Community decorates Manti, Ephraim with green ribbons for Tim Domenici

MANTI— Green ribbons now line fences and trees along Manti and Ephraim Main streets as the Sanpete community mourns Tim Domenici, a landscaper who died in a recent workplace accident in Manti. Residents say the ribbons, a local tradition when a death touches the community, are meant to comfort Domenici’s wife and children and honor his years of service to neighbors and clients. “It’s a tradition in our town,” said Jeanine Christensen Mack responding to a social media post asking what the ribbons signified. “Tim has little kids at home, so this was a great show of support for his family. His kids love seeing them and looking for them.” Domenici operated a lawn care business based in Manti and grew up next door to his shop. “He was an incredible man who served this community daily anytime he saw someone who needed an extra hand,” said Stacy Lloyd Robinson, who grew up nearby. Friends and former clients have turned social media pages into a kind of memorial, offering to help finish his jobs, mow lawns or contribute to his family. “My husband and I were clients,” wrote Diana Jensen Huntsman. “He hadn’t billed for this season, so we probably owe him about a grand. We just need to figure out what we owe and how to get it to the family.” Local resident Chad Funk has helped organize volunteers to take care of some of Domenici’s lawn care clients left with shaggy grass in the wake of the accident. “We can get someone out soon to mow your lawn, and then we can give you information about where to make a donation to the family,” he wrote online. Others have offered to take on lawn work in Domenici’s honor. The green ribbons, chosen to reflect the color of Domenici’s lawn care work, have become both a symbol of grief and of gratitude. “Tim would’ve been the first to show up for someone else,” Robinson said. “Now it’s our turn to show up for him.” More than $13,000 has been raised through the GoFundMe. Other donations have been coming in to a bank account set up in Tim’s business name at Utah Heritage Credit Union.