Double Century for Reg and Widdy
Members of York 1st Ward held a special celebration on 17 September 2022 to mark the hundredth birthdays of its two most senior members. Reg Turver and Evelyn ‘Widdy’ Widdowson were born in 1922, just two months apart. Both have been members of the York congregation for almost seventy years.
Serving as stake patriarch for three decades, Reg has given more than seven hundred patriarchal blessings to members of the Hull, Leeds, and York stakes. As a young man during World War II, he began his working life on the railway as a fireman. He then qualified as a driver of steam locomotives, working on the East Coast railway line, through to the advent of diesel trains in the 1960s. In 1983, he was the first to drive the City of York Intercity 125 on its maiden run to London.
Evelyn has worked faithfully for over fifty years in Primary, for both her stake and ward, and is currently serving as the ward Primary secretary. Three generations of children pay tribute to her love of the gospel, her weekly biscuits, and paper-elephant reminders for talks and prayers.
When Reg and Widdy were born, George V was king. One hundred years on, they have now seen five monarchs on the throne. For his hundredth birthday in August, Reg received a card from Queen Elizabeth II. Widdy received hers from King Charles III and the queen consort.
They have both lived through a world war, seen the advent of space exploration, and have witnessed incredible growth in the Church, with three temples now built or announced in the UK. In 1922, worldwide Church membership barely exceeded 566,000. In 2022 it reached almost 17 million. Reg and Widdy have indeed been pioneers in an age when the stone cut from the mountain is rolling forth to fill the whole earth. Their legacy will live on for generations to come.