Michael Vaughn Wimmer

When I went to funerals, the talks were in third person remembering's. It has rarely been from memoirs in first person. Being prepared, I wanted to fix that. So here is my stroll down memory lane.

My church upbringing taught me to walk the straight and narrow and take the path of righteousness. However, being left-handed and left-brained, I have always thought differently. Because I viewed everything upside-down and backwards, I followed my own rules. I would ask the question: "When does white turn grey and when does gray turn black?" BENDING the rules rarely got me in trouble.

Even though I was LDS, I enjoyed working with any and all groups. Scouting did not care about what religion, race, creed, or ethnic origin you were (and neither did I).

Having such a unique brain helped me create wonderful ideas for Packmeeting and Camp. I would often think of something that no one else would. Working together with Georgia Smith, a Camp Director for Learning for Life, we would make the best camps that were fun for children.

I liked shows that were also strange, like Monty Python, Jonny Quest, and Lidsville (a show about a village of living hats ruled by an evil magician.)

I dreamt that I was a spy like the British "Avengers" show. With John Steed and Emma Peel as agents for MI5.

With my Lunar sign of a Rooster, I was a Morning Person (much to the dismay of my wife Mary.) My Greek horoscope sign is Taurus the Bull, which made me stubborn and unwilling to change my path.

I started working when I was 7 years old for the Wimmer family Distinctive Catering service. I would shuck corn for a penny an ear. After 4 hours and 200+ pieces of corn, my hands would look like a mess.

My father (Bill) opened up a savings account for me at the Hi-Land Credit Union. This bank had just started. In 2025, I am one of the members with the longest running account.

I started working with my Grandfather Vard Behunin at his Sound Electronics shop when I was 10. I would sweep up the shop and help fix simple electronic items.

When I was a teenager, I helped install intercom systems in schools. I never dreamed that one day I would be teaching in them.

It was a good thing that I was never afraid of heights. Vard and I would go into the rafters above an auditorium and install a large speaker. I remember looking down from the dizzying height above to the seating below and feeling OK.

I remember the day that they had to divert water down State Street. It was like a river. It flooded the shop, and we used large brooms to sweep out the water and debris out into the street.

I have always liked the strange and macabre. I would build spook allies out of cardboard refrigerator boxes that would stretch from the front door to the street. I played eerie music and had items like brains and bones on tables. NO one would ever come to our door.

I made an "Alien" costume. I put a Darth Vader mask on a Styrofoam head. Then I added flashing electronic lights into the eyes. I put this head into a black robe and wore it above my head. This would make me 7 feet tall and very scary! I decided to wear this costume in the Haunted Old Mill. My room was on the top floor, and I decorated it like a spaceship. I took a colander and put wires through the holes and told everyone that it was a "Brain Draining" device. I would scare people so terribly that they would fall to the floor. My room took first prize for being the scariest.

I also worked with my father (Bill) for Best Buy Rental setting up tables and chairs for weddings and parties. One day we went to the Devereux Mansion. This was a spooky place that rented out its rooms for parties. The curator let us in, and we took several loads of tables and chairs to the top floor ballroom. This took us two hours to set up. Unfortunately, we forgot the tablecloths and we quickly went home and back in about 30 minutes. To our surprise, all the tables and chairs had been taken down. The curator said that no one had come to the house or been inside while we were gone. We showed him what had happened, and he said: "It is the Ghost of Mr. Devereux. It has happened before to other people. Just tell him what you are doing, and he will leave things alone." So, we announced what we were doing, re-setup the room and everything was fine for the party that night.

I went on a Mission to Oregon Portland. There I baptized the whole family. When I came home from my mission, my father was the Cubmaster. Just two weeks after I came home, my father fell down the stairs and broke his leg. I took over the role of Cubmaster and have been a leader ever since. [2025 = 48 years]

The first Packmeeting, I put on an Emergency Preparedness demonstration. I put my father on the stairs that led up to the stage with a blanket and toys at his feet and told everyone not to do this at home. I also put a bowl in a cardboard box then put a razor and a hair dryer next to the pretend sink. We told everyone to go home and look for dangers in every room.

I always had several projects going on at one time. At one point, I was a Cubmaster, Roundtable helper, and Assistant Camp Director. I kept myself very busy and would never say no to anyone who would ask me to do something.

I would make lists upon lists of items I needed for the various jobs. If I lost this list, it would be like losing my brain!

This would make me a "Collector of Inventory" (My wife called me a Hoarder.) If asked, I would usually have the item wanted somewhere in my stash. I would put things in "Special Spots" around the house. Unfortunately, I didn't always remember where these spots were, and I would find the items after they were needed.

My sister Shelley encouraged me to go Square Dancing. The same lady would often get into our square and dance with me. After a while, I knew that I had met my wife, Mary. Did you know that you can square dance to the music of: "Who let the dog's out" and round dance to "Uptown Funk?"

When there was a "Apprentice Caller" night, I decided to have people square dance to the music of: "Grandma got run over by a reindeer," and "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas." I remember the strange stairs I got from people thinking "what is he singing?"

My most favorite song is: "They're coming to take me away ha ha, they're coming to take me away ho ho to the Funny Farm. Where life is beautiful all the time. And I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats. Yes, they're coming to take me awaaaay." (It fits me to a tee.)

One day, I drove Mary to "Zarahemla." It is a road on top of the mountain that overlooks the entire valley. I got out of the car, bent down on one knee and proposed to her there - She said Yes.

When we went looking for a home in Daybreak, we searched high and low until we found one called poplar (like the tree.) We both knew this design was the perfect one for both of us. We chose colors that looked like a rustic cabin out in the woods and have loved it ever since.

We visited the Behunin Cabin located at Capitol Reef. My great-great- maybe one more great? grandfather was sent there to name all of the surrounding area. The children slept in the rock caves next to the home. From the pictures, I could tell where my Sticky-Out ears came from.

Besides Emergency Preparedness, my favorite subjects to teach are: Electricity, Utah Geology with Dinosaurs, and Exothermic Experiments. Exothermic means: Chemistry that produces heat, light and expansion without a big bang.

After each lesson, I would ask the students: "Did you Enjoy?" They would reply with a yelling "YES."

My favorite foods are:

Shrimp (especially barbequed on the grill)

Tiramisu (coffee flavored cake) and

Malted Whipping Cream (from Leatherby's)

I like to have a different taste in my mouth with each bite. Therefore, I Doctor my food with various flavorings. Ketchup is my most likely go-to addiction. If possible, I would put Ketchup on my Ketchup.

I know that in heaven, I will teach the children and have fun activities for them that will prepare them for what is to come. On such a sad ending note, we need the following:

A song, A song, were going to sing a song: (follow the actions given) Thumbs up, arms out, elbows in, knees together, feet apart, bum out, head back, tongue out.

A to a tah, to a tah, to a tah, tah. A to a tah, to a tah, to a tah, tah.

Thank you for traveling down my memory lane path. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.