Struck by Lightning, Powered by Faith: The Life of Orson D. McRae
he Life of Orson David McRae (1883–1947)
Orson David McRae was born 3 October 1883 at the family home on 3200 West and about 3850 South in what would later become Granger, Utah. He was the fourth son of Daniel McRae, born in Nauvoo, Illinois, and Anne Christina Jensen, who had emigrated from Denmark. His family carried with it a deep pioneer heritage: his grandfather, Alexander McRae, along with Eunice Fitzgerald McRae, had endured the hardships of early Church history, with Alexander spending six months imprisoned in Liberty Jail with the Prophet Joseph Smith. On his mother’s side, Jacob and Maren Olsen Jensen had left Denmark to join the Saints in Utah.
About 1917, the family moved from Daniel McRae’s home at 1510 West 3300 South into a new house, and later to another residence farther west on the same street, near the northeast corner of 3300 South and Redwood Road. During these years, Orson entered the business of cattle and sheep raising. However, when the Depression of 1921 struck, he suffered heavy losses. In a determined effort to save his herd, he mortgaged the family home, but ultimately lost both the business and the house.
Orson grew up in a community shaped by sacrifice and faith. He attended the 59th District School, located where Monroe School now stands on 3500 South, before continuing his studies at the LDS College in Salt Lake City.
As a teenager, Orson began working summers in Wyoming, herding sheep for Daniel Mackay. At just fifteen, he learned the rugged life of a range rider, enduring long stretches of rain, snow, and isolation, often with only a faithful dog for company. He lived out of a camp wagon, found entertainment in dances and rodeos, and went seven years without stepping inside a church. Though the summers in Wyoming were beautiful, the winters were bitterly cold, and the work tested both his strength and endurance.
One of the defining events of his young life occurred during a thunderstorm on the open range. Seeking shelter under a tree, Orson was struck by lightning. The blast burned a hole through his hat, blew both shoes from his feet, and knocked him unconscious. When he regained awareness, he found he could not walk and was forced to crawl toward camp until the camp tender, worried by his absence, came searching and brought him back. Though he survived, the ordeal left him with pneumonia, requiring a return home to recover. The experience became a turning point: after his brush with death, Orson returned to his family more often and began participating again in the dances, socials, and community life of Granger.
It was during this time that he met Hazel Murphy. Their courtship blossomed, and the two were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on 18 June 1913. Orson and Hazel were both known as pleasant, warm, and understanding people, and together they created a home where love and unity were the foundation. They had seven children, who remembered a happy boyhood filled with wide-open spaces for play, including swimming in the Jordan Canal and River.
In this difficult period, family and community support proved essential. Isabella “Aunt Isa” Mackay welcomed the McRaes into her home at 3935 South Redwood Road. Though resources were scarce, love and faith abounded. The children later recalled that they never truly realized how poor the family was, because the home was full of companionship, laughter, and the devotion of unified parents. Aunt Isa’s home became their permanent residence during those years.
Orson remained resourceful. He started a small coal and feed store, eventually expanding it into a larger enterprise. Later, he entered the trucking business, hauling coal from central Utah mines to the Granger–Salt Lake area. His children worked alongside him, driving trucks, clerking in the stores, and helping in every aspect of the ventures. The family’s hard work and unity became a hallmark of their character.
Orson also gave deeply of his time to his church and community. For nine years, he chaired the recreation committee of the Granger Ward, organizing dances, roadshows, plays, and comic skits that brought joy and unity to the community. He also led both the Granger Old Folks Committee and the Oquirrh Stake Old Folks Committee, ensuring that the elderly were honored and remembered. From 1923 to 1929, he served as second assistant in the Sunday School, and in 1943 he was called again as first assistant, a position he held until 1947. For many years, he also taught the Gospel Doctrine class. In civic life, Orson served as chairman of the Republican Party in the Granger area for many years, representing his neighbors’ voices in local politics.
In his later years, Orson spent summers hauling fruit in California. Tragically, on 10 October 1947, while near Fresno, his truck was struck by a fast-moving train, and he was killed instantly at age 64. His funeral was held 14 October 1947 in the Old Granger Ward House, after which he was laid to rest in Wasatch Lawn Cemetery. Hazel lived on until 1970, remembered with equal love and respect.
Through hardship and triumph, Orson and Hazel McRae built a legacy of faith, family, and service. Though the Depression cost them their business and home, they never lost their resilience, their devotion to each other, or their ability to create joy in their children’s lives. Their posterity remembers them not only for their struggles, but for their warmth, their generosity, and the strength of their character.
