SPRING CITY—Spring City has selected a generous neighbor and friend as both its Citizen of the Year and grand marshal of the Pioneer Day parade on Saturday.
Virginia Thompsen, 88, was recognized as the 2021 Citizen of the Year at the Saga of Spring City program held on Tuesday, July 20. The parade begins at 10 a.m.
Virginia was born on November 24, 1932, and she is the daughter of Charles and Adalaide Thompsen. She has four brothers and one sister. She attended elementary and junior high school in Spring City and then graduated from North Sanpete High School in Mt. Pleasant.
After graduation from college, she began her 39-year teaching career with seven years at North Sanpete High School, after which she took a break from teaching to pursue a master’s degree at Utah State University, before ultimately teaching again at the high school in Preston Idaho for the next 31 years. After her retirement in 1992, she returned home to Spring City to live in the family home.
She still takes care of her mother’s rose garden and apple tree orchard.
After a secret grandparent activity with her Spring City LDS Ward Young Women, she became a special grandma to Brianna Williams. They later became visiting teaching companions where Brianna was able to witness Virginia’s dedication to serving others. Virginia continues involvement with Brianna’s family through Christmas and birthday cards and participation in family functions.
Virginia loves to play cards with her favorite game being Five Crowns. Brianna noted she is a rule enforcer and extremely competitive.
Virginia is a faithful member of the LDS Church and served as a temple ordinance worker at both the Logan Temple and the Manti Temple, for a total of 21 years. She also set a goal to complete temple work for 100 names every year. She has served as a faithful visiting teacher and sang in the ward choir.
Virginia spends part of each week with her only surviving sibling, a 90-year-old sister who lives in Kearns. Often on her travels home from Kearns, she will stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken and pick up a few baskets of chicken to deliver to people in town who might need some help with an evening meal.
Virginia is known in her community as very independent, hardworking lady and a wonderful neighbor and friend to all. She is very generous and kind. If you ask her how she is doing, her favorite line is: “Good as I can be.”
