LaDera Morgan Blake Greenland, 98, went to sleep and woke up to the faces of loved ones long missed on June 4, 2022. Her exit from this mortal life was much as she lived, surrounded by family and music. Born to Mamie and Leon Morgan, March 18, 1924, LaDera welcomed each of her 4 younger brothers to the family: Bill, Theo, Jack, and Lonnie. In childhood, they grew up on a cattle ranch and many evenings you could find the whole family playing music together. In 1941, she graduated from American Falls High School and began her studies at the LDS Business College in Salt Lake City. LaDera's parents took her to school and arranged for her to stay in a large boarding house. She was terribly homesick when her parents left the next day. During this time, she met Lurous (Lu) Blake who was already enlisted in the US Army Air Corp. Here's the story of their courtship in her own words. "My room was on the very top floor. The entire household ate dinner together then each scattered to their own activities. I ventured downstairs, feeling very alone, and started to play the piano. Soon I heard someone singing the songs I was playing. Soon a tall, dark, handsome young man sat down beside me and continued singing, and requesting more songs. After about 2 hours he said, 'How would you like to go around the corner to Farr's Ice Cream parlor and get an ice cream cone?' By then I had already fallen so deeply in love and thought I'd gone to heaven! So, I readily agreed. From then on Farr's Ice Cream was one of our favorite spots. That was the night I wrote in my diary I had met the man I was going to marry . . . Lu Blake." The attack at Pearl Harbor pushed back wedding plans as Lu was shipped out on military orders. They married on November 2, 1943, and moved to California where LaDera worked in the Red Cross office. Their son, Kim Blake, was born in California in 1945 and they moved to Salmon, Idaho when WWII ended. In Salmon, LaDera's education in business was put to fervent use as the family established Blake's Market which began as a grocery store, with an apartment for the family in the back. Later, it became a music store where she taught piano lessons to students from all over the region. This was only the beginning of her business ventures that would span the rest of her life. In 1952 Lu and LaDera adopted two girls, Ann and Rosann, and three years later the family moved to Nampa, Idaho - and remained rooted in the area ever since. With these basic beginnings, her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great- grandchildren would eventually be mesmerized by the stories she would tell. Spending time with her was full of bedtime stories of her early years, pioneer stories, piano lessons, games, adventures, and exploring. Others knew her professionally through her decades-long career in Forever Living Products a company that sells aloe vera based wellness and beauty products. Not only would her customers receive their orders promptly, but they would also receive a packet of inspiring stories as a gift. LaDera knew how to nurture friendships well. In this business, she was so successful that she earned a motor home and a Cadillac. Earning a Cadillac was especially meaningful to LaDera, as it had been a lifelong goal of hers to have one. When she was a young girl, she and her mother had gone out for a simple meal at a restaurant in town. She saw some people drive up in a fancy Cadillac, and they ordered the best food on the menu. She said, "Someday I'm going to drive a Cadillac and order whatever I want at a restaurant!" Still, others knew her through her many hours of church service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a leader or teacher in the Primary, the children's arm of the Church. Or as a Seminary teacher - teaching the scriptures to High Schoolers for 18 years. Or ministering to families as a leader and teacher in the Relief Society, the women's organization within the Church. She also loved teaching the youth in the Young Women's organization and Sunday School. These opportunities for service and connection, along with years of temple work, brought LaDera profound joy. After Lu passed away in 1986, she was courted by and married Joe Greenland on July 15, 1989. They brought each other happiness for many years. LaDera touched the lives of so many, and that legacy has been able to trickle down generation after generation. We are convinced that she truly had friends everywhere. This was tested and proven time and time again, even on a cross-country road trip where, out of the blue, at a roadside stop, we found her embracing, laughing, and talking about old-times with someone the rest of us would have passed by. She loved being a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. She joined in 2002 and began teaching in 2004. She taught lessons for over 15 years. LaDera wanted a big family and that's just what she got. She has 3 children, 13 grandchildren, 39 great- grandchildren, and 10 great-great grandchildren so far. When LaDera left home for the final time on Saturday, she was nicely dressed with a pretty blouse and a sparkly necklace. As they closed the back of the vehicle that was transporting her away, we had to laugh as we realized that she would be driving away in a white-pearl Cadillac. Just Grandma's style!
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