By LaRae Skeen Fonnesbeck (Taken from Ancestry.com)
Bertha Kerr was born October 26, 1885, in Richmond, Utah. Her parents were Robert Marion and Nancy Jane Kerr. She was the youngest of nine children. During her childhood she lived on the family farm located two miles south of Richmond. She remembers that there was gracious hospitality in the home with her older brothers and sisters and parents entertaining their friends, when the rugs were rolled up for square dancing and the family melodeon was played.
Good food was plentiful from the orchard and the gardens. They enjoyed making molasses candy and popcorn balls. Her older brothers were married and lived nearby. Her oldest sister Clara Jemima married and moved to Lewiston, Utah when Bertha was four years old.
When Bertha was six years old her father died after a brief illness that was thought to be appendicitis, leaving her mother with the responsibility of caring for the four children and paying off a $1000 mortgage. Her brother John Andrew was 10 years old at that time. Olive and Annette were busy with school. These were very difficult times, and the children helped to the best of their abilities. Nancy Jane was a good manager and provided well for her family.
The children walked two miles to school, regardless of the weather. Many times the mud and snow were very deep and the winters were bitter cold. Their mother appreciated the value of education and they were encouraged and expected to go in spite of the hardships involved. She made every effort to see that the children had the opportunity of getting the best education available. When Olive was old enough to go to college in Logan, her mother drove to Logan from Richmond frequently under very difficult circumstances to take supplies to her. When Andrew and Bertha were old enough to go to college, Nancy Jane sold the farm and moved to Logan to make it possible for them to continue their educations. Bertha’s brother, William Jasper Kerr was President of the college in Logan at that time.
Bertha was very close to her mother through these years after the death of her father and assumed much of the work of herding cows, milking, doing farm chores, sewing, cooking and the many other tasks of farm life. She felt keenly the hardships that her family endured and was courageous in adversity and learned to be proud of her fine heritage. She learned to love and appreciate music and the best available books.
Bertha graduated from the college in Logan with a teaching certificate in home economics in 1907. Her years in Logan were very precious to her and she speaks with pleasure of the enjoyable times she had with her friends at that time. Following her graduation she taught school in a one-room school in Lewiston, Utah and lived with her sister, Clara Danielsen. This was a difficult school assignment, with some students who were noted for their disruptive behavior. However, she succeeded in overcoming these problems and completed her assignment successfully. She became devoted to her students and enjoyed her teaching time after the initial challenge was met.
The following year she taught home economics at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, and then stayed on to teach another year. During this time she served on the MIA Stake Board. They traveled from town to town on church assignments in a cutter and she enjoyed many interesting experiences.
On November 16, 1910, Bertha was married in the Logan Temple to David Alfred Skeen from Plain City, Utah. He was a former classmate at the college in Logan and completed Law School at the University of Chicago in 1910. They lived until the following July in Ogden and then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where they lived in an apartment near his brother, J.D. Skeen. Their daughter Priscilla was born there in 1911. When she was a small baby Bertha’s husband and mother were born in the hospital critically ill with typhoid. David’s life was miraculously saved at that time.
In 1912 they built a home in the Sugar House area at 1993 South 10th East. Their second daughter, LaRae, was born in 1913. Another daughter Eleanor was born in 1917 and Margaret Elaine in 1922. David was elected to the position of County Attorney and also helped to organize the first Lions Service Club in Utah with Bertha’s support and encouragement. Bertha was active in the MIA and her husband served in the Sunday School Superintendency of the Sugar House Ward.
They had one of the first cars in the area and enjoyed going on camping trips and traveled many times to Cache Valley over the old Danish Dugway. They also visited Plain City. Their home was the center for hospitality to those who came to Salt Lake. It was a very pleasant place for children to play, with an orchard of beautiful trees, a creek and wide fields nearby. They had a Jersey cow, with frequent calves and chickens. Sometimes corn and other garden vegetables were planted.
During the severe influenza epidemic following World War I, the entire family, including Bertha’s mother were bedfast, very ill, and nurses were there day and night until their recovery. In 1923 their home in Sugar House was sold. The children spent that summer with the father’s sister and her husband, Electa and Gus Johnson, at a summer home in Holladay while Bertha and her husband were on a business trip in the East.
In the fall they moved into a large brick home at 189 A Street, close to town on Fourth Avenue. They also build a summer home in Vivien Park, Provo Canyon where they entertained family and friends and enjoyed the cool beautiful surrounds. Bertha was noted for preparing delicious meals on the coal range.
During these years she was assisting her husband in his many civic responsibilities. He was appointed by Governor Dern to help establish the American Fork Training School for the mentally retarded which involved much traveling and many important personal commitments. He was also very active in Lions Club and involved in establishing the first Legal Aid Society along with many other interests.
Their daughter, Nancy Jane was born in 1927. Not long after Bertha was very ill with pneumonia. Help was obtained for the family and she was able to regain her health. As soon as possible she continued her many activities. She taught for many years in the Primary and also served as a Counselor in the Primary Presidency of the Salt Lake 18th Ward. Later she served as a teacher in the Relief Society and was for many years a member of the Ensign Stake Relief Society Board. She also became President of the Ladies Lions Club and supported her husband in his various offices as president and other capacities on a local as well as international levels. David became international president in 1942 which required a great deal of traveling. When Bertha was able to do so, she traveled with him, graciously assuming the responsibilities of supporting David in his many tasks of leadership. When she could not accompany him because of family responsibilities, she served admirable as both mother and father at home.
They traveled widely throughout the United States and visited Europe twice. They also went to Cuba, Hawaii and Japan.
Bertha served as First Vice President of the Salt Lake Council of Women and was a delegate for many years. She was always interested and active in politics, read widely and was well-informed. She contributed much to the Women’s Legislative Council as a member for several years. She and her husband were helpful in organizing the United Nations Organization in Utah. Her husband was a delegate to the assembly in San Francisco when it was organized there and continued to be active with the organization until the time of his death on July 17, 1969.
Throughout the years she maintained a close relationship with her brothers and sisters, and those of her husband. The Skeen home was a gathering place for many happy occasions and they were quick to respond in times of need and assist where their hospitality could be helpful. They have been of great assistance to many in times of illness and need.
Bertha had excellent health for many years except for two serious falls for which she had to hospitalized and undergo surgery for a broken hip followed by a long convalescence. Her courage and perseverance helped her to become active again and able to drive her car and care for her home. During the months after her husband’s retirement she was very helpful to him when his strength was failing and he needed care and comfort.
She is noted for her keen intellect, loyalty as a friend, helpfulness as a good neighbor, graciousness, courage and integrity. She encouraged her children and grandchildren to obtain the best possible education and to use their training in the service of others. She has 18 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.