My happily ever after condensed version.
I was born in Trona California on the 8th of November 1952. To Nelda Marie Kidd MacPherson and Donald Earl MacPherson. I was given the name of Debra Ann MacPherson. At the time I had an older sister Donna Toye and an older brother Bradford Earl. I’m sure that at the time we were probably not as close as we ended up being, seeing how I took his place in the limelight, but we ended up being best friends as we grew.
We moved to Trona for the health of Donna, moving to the desert was what the Doctor prescribed, and dad had an Aunt Thelma and Uncle John MacPherson that lived in a housing compound, and they had a couple of guests houses and we ended up in one of them. Mac (Oscar Earl MacPherson) and Lola Ellen Ware MacPherson at the time also lived there or moved there when we did. Mac and Lola were my grandparents. Also, Jerry and Dottie, my dad’s brother and sister-in-law lived there as well it was just one big happy family.
We moved to Logan Utah from Trona. Mom and Dad tossed a coin in the air, heads we go to Logan, tails, we head somewhere else. It ended up being Logan again they had lived there when Moms, mom (Minnie Obray Jackson) was alive, and Dad (Donald Earl MacPherson) was in the service. Mom lived over a store on Main Street at that time.
But the second time Dad found a place, a beautiful white house right across the street from the Logan High School. It had been the home of the Logan Temple president.
We had so much fun in the neighborhood, Mom was really good at getting the neighborhood together to play night games like “Annie I over”, “Waver”, “Hide and Seek, and “Kick the can”. At the end of the night, we would cook marsh mellows or hot dogs, in the fire pit Dad made out in the back. Often on Saturday Nights mom would have purchased spud-nuts and A&W root beer for our Sunday get-togethers with cousins who lived close together, Uncle Jack’s family, or Uncle Clarks Family. Many times, just the kids in the neighborhood would show up and play games around the table, usually Donna’s friends or Brad’s friends.
I would go with mom over to see the Neffs, they were cousins to mom. Shirley Neff had a son a little older than I was, and he had a monkey called Zippie. I loved to go over there because he would let me play with Zippie. I wanted one so bad and we really couldn’t afford it. I remember praying for it even. As kids in the neighborhood, we would go through the garbage over at the high school at the end of the year to pull out old books so we could play school with any of the neighbor kids during the summer.
One day at the end of the school year, Norma and a few of the other neighborhood kids were at the school garbage cans looking for our books to play school when as I was pulling out books and there was something white and round in the bottom of the garbage, so I pulled it out and it was a Zippie, I couldn’t believe it. My prayers had been answered. It was ripped under the arm, but I knew my mom could fix it. I was so happy. (I have to insert this story) A couple of years ago, (I was about 58 years old) I had heard a talk by Sister Burton (General Relief Society President.) She said, have you ever asked your Heavenly Father if He really loved you and then waited for the answer? We were all challenged at that leadership meeting to go home that night and do just that. I knew Heavenly Father loved me but I was obedient and so I knelt down and asked Him, and then I waited for the answer, and it was as though someone spoke to me. “I have loved you from the very start, do you remember your prayer to me for Zippie, I allowed you to find that Zippie in the garbage because of my love for you.” I laid my head on the bed while still on my knees and sobbed. I then said, “It took me 50 years to realize I truly received an answer and probably didn’t even say thank you.” And that probably happened, so 50 years later I would realize my Heavenly Father really loves me and has shown me all along if my eyes were opened to see. Since writing this I have even had another experience with this Zippy story.
I had looked online for a Zippy at the time of praying to asked if Heavenly Father loved me. The Zippies were all $124-150 or $200. I guess because of its age and rarity. So, the other day I got online again after writing this in my history and there was one that looked just like mine for $29 dollars, I could bid on it or buy now. I looked closely at it and noticed it had a cut on the hand just like mine did. That was it. I had to have it. I was living in New Zealand at the time, but had it shipped to our house in South Weber. Amy and the kids were living in our house and received the package. The next time we talked on Skype she asked me about it and I explained that it was a symbol to me of how the Lord works in my life.
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We moved from Logan to Roswell New Mexico, where I attended 4 years of High School while dad worked for Thiokol Chemical Corporation. While there I competed in Gymnastics on the trampoline and went on to place first in the state of New Mexico. We returned after four years and first moved to Brigham City, but our house there was infested with cockroaches. We then moved to Ron Clair in North Ogden. While living there I was attending Weber State College. I was a member of the LDSSA Friday Night at the Tute committee and the Gospel in Action Committee at the institute of religion. We ended up having an LDSSA Retreat where I by some chance happened to be standing by this very handsome young man at the dance. I asked him why he wasn’t dancing, and he simply replied, “No one to dance with.” I replied, “Thanks a lot.” …His reply, “oh do you want to dance?” “Sure”, and we dance the whole night away. We ended up engaged and married on Sept. 18, 1973, in the Salt Lake City Temple.
October 23, 1974, Heidi Lynn Buckner was born to us. We were living in a 10 hundred block of 35th street in the basement apartment. And after her birth, we moved to a duplex on 3736 Van Buren Ave. in Ogden Utah. Heidi married Jason Peter Anderson and had five children, Ryan, Amanda, Katlynn, Nichole, and Bryson.
Our next daughter Genilyn Buckner was born May 10, 1977, at this point Brent’s parents were serving as mission president and wife in Sacramento California and we were living in their house. Geni married Nathan Smith from Cardston Canada. They have four children, Taylor, Davin, Brennan, and Briley Smith and they live in Cardston Canada. Since writing this history, Geni has been divorced.
Chad Brent Buckner was born on November 28, 1978. We were living in a new home upon the return of Brent’s parents, in Clinton Utah. Chad married Amy Marie Hirschi, and they have three children, Ethan Chad, Wade Michael, and Sydni Marie Buckner. Chad passed away on June 26th, 2015, after fighting for 6 years with Leiomyosarcoma, leaving him a quadriplegic. He was buried 3 July 2015 in the Washington Height’s memorial cemetery.
Michael LaMar Buckner our next son was born April 11, 1981, in Ogden, Weber, Utah
He married Cheryl Hepworth. They had two daughters Avery and Adyson Buckner, Cheryl, and Mike separated in divorce. Michael met and fell in love with Carly Mildon and was married on January 15th civilly and sealed on Jan 16, 2016, in Costa Rica Temple. They had twin sons Finn and Daxton.
Our fifty Child was Ashley Marie Buckner born April 7, 1986, born in Boise Ada, Idaho shortly after we moved there with Brent’s work. She married Matthew Turner from Louisville, Kentucky. They have four children, Steven Sawyer and Lucas Chad, Chloe Elizabeth Ann, and Joshua, Matthew Steven Turner. They live in Heber Utah (Charleston to be exact.)
Our last child, born to us in Frankfurt am Main Germany is Jessica Dawn Buckner, born June 17, 1991. She married Colby Jake Lindsey on May 11, 2014, in the Logan Utah temple. They lived in Salt Lake City, Utah and she worked in the Special Projects at the Church offices while CJ worked in Park City until Cj decided he would like to pursue his dream of becoming a producer of movies and they now live in Studio City Los Angeles, California. They now are the proud owners of a little rescue puppy Mona.
We Moved from Clinton to Boise Idaho where we lived for five years while Brent worked as an Area Physical Facilities Manager for the Church. We returned and found a home in South Weber which remained our home base for the many moves around the world.
We left South Weber to move to Bad Vilbel Germany where we lived from 1989 to 1991 while Brent served as Area Physical Facilities Manager for the Church. In 1991-1995. We were asked to move to France to open up an office in Toiry France during that time Brent was asked to be a Director of Temporal Affairs. After four-year tour there we moved back to Germany again living in 10 Down on Tannenweg in Bad Vilbel Germany. From 1995-1997 then we moved home. Our three-year tour turned into an eight-year tour. We learned so much and grew stronger in the Gospel. While living in France I was called to be Young Women’s president and at the time we had 5-6 different languages in our young women, unbeknown to me the ladies I was inspired to call to fill the position of my counselors could speak those different languages. The Lord provided comfort for those young women who showed forth faith as they moved to faraway places to allow their fathers to work for the Lord. We had one from Holland, one from Portugal, Spain, Germany, France, and the USA. What a tender mercy.
We moved back into our home in South Weber for 3 1/2 years. We were then asked to move to Solihull England in 2001-2004 where Brent would serve as Director for Temporal Affairs of the European area. We were there for 3 1/2 years when we were called to serve as Mission President and wife for Zurich Switzerland for the next three years 2004- 2007. We were allowed to go home and put our things into storage and prepare things for our son Chad and daughter-in-law Amy to live in our home while we served. We then returned home to live in our South Weber Home for seven years, longer than we had lived in one spot our whole marriage.
Then June 17th, 2014, Brent called me and asked me to pray for him and maybe even pray for myself. He said the Presiding Bishop wanted to speak to him. I found out when he returned home that we were called to New Zealand to serve for two years. Right about that time we found out Chad’s cancer was back with a vengeance. My thoughts were, ‘we can’t move now when Chad’s little family will be needing us at this time.’ I received an answer right while praying for an answer. And it was, “Don’t you trust him in my hands?” We then asked Amy and Chad to live in our home again, Chad had gone through 5 years of cancer treatments and wasn’t getting any better. We felt the ward knew them and loved them and would care for them and boy did they ever. Right up until the end they cared for Amy and Chad and their little family. We were able to come home about 4 days before his passing. That experience of the Lord’s hand in our lives. It is another precious experience as everything fell into place as we came to find out he was getting close to passing and how everything was taken care of within about 30 minutes of finding out, to our getting our bags packed and heading to the airport. At one point they asked Brent if he would be willing to stay for a couple more years. Brent and I felt that it was so Amy could have a place to live until she finds someone to help her raise her little family, as Chad passed away on June 26, 2015. Brent is over the South Pacific Area as Director of Temporal Affairs for the Church; He serves as a High Priest Group leader and I serve as an early morning Seminary Teacher.
My Call-
Dec 14, 2014, well, it happened, in the first part of October or the last part of September. I had a feeling after praying that I would be prepared for the calling I would receive. My first experience was when Sally Ann Cain invited me to go walking with them. The two that walked with us were the seminary teachers for our stake. One of them stated that she was going to be moving and the feeling came over me. “This is the call you will receive.
I was sick. Every morning!!! Studying all day to prepare for the next day…I will never get my family history done now. Then I was told about a week later that the curriculum for seminary this year is going to be different. This was just in passing…Humm…Being Prepared!!!… I prayed over and over how I was confused because I had felt that I had been sent here to do my family history…the rate I have to study for any lesson is so long that now I will be studying all day for the lesson the next day. I pleaded that I wouldn’t be called to this position. We received a call from the stake presidency, they wanted to meet with Brent and me. I fell apart. I told Brent I knew what it was going to be. Then we met with the counselor in the Stake Presidency, and it wasn’t me at all. Brent was called to be the High Priest group leader. I felt I had lost all inspiration and direction, but I was so relieved that I didn’t get a calling I didn’t care. After Sacrament meeting, Amead came up and asked us if he could meet with us. He had a call for me. I wanted to run away. I knew what it was. Seminary teacher…I was right. Last night, as I lay in bed what came to me, was that it was more important that my spiritual growth occurs for what was ahead of me than my family history be done at this time. My teaching helped me through Chad’s death.
The Lord was right I would need the spiritual growth with what took place. At the end of January, we received a call from Chad in New York, he had just gone through a direct Chemo treatment into the tumor and was in excruciating pain and was losing the use of the lower half of his body and couldn’t really be left alone very often and Jenn Buckner and the kids had been staying up all night with him while he was going through this pain. So, he asked me to come to New York and help him. I left shortly thereafter to spend a month with Chad in New York, and I watched him dwindle quickly to the point of not being able to use his legs at all. To make a long story short. We lost our Chad on June 26th, 2015, and by the time he passed away, he was a quadriplegic. One of the hardest things I have ever had to face in my life, and I did need the spirit with me. It is interesting that I would get a phone call from Chad with an update on his condition and the next lesson I would teach in seminary would be on dealing with that challenge. Upon returning after being with Chad in New York the first lesson I taught made it clear to me that Chad wasn’t going to make it. There was a part of the lesson that mentioned; what happens when everyone is praying for someone and has their names in the temple, and they receive blessings but don’t get better…They talked about “No righteous man is taken from this life before his time. At that time the spirit whispered to me, ‘Chad isn’t going to make it.’ No matter what the Lord calls you to face, “If He brings you to it He will help you through it.”
We have had the journey of a lifetime, seen so many things, and done so much in our lives. Our children have grown as they have moved to all these different places and seem to be well-grounded and move forward in their lives with eyes open and excepting of people from all walks of life. We have been blessed beyond measure and feel the Lord’s choice blessings in our life. I feel especially grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has placed the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth again. I am so grateful for the guidance and direction in our lives as we give our hearts and souls to the Lord. We are His hands upon the earth, and I have one prayer, that is that I may be useful in His kingdom to accomplish all He needs me to do for Him