Eyres: The second generation

Let us introduce our children to you......
It is difficult, when talking about your own kids, to find the balance between the pride you feel, and the objectivity that you need to inspire credibility among other parents. But here's the deal: We have nine remarkable (and remarkably different--one of every kind it seems) children. Five are married now with children of their own (and better parents in so many ways than we were--having taken our best ideas and improved on them) and four are single but "looking." (One or two may have already "found"--time will tell.) All have spent two years overseas on humanitarian and proselyting "missions". All are on their way, we think, to their individual destinies. All have had their problems, but, amazingly, all (and we just thank a higher power for this) have kept the "decisions in advance" that they made while growing up about morality, about education, about drugs and about sex. And all now help us in (or do their own) family and parenting presentations (After all, how would you know whether what we tell you is true if we didn't bring along the "evidence".)

One or more of Richard and Linda's nine children often accompany them on speaking trips these days. As "the product of the process" they lend a particular reality and candor to the Eyres' presentations, and give audiences the benefit of their perspective. Many of the second generation Eyres are parents themselves now, and in the midst of incorporating their parents family-rearing and life-balancing ideas with their own needs and ideas. Several of them also speak and present independently, not only filling in for their parents when there is a double booking, but now receiving independent requests of their own from parents who want to hear about the Eyres' parenting and family plans and programs from those who experienced it as kids and are now applying it as adults. Here is a brief look at the second generation Eyres:

"Eyrealm" is how Richard and Linda and their children refer to their family. It has become, over the years, quite an institution, complete with somewhat bizarre traditions, an involved "family economy" and enough unique individuals to be a whole town. Way back when the kids were small, they developed the family mission statement "Broaden and Contribute" meaning: get the best education and widest perspective possible, and then combine it with your abilities and with divine help to give back and to make a difference in the world.

Few observers would doubt that the Eyre kids are meeting this mission statement. All have attended prestigious colleges and universities, several attaining (or now working on or planning) advanced degrees. All (with the exception of the youngest who is preparing to go) have taken two years out of their schooling to serve a two year "mission" abroad, doing full time, voluntary humanitarian and proselyting work. Largely because of these missions, Eyrealm speaks ten languages fluently. All nine have spent a semester abroad studying in Jerusalem, and all have had political internships or other work experience in Washington DC.

Extensive travel has been part of the 'broadening" process, and early on, the children developed their own motto (and chief argument to persuade their parents to take them along on various trips): "Never let schooling interfere with your education." While they were all living at home, Summers were spent on "broadening adventures" including a Summer spent in the orphanages of Romania, another living in Japan, another in Mexico, and another building a log cabin from scratch in the Blue Mountains of Oregon.

The "contributing", especially in the third world, has also become quite a family tradition. Besides the individual 2 year "missions, the family has worked together in shelters and orphanages in Eastern Europe and gone on school and clinic-building "expeditions" to Kenya, Bolivia, and the Mexican highlands. Once while appearing on Oprah with seven of their nine children, a woman in the studio audience wanted to know where the other two kids were (the family just looked too perfect she said, and she was obviously hoping the other two were locked up somewhere or in rehab). Oprah answered the question herself, dashing the woman's hopes by telling her they were "over in Romania, helping orphans."

Richard and Linda are quick to emphasize that their children are anything but perfect, and that they have dealt with the same kinds of problems that all families face, from learning disabilities to emotional ups and downs and from teen rebellion to bad choices here and there. But as the kids emerge into adulthood, there is, as Richard says "remarkable unity and extraordinary individuality" and the second generation, according to Linda are "far better parents and 'life-balancers' than we were."

Saren Paige Eyre Loosli
Saren Eyre Loosli, the eldest of Richard and Linda’s nine children, is a graduate of Wellesley College with a Masters in Education from Harvard University. Serving as a trainer, consultant and project manager for such organizations as the YMCA, Wellesley Center for Research on Women, and Corporation for National Service, her career has offered her opportunities to promote volunteerism, strong families, and high quality programs for kids. Saren married Jared Loosli, a MIT graduate and marketing and management expert, and the couple had five children in five years (thanks to a set of twins). She now focuses on her young family while running a small web-based curriculum company and an organization that offers training and support to women who’ve chosen motherhood as their full-time career (CareerMothers.com). She enjoys writing and co-authored the book Empty Nest Parenting with her parents. She loves opportunities to step away from the regular craziness of her life to share and learn via speaking opportunities.

Shawnalee Eyre Pothier
Close friends and relatives of Shawni will tell you that she lives for her family. She lives in Phoenix with husband Dave and their five children and is an accomplished presenter on "family systems" and time and household organization. She attended Boston University before graduating from BYU and served her mission in Romania. The whole family recently lived for a Summer in China, where Dave works with manufactures to import tools for his business. Shawni is also in demand as an artist and photographer who focuses her work on families and on capturing the joys of parent-child and sibling interaction.

Joshua Eyre
Josh became a hero to his own family and to hundreds of families of his students when he chose to leave a lucrative career in home building and development in the Washington DC area to become a third grade teacher in Phoenix. As all parents who have ever longed for a strong male role model teacher for their elementary age children know, there are few men in the world like Josh. His life (or a good part of it) is wrapped up in the welfare and learning of "his kids" and they all love him for it. Josh is also an accomplished photographer, astronomer, and a computer whiz who keeps the rest of Eyrealm connected, on line, and up to date. Josh served his two year mission in the tough Brixton area of London, before graduating from BYU..

Saydria Joy Eyre Shumway
Saydi is sometimes called the Mother Teresa of Eyrealm. Not content with her expeditions to Bolivia, Kenya and Mexico, or her mission to Spain, or her work in Romanian orphanages, she took off for India in her early 20s and set up an adoption focused orphanage and an elderly care facility. Then when she and Jeff Shumway married, their honeymoon was a six month stint in the Philippines where they managed and raised funding for a physicians group that operates on cleft palates and other facial deformities on kids from the Manila ghettos. Jeff, with a Harvard MPA now works in the non profit sector, and Saydi, with her Wellesley degree and Columbia social work Masters, balances inner city social work in Boston with raising their own two kids.

Jonah Eyre
Richard calls Jonah and his wife Aja "the most financially independent people I know, not because of unlimited resources but because of a consciously limited needs and a unique global and cyber sense of freedom." Jonah and Aja and their three kids split their living time between New Zealand and the desert of Southern Utah and split their time between building custom homes and doing community and school work of all kinds. They met in Boston where Aja was at Harvard and Jonah was attending U. Mass and working at city hall. Jonah, who served his mission in London, is an excellent presenter not only on parenting and family, but on a particular brand of life balance that emphasizes freedom, flexibility and family.

Talmadge Eyre
Talmadge has been called "the most humorous and candid speaker of the bunch", and takes pride in telling the Eyre lore "as it really happened, worts and all." As the 6'9" captain of Weber State's conference champion and NCAA tournament basketball team, "Tal" is hard to miss and makes a lasting impression wherever he goes. An area manager for Black and Decker company, he was previously an intern in the US Senate and with a Harvard Business School connected Boston Consulting firm. Tal served his mission in Campinas, Brazil, and travels extensively around the world on humanitarian causes, with a special interest in micro lending to third world villiage entrepreneurs.

Noah Eyre
Noah and his wife Christi live with their toddler McKay in New York City, where Noah is the area manager for Imagine Learning, an innovative software company that teaches English to Hispanic kids. His leadership experience ranges from Student Body President to the Bishopric (similar to Pastor) in his Church in Manhattan. Like his brother Talmadge, Noah was a high school all American basketball player and went on to play in college. He served his mission in Santiago Chile, and became engaged to Christi at the top of Machu Pichu in Peru.

Elijah Eyre
Eli wrote his own resume paragraph: "I recently graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Communications. I have spent 6 months out of the last year living abroad in London, and Jerusalem studying and seeing the world. Now that school is over I have to face the reality of the real world and find a real job. I hope to find a job in New York City or one of the eastern cities and start my professional life later this summer. I look forward to going back to graduate school after a couple years of work. I lived in Japan for two years (2002-04) as a missionary for my church and loved every minute of it. I love sports and the outdoors, in particular tennis and waterskiing. I have a passion for traveling and experiencing new cultures. I love to learn from others and broaden myself while doing so. On the other hand one of my largest career goals is finding a way to give back and help others... to contribute to society."

Charity Eyre
The baby of the family, or the caboose, as she calls herself, is just finishing her undergraduate degree at Wellesely College in Boston. Though only 20, Charity has broad experience, having traveled to or lived in 28 countries, and done humanitarian expeditions in Africa, Bolivia, and Romania. She just finished a semester abroad in Jerusalem, and plans on going on her "mission" to wherever her Church sends her at the beginning of next year. An accomplished flutist and art historian (part time jobs in museums), Charity has assisted her parents in several of their books, and wrote major portions of Empty Nest Parenting, a book on the changes that occur in relationships when kids first leave home for college or work.

Further Information

When a group requests one or more of the second generation to accompany their parents for a speaking engagement, or to present independently, we send out further information, prepared by the requested speaker and answering the questions or needs of the client. For example, here is a statement written by Talmadge in response to a group that wanted to hear from him:

"At age 28, Talmadge is 6’9” former NCAA Basketball player. He is currently employed at Black and Decker as an Account Executive in Phoenix, AZ and is the sixth of nine Eyre children. Talmadge has had a variety of eclectic experiences in his life that make any group able to relate with him.

"In elementary school Talmadge suffered with learning disabilities similar to dyslexia and attention deficit disorder. But in Jr. High, he found ways to compensate for his weaknesses in the classroom and has become an honor student ever since.

"Talmadge finds a way to get things done. His charismatic personality as well as his comfort in sharing important and personal experiences that have impacted his life makes him an interesting addition to any discussion. He has been known to talk about making “decisions in advance” (i.e. abstaining from pre-marital sex, illicit drugs, and alcohol). Talmadge also likes to stress the importance of parent’s heartfelt words of affirmation to their children. He firmly believes that through positive, heartfelt words of affirmation to children can form their true identity early and this empowers children to make the right choices in crucial moments."