Spencer W Kimball

In the fall of 1959 we had a couple of good snow storms and the roads on the Kaibab become difficult for traffic. One Friday early in December I was checking the traffic on the snow packed road and was helping a California driver when a north bound car advised me we had a bad wreck a few miles South. I proceeded to that location and found a big semi truck on the left side of the road where the he had been in the process of chaining up his tires.

Some of the Highway maintenance vehicles (snow-plows) were parked behind the truck. A car was in the canyon off the right side of the road it had sailed out into the canyon and struck a large pine tree about 2 feet in diameter right at its base, the driver door of the car was bent around the tree. It was a Packard, a big car of that time.

I asked Swede Bynum, the Highway Maintenance foreman where the body of the driver was, knowing from the look of things that the driver was surely killed on impact. Swede said "That little guy standing over there with the funny fur cap is the driver."

He had pointed out the driver so I approached him and asked for his drivers license and found out he was Spencer W. Kimball of Salt Lake City. He said he wasn't hurt and didn't even show any sign of shock. He said, "my wife is in great pain and needs to go to the hospital."
I said "If we can get her into the back of my patrol car, I will take her to the Kanab hospital."

I also asked if she needed a blessing and he said, "The Swapp brothers gave he one."
Cliff Swapp was a counselor to the bishop in Fredonia and his brother was in the Elder's Quorum presidency.

They helped get Camille Eyring Kimball into my car and I drove to Kanab with Spencer W. Kimball comforting his wife in the back seat. She had turned sideways when they hit the bottom of the canyon and broken some ribs where they hit the bash board. She was suffering a lot.

I helped them get her settled into a room and she felt comfortable. I returned Spencer W. Kimball to the scene of the wreck. On the way we were able to visit. He had known my grandparents, Ray Lamoreaux and Mabel Assay before they were married and continued to know and love them through his association in the LDS church. At this time Spencer W. Kimball was one of the twelve apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Brother Kimball had been my fathers boss for years in a sense he was the executive secretary for the Graham Canal Company that provided irrigation water to Graham, Hubbard, Bryce and Lizard bump. My dad , Leslie Johnston was the water boss for the Graham Canal for 12 years from 1931-1943.

I remember my mother saying many times some of her happiest times were when she went to Spencer Kimball's office to get dad's check because no matter how busy he was he took time to make her feel good about life.

When we got back to the accident site the maintenance crew had moved the damaged Packard down the old logging road in the bottom of the canyon to where it met the highway. Spencer W. Kimball insisted that he could drive it on to his destination which was my home stake, the St Joseph Stake in Thatcher, Arizona for their fall conference. This was also the area where he grew up and served the church so faithfully before becoming an apostle. His wife, Camille Eyring was from Pima.

We saw him heading south and he had to sit in the middle of the front sear and reach to the left to drive. In spite of the Packard being such a well built car both left tires were out of line so much the tread was gone when Spencer W. Kimball got to Flagstaff. He left the car at a garage and caught a bus to Thatcher.

I was told by friends and relatives that attended the conference that he spoke of the accident in detail and told how helpful Arizona Highway patrolman, Lavar Johnston had been to him at the accident.

The hospital informed me that they had moved Camille to Salt Lake City in a station wagon with a bed in it a couple of days after the accident.

I asked Edward Kimball, who coauthored the Spencer W. Kimball book how they could have miss-written the Kaibab accident so badly. He said,"Dad was never one for details in his journal so we just make up the story."

I felt badly when I first read the account in the book.

One of Edward Kimball's daughters (Jennie married my cousin, Rick Lamoreaux so I visited with Edward Kimball about the story.

The only part of the story in book that was correct was how the accident had happened.