Well, it has been a while since I have had a personal post about the Mineer name so tonight I am going to tell you about the greatest Mineer I personally ever knew.  That would be my grandfather, Kenneth Alma Mineer.  From his birth as a 10 lb baby to his death in 2004 he lived a remarkable life and seriously touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with.

Grandpa Mineer was a jokester.  Everything to him was about making everyone else laugh.  He even seemed to get even funnier with age.  Even grandma would just sit there laugh at the end of his life.  My favorite thing about him and his jokes was his joke card.  He kept his best jokes he had collected over his life on a card in his wallet.  That way when the crowds had gathered he could pull it out and reference it for additional material.

A veteran of World War II and a member of what I consider, and Tom Brokaw, to be the greatest generation that has ever lived.  After growing up during the great depression with almost nothing they put their lives on the line to defeat the same enemies we face today.  They then returned home from war overseas and developed our country to be the greatest country in the world.

My grandfather served other before himself and became very wealthy as a salesperson for Circus Peanuts and later Phillip Morris (they bought Circus Peanuts).  He never sold anything to do with tobacco as that was against his religion. 

The next person I meet that knew my grandfather and has anything negative to say about him will be the first.  He truly was loved by all.  I don’t mean for this to sound like an obituary – simply a collection of thoughts about the greatest Mineer I have ever known.

 The biggest reason why I wanted to write this entry today was because of how bad I miss him.  I don’t have much of a relationship with my Dad or Older Brother and my grandpa was really all I left.  He was the man I most looked up to and the man who I hope I can be like throughout my life.  I pray that my life will be as worthwhile as his and that I can be as beneficial to others.

I will never forget Grandpa Mineer and look forward to the day when he and I are reunited for time and all eternity.

Thanks grandpa.

Today I would like to talk about my family.  Every couple of days I am going to add information on one of the families that carry the Mineer name.  If you would like to share your Mineer family stories please send me an email and I will include it in this Mineer Family Blog.

 My family consists of Myself Michael, my wife Taralyn, and my three children Mikayla – 6, Marc – 4, and Megan – 7 months.  Currently we live in Lehi, Utah and love our home.  We live next door to a 2-acre park that, with the exception of my children, gets very little traffic.  My kids call it their park.  It is awesome.

Tara and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple, June 5, 1999.  We were introduced by her mother, even though I didn’t think that her mom like me.  After a little confusion as to who Tara actually was we went on our first date December 12, 1998.  I went home from that date and told my sister that I was going to marry her and she told her mom that same evening the same thing.  As they say – “The rest is history”.

I will add additional info on my Mineer family in the future.  For now enjoy my family picture.  Notice, Megan (7 month old) is pasted into a family picture from before she was born.

Well everybody, the dumb stuff has ended. I am no longer going to talk about BYU, Wierdos, or anything else. The new focus of the Mineer blog is to actually have an online resource where members of the Mineer family can go to learn about, share information, and get to know better Mineer family members both living and deceased.

I have received three posts from Mineer’s that I have never met. Each time I am honestly like a little kid on Christmas waiting to walk down the stairs. The most recent was from a woman in St John’s Arizona. The way she talked about her family and the reputation they have put on the Mineer name (which was outstanding) made me realize that we need a place where we can share whatever information we have with relatives whom we have never met.

I will try to make at least 2 weekly posts of information I have gathered pertaining to the family. Most will more than likely be for the Utah Mineer’s since I don’t have much information on other topics. However, hopefully over the coming months and years we will be able to have an online library of stories, pictures, experiences, pedigrees, and more that will allow us to learn more about our forefathers. We owe it to them and we owe it to us.

Michael Mineer