Sybil Lusty Peel

Grant and Sybil on their wedding day

 My mother was born Feb. 16, 1924. She was the 8th child in a family of 10. She met my father while she was attending BYU Academy in 1944. This was during the Second World War but my Dad had polio and only had the use of one leg. He could not be a soldier like his 5 brothers.

My mother prayed for me through many many trials that I had even though her life had so many more trials than mine. Her first child, a boy, was born 2 years before me, and died at birth. He was born breech. He only lived for a few minutes. The baby girl after me was stillborn. Within the next few years, 3 more girls and 3 more boys joined our family. We didn't have much money. Dad was a schoolteacher. Mother canned fruit, baked bread, and sewed many of our clothes. in 1976 when Mother was 52, the oldest boy in the family, William Grant was killed in an auto accident. He was 21. Fifteen months later the second oldest boy, Harlan Matson was killed in an oil rig accident. My father retired and they moved back to my father's hometown of Mt. Pleasant, Utah. My mother had always wished to live near a temple. Her fondest wish was finally granted. Now she could attend the Manti temple regularly. My life was so blessed because of her sacrifices. Shortly after her 80th birthday my youngest brother, Steven Lusty, was killed in an automobile accident in California. He left behind his wife and 3 daughters. He was very active in the church and had a firm testimony of its truthfulness. After his death, Mother said that she knew that her boys were having some type of difficulty in the spirit world and she thought she would be able to pass so that she could help them but that they must have needed their younger brother. I know that because of her prayers, I was able to get my master's degree, survive throat cancer, deal with my late husband's cancer and all of his mood swings, and survive 3 stepsons and 3 sons who at times were very wayward. I continue to feel her presence in my life today. As she encountered trials in her life her ability to discern the will of God increased. She became more humble, more prayerful, and more in tune with the whisperings of the Spirit. Many times she felt the presence of loved ones who had passed beyond the veil. I knew that when she advised me to do better she had received that inspiration for me. I know that she continues to pray for me. Her legacy of love is one that I hope I can foster in my own life and in the lives of my family. I have a picture that hangs in my home, given to me by my mother. She told me that it was her testimony. Its title is Faith in Every Footstep. It says, " Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you. If ye will have faith in me, ye shall have power to do whatsoever is expedient in me. For it is by faith that miracles are wrought, and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men." My hope is that I can use this to better my life and the lives around me.