Royal Wilby Cragun

Royal is my father. Growing up I was told that as a young man his father died. Royal was sixteen at the time. His older siblings were married leaving Royal with the responsibility to take care of earning money for his mother and younger siblings. He seemed to have missed much of what a  teenage would miss due to these responsibilities.

When I was about sixteen my father, Royal came down with cancer in his testicals. They treated it with radiation treatments, basically killing all the of the cells in the groin area. I know it was painful, causing blistering. This treatment took place for over a year. He was miserable and had a hard time being patient with stressful situations.

Royal was a hard worker all of his life. He moved to Pocatello, Idaho in about 1947. He worked as a refridgerator mechanic. During that employment he studied and became a licensed electrician. Many of his working years were at the Nuclear Plant in Arco, Idaho. He eventually purchased a floral shop in Gig Harbor, Washington, Hedstroms Floral Gardens. Mother had learned to be a florist and he was great with plants. They had greenhouses on their property in Gig Harbor. One of his suppliers of garden soil was ready to retire and Royal purchased his business, Plant Soil Products. He worked in this business up until he was in his seventies. He merged that business with two competitors, working during that merger. He eventually sold his share to one of his partners.

Royal was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter Day Saints, serving in a bishopric as a counselor and for several years served at the entry desk in the Seattle Temple.

Royal is the son of Simeon Wilbert Cragun and Blanche Rebecca Bingham.

The chart above is from FamilySearch family tree. This free website is a collaborative effort of  hundreds of thousands of people of all faiths building one correct tree of all mankind. I suggest you go to http://familysearch.org/ and sign up for an account. Much information can be found there on my Cragun, Osborne, Mower, Amick, Bingham, Freeman, Guthrie, and White as well as probably all of your ancestors lines. I have served as a support volunteer missionary since the time family tree was launched, even before as one of the beta testers. email me at larry@cragun.net if you want ideas on how to work with family tree and genealogy, or with questions you may have on why Mormons do this awesome effort in helping all do their genealogy.