2023 Hometown HEROES Magazine LINCOLN DAILY NEWS May 2023 Page 9 at the Christian College and in the Lincoln Community Theater (LCT, where he has served on the board for many years). Notable plays in Tim’s repertoire are Fiddler on the Roof, Godspell, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and I Do, I Do (at the opening of the Maple Club)! Tim became married to his fantastic partner, Lorna (now, for 48 years)! According to how he tells the story of seeing Lorna for the first time, it was love at first sight for him, and, indeed, they look glowing in their wedding pictures. I noticed that Tim bore a striking resemblance to the young Paul Newman in those pictures! In an hour-long interview I had with the irrepressible Gossetts (Bill and Jean), they repeatedly emphasized to me that Tim has been a leading visionary for stage performance in Lincoln by his integrity, credibility, and winsome personality. He has recruited many in our county, trained them, and motivated them to entertain the community. Bill and Jean credit much of the appeal of the shows and of the number of local actors and singers to Tim’s joyful personality! In 1977, Tim and Lorna moved back to Lincoln from Windsor, IL. Tim and Lorna had gone to Windsor after college to work in a church with the music and the youth. Tim returned to Lincoln to work as chaplain under Jim Emerson at the Christian Village. However, after 6 months, Tim was promoted to become administrator of the facility. With obvious pride and joy, he speaks in glowing terms of the staff he worked with for 23 years! From 2000 to 2010, while Tim was on staff at Lincoln Christian Church, I first met Tim. It was there that both Vera Thomas (as church secretary) and I (as preaching minister) worked closely, for some years, with Tim. Also working closely with Tim at that time was the lead minister of the Christian Church, Tom Gerdts. Both Tom and Tim excelled in providing comforting and beautiful memorial services for the community. Thinking back on the many years that Tim has preached and sung at Christian funerals, Dr. Boatman has written: “For funerals of my own loved ones I have asked Tim to seek out some not-so-familiar pieces, which he delivered with excellence and good-taste. In doing so he provides a sensitive touch of music that helps bereaved families to cope with tragic loss.” In fact, thinking back on those years of serving the Lincoln community together, Tom Gerdts says he sometimes wondered if Tim had a clone since he was popping up in so many leadership roles! In 2010, Tim became the Executive Director of Castle Manor. His extraordinary love and caring for the elderly, which is his life’s passion, and one of his outstanding characteristics, originates from his grandmother and grandpa, Edna and August Hering. With obvious emotion, Tim told how his grandparents instilled this love for the elderly in him and Mark, the brother he is closest to. Kay Dobson commented that Tim has been one of the easiest conductors for her to work with. She also observed that Tim knew how to encourage people to become even better than they would have imagined. Linda Storm, one of Tim’s closest friends, who also regularly plays the piano or organ with him, says: “Tim is one of those rare people who see things in others that they may not see in themselves. Continued --
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