KARL DEE HOUTZ, Contributed By Ron Weber, 17 November 2013. This is a brief history of my father, Karl Dee Houtz, written by Veta Houtz Watson. Father was the fifth child of eleven children. He was born March 22, 1874 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Henry Pauling Houtz and Sarah Marinda Garn Houtz. They were Utah Pioneers coming in 1848 with their parents to make their home in Salt Lake City. The Houtz family moved to Rockland, Idaho in the 1880’s. This made them Idaho pioneers also. Rockland Valley was made up of a few families, and they all joined in helping each other as neighbors and worshipping in the same faith together. Karl, as he grew older, worked with his father and brothers on the ranch until the time came for higher education. He returned to Salt Lake City to attend Latter-day Saint College. On returning home, he received a call to go to Germany and Switzerland on a mission for his church. Even though it was to a foreign land, and he was a young man, he humbly accepted. First he had an important matter to be considered, however. He had a sweetheart, Evelyn Frances Robinson--my mother, who he loved very much. He asked her to become his wife and stay behind at home until he returned. She accepted, and they were married April 19, 1885, three weeks before he departed for his mission to be gone nearly three years. This was very lonely for them both, but they were able to keep busy, he on his mission in the many towns and countries, learning the German language, and she at home with her parents, counting the days until his return. Somehow the time passed quickly and on December 1, 1887, he received his release and had fulfilled an honorable mission. Karl joined his father again in the sheep business and became a good business man, family man, and a man who was highly respected in his community, serving in many capacities--civic and religious.

They were blessed with five children, three sons and two daughters. He was elected to the Idaho State Senate in 1916-18 and was successful in helping to get the eighteenth amendment put into law (Idaho State and the Convention). This was a very happy event for him, as he had seen the terrible effect of alcoholism had an the human body. In later years the law was repealed, and this made him very sad. He had accumulated a vast fortune in the sheep business; he bought a beautiful home in Pocatello, Idaho and was seeing his children one by one enter the colleges to become prepared for a life of their own. The war years of World War I were not kind to many, And the depression years claimed a great part of his toiling efforts. His second son, Herbert Eugene, was take by death in 1935, leaving his wife and three small sons. They all became fine young men and their grandfather was proud of them. He knew they would carry on his name. Karl and Evelyn lived long enough to enjoy six lovely grandchildren, five boys and one lovely granddaughter - also two great grandchildren. They both passed away in 1949, five weeks apart. Evelyn dies first 9 October 1949 and Karl on the 13 November 1949; both were 75 years old. They had a long and wonderful life and were true to their convictions to the very end.
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