Clyde Roland Thomsen 1899 - 1959

Clyde Roland Thomsen was born July 4, 1899 in S.L.C., UT.  His father, Peter, worked as an engineer in the Salt Lake Street Car Co.  Peter kept the street cars running while working 6 days a week.  The children, including Clyde got little jobs that helped mom with money very early.  Clyde's mother died at almost 42 years old in 1914 and his father died in 1937.  He was the third boy in the family of 12 children.

Clyde's father Peter insisted his boys go to priesthood all their growing up years.  They all stayed in the church.  On the other hand the girls, outside of the oldest daughter Marge, were not active in the church. Clyde's mother Selma died at 41+ and was sorely missed girls. 

Clyde's first marriage was to Elizabeth A. Timpson on March 8, 1918.  They had two children: Phylis and Robert. Bob married and lived in Idaho.  Phylis lived in Rose Park, Utah. She was in and out of the church. Phylis married Bob Larson.  Clyde and Elizabeth divorced about the time he married Irene because she "chased men."  She was from a good family.  The Timpsons.  It was difficult for Clyde to visit these two children for economic reasons.  People didn't have money for travel back then.

While he lived in Utah he played in many golf tournaments and often won.  He played for many years after that as well.

When Clyde died in 1959, Elizabeth came to his funeral with "liquid sustenance in her."  She could hardly walk according to Carol.  Apparently Elizabeth didn't recognize Carol and walked right past her at the funeral.

Clyde and Irene lived at 154 East 13th South, Salt Lake City from 1925 to 1937.

When Carol was 11 years old her father looked for better work and found it in Tacoma, Washington.  They moved there in January of 1937.  Clyde worked in Washington for 3 years and then moved to Eugene Oregon for a year and a half after which the family moved to Los Angeles in 1941.

In Los Angeles the family live on Hobart Blvd. Today there is a grocery store at that location.  (Western and Martin Luther King Boulevard)

Clyde was known as a very friendly person.  He left SLC where he knew everybody and worked as a salesman for General Motors.  He goes to Tacoma, where he knows people. In Oregon he knows people.  In LA, he knows people.  So he walks into North American Aviation in LA and the guy in the hiring dept knew Clyde from SLC and immediately hired him.

In his youth he went sledding as a mature man with some of the neighbor kids.  He punctured a lung, after hitting a bump.  Nothing was done because there was a small hole in his lung. This may have contributed to his early death.  Clyde loved to eat good food. He wouldn't eat vegetables according to Irene.  He enjoyed meat, potatoes and onions,  You could buy a huge round steak for 10 cents  back then.  On the other hand, Irene lived in the country and had lots of vegetables because she grew them.  She campaigned for Clyde to eat vegetables but he was hard to convince. 

He was always active in the church.  He was in the bishopric once, and always had a job in the church.  He insisted on family prayers daily.  When the church said have family evening, he tried to get to do so. It would function for a short time and then peter out.  When the family moved to Tacoma in 1937 they had to drive to church.  In S.L.C. they could walk to church and back home if they felt like it.  That was when Sunday School was in the morning and Sacrament meeting in the evening.  Clyde's brother was branch president in Tacoma and he told Clyde to take his family to church every Sunday.  Clyde took the advise seriously and they continued to do so when they moved to Los Angeles.  According to Carol, "We had to go to church, period."

Clyde died 28 September 1959 of emphysema.  Two years before he had had an incident where he was a home with Irene, and he appeared to be dying.  Irene plead with the Lord and he honored her request.  

Two years later they were going to a show in downtown LA and she got out of the car.  He turned off the motor, locked the car,  and died right there in the theater parking lot.  The ambulance took him to Good Samaritan Hospital but it was too late. His body was taken to Holladay, UT. where they used the services of the Larkin Mortuary.  Interestingly enough the Larkins who own and run the mortuary are related to Emma Bachman who is James Gardiner's mother in law by marriage.

Clyde's daughter Carol is more like Clyde than Irene. He was very friendly and knew people all over the place.  When he met someone, instantly they were talking. Irene was more formal or reserved. Irene wanted things her own way and daddy was daddy and had different ideas.   Still, Irene was very fond of him. He was 5 foot 9 and weighed 180 to 200.  He was always very neat and clean.  He is remembered by his children as a man committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and as a kind father.

1900 census:

1910 census:

 

1917 - 1918 WWI draft registration:

Salt Lake Tribune 1918-03-10

1918 marriage: 

 1920 census:

1925 Clyde:

Newspaper articles related to Clyde: Forest Dale was built in 1906 as the Salt Lake Country Club and holds the distinction of being the oldest golf course in Utah. Forest Dale has undergone several phases of renovation since the City acquired the course in 1935.

Irene is holding Carol, not Gayle, photo taken in 1926

1929 SLC directory:

 1930 census:

1931:

Clyde, 1931

                                                                             

                                                                                

 

1938 LtoR back Clyde, Irene, Carol, front Blaine, Gayle, Jeanie

1938 Tacoma, WA, directory:

 1939 Tacoma, WA, directory:

1940 census:

1941 Eugene, OR, directory:

Irene and Clyde, 1957

CA death index:

Clyde bought 6 double plots early in his marriage. It was an investment for him because he sold some to other relatives.  There is one left for Carol if she wants it.

Birth	4 July 1899
Death	28 September 1959
Cemetery	Holladay Memorial Park Holladay, Utah, United States

Research:

Irene Clarkson Thomsen, 87, of Glendale, California, formerly of Holladay, died February 20, 1990 in Glendale.

Born April 23, 1902 in Trout Creek, Utah to Charles and Alvira Stout Thomsen. She married Clyde R. Thomsen April 15, 1925 in Evanston, Wyoming; solemnized in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. He died September 10, 1959.

She spent her early years in Holladay, lived in the pacific Northwest and for the past 50 years in Southern California. Active member LDS Church. She was the last living sibling of her family.Survived by son, Blaine Thomsen, Salt Lake City; three daughters, Carol Gardiner, Glendale, Calif.; Gayle Blackmer, Pico Rivera, Calif.; Jeanne Hanks, Palos Verdes, Calif.; 30 grandchildren.

Graveside services 12 noon, Monday, February 26, MacKay Holladay Memorial Park, 4900 Memory Lane (1900 East). Funeral directors, MacKay Cottonwood Mortuary.

Birth:	Jul. 4, 1899 Salt Lake City Salt Lake County Utah, USA
Death:	Sep. 28, 1959 Los Angeles Los Angeles County California, USA
------------- California Death Index Name: Clyde Roland Thomsen Birth Date: 4 Jul 1899 Birthplace: Utah Death Date: 28 Sep 1959 Death Place: Los Angeles Mother's Maiden Name: Oberg Father's Surname: Thomsen -------------- Family links:  Parents:   Peter Christian Killian Thomsen (1862 - 1932)   Selma Christina Oberg Thomsen (1872 - 1914)  Spouses:   Elizabeth Afton Timpson Thomsen (1899 - 1972)   Irene Clarkson Thomsen (1902 - 1990)  Children:   Gayle Selma Thomsen Blackmer (1928 - 1996)*   Jeanne Thomsen Hanks (1932 - 2010)* Birth: Jul. 4, 1899 Salt Lake City Salt Lake County Utah, USA Death: Sep. 28, 1959 Los Angeles, Los Angeles County California, USA California Death Index Name: Clyde Roland Thomsen Birth Date: 4 Jul 1899 Birthplace: Utah Death Date: 28 Sep 1959 Death Place: Los Angeles Mother's Maiden Name: Oberg Father's Surname: Thomsen Family links: Parents: Peter Christian Killian Thomsen (1862 - 1932) Selma Christina Oberg Thomsen (1872 - 1914) Spouses: Elizabeth Afton Timpson Thomsen (1899 - 1972) Irene Clarkson Thomsen (1902 - 1990) Children: Gayle Selma Thomsen Blackmer (1928 - 1996)* Jeanne Thomsen Hanks (1932 - 2010)* Carol Thomsen (Gardiner)(1925 -     ) Here are his parent's death certificates: (note the incorrect spelling of Thomsen and it is interesting that the certificate says Selma's old age contributed to her death when she was only 42 years old) Peter died 23 years later of Myocarditis or inflammatory cardiomyopathy which is inflammation of heart muscle (myocardium).  There is that old age again. It's a killer.