Their Legacy: Francis (Frank) Easter Thorup

This is the first in what will be a series of posts about the life histories of some of my ancestors, based on facts gleaned from various sources.

Note that the following post will include some discussion of religion, Polygamy and other aspects of Francis's life some may consider negative. If any of these items bother you, please feel free to just click on, and scan through the images. Also note that views expressed do not necessarily represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its positions and policies. Please refer to the Church's official website if you want to go down that road.

Portrait of my great grandfather Francis (Frank) Thorup, circa Early 1970s. Digital portrait by Aaron D. Thorup. Rendered June 2026.

Medium: Digital
App: Krita
Tools used in App: Paint Brush (RGBa), Layers, Adjustment layers, Erase
Time: Multiple sessions spanning approximately 15 to twenty hours

Timelapse of the painting at the end of this post.

How I came to Render a Portrait of my Great Grandfather Thorup

 "Love you Mom.", as I hugged the woman who brought me into this existence known to latter-day Saints as mortality. "Love you too.", she responds to me, her fourth Son. This had been our standard departure routine pretty much since the end of my mission, for the Church, in 2002. It stands as a reminder that my emotional bond to this woman, despite life's ever-changing vicissitudes, will remain ever present. Just as I turn to walk out the door, "Wait, Aaron, I have something for you". She hands me two small photos; One of the family cat from twenty years ago; the other, a rather faded color image of my Great Grandfather, Francis Thorup. She quickly explains to me it would be really neat if I did a portrait of Francis and the cat.

The cat, well, I figure it's doable with the help of other sources, and some creativity. The image of great grandpa Francis, on the other hand, was far more interesting in my mind. 

Rendering and learning

As I dove into working the details of his portrait, I began to think about this man, and the details of his life. I knew a few things, but as I worked the digital strokes of his portrait, a desire within myself coalesced in my heart and mind, to come to know more about the life of this man. Francis lived his life; and because of what he did and who he became in the complex reality of my family, he was a small but very necessary part in bringing about my very existence on this earth. If nothing else, this post is a "Thank you!" to him and my God. For without them, I would not be here writing this, nor would I have painted his portrait.

The following is a summary of Francis's life. It will include as many facts as I could gather, but I will also insert my opinion at times; as is my right, as an American; and my privilege as a Thorup.😜

Birth and Early years

Francis Easter Thorup was born into the world by Jensine Jensen (Age 41) on April 11, 1903 at the family home located 756 East and 800 South, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jensine was the third wife of Herman FF Thorup (Age 53). Francis would be the last Son they brought into the world, joining the ranks of a fairly large polygamist family. Before you ask, yes polygamy was definitely illegal and not sanctioned by the church since Oct. 6, 1890. Prior to that, there were many men and women who entered into this form of family relationship. Francis's father's first wife died early, so he married again. His new wife felt strongly about bringing on a second wife in the early 1880s. This is a very long story, that deserves an entire books worth of explanation. Suffice it here to say, Francis's father served some time in Sugar House prison. After this, he felt he still needed to care for both his families, which ended up at two residences in Salt Lake City. He truly cared for his wives and children and would not abandon either. Instead he sought to support all his wives and children in any way he could the rest of his life. Naturally, he had many more children, my great grandfather being among the last. This is important to know, because I believe Herman's legacy of taking care of his family was passed on, in a strong way, to his son Francis. Family, without a doubt, was of paramount importance to both these men, even with all their faults and failings.

I found very little information on what Francis's personal relationship was with his Father, Herman. Here is what I do know. Herman FF's primary occupation revolved almost completely around horticulture and plants of every kind. Francis had to have learned his gardening skills from someone. I learned from my own Father, that this was indeed the case. He learned many things in that area of expertise, from his father. Herman would bring his son with him to his work at Liberty park and the green house, when Francis was a young boy. He would teach him and assist his father in the labor and care of plants.

Francis's actual relationship with Jensine is also a big question mark. He was the second to last child born in her family, and she was 41-years old at his birth. No doubt she had had her fill of children by that point. I personally believe Francis ranged freely in the neighborhood of his youth. This, in part, may have been why he began smoking at age 12. I believe it could have been as simple as children in the neighborhood stealing some cigs, lighting up, and sharing the puffs to see what it's like. Bottomline, is he started a nicotine addiction due to tobacco smoking really early in life. Up until his final years, he would never break the addiction. More on that a little later.

I've also come to know his relationship with some or many of his older siblings was not ideal. It is very likely he was picked on and bullied, simply because he was the last son of the third wife. This treatment, in turn, may have also been an impetus for his hanging out with less-than savory friends, that may have influenced his addictions and views towards the Church in his formative years.

Left photo: Francis, siblings  and mother posing for a portrait, approximately 1905 or 1906. Right Photo, Francis with parents, sometime (Possibly) between 1920 and 1923

Should be noted that Francis was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on May 6, 1911, at the age of eight. Though he socialized with other active members, his own activity in the Church was sparse, at best, for most of his life. More on that later.

Education and Marriage to Reeta

Also at around age 12, he stopped going to school. Again, I don't understand the circumstances that precipitated an early end to his public education. Public Schools were not compulsory until 1919. By that time, he had nearly aged out. He worked as a delivery boy, then a hopper. He was eventually fired from that. At some point he went to work for ZCMI. Working for that organization would be his primary source of income for thirty years. To the best of my knowledge, he would never continue formal education of any kind. Choosing instead, the route of learning by experience and hard work.

Sometime between 1922 and 1924 (Most likely), Francis's sister Zina became friends with a woman by the name of Reeta Vernel Isom. One day Zina brought Rita to her parents' home in Salt Lake City for a visit. As the story goes (As related by my grandmother, Dona) Zina introduced her to Francis as he was up on a latter painting the house. Apparently, he really liked what he saw from that height. No doubt they came to know each other very well in the coming weeks and months. Before long they paired off with each other exclusively.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, 1925, Francis married Reeta Vernel Isom, in what appears to have been a low-key ceremony performed by a Bishop George Graham, in Salt Lake City. Francis was 22-years old, and Reeta was 19.

Reeta was the 11th, and last born, in her family. Her father died in a tragic flash flood in southern Utah. Her mother die from illness when she was only four. Despite being orphaned, she was raised by her older siblings and influenced by many good people in her formative years. She was an incredible woman and probably could have done better than Francis. But such is the case with most guys, none of us truly deserve the women who come into our lives. We just accept the infinitely precious gift that is a woman, and seek to improve and be worthy of her. They loved each other. As with any marriage, forgiveness, compromise and having children would be key to them remaining a couple through the rest of their days on this earth. 

Nearly a year later they brought their first son (Richard) into the world. A year and three months later, Reeta would bring my grandfather, Donald, into the world. By the beginning of 1942, Reeta and Francis would succeed in bringing six children in all, into mortality; Five boys and one girl.

Children and the Depression 

They first lived in what were called the Strong Apartments, where Reeta was working at the time of their marriage. They soon took over the mortgage of one of Herman FFs homes in Salt Lake. They would live in this home until 1935. Three years later His father and mother passed away in the month of September. His Father at the beginning of the month and his mother at the end. Though expected (Both had failing health and had lived good long lives), Im certain the passing of both his parents at nearly the same time must have been jarring.

So it was, that with the loss of his parents, and in the midst of a deep economic depression, and on a fairly meager income, Francis and Reeta worked hard to make ends meet. As mentioned before, Francis was blessed to have a job working at ZCMI (Working at $17/week) during these years. With a mortgage on the home, things were spread pretty thin though. Despite this, they brought three more children into the world during this time (Virginia, Rodney and Kenneth). 

In 1935 they decided to purchased land far out to the west in an unincorporated part of the valley called Granger (now incorporated into the city of West Valley City). There, Francis constructed a tiny two-bedroom home (See below). They wanted space to grow their own food and raise their children outside of Salt Lake. They soon discovered how terrifically windy it was living out in the middle of nowhere. Francis disliked this new windy situation so much, that they decided to move back into Salt Lake a short time later. Not sure what their living situation was, but they stayed in Salt Lake for two years, then decided to Purchase a plot of land directly east (a short distance) of the first plot, with the initial intent of growing a field of produce for the family, and to sell the excess. Apparently, they were able to purchase the new land due to both of them receiving small inheritances from relatives in Hurricane (Reeta) and Denmark (Francis). Francis would ride back and forth between Granger and Salt Lake to work the property, with his boys, and reap the rewards of their labor. Extra produce from this land, and other produce bought at a market would enable them to set up some kind of food delivery side gig during these hard years.

In 1940 Francis's family, at last, had the resources and the land they needed to build a proper home in Granger. I presume the sale of the home in Salt Lake also contributed to this. With his children and the help of friends in Granger, Francis built a four bedroom home  (See below)

Reeta and Francis worked hard together, to raise their children to adulthood. Ive been told they raised rabbits to supplement their protein needs. Additionally, they grew a big family garden every year. Francis also mentioned, in an interview, having a dairy cow for a time, that would provide a substantial amount of milk.

Second home in Granger (Now West Valley City), UT. This house remained until the property was sold to a developer, who demolished it to make room for townhomes

Francis's family circa 1938. All present except his youngest, Doug, who would be born a few years later.

Francis Thorup and all his children (1945), except his oldest Richard. He was serving in the U.S. Armed Forces at this time.

Addiction, the curse that keeps on giving

I don't care who you are, all men everywhere have some kind of demon or weakness that haunts them. This can come in many forms. Satan finds a weakness and worms into your soul. He gets us to think "One more time wont matter. You can always do better later." Or "This is who you are, you can never change. Just accept that this is what you've become and live with it!" Francis's two main demons, as I see it, were an addiction to nicotine, and hitting the bottle. More specifically, he drank wine almost exclusively. This started as a remedy to hemorrhoids, but grew into a full-blown addiction, that, like nicotine he never entirely shook until his wife had passed and all his children were adults. 

A study published in the National Library of Medicine in 2019 found the strong possibility of a connection between damage to the vascular system due to smoking and the onset of sevier hemorrhoids. Not only was the nicotine addiction terrible in and of itself, but it more than likely was the catalyst that led to excessive wine drinking. Of course, Francis would never have known of this possible connection during his lifetime. 

Unfortunately, his addiction to nicotine would cost him dearly in the final years of his life. Poor circulation to his legs, brought on by lifetime of smoking, forced the amputation of his lower limbs in the last decade of his life. I find it ironic that he was too young to fight in World War I, and too old to fight in World War II, where so many soldiers lost limbs due to battle wound infections and explosions, but that His body finally lost the battle against the poisons he kept putting into it. He stepped on a symbolic landmine of sorts, when he puffed his first cigarette at age 12. A slow-motion landmine that wouldn't sever his limbs until he was old and worn out.

Concerning the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church)

As mentioned before, he was baptized at age eight. Im unaware if he ever received the priesthood until the final decade of his life. The reasons for this are mostly a mystery to me. He had friends, family and associates, all active in the church.

It's really hard to say, for what reason he kept himself aloof from church activity. Perhaps it was a combination of many different things, but ultimately, that was his choice; even with the addictions.

I was told that he had promised Reeta, at some point, that he would get to the temple with her, someday. She passed in 1964, from liver cancer. Gratefully, according to our faith tradition, that matters very little. We perform proxy ordinances in the temple for those who have passed on, in which someone still living, acts vicariously (Provides a physical body) in behalf of the spirits who once lived physically on this earth. In this way all of God's children will have the opportunity to accept or reject the saving Grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. Such would be the case for great grandma Reeta. Through someone acting in behalf of Reeta, Francis would be sealed to his wife for all eternity. This would happen shortly before he passed on to the next life.

Francis goes to the temple at last

In the final decade of his life he sought out the higher blessings and priesthood of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Sometime in 1976 to 1977 he was ordained to the priesthood. Then, summer 1977, he entered the Salt Lake temple and was sealed to his wife and children for time and all eternity. I personally believe his own family was the ultimate catalyst for this. He was staring into the face of death and realized a few things. One, he did desire the possibility of being with his wife forever. Two, because of the love he had for her and his children, he desired that they be sealed, thru priesthood power, to each other for eternity. 

This took place on June 23, 1977. After obtaining a temple recommend from his Bishop, he entered the Salt Lake temple and received his Endowment. Then, in a sacred ceremony at an altar, he was sealed to his deceased spouse (his daughter-in-law Luana acting as a proxy for Reeta) in the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage. Then, with all his children present, he and Reeta (again, Luana acted as proxy for Reeta) were sealed to their children, as an eternal family.

A few other interesting facts about Francis

I've been told by multiple relatives he would never sign any document that involved large sums of money. For example his youngest son Doug, brought his older brother Donald (My grandfather) instead of Francis, to the bank so he could get an adult to co-sign for him in order to get a loan for his first car. This paranoia about signing documents seemed to get mildly worse as he advanced in years. It is believed that this oddity stemmed from a family incident in Which one of his half brothers convinced Herman FF to sign a document allowing his son to scam a great deal of money from his Father's accounts (or assets?). I really do not know all the details, but this more than likely affected Francis in a negatively psychological way. No doubt the Depression did nothing to help with this either, as I'm sure he read and heard about people losing land and money due to the hard economic times on a regular basis.

His death and conclusions about his legacy

After receiving the greater blessings, his mortal life would only last another three years. He would stumble with his addictions during those years. Then the suffering of mortality would finally come to an end. Francis died on June 27, 1980, nearly four months before I was born into mortality (October 28, 1980). After realizing this, a fiction formed in my mind of a conversation our two spirits could have had while we were in the Spirit world. It would have gone something like this:

Aaron: Hey great grandpa Francis, good to see you again. How did it go down there?

Francis: Good to see you too. Uh, not sure I've ever met you. Before I answer your question, just who are you?

Aaron: Oh yah, Your mind is still veiled, so I guess you wouldn't remember me, not yet anyway. No problem, I will end up being one of your Great grandchildren through your son Donald. 

Francis: Huh, Is that a fact. Well, that is a loaded question. Mortality was a lot of things. Life was a lot of work, having a physical body was good for while. Then it got really painful, ya see. But it was worth it. I found a woman I grew to love more than life itself. With her, I raised a bunch of rascals and a beautiful daughter. The best word to describe mortality, as I see it, is Joy. All the pain, all the work and all the experience is just joy, ya see.

Aaron: Well, I don't see, or totally understand yet, but I will. I'm headed that way pretty soon.

Francis: Is that right! Well, I'm happy for you. You're being born into a fantastic family. My Son Donald has managed to repent of the addictions I never fully broke free of. Your Dad will do a super job raising you and your siblings, I know he will, ya see.-- Well, I need to keep moving along, lots to do before I'm resurrected, ya see. I'm really beginning to know who Christ is, and I'm excited to share the Gospel with as many folks in this place as I can. Aaron, do you think we'll ever meet again? I think I'd like to get to know you better.

Aaron: Yes, Great grandpa, yes, I believe through Christ that is possible. I would like that very much as well.

Francis: Well then, I look forward to it. Keep on keeping on Aaron. See ya later.

Sure, this probably never happened. Sure would be cool if had. This fiction encapsulates what I believe about what takes place after death. The end of this mortal life is not the end of this life. I believe Francis and all of God's children Spirit's separate from their body at death; they will go to a place called  the spirit world. Those with knowledge of God's plan, who sought to live righteously in mortality will have the opportunity to seek to continue the progression and implementation of God's plan among his spirit children who never had that opportunity in this life.

So what is Francis's legacy? As I see it, family, both in numbers and the greatness of his heart. In sticking to his wife and children in good and not so good times. He loved his family without a doubt. Did he do all of this perfectly? Not on your life. But he did do it, and he did what it took to raise his children, all of whom were blessed with their own measures of success, both in family and monetary riches.

I do not in any way condemn great grandpa Francis for not overcoming his addictions. How he'll be judged in the final reckoning of his soul, whose to say? I give it as my opinion, that if Porter Rockwell was praised by the brethren at his funeral, despite having similar addictions, Francis should fair no better or worse than him. The greater weight of judgement for him, and all of us, will come down to a couple questions: How did I treat my family? And, How did I treat my fellow man? (Matt 25:34-40). With most of that weight residing in our actions, and the rest going to our intentions (your desires within your heart and mind). I know Francis was an incredibly imperfect person, his entire life. I choose to believe that most of his actions, in regard to his fellow man and his family, were pretty good! I don't look at his going to the temple three years before his death, as some kind of deathbed repentance, simply because I don't look at his death as a final ending, but a new beginning. His life will continue as a spirit, until he is fully ready to be resurrected and face his final judgement, based on perfect mercy and perfect justice. I'm incredibly thankful that God, who is perfect in every way, will be the ultimate arbiter of that justice and mercy, through the infinite power of his Son Jesus Christ. I believe his plan is set up to maximize  and enable all His children to be taken as far as they are willing to go.

I end this post reiterating the question: What is great grandpa Francis's legacy? He has shown me that a man can be deeply flawed and still be good. A fictitious example of this can be found in the Pirates of the Caribbean Movie, in Which Will Turner finds out his father was both a Pirate Scallywag and a good man. As we learn about our ancestors, may we all approach it with an acceptance of their flaws, while at the same time recognizing the truth of the beauty that is their lives.

Timelapse