The O'Neil Place

Mom took Miss V and I out to breakfast with some of her siblings and uncles. We drove her Uncle Bob, (her Mom's youngest brother) home afterward, at which point he gave us a tour and shared somed stories. About 8 decades ago, my Great Grandparents went past a home for sale in Ogden, Utah, and decided to buy it right then. "For $2,000 or $3,000," as Uncle Bob explained.

My mom has memories of pretending one of the areas was an elevator, so she and her siblings could be elevator operators like their Mom, Margaret had been at one point. Bob's desk is by one of the windows in the living room facing the front of the house, alongside a built-in bench with shelving along the next wall and window facing the other street of the corner lot.

Bob shared that Great-grandma Auretta Empey O'Neil used to sit at her desk, writing letters, recording in her journal, and working on family history right there, and that the bench was always covered in her potted plants and flowers. They had to tear down the garage and built a new carport, which now houses the car that always makes me think of Bob, his classic green Chevy Impala.

The old basement with coal shoot has a modern heating system, and Bob's updated the kitchen and bathroom with beautiful tiles. You can still see the remnants of how they used to look, as the claw foot bathtub sits on the front porch waiting for a new home, and the indented space for a little fridge now holds shelves where the modern fridge won't fit. Bob makes sure the lawn and the outside of his parents' family home stays well-kept, so it's a welcome sight after pulling off the busy Ogden streets.

Uncle Bob holding a picture of his siblings and Mom: Dale, Bob, Great-Grandma O'Neil and my Grandma Margaret

Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa O'Neil