What a beautiful time of year to spotlight Leray and Linda Peacock Warren. Leray was born in his grandparent’s home in Salem on February 11, 1932. His parents were Wm. Owen and Ruth Stacy Cloward Warren. He was delivered by Dr. A. L. Curtis. Linda was born on March 31, 1943 in the hospital at Ely, Nevada and her parents were Clifford Lamar and Lucy Mary Jensen Peacock. She grew up in Lund, Nevada. Linda is the youngest of seven children with two brothers and four sisters.
Leray has lived in Salem all of his life. Linda moved to Salem in 1995 from Reno, Nevada as a single Mom. Leray first married his childhood friend, Beatrice Koyle, the daughter of Merrill and Dee Koyle, on June 5, 1952. She passed away on November 18, 1995 after 43 years of marriage. He met Linda Trautman through the LDS Church Single Adult Program and they were married on May 7, 1999. Leray has five sons and one daughter: Boyd Leray (Dorthea), Salem; Mary Ruth (Roger) Forsey, Payson; Bruce (Heidi), Salem; Brent (Maureen), Salem; Brian (Lori), Salem; and Bradley Owen (Julie) Salem. Linda has 1 son and 3 daughters: Connie (Warren) Hayes, Littleton, Colorado.; Julie (Roger) Taylor, Baldwin City, Kansas.; Carl (Tracy) Trautman, Kuna, Idaho; and Janette Steel, Sparks, Nevada. Together they have 44 grandchildren and 45 great grandchildren. Of these, Boyd and Dorthea have two sets of twin grandsons.
Leray was President of his Salem 9th Grade graduating class. Some of his classmates were Lew Christensen, Harry Davis, “Billy” Rust and Don Underwood. After 9th Grade they went to Spanish Fork for High School.
Because of a rheumatic heart condition, Leray, did not serve in any branch of the service. Just out of high school he went to work for U.S. Steel, Ironton Plant, then went to the Illinois Trojan Powder Plant up Spanish Fork Canyon and retired from Pacific States Pipe Company with 33 years. Leray always wanted to be a farmer, but found that it did not pay the bills; although he did purchase his grandfather’s farm in 1962. He has hired a lot of Salem kids to work for him at the Springs to haul hay. His five boys run the farm today. Linda provided for her family by having a children’s day care in her home for over 30 years in Reno, Nevada.
Leray and Linda are both active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, holding several positions. At one time Leray was one of the seven Presidents of the 70 of the Spanish Fork Stake, a member of the High Council six years and was been a member of the Salem Firstt Ward Bishopric. They have been Ward and Stake Mission Leaders. Leray has done a lot of missionary work in his life. They had six grandchildren serving missions at once: three from his side and three from her side. Linda is a member of the Salem Camp of the DUP. Linda said her grandparents were sent out by the LDS Church from Manti and Moroni, Utah to settle Lund, Nevada. It became a farming community and she grew up on a dairy farm. Leray said they have a lot in common because of this, and Linda made him a better man. Leray lovingly calls Linda, “His little Nevada farm girl.”
Leray and Linda were selected as Salem’s Family of the Year for 2011. Leray allowed Salem City to have a utility easement to run a power line to the Salem City well.
Leray doesn’t like pineapple but loves chocolate. Linda loves chocolate chip cookies and loves to bake cookies. She likes to sew, hand embroidery, cook, collect dolls, quilt and do photography. One of her pictures was selected for the 2017 Salem City Calendar. Her grandson, Niel Hayes, loves photography and he has pictures of the Payson LDS Temple at Seagull Book in Spanish Fork. Leray said “Taking care of him is a big job for Linda.”
Leray’s talent is being a wonderful farmer and a great father and grandfather. He likes to see an even patch of barley, even corn fields, peas in bloom; remembers how the fields looked. They were beautiful. He remembers Salem when it had one LDS Ward. He likes to remember the “good old days”. Leray said he remembers when he was young he learned to drive a team of horses. The farming was done with horse-drawn equipment. Both Leray and Linda liked to travel especially to visit Linda’s children. They have been a lot of places and done a lot of things. He couldn’t be more appreciative of Linda, saying she is a beautiful wife and treats him really well. They both come from a religious pioneer background and because of the way they were raised, they get along so well. Leray and Linda want to thank their neighbors and friends of Salem for the wonderful life they enjoy here in this beautiful, peaceful town of Salem, Utah. Salem is a very special place to raise a family.
Leray and Linda, thank you for sharing your life with the citizens of Salem.
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Salem City Newsletter Senior Spotlight, October 2016, page 3