I've had this around awhile, and just now getting it out. Add to our knowledge of Meri with your comments!
We are all wild about MERI! Let’s face it – she is nice, funny, and in a heck of a world!
Joyce A Adams Osborn Evans, age 87, passed away Saturday, November 8, 2008, in Parowan, Utah. She was born October 31, 1921, Parowan Utah, to Will L and Lizzie Watson Adams.
"Joyce never established nor ran an orphanage like Mother Teresa, nor did she try to eradicate AIDS like Princess Diana, nor improve literacy like Barbara Bush, but she touched many lives, one by one, throughout her whole life. Much of the world may not know who Joyce Osborn Evans is, but those of us who knew her were touched by her love in countless ways."
Survived by husband Daniel Evans; children, Bill (Jone) Osborn, Manhattan Beach, CA, Bonnie Barber, Lehi, UT, Mimi (Marc) Lauper, Hacienda Heights, CA; thirteen grandchildren, thirty-four great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren; and brother, Karl (Karole) Adams, San Jose, CA.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 15, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. at the LDS Parowan 3rd Ward Chapel, South Main St, Parowan, UT. A visitation will be from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. prior to the service, at the Chapel. Interment will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the St. George City Cemetery, St. George, UT.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Joyce Adams Osborn Evans Memorial Fund, Utah Shakespearean Festival (435) 586-7880. (Source: Deseret News)
We are all wild about MERI! Let’s face it – she is nice, funny, and in a heck of a world!
Born - 16 Jan 1971 - Alameda, California
Parents: WILLIAM JAMES BARBER, Jr. and BONNIE AHLSTROM BARBER
Dad has 5 wives. (2 which are David Preston Jessop’s first cousins) Did you know that David Jessop’s mother was Rulon Allred’s daughter?
Has MANY siblings, one deceased (Teresa)
She was raised in the AUB church.
She has beautiful blue eyes.
Married at 19, in 1990; Has a dtr. MARIAH BROWN, 15.
“Was the Bait” for KODY to enter Polygamy.
MERI introduced KODY to ROBYN, and knew JANELLE and CHRISTINE before they married. Basically she’s the chooser of the next wife. Kinda like picking new carpet?
Can’t decide if she wants/doesn’t/jealous/or best friends with ROBYN.
MERI deals with a lot of hurtful issues surrounding infertility. She refused in vitro from KODY, which I found it sad they hadn’t done that before.
Lost her job in the Mental Health Field b/c of the publicity of the show..
Was studying to be a Psychologist, to work with at risk teens (she’d be great with the Mormon teens)
Was JANELLE’S sister in law by her brother ADAM BARBER before she was her sister wife.
Meri is Chief Tooth Puller of the house/ Photographer helper of the home.
She grieves over a sister TERESA, who died of colon cancer- raised awareness with the show.
MERI notes that bad moods in one relationship carry into the others. "When he gets ornery with another one he gets weird with me," she says, explaining that it impacts the sexual nature of their relationship.
My Favorite line from MERI - “ROBYN, it’s W for Wyoming”
We worry about Meri. She seems suppressed and depressed. She has spoken many times that if it weren’t for her daughter, she would get out. At that early point, I feel that Kody would have been happy with one wife. I wonder how that affects her now, if she could do it over.
Cried when KODY said she should have gotten a smaller house, but, stuck to her guns.
Says the Talking heads are therapeutic and brings stuff out in her.
Is a very loving mother and devoted wife….despite what husband she got handed.
MERI likes living on her own. (I would!!!!)
I like MERI, I think she would be a good friend, and fun at times to hang out with. I wish she didn’t have to be so miserable. She seems to be a very nice, kind person. How I wish she could have a family all to herself. She must be so conflicted growing up in the faith, and would be leaving her entire family essence, essentially, if she left.
Meri lost Teresa in 2006, She lost her father in 2007 and her maternal grandmother in 2008. That’s a lot of loss for one person. It may be part of why she’s so emotional.
William James Barber
11/9/1942 ~ 9/5/2007
Bill was born, grew up, got married, worked hard because he had a lot of kids, who had more kids, who are still having kids, wanted us to have a party, then he died, and we're having a party! Viewing Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E. 10600 So., Sandy, UT, Monday, September 10, 6-8 p.m. Graveside service Rocky Ridge Cemetery, I-15 exit 242, Tuesday, September 11, 11:30 a.m. Memorial Party Lehi, Tuesday, September 11, 3:00 p.m. Contact family for location. (Source: Deseret News, 8 Sept 2007)
Here's Grandmother's Obituary:A Legacy of Love
Joyce A Adams Osborn Evans, age 87, passed away Saturday, November 8, 2008, in Parowan, Utah. She was born October 31, 1921, Parowan Utah, to Will L and Lizzie Watson Adams.
"Joyce never established nor ran an orphanage like Mother Teresa, nor did she try to eradicate AIDS like Princess Diana, nor improve literacy like Barbara Bush, but she touched many lives, one by one, throughout her whole life. Much of the world may not know who Joyce Osborn Evans is, but those of us who knew her were touched by her love in countless ways."
Survived by husband Daniel Evans; children, Bill (Jone) Osborn, Manhattan Beach, CA, Bonnie Barber, Lehi, UT, Mimi (Marc) Lauper, Hacienda Heights, CA; thirteen grandchildren, thirty-four great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren; and brother, Karl (Karole) Adams, San Jose, CA.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 15, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. at the LDS Parowan 3rd Ward Chapel, South Main St, Parowan, UT. A visitation will be from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. prior to the service, at the Chapel. Interment will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the St. George City Cemetery, St. George, UT.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Joyce Adams Osborn Evans Memorial Fund, Utah Shakespearean Festival (435) 586-7880. (Source: Deseret News)
What can you think of to describe MERI? Or your favorite line from her? What would you like for MERI’S future? Let’s see how much info we can list on Meri! Comment and add facts or fun things she's said, you get the drift.
TWEET THIS:Tweet
TWEET THIS:Tweet
Look at that first picture. If she had just said, Kody, I don't want to live polygamy, I want to just be LDS, I bet she'd have 8 kids by now! God bless her. She did what she thought was right.
ReplyDeleteI thought Meri was a natural blonde, but she doesn't look it here, may be the lighting. But all the others are dark haired.
ReplyDeleteShe's said that she would get out if not for her daughter - I feel so sorry for her. It's got to be very difficult to assist Kody with his wife collecting.
ReplyDeleteI got one, she is funny and a prankster, I bet she got that from her dad. Somehow, I feel her dad's family worked out better than her own.
ReplyDeleteI think Meri had a decent family dynamic going on before Robyn came.
ReplyDeleteI think Meri was secure that Kody was still hot for her when it was just Janelle and Christine. Perhaps Meri NOT having as many children as the other two gave her more energy to pay attention to Kody.
I think Meri definitely feels like she is the "first" wife, and no matter what they say, the REAL wife too.
Now, I believe Robyn is going to be a big problem for Meri going forward IMO. Let's be honest, Robyn is ten years younger, lovely and thin, and apparently quite fertile. They can tell me otherwise til the cows come home, but there is no way Kody isn't totally hot for Robyn right now, if only for the fact she is new (and thin and young). I almost feel like he is starting a second family with Robyn now and I'd say that Robyn will be his favorite going forward, displacing Meri.
I was reading Carolyn Jessop's book and if IIRC, she said polygamy is not really polygamy, but perhaps a form of serial monogamy and that there is always one "real" wife, in other words, the one that the husband really loves and therefore the one who has the real power.
I'd predict that Robyn will take Meri's place and she won't care about Meri's feelings. Janelle and Christine seemed to be respectful of Meri and her feelings, but I don't think Robyn is the same way. And it's darn hard to compete with a skinny little young thing like Robyn, let's be real.
All in all, I feel sorry for Meri. I think she had an ok situation going in light of her religious beliefs, with Janelle and Christine, and those days are over now and she knows it. I honestly think she would be happier leaving (including the show), retraining in something so she could support herself, and finding a new man to be MONOGAMOUS with. She is still a young woman!
WAIT a MINUTE, I smell the stench of dishonesty.
ReplyDeleteThe explanation was that Meri and Kody met Robyn at a "party"
Yet, David Jessop is Christine's cousin, and now 2 of Meri's dad's wives were David's Cousins. YEAH, they didn't know her at all, huh? Since David is out of the church, yet a Jessop/Allred, think this was part of let's make a show, and do good and get in good with the church scheme? Just curious.
Most of them are related distantly. Makes you wonder when the genetic diseases will start to show up in this group.
ReplyDeleteI think Meri was the first that said "We don't do/go weird", I believe Kody repeated it on an interview. Liked her for that.
ReplyDeleteSydney, I don't know that she would have any more children had she not gone polygamous...perhaps she would have sought medical/infertility treatments. I had one child early in my marriage, and that was it. Saved a fortune on birth control, as I wanted more. My explanation was I don't breed well in captivity. Surgery I had a few years ago showed everything to be a mess---some possibly could have been corrected earlier, but it would have been a crap shoot.
I don't know if Kody will stay as infatuated with Robyn. Meri will be a constant/ safe person in his life, and he still seems a little immature. If he grows up and Robyn starts to wear on him, Meri and the others will hopefully have maintained their luster...unless they have all started getting tired of the whole situation.
Hopefully Meri continues with her degree that she was working on. I think the more of a person she is without Kody, the more appealing she will be to Kody and others.
Just so everyone knows, Robyn and Meri are like BEST friends. I've seen this firsthand.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Ro - Bun has figured out she is a brood mare yet ....NAY ! NAY!
ReplyDeleteI doubt Meri would have had any more kids, no matter what her living situation is. Infertility is infertility.
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good picture of Kody. While I kind of like men with long hair, I think he looks better with his short.
Like best friends? In a way, the two seem that they are sisterly or best friendish but it is almost seems as if Robin thinks she has some upper hand that she always has to apologize to Meri for.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if its not a case of keep your enemy closer. I wonder if Meri feels she has to keep Robin so close so not to be out of the loop or lose Kody's love for not accepting Robin.
In the TLC update Meri mentions she will be an empty nester soon.
I wonder what will happen when the nest is empty for Meri. I hope she goes back to school or does things for herself for once.
As far as Robin, well if Kody goes for the super heaven 7 , she won't be the cupcake forever. I hope she plans wisely.
I guess one of the things I do not get about polygamy is the time to keep a strong union going. Marriages tend to go through natural ups and downs and how do they work on keeping it going when the husband is ever involved elsewhere. Many women need extra support from family and friends when their children leave home. This is a time they need to be encouraged to start living life for themselves again as they did prior to having children. I guess the other wives can support Meri but it seems like Robins entry and pregnancy comes at a time when perhaps Meri needs Kody more. Instead of looking forward to life after children with Kody and relaxing especially on the wallet with less kids in the house, here comes Robin putting them back at square one. Small children, new bills, more expenses.
I wonder if Kody ever offered Meri fertility options long ago when it would have been a more realistic choice for her. I wondered if Kody would have offered for any other reason except to comfort Meri into accepting his engagement to Robin with better ease. Like some strange condolence prize.
Robin seems to not only have surpassed Meri in the best wife spot, but also to have passed Christine as the voice of the family. Now if the gal starts making money, she can opt Janelle out , too.
Oh, what a family. Wish them the best!
I forgot to add, looking at the picture of Kody and Meri again, they look like brother and sister and even almost twinish!
ReplyDeleteRo=bun is slinny, but damn, I'd picky Meri any day of the week! She's pretty, funny, and not a horse! THAT JAW! NAY! is correct.
ReplyDeleteA Friend would never go on TV and say you body can't make babies. Simple. Think about it. It's not her message to be said, but seh's gonna make a big deal out of it. A friend wouldn't keep a secret about a wedding dress. A friend wouldn't kiss her boyfirend before his wife gave birth (wasn't that a no no until the wedding) a FRIEND wouldn't bring three snotty kids into the picture, then act like SHE was the grand babysitter. a FRIEND, no. Remember the addage, KEEP YOUR FRINEDS CLOSE, and YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER? That's what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, Kody might be a monster in closed doors.
ReplyDeleteI remember Meri as a very sweet person. My hope for her is that one day she will see this religious marital duty for what it truly is, and walk away to make a new life for herself. Maybe when her daughter is grown up and has left home she will be able to make the break, but it's so hard to do, especially if you have been brought up in such a system, and believe that you will be damned for not living it. Add to that, loving your husband, and it makes things very difficult. Love you Meri - there are people out here willing to help you and any others who want to break free. Check out www.holdingouthelp.org
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Informative, I love hearing background stories. Doesn't her dad look like fun!
ReplyDeleteI think despite the polygamy, she had a great childhood, and dreamed her marriage would be as good as her dads. Obviously her dad dealt with his wives differently, for all were happy via Meri. MERI, honey you can get to heaven by simply following the lord, not that nutsack Joseph Smith.
Holding Out Hope is a great organization which helps people who want to exit polygamy - if you don't know about Holding Out Hope already, check out the website and consider sending them a donation to help folks who want to leave polygamy groups !
ReplyDeleteArticles like this make the show more intersting. Period. Whoot Whoot!
ReplyDeleteMeri should go out an have an affair, i mean a celestial union with another man, she might get pregnant! maybe she's just adversarial to him. FAIR GAME
ReplyDeleteMeri is one of my favorites. It used to be Janelle, but she lost me on Access Hollywood. If you noticed, Meri really wasn't as involved on talking about the move as the others. Only the look behind the truck, and it seems as if she was laughing then, like she knew it was bogus.
ReplyDeleteMeri is and always has been my favourite wife. She's the first and only REAL wife. She's beautiful, smart and deserves everything good in this world. Sometimes I wish Kody hadn't taken on any of the other wives, him and Meri are a perfect couple. I hate seeing her upset and I wish Kody would spend more time with her. I do NOT like Robyn at all. Team Meri till the end!
ReplyDeleteMeri, Robyn is going to stir the pot, watch your back, and Janelles and Christines. She's going to try to take over and push everyone out of the way. You're educated, you know your choices. Fight back and keep what you have or move on to bigger and better. You're a beautiful woman, don't let someone devious and underhanded like Robyn ruin your life ! Sure hope you see this.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with the above! Meri, Janelle, and Christine look back at your life and the kids before Robyn and compare what is happening today. As viewers we are all watching. Robyn is the deterioration to this family. Love all three of you ~ many blessings ~ and I wish you all the best. xo
ReplyDeleteMeri should have kept her long hair. She had it at the beginning of the series and it looked great so it wasn't like she decided to cut it because of getting older.
ReplyDeleteShe is nuts. "I need my me time". When I need me time, I go out shopping alone or I go upstairs alone in our bedroom and iron and put away clothes and watch TV. I don't need to share a husband to get "me" time. DUH. They are crazy.
ReplyDeleteMeri is the most intelligent and savvy of the wives, even if she does seem solicitous to Kody most of the time. She will cave on her own emotions when Kody expresses the slightest displeasure despite what must be hundreds of sleepless nights alone while her husband is sleeping with the other women. She HAD to become BFFs with Robin, since the two of them are in direct competition to be Kody's #1 wife. Truth is that Robyn has Kody's heart right now; the birth of Solomon cemented that. For Robyn to offer to have Meri's baby is either very kind or utterly manipulative; it confirms Meri's powerlessness and Robyn's power, and having children is very central to this family. I like Robyn but don't trust her, and Meri shouldn't, either. Robyn is too "good" to be true--her emotional displays of "sincerity" are shallow; at times when she talks, her real feelings come out and they are rarely kind or selfless. Meri will one day walk away. She's just too smart to stay there forever, especially if Kody starts to devote more time to Robyn and the brood she's planning to have. For whatever reason, Robyn has this sexual hold on Kody--you can see that he favors her and is like a schoolboy even when he talks about her. I've never seen him cry on the show, yet he did when talking about a doctor's appointment about Solomon--and the baby was fine; he even knew this when he was shedding those tears. Kody's ego is as big as Las Vegas and just as showy. You can't help but like his boyish good looks, enthusiasm, and energy; what's bad is his inability to see their situation from any vantage point other than his own. Meri is the only one who really challenges him to see their lives clearly, and this often confounds him. Remember when she asked how he would feel if she had several husbands? He wouldn't even answer--it was just such a horrible feeling for him. The hypocricy that defines him pales in the shade of his great hair and high self-regard. Kody Brown is his own best friend--the wives are just his various crowns that confirm how amazing he already is--in his own lives and, he hopes, the eyes of the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree she is put under the bus and I feel sorry for her and rob is taking spotlight from her doesn't matter what religion u are from first wife comes first and that is what her daughter was feeling she and jen supported the others and I feel they have made there or should I say earned the right to get the respect as well as Christine but robbin needs to find an egg and because of her that's why the business isn't working and marie she is not ur friend she is fake I hate to say that she is doing it to make u and the others look bad
DeleteDear Nanaangel,
ReplyDeleteHere at SWB (as with most blogs/forums) we do not condone attacks on a commenter because their opinion/perspective differs from yours.
You wrote some very interesting words, however, please understand that when replying, leave out the personal attacks if you want others on this blog to read what you have to say.
To help you (and others who may want to post here at SWB)I've taken the liberty to simply edit out your negative and attacking statements.
...................................
Your edited response to xyz:
Robyns offer was sincere. I know her. She is a good person, and she has a good relationship with her husband. If there is any lack in the other relationships it their own setbacks and weeknesses (sic), not Robyns. A baby should not be a topic of discussion!
Your edited response to Lana226:
I disagree :)
Your edited response to Anonymous 7/22 6:05am:
Sorry, but Robyn did not know their family at all. I am her sister and I was there, it was a dance and she had only first met him just before that, with no idea whatsoever of a relationship, Robyn used to live in Montana with her then husband, He left our church later. The whole idea for the show was brought to them not the other way around. AND, Meri is Happy, her and Robyn have a very strong relationship, if that is not clear in the show then it is clear to me every time i see them. Unfortunately, reality tv plays on any kind of drama and only includes the comments they think will get ratings. Meri is great, but so are all of the wives. They have their strengths and their weaknesses. All you see is their weakness. Robyn has been dealt some pretty crappy hands yet she is one of the most giving people I know.
.....................................................
I hope you see my point.
Cynical Jinx
I was reading back on some old posts, so I hope it's not too late to reference the ones above. Robyn has been dealt a pretty crappy hand, IMO, from living in poverty with three children, to being referred to as the Monkey Wrench in the family. Robyn was offered the polygamous life she wanted, and she took it. I was of the opinion that they (Meri)found her, not that she went out seeking a huge family, a TV show and a McMansion. So, she cries a lot - she seems sincere to me. Women are women are we are all capable of being *itchy from time to time, but I don't see a lot of that from Robyn. Of course Kody seemed over-infatuated with her at first - she was new, and she's very pretty. It's only to be expected. I think Robyn was dealt the worst hand of all, because she was blamed for the expected problems it would cause to bring a new wife into a family unit that had been basically unchanged for - what, 16 years? When she saw her new home, hers were tears of joy and relief, not of entitlement.
DeleteI too feel they were tears of joy. Robyn is living her dream. Would it be better to live like she did before?
DeleteThe only thing that bugged me is when she pood about not having a crib. If she couldn't afford it, why didn't she work like the rest of us?
Well obviously I was reacting to the other attacks on their family. You go ahead and edit my response, but i have seen in so many words rude and downright sick comments you allow on this blog. I see, you allow the bashing on the family but not the bloggers themselves, who have no real knowledge of this family and their goings on. I am done here. I thought I could say something that would penetrate, and you don't like it, so that's that. Thanks for helping me see the light. Go ahead and edit this too. Goodbye.
ReplyDeletePeople are voicing their OPINION of a family that has chosen to appear on television. This blog is not an admiration society for the Browns. We watch the show, and we write opinions about the show that may not be complimentary to the Browns or their lifestyle.
DeleteSWB is not a place for the faint of heart. Commenters here can be very passionate in their opinions. But you cannot resort to bashing the commenters here with the notion you are attempting to "say something that would penetrate". Presenting your argument in a manner that addresses the comment and why YOU feel it's wrong without getting personal is a more effective way of possibly changing some attitudes. It's difficult sometimes, but it can be done.
So to sum up, if you were just here to stir things up, I'm happy you "have seen the light" and you can be on your way.
If you truly want to change some opinions, start by stating your opinion without resorting to using personal attacks!
Very nice post, i see Meri differently than the posters. She's terrific!
ReplyDeleteMeri cries at the drop of a hat, that would drive any man crazy, it drives me crazy. she's going into meopause soon, obviously. Janelle is the only one with a calm demeanor and a head on her shoulders. She's very smart and pretty too, altho a little overweight. Robyn....who knows? Christine (cant stand).
ReplyDeleteI always thought I would love to be in a plural marriage. I thought that having sister wives would be so wonderful.it This program has changed my mind. All I have seem from Meri is crying!! She seems like the most unhappy woman in the world. How can this be healthy?? I think Meri is a wonderful person but so extremely sad. She is in constant turmoil and most every episode is hard to get through for her tears. I wish she could find just a bit of happiness, perhaps if she leaves the marriage that would someday be a possibility, if she isn't already too traumatized.
ReplyDeleteI think Meri and Robyn are closer to each other than they are to Kody. I also think that the other two wives dislikes Meri and Robyn. I think both Meri and Robyn are very sensitive women and they both cry over the things that matter to them.
ReplyDeleteFunny to read this now, a year later - rarely so many positive things about Meri in one place anymore! Haha!!
ReplyDelete{Suggestion: could you install a recent comment widget in the sidebar? With all the linking to older post it would be fun to see if there is a current debate going on older pages withour having to click on each}
I love meri
ReplyDeleteMeri appears to me to be very unhappy, manipulative, and lazy. I have no respect for her at all, and feel badly for children who are being raised around her. Not BY her though, except Mariah, as it's obvious Meri doesn't sacrifice for anyone but her "own" and that is just herself, Kody, and Mariah. In that order.
ReplyDeleteSeriously... letting your husband sleep with other women in the name of religion, ISN'T sacrificing? Get real.
ReplyDeleteIt takes amazing women to share their intimate, daily lives with other sister wives. I hope to become a sister wife myself one day.
Why do we not see posts like this anymore? I'd love to see more updates on the families backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Meri's father's other wives Jessops? The guy looks like fun.
ReplyDeleteI happen to have heard some Las Vegas gossip. Sheer gossip. Seems as if Kody is looking for another wife. Going to have Robyn share her home.
He was acting like the high priest tonight.
I just found this show on Netflix. I find it entertaining and interesting. I understand Meri's point of view. I have massive infertility problems. My husband and I adopted our kids. I could not live in a plural family. I give kudos to all of these ladies for standing up for their beliefs no matter the cost.
ReplyDelete