Spanish Fork City Senior Center announced their Senior Citizens of the Year awards, awarding Gordon Warner and Mae Timmins. This prestigious award is given to those who have been incredible assets to the community over the years.
Mae Timmins is an impressive 102-year-old Idaho native who was one of eight children born to George and Alta Higginson. Her mother was a hard worker and she remembers her washing, starching and ironing uniforms for mine workers in order to pay for her violin and violin lessons.
Mae attended elementary school in Dividend, junior high in Goshen, and high school in Payson. Her mother died during her senior year of high school, causing her to quit in order to help provide for her family, however, she had earned enough credits during her previous years of schooling and was able to still graduate with her class.
Mae and her first husband Clarence Shepherd had the kind of old fashioned, sugar coated romance Hollywood writers dream about. They went to open dances and would dance the night away with others until their song “Harbor Lights” played and then they would meet at their special spot on the dance floor and dance together. They had four children together. Alta and Ned, their living children also live in South Utah County.
Mae has been blessed with a large family and is currently a great, great, great grandmother!
Mae loves being around people and has been very active in her community. From bowling leagues, to softball, to golf, she has stayed physically active her whole life.
She worked many positions throughout her life including as a nursing assistant as well as a cook. She eventually found her place to shine working for Nebo School District working her way up to the position of Director of School Food Services. She was eventually appointed President of Utah State School Food Services. This position allowed her the unique opportunity to travel all over the United States, and is one of her proudest achievements. She is also proud of living debt free and on her own even now at the age of 102.
Mae is also an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has served in many capacities in her local wards and stakes over the years.
Mae’s advice for life is, “Work hard. Be honest in your dealings. Enjoy associating with other people. Be considerate. Go to church. Stay out of debt.” She is a wonderful example of strength, determination, kindness, and resilience.
Gordon Warner age 100 is a born and raised native of Spanish Fork, the son of Ezra Elthear Jex Warner.
Gordon’s father ran a local printing press along with his uncle and printed the Spanish Fork Press, a local weekly newspaper. Gordon worked hard at his father’s printing press while also learning smithy work in his grandfather’s blacksmith shop.
Though his days were filled with hard work, they were also filled with fun. Gordon enjoyed hunting with his family, and during one JCC Turkey Shoot, he walked away with a turkey, two hams, and seven boxes of chocolates.
Gordon graduated from Spanish Fork High School and was eager to get into the workforce. He was a talented musician in his youth, winning many awards for his skills playing the baritone horn, including most Outstanding Musician his senior year of high school.
Gordon married his high school sweetheart, Deanne Davis and the love birds married in the Salt Lake City Latter-day Saint Temple. Together, they had seven wonderful children, and were married for 70 years until Deanne passed away.
Gordon said that his hope was that his children would “enjoy the same joy and happiness in their lives that Deanne and I have had loving them and each other for so many years.”
Gordon followed in the footsteps of his father and used his childhood experience and education gained serving in the Navy to to help make the Spanish Fork Press and Press Publishing Company leaders in the lithographic color printing industry in Utah. His company expanded across the United States leading him to open color labs in Utah and California.
He joined forces with the legendary company 3M to start a color printing school to train their hundreds of customers. Gordon was a pioneer in many aspects of the printing, photography, and technology worlds, he invented multiple devices to improve printing quality and earned the title of “The Father of Color” in Utah.
Gordon said that the following three categories that stand out in his life as bringing him joy and great happiness:
1. Family. Not only us and our children and grandchildren, but my mother and father, brothers and sisters, Deanne’s mother and father and brothers and sisters, all their children, our nephews, nieces, cousins, uncles, aunts, etc., etc. We love and enjoy every one of them.
2. Church. I couldn’t write very much about the joys of this life for me and members of my family without expressing my thanks that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and the restoration of His gospel, the Plan of Salvation, in our day through the prophet Joseph Smith. have been the happiest when I have been working in church positions.
3. Occupation. I don’t see how a person could go to work every day if he didn’t get some enjoyment out of it or the people he worked with. My problem is that I like to work on everything with anybody and enjoy every minute of it. As I look back over the years, I have to smile at myself for all the things I have tried to invent or improve. Whether they worked out or not didn’t seem to matter, because I was having so much fun.”
These two seniors are incredible examples of good, long, productive lives. We are so lucky to have them in our community. If you run into either of these fine seniors, be sure to tell them congratulations. They have certainly earned it and more.
