"MY" Aunt Patti

Written by Carolyn: I have my Aunt Patti’s hands. In my down time I have had opportunities lately to look at my own hands and hope that I can use them for good as she did. I want to be an instrument in the Lords hands as she was for so many people. She was like a second mom when I was young and she means a lot to me. I am sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful person. My life has been changed in significant ways because I knew her.





Carolyn's Thoughts:

God will call people to care about you and to teach you.
- Henry B Eyring

I truly feel that you can learn something from every person that you come in contact with, but there are certain people that are put in your life for a reason. Some for a short while and others for periods of time to help you, lift you up, love and teach you. Patti was there for me when I was a growing up. I loved her then and didn’t realize all that I was learning from her at the time. Now I appreciate the things I learned and thank the Lord for her being there to teach me those lessons and remember those happy moments.
One story I remember was Patti planting daffodils outside her back door at the Ashlan house on the right side of the steps. They were various colors of yellow and I remember bending down to smell them when I came over in the spring. The first time I saw them in bloom at her house I remember asking her what type of flower it was because I had never seen them and they were so beautiful and different from other flowers I had seen. Like a ray of sunshine in her heavily shaded yard. As the years went by I noticed that she planted different varieties and that allowed them to bloom at different times to make the color last longer. Some bloomed early and some later. Some were bright, others pastel and others with variegated or crinkled blooms. It was her little happy spot in the yard. Her spot of sunshine. Whenever I have seen daffodils I have always thought of my Aunt Patti. I have loved those flowers since I was a child and after coming home from the funeral I decided that I am going to plant my own little happy spot in the yard this next fall. So in the Spring I will have something beautiful to make me happy and remind me of Patti.

An advocate of women, schoolchildren
LDS ward leader also was president of elementary PTA.

By Jim Steinberg / The Fresno Bee
06/25/08 23:28:44


Patti M. Binford was well-known for her compassion and the ability to translate it into action.
Mrs. Binford, 59, of Fresno had suffered pulmonary fibrosis, and died Friday.

She was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and had served as president of her ward's relief society, concentrating on the needs of women.

Earlier, she had been a leader among a small group of parents in Fresno Unified School District who challenged administrators and eventually prevailed on them to find more than $13 million to air-condition district schools. She and the ad-hoc group challenged the status quo that had forced tens of thousands of small children and older students routinely to sit in classrooms with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees for hours each day. They returned home literally red-faced on hot days.

Mrs. Binford was born in Lynwood and moved with her family to Fresno, where her father had found a printing job, said her husband, Tom Binford.

She attended Fresno schools, and worked for a telephone company until she graduated from Fresno High School.

She continued at Fresno City College, married and became increasingly involved in her children's schools, serving with the PTA and as president of the Del Mar Elementary School PTA.

That warmed her to schoolchildren's plight inside hot classrooms, Tom Binford said: "When I got here from the Bay Area, I was just blown away. I thought, 'How could anybody in this Valley not have air conditioning?' Administrators had it in their offices."

Mrs. Binford's work with her LDS church deserves at least as much praise, said her husband, mother, Arba Boggs, and close friend, Ellen Thomas.

"Patti was very organized," her mother said. "She was given basic responsibility from our bishop for the care of women in our ward," a geographic and administrative division of the church. "I guess Patti was called to do this."

Mrs. Binford maintained a notebook of all women in her congregation, or ward, and directions to each woman's home, her mother said. She kept track of the ward's "visiting teachers."

"She was born to it," her mother said. "We believe they come with these gifts. She helped a lot of families."

Thomas called Mrs. Binford "a master of organization," a talent she handled "with such dignity and grace."

Mrs. Binford also was an accomplished musician, particularly on piano and organ, teaching music in her ward along with organizational skills and preparedness.

"The compassionate service is something she did so well," Thomas said.

A memorial "graduation service" was held Wednesday in the LDS church on East Alluvial Avenue.

The reporter can be reached at jsteinberg@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6311.

Patti in the the 80's

This is how I remember my Aunt Patti when I was growing up.
Patti was a wife, a mother, a mother-in-law, an aunt, a grandmother, a sister, and a friend to many.

Boggs Siblings

Back Left to right: Lloyd, Jonathan, Michael
Front Left to Right Suzanne, Nancy, Elizabeth
These are the remaining children of Ralph and Arba Boggs.

Ralph W Boggs

Here is a picture I took at the funeral of where my Grandpa Boggs was buried. It is at Belmont Memorial Gardens in Fresno, CA.

4 Generations

This was totally unplanned but we were able to get a picture of Great-Grandma Boggs, Grandma, Carolyn (Mom) and Ella. Pretty Cool!

Father's Day

This was a picture of Father's Day in June. The kids helped me get him some speakers for his IPod. He also got some knee pads for when he is working out in the yard.

Ella loves to get dressed up and so she was wearing her pretty church dress, play shoes, railroad conductor hat and sunglasses (upside down). She cracks me up!

Utah's Hogle Zoo -Salt Lake City, Utah

We got to take a trip to the Zoo in early June and spent the day there. The weather was still pretty cool. They have done alot of upgrades in the last ten years and it was pretty fun!

This black marble ball is able to roll becuase there is a thin layer of water all over it at all times. -Utah's Hogle Zoo Entrance

Guess which one's are the posers in the family?

2008 PIONEER TREK

This was an amazing experience that none of us will soon forget. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done, but one of the most spiritual experiences I have had with my whole family. What did we learn from it? That those people who crossed the plains and gave up so much. They were doing it because they were following the prophet. He had asked them to move West to Zion. Their challenges were hard and many died, but many many more lived. We face challenges that are just as difficult in our day. Ours are not physical, but we have still been instructed to follow the prophet, in all things, and we will be protected. They had to work to together in many aspects of their lives and we rely on others during difficult times to help us get through the challenges we face. Our entire ward banded together and it was a growing and spiritual experience for many many people. We are so much closer. And we are so glad that we went. We hope to do it again someday when our children are older.

This is where Ella sat most of the trek. She just couldn't keep up when she walked with her mom or she cried from the wind and dirt in her face so we put her in the cart and hauled her with the rest of our stuff. She was much happier then.

Our family in front of the statues that represent those who died the cold winter night after carrying hundreds across the Sweetwater River. There were actually several people men and women who carried people across the river but these four young men were there the most and ended up passing away soon after.

This is Jacob standing near the Sweetwater River. It winds back and forth across this vast landscape. I can see now why the pioneers crossed it several times. We were given the option to cross if we wanted. With all the rain this year it was about waist deep and they told us not to take our carts through. There were still about twenty people who decided to conquer the ice cold depths of the river.

This is Ella at the Sweetwater River. It was really windy and our bonnets helped protect our faces from getting windburn. That is, when it wasn't blowing directly in our faces.

This was our family group. The Johnson's, Katie Paskins and our family. During the time of the Pioneers they were arranged in family groups to help and support one another during the journey.

Devil's Soupbowl in Idaho

He's The Best Dad! Oh No! Don't Fall

What a View!

We visited a Gorge in Idaho and on the drive in there were signs that said WARNING: PLEASE HOLD ONTO YOUR CHILDREN. PARENTS PLEASE CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN. So my kids were a little apprehensive to go out on the bridge to see the view.

Boise Trip

When we went to Boise we got to stay at a nice new Marriot and we got the "SUITE" for the same price as a regular room. Woohoo! Two bedrooms, a living room and kitchenette. Free Breakfast, a pool and 3 flat screen t.v.'s. Ella had a ton of fun having free access to everything she loves! I gave her an inch and she took a yard. In one hour period of time she also ate a whole box of fruit snacks too. Isn't she pretty in my makeup! Yep! You guessed it. That is mascara on her eyebrows. The funny part was that she came out of the bathroom with that look on her face that she new she was beautiful. She was just waiting for someone to tell her.

Meridian, Idaho

SCHOOL IS OUT and so we went with Daddy up to Boise for 4 days and we got to visit Uncle Jerry and Aunt Bev. They live in Meridian, Idaho. Aunt Bev is John's Dad's sister. So it was good to see them again and the kids were all calling them grandma and grandpa within 15 minutes. It was great.

Aunt Bev gave us all the last of her ice cream and it was nice enough for the kids to eat it outside. She played games with them, they read books, they climbed on her bunk beds and they ran all around her yard. They had a ton of fun. I think she was worn out by the time we left.

Long Lost Cousins

My cousin Debbie Webb Alvey came to visit Utah from Houston, TX and they got to stop by our house for about an hour. It was great to see her again after about 15 years and get to know her family. My Katelin and her Chloe are a year apart. Guess who is older? They had a ton of fun together.

Jacob's Top 10 Birthday Party Countdown

10. Bubble Gum Blowing Contest (it's hard when you are missing a couple of teeth.)

9. Balloon Toss (it's hard to catch a balloon when they are slippery)

8. Twister (to many boys for one small mat)

7. Balloon Game (keep the balloon up in the air as long as you can without running into a wall)

6. Spin the Bottle-Boy Style (rub your tummy, pat your head and sing the ABC's)

5. Fat Boy Ice Cream Cake (the best cake in town and easiest for mom)

4. Jumping on the Trampoline (all out screaming, jumping, craziness...)

3. Bodily noises (self explanatory)

2. Smores (what's better than playing with fire and eating sweets?)

1. Water Gun Fight (Water and Guns-Pure Joy)

Jacob's Friend Party

Robot Day

Katelin's class had a Robot Day the last week of school and they were supposed to come up with an idea for a robot they can build at home out of stuff they already have. Katelin made a "SCHOOLBOT" It goes to school and can actually learn. Grandpa helped her a little before he left and then daddy helped her finish it the night before. It was pretty creative and was the tallest most realistic robot at school that day.

Moving On

It's true! Grandma and Grandpa have moved to Texas. We have loved having them here, but now it's time for them to enter a new phase again and us as well. We will miss them a ton!

School Talent Show

Katelin participated in the school talent show and played a lovely piano solo. Then there is a picture of Katelin sitting next to her best friend (to the right) named Rachel Scott. They must be related somehow becuase they both have RED HAIR and Katelin now wants glasses. They have a lot in common and love to get together for late nights.

Hermy the Worm

In third grade at her school they have Pet Day. Since we don't have any normal pets Katelin got creative and went out the garden and dug up Hermy the Worm. She also took a copy of her story she wrote and illustrated about Hermy the Worm Part I and Part II. Grandma Boggs should have a copy of her story if you are interested in reading Katelin's rendition. She also sold copies of her books at Market Day and it was a big hit.

Happy Birthday To Jake

Jacob is a big 7 year old now. He loves cake and he loves ice cream.

Jacob got a sweet Speed Racer Car from Grandma and Grandpa Scott and got five $1.00 bills in a card from Grandma McCrary. It was fun!

We celebrated Jacob's Family birthday two weeks early so that his Grandma and Grandpa Scott and Grandma McCrary could be here.

Too Much Fun - What's That Mean?

Look at Katelin's Wild Hair and Jacob's Cool Moves!

Mother's Day

This year we had our family, Grandpa and Grandma Scott, Grandma McCrary, Ben & Toni and Amy & Nick for a Mother's Day dinner. We pigged out and then let the kids play. Ben's little Bekah is getting big enough to play with Ella in the sandbox.

We made a deal with the kids and did all the research. It will be the birthday present for all the kids this year. Then we went on a family date and baught a new trampoline for the kids. They love it and I love the net.

Pioneer Trek

I have been sewing clothes for the girls in our house to wear when our Ward goes on the Pioneer Trek at Martins Cove, Wyoming in June. So far I have all three skirts and bonnets completed. Then I made bloomers for the girls and I used my friends sewing machine to put cute designs on them. They will be cute.