My interest in life stories started when I was a teenager. My grandma wrote her life story in longhand, and I typed it for her and made the copies for all her family members. She was in her 70’s when she wrote it, and the section about her childhood was only a few pages. As I typed it, I vowed that I would write my life story with more detail than that, while I was still young enough to remember it.
When I was pregnant with our first son, I tried to get my life story written, but finished it after he was born. I spent several hours a few times a week typing on my mom’s IBM Selectric typewriter, and had it bound at the BYU Law School copy center for about $4. I named it “Amy Book I” (see photo below) because I planned to write the second installment when I was around 40. (I have already missed that by 10 years)
Nine years ago a friend in my neighborhood was stricken with cancer. For two years while she was still alive I kept asking her if she would let me help her write her life story, but she never took me up on it, and she passed away in Feb. 2003. After she died, with the permission of her family I interviewed her friends and family members and compiled her life story, (LIFE STORY OF TERRY) and gave it to them when she had been gone a year.
After Terry died, a woman in our ward named Sally was terminally ill. I thought of Terry, dying without her life story written, and figured that it was going to happen to Sally too. I guessed that no one else was going to do it, so I thought that I should get Sally’s written while she was still alive. Sisters were asked to sit with her each day, and on my turn I brought along my laptop computer and interviewed her and typed it up. After she died, I was able to give that manuscript to the person who gave the life sketch at Sally's funeral, and copies to Sally's husband and son.
All of these life stories were done differently, they were different lengths. I didn’t want to spend the time on Sally’s or Terry’s life story that I did on my own.
In future posts I will tell you things I have learned from writing these life stories. (to be continued.)
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