Ogden, Utah, where we started having Family Night consistently once a week. My parents came up with many interesting activities, and our weekly meetings always involved a religious lesson, games, and music. One of the things we always included was singing. My father used to be in a choir and loved to sing. Probably as much as he loved singing, my sweet little mother loved to listen to him while she would accompany him on the piano. She would also sing beautifully off-key, though it didnt matterwe loved her voice. We were encouraged to harmonize with each other, because we seemed to have a natural talent in this area and our family enjoyed listening to us. It became a tradition to learn a new song each week for Family Night.

Our oldest brothers, Virl and Tom (whom I have always viewed as the heroes of our family), were born with hearing impairments. My mother came up with the idea to have them learn to play the saxophone instead of singing (she loved that instrument and played it in a dance band when she was younger). They also tried to teach sign language to usof which we managed to learn a little. Most importantly, Virl and Tom taught me to hear with my heart. I have always used Virl and Tom as my examples when things were tough. Id say to myself, If they can do it, so can I.

Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and I formed a barbershop quartet and called ourselves The Osmond Brothers. We became known around town and were soon being asked to sing at church and civic events, as well as local birthday parties. A vocal teacher by the name of Val Hicks heard us sing one night and told us we had tremendous talent. He wanted to help us further improve our skills and knew of some companies that he was sure would hire us to sing. My father thought having Val coach us was a good idea and asked us if we wanted to do it. I was so young that I just went along with everything my brothers did. My brother Alan thought we could get jobs singing and make money to buy better hearing aids for Virl and Tom, and my mother thought we could also contribute some money to the mission fund she started for all of us to use someday.

At the time, none of us imagined that our little singing quartet would go any further than those original goals. I believe our Family Nights helped us to learn more about our religion, develop our talents, and create a bond that kept us strong as a family. I also think it was because of that bond that we were able to enter the world of entertainment and enjoy success while we remained grounded in our beliefs.

Many happy days were spent in the backyard and farm area of our home in Ogden, Utah. Wayne used to hide his cap guns from me, but I always found them and shot them when he wasnt looking. My brothers and I used to build things like airplanes made out of wood, or we constructed trains by hooking up wagons.

I remember my brothers hoeing sugar beats and milking cows. My job was to take care of our goat named "Billy." I also watched over our little Shetland pony named "Flash". My mother and I rode him together. One time, Merrill fed him a carrot and them gave him a kick. He started bucking. Mother fell off and started laughing, but I didn't. Merrill was a little trouble maker sometimes back then. He also put a stick in Waynes front bicycle tire while he was riding, which resulted in Wayne being flipped end over end!

I love those memories from what I now see as a simpler time, though things didnt always feel simple back then. I experienced challenges and learned lessons from them just like any other kid. I remember being threatened a lot by a weird teenager after school as I walked by the Waynesguard Food Store. He just didnt like me. I would bravely walk home from kindergarten and try to deal with his bullying. I finally had the courage to tell my parents and my teacher about this kid. I turned the situation around by telling him I did so. I learned to take that fear, face it, and confront it. So Im thankful to that bully all those years ago, who presented me with one of my first opportunities to conquer fear.

There was also the learning experience I had resulting from a particular trip to the store with my mother at about age five. I wanted a piece of candy so badly. My mother said no, but I took a piece, anyway, and hid it in my pocket. I felt so bad afterwards and felt too guilty to eat it, so I gave it to my brother Merrill. I learned about honesty that day and the importance of exercising patience in waiting for things. I discovered I had a conscience at that early age. Ive always wished I would have told my mother at the time, because I now know she would have simply made me pay for the candy and given me a hug.

Another lesson I learned during this stage of my life is how the comfort of home can be challenged in the blink of an eye. Our house was behind a juvenile detention center, and there were a few occasions (and they were pretty eerie) when several of those juveniles broke out of the center and ran through our yard. They would bang on our doors and run and scream loudly, and it was very frightening for me as a small child. I had mixed feelings about growing up near this center but learned that the world isnt always a safe place, no matter where you are. It taught me that I never wanted to live life being afraid. It really made me appreciate my safe and secure home life, and I felt sad for those children who didnt have that. I knew that someday, when I had my own family, it would be important to me that they felt safe. My parents taught us that you cant always protect your children from the world, but you can insulate them. I believe this to be true.

Several fond memories stand out in my mind from the years we lived in Ogden. I remember seeing one of Santas reindeer in my window above my bed. Christmastime was magical to our family. Another memory is how my brother Alan blew his trumpet to wake us up for revelry every morning. Our father used to be an Army sergeant, and his ways of discipline infiltrated our lifestyle, which included him building a dormitory for my brothers and me.

I remember flirting at age five with Cathy, the girl who lived across the fence from us. I thought that little girl was the cats meow. There were many times when we gathered as a family in front of our old black-and-white television and watched The Andy Williams Show. Little did we know what an important role Andy Williams would play in our lives.

We had a Golden Retriever that I loved named Tip. I was emotionally very lonely as a kid. Even though we were a close family, I needed a special connection that only my dogs could fill. Even though my mother didnt like pets, she allowed me to have my dogs.

Because I have so many wonderful memories from our days in Ogden, there was a time I felt angry we left it. Our home was a wonderful placeand sadly, in 1999 it was torn down. I felt depressed about this move toward progress, but Ive come to learn that when you go back and try to relive something as you remember it, it is never the same. Today a Lowes Home Improvement Store sits on the property where our home once stood. If you ever find yourself in Ogden, Utah on Washington Blvd., think of me when you walk into the storethe front entrance is where our living room used to be.