Ivanlee Timm is 'can do' man at senior center
Staff writer
When staff at the Marion Senior Center want something done they know just who to call — a dedicated volunteer by the name of Ivanlee Timm.
"He does just about everything here," said Lanell Hett, secretary/transportation director for Marion County Department for Elderly. "If anyone wants something done they just ask Ivanlee."
A volunteer at the senior center for 12 or 13 years, Ivanlee holds the position of senior center vice-president. When asked what the vice-presidential duties include Ivanlee replied, "Everything."
"Vice-president was supposed to be a two-year job," he cracks. "But my term ain't up yet. They got a good horse and won't get rid of it."
Don't let him kid you. Ivanlee loves his work at the senior center. From unlocking the doors in the morning to opening cans for the cooks to delivering meals, Ivanlee does it all. And his life's work reflects that.
Born and raised in the small Dickinson County town of Woodbine, he attended Liberty Center grade school and graduated from Woodbine High School in 1943. He was working on his parents' farm and for a neighbor when he was drafted into the Army and trained to be an infantryman.
Following basic training, he was sent to Germany just in time to march across into Luxembourg and Czechoslovakia.
"I joined up with my outfit just as they were crossing the Saar River. I made it all the way across (Europe) without being hit," he said with a smile.
In 1946, he returned to Woodbine and tried his hand at farming. However, unable to hire any farm help after the war he went to work at the Beech Aircraft plant located in Delavan. Trained in sheet metal assembly, Ivanlee worked at the plant for eight or nine years.
Ivanlee decided to give "working on the railroad" a try and became a brake man with the Rock Island Railroad, based out of Herington. There, his route was pretty much the same — Herington to Kansas City, Topeka to St. Joseph, Mo. After four years with the railroad he left to work as a fireman with the City of Herington and took on "extra jobs" hauling gasoline, cattle, and grain.
He joined the Herington Police Department and worked his way up to sergeant before going to work at Catlin's IGA in Herington.
Desiring to be near family, Ivanlee and his first wife Florabelle, who he had married in 1948, moved to Rogers, Ark., to be near daughters Patricia and Rose Mary.
While there, Ivanlee worked for the Wal-Mart warehouse in Bentonville, Ark. But tragedy struck in 1978 when Florabelle died following a bout with leukemia.
"It laid dormant for a long time, but then it just hit her," he said sadly.
While in Arkansas, Ivanlee married his second wife Mabel. But she died in 1988 following complications after an operation.
Ivanlee then decided to return to Kansas.
"I had lost my wife and was just too lonesome by myself," Ivanlee said with a touch of sadness. "Other than my daughters and their families the only other people I knew there were the ones I worked with."
Returning to his roots in the Woodbine-Herington area, Ivanlee's friends introduced the two-time widower to a Marion woman, Mary Ann Barrett Avery. The two married in 1990. They reside at Hilltop Manor.
As a way of getting involved in his new community, Ivanlee became active at the senior center. There, he is known as the "can do person."
Some of the tasks he performs there are delivering meals, unlocking the door, putting up the flag, placing dates on food delivery trays, shelving kitchen supplies and freight, completing repair work, driving seniors to and from doctor's appointments, picking up people who wish to attend events at the center, greeting visitors and answering the phone, and taking trash to the dumpster.
"I helped fill in as site manager before Janet (Bryant) got here," he said.
Ivanlee also is in charge of commodities distribution whenever those dates come around.
On Monday through Friday, Ivanlee's day typically begins at 6:30 a.m. when he opens the doors at the center, and ends around 1 or 1:30 p.m. or whenever the last person leaves.
With all he does and his sense of humor, Ivanlee has made his mark with center staff.
"Ivanlee lets on like he's all quiet and reserved," Hett said with a smile. "But don't let him fool you. We can't start our day here without his morning hugs."
Not only is Ivanlee active at the senior center, he's also vice-president of the Hilltop Manor activity board. He's been a board member four years.
And during the few hours when he's not busy at the senior center, Ivanlee relaxes by putting together huge puzzles — especially in the wintertime. He also enjoys string art and doing number painting.
"Anything to keep me busy," he said with a smile.
