Source
Source for: Sylvester Moroni Heiner, 14 MAR 1912 - 12 JUN 2001
Index
Birth source: Place: S107Birth source: S73Date: JUN 2014
Residence source: Place: S107Residence source: S36Date: NOV 2011
Residence source: Place: S107Residence source: S36Date: NOV 2011
Death source: Place: S146Death source: S73Page: Hooper, Utah
Date: JUN 2014
Text: Sylvester Moroni Heiner was joyfully reunited with his eternal sweetheart, Carol Belle, on Tuesday, June 12, 2001, after succumbing to causes incident to age.
Born March 14, 1912, in Morgan, Utah, where he grew up, he was the eldest child of George Sylvester and Elsie Clawson Heiner.
He married Carol Fullmer on June 22, 1938, in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and they established a wonderful home that lasted for over 61 years. She passed away September 14, 1999. Six children blessed their loving relationship: Carolyn (Bob) Wolthuis, Pleasant View; George (Gloria), Ogden; Stan (Marilyn) Modesto, CA; Val (Kay), West Weber; Annette (Grant) Batchelor, Roy; and Sandra (Dave) Cope, Hooper. Twenty nine grandchildren dearly adored their Heiner grandparents, as have twenty-five great grandchildren. He cultivated a unique and caring relationship with each family member and taught them all how to sing, "I love you a bushel and a peck", which became their theme song. Sylvester considered his family to be his most precious possession and gave them a wonderful example of love, faith, testimony, service, generosity and hard work. He was also very witty and clever and had a marvelous sense of humor. It has always been so much fun to be with Grandpa.
In his youth Sylvester became an expert swimmer, diver and certified life guard. He worked in the family business, Como Springs, doing all kinds of labor from electrical work on the cabins to running the concessions. Sylvester played the piano, the violin and the clarinet as a young man. Competing in clarinet competition he won first place in the region and second in the state. He also played football and basketball at Morgan High School. He lettered in basketball at Weber College and played in the band. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1937 in electrical engineering and was elected to the engineering honorary fraternity, Tau Beta Pi. Sylvester surveyed the "M" for Morgan which still stands on the mountainside. He worked for the Federal Government and surveyed all the farms in Morgan County. He rebuilt the Morgan Power Plant as its superintendent, almost losing his life in an electrocution accident just prior to his marriage. His wife and children have always believed that he was spared to be their loving husband and father.
Sylvester began his career with the Amalgamated Sugar Company in 1939 in Ogden as a student engineer. He was made Chief Electrician of the Ogden plant and then transferred in that position to the Nyssa, Oregon factory in 1941. In addition, he was the Assistant Master Mechanic. He returned to the main office in Ogden in 1947 as an electrical engineer. He participated in the engineering that completely rebuilt the electrical systems in four of the five factories. He was made Chief Engineer in 1956. Because Sylvester had great foresight and cared very much about people, there were things he accomplished in his career that have been far reaching. He incorporated the best progressive American, English and European ideas to make a year-round production process that provided steady employment and careers for sugar factory workers, and kept the company viable. He was very concerned about the amount of energy available and worked assiduously to preserve clean burning natural gas for homes, and designed coal-fired systems that met environmental standards of Amalgamated factories. He increased operation efficiencies and doubled factory capacities. In 1978, he was named Vice President of operations while continuing to head the engineering department. He had a marvelous forty-one year career with the sugar company where his colleagues called him "Chief." He had a great deal of responsibility and was a conscientious, innovative, creative person, well respected and liked by his associates. He received the top service award of the American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists, "credited with increasing productivity in the beet sugar industry through innovative engineering, design and construction of production facilities."
Sylvester was an instructor for the Beet Sugar Institute for seven years. Nationally recognized, he was appointed to the U.S. Department of Energy Food Processing Advisory Committee in 1978. He also consulted with a corn syrup consortium that built a corn syrup factory in Decatur, Alabama.
Sylvester was a very spiritual person with great faith and commitment to the principles he firmly believed. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ and was a High Priest in the Highland Ward where he served in many capacities.
In addition to his children and grandchildren, he is survived by his sister, Eulala Butters of Bountiful; two brothers-in-law, David (Audrey) Fullmer and Lynn (Teddie) Fullmer, both of Salt Lake City; and two sisters-in-law, Jackie Fullmer Clarke of Clovis, CA; and Laurel Knight Fullmer of Berkeley, CA.
His beloved grandson Benjamin Batchelor, his sister Elsie Mae, and his twin brothers, Don and Dan, preceded him in death.