Emile Craner Dunn

   Ancestral File Number: 52GV-GQ.

  General Notes:

EMILE CRANER DUNN (1898 - 1989)

Emile Craner Dunn was born November 24, 1898 in Tooele, Utah. He was the fifth child and the second son born to Joseph Owen and Mary Ann Craner Dunn. He used to say that he was born in "a brand new house with the plaster still wet." He spent his first years herding cows up the canyon. In 1910 the family moved to Corinne, Utah.
In 1919 Emile worked on the railroad section going between Grandview and Yakima. While there, he received a mission call to the southern states. He requested to go to Tonga instead and his request was granted. He served as a missionary in Tonga for four years. While he was there, he taught school and preached the gospel. When David O'McKay was in Tonga during his world tour 1921-23, Elder Dunn impressed him to the point that they were friends for the rest of Elder McKay's life.
In 1926, Evelyn Hyde went to Corinne to teach school and on August 15, 1928, she became Mrs. Emile C. Dunn in the Salt Lake Temple. The newlyweds set up housekeeping in Logan, Utah where Emile worked for George Bowen (a cousin) at the Cache Valley Commission Company. He did all of the miscellaneous jobs such as delivering feed and "icing Norman." He eventually had the biggest wholesale candy sales route in Cache Valley by being willing to sell candy by the bar rather than by the box only.
Emile and Evelyn were the parents of three children: Emile Hyde, Karen, and Ofa.
In late 1935 Emile was called to be mission president in Tonga. The family left for Tonga in January 1936 and arrived in Nukualofa, Tonga on March 13. For the next ten years, Emile had a great responsibility of leading the mission. He began by building and fixing up some homes and chapels. An important project of these years was the translation of the Book of Mormon into the Tongan language. When all of the missionaries were sent home before the war broke out in the Pacific, Emile called native men and their wives to fill in the gaps. This began a great spiritual upswing as the Saints learned to lead and govern each other.
With the coming of the war came changes for the family. Evelyn and their children were sent to New Zealand by the government. They lived in the mission home there with Matthew Cowley and his family for about 13 months. Emile was drafted by the army to build warehouses and storage sheds for the armed forces. His knowledge of the people and language was just what was needed at this time. He had to move out of the Mission Home so that the General and his staff could us it for headquarters. He lived in the chapel since there was no church services held there for a while.
With the end of the war in 1945, the family was able to return to the United States. It was a short stay because in 1947 Emile was again called to go to Tonga to build the Liahona College and was later called as Mission President there again.
In 1950 the family moved back to Utah and life continued on. Emile worked at the Utah State University in the Maintenance Department. In 1952 he was called as an officiator in the Logan Temple. Emile retired from the USU in 1966. Soon thereafter, he and Evelyn were called to serve a mission in New Zealand. They spent two years there. Back to Logan for one year, then a call to the England South Mission. A year home again then back to England Temple Mission. Home once more for a year then another call to the Rarotonga's this time under the French Polynesian (Tahitian) Mission. All the time between these missions they had been Temple Workers in the Logan Temple.
Emile died August 4, 1989 in Brigham City, Utah. He was buried August 9, 1989 in Logan, Utah.


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  LDS Information:

Baptism: 5 Jul 1907

Endowment: 14 Apr 1920

Sealed to Parents: BIC

Emile married Evelyn Hyde.