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| G.L. "TIM" WHITTAKER |
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Tim
& Ann Whittaker Dear Friends, This page was originally established as an information and
message board for our friend and founder of Builders Bid Service, Tim
Whittaker, who passed away from melanoma cancer on April 13, 2006. CANCER-- After a lifetime of good health, in December of 2003 doctors diagnosed a discoloration on Tim's scalp as melanoma. Surgery was performed to remove the tumor, however its depth was of great concern and within a year the melanoma reappeared. Coincidentally, during additional testing doctors also detected non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as well as prostate cancer. Surgery and treatments for the lymphoma were successful while treatments for the prostate cancer were put on hold so that doctors could focus on the persistent melanoma. Despite two additional surgeries in the spring of 2005 and rounds of chemotherapy treatments,
the melanoma has returned and has now metastasized into the liver and
lungs. At this point, the cancer has outpaced the benefits of
any further treatments. CURRENT UPDATE-- 4/13/06 Gerald L. "Tim" Whittaker (1930 - 2006) Tim Whittaker, beloved husband, father and friend passed away at home, surrounded by his family on April 13, 2006. He left peacefully, after three years of fighting multiple forms of cancer. Tim was born October 17, 1930 in Salt Lake City to Leland H. and Nora Anderson Whittaker. As a youth, living on Capitol Hill with his mother and brother Buss, his life was influenced for good by many neighbors, leaders and friends. A graduate of West High and the University of Utah, Tim served two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Eastern Canada. His example of service has influenced 10 (to date) of his posterity to serve full-time LDS missions around the world. On October 22, 1952, he married the love of his life, Ann Gatherum, in the Salt Lake Temple. They designed and built their home in East Millcreek, where they raised their family. Tim and Ann loved working together in their beautiful home and yard. His kindness and human touch has affected numerous friends, business associates and youth. An example of testimony in action, Tim served in many church callings, including, including scoutmaster, teacher, counselor in two Bishoprics and the East Millcreek Stake High Council. At the time of his death, Tim and Ann were serving as service missionaries at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. In 1966, Tim helped found Builders Bid Service of Utah where he worked as the administrator and as a champion for the subcontractor community until his retirement at age 72. To this day, many contractors credit their personal and industry success to his tenacity and uncompromising integrity. Tim is survived by his wife, Ann, sons Greg (Debbie) and Steven, daughters Sue (Mike) Sansom, Lisa (Howard) Sorensen and Angela (Shawn) Horman. He is also survived by sister-in-law Marilyn Whittaker, half-brothers Lee and Sid Whittaker, half-sisters Marjilee (Roger) Booth and Mary Jane Whittaker, 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by his brother, Buss Whittaker. Services will be held on Monday, April 17, 2006 at the East Mill Creek 2nd Ward, 3750 South Hillside Lane (2600 East) at 11:00 a.m. Friends may visit with family on Sunday evening, April 16, 2006 at the Holbrook Mortuary, 3250 South 2300 East from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. on Monday prior to services. Interment: Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to www.holbrookmortuary.com. (As of 4/10/06) Tim's condition has deteriorated rapidly over the weekend. He is no longer able to leave his bed and has lost his appetite for all food. Interaction from Hospice has increased, and his needs are being assessed on a daily basis. He remains responsive to voice and touch, but is unable to speak. Nevertheless, we can still sense his great spirit and love through eye contact. "We love you dad!"
(As of 4/3/06) Tim has developed a severe cough which has
also affected his ability to speak freely and clearly. The exact
cause of the problem at this time is unknown, however, a steroid has
been prescribed to provide relief. Also, despite the use of
Ritalin, Tim still suffers from extreme fatigue much of the time which
has made his ability to participate in daily routines more difficult.
To date, however, despite the frustrations associated with his
condition, he continues to express little to no discomfort.
Instead, he wishes to share his extreme gratitude for your caring
thoughts and prayers. |
"For some reason construction, especially masonry work, has always interested me. In 1955, I accepted a position with Prince Block as their dispatcher. Eventually I was put on the road as an outside salesman. It was necessary for me to contact masonry contractors after learning that they were low bidders on projects and try to get an order for block from them. Sometimes the contractors would only agree to an order on the condition that I would figure out the quantities and shapes myself. This was simple for me as reading plans was as natural as breathing. Before long my regular customers were asking me to calculate the quantities of materials before bid day, thus helping them to get the jobs. Later, I went to work for thirteen masons that started Zion’s Service Corporation, a company that had an estimator take off all the projects available and furnish each of them with quantity surveys. I really enjoyed the challenge of doing take offs on the various projects which soon added up to about 300 a year. In our 5th or 6th year, a couple of the participants refused to pay the fees that had been established for the service and they were taken to court and judgments secured against them. They appealed to the Utah Supreme Court and much to our surprise the judgment was reversed. The Corporation had to dissolve and such assets as we had were divided up among the participants. I continued to work for them individually until 1966 when it became too apparent that the participants no longer estimated the jobs for themselves and were all relying on my estimates — an unhealthy situation but one which lead to the formation of a bid depository which became the primary effort of my working life. In January of 1966, Builders Bid Service of Utah commenced operation. It was a slow and iffy start as some in the industry resented the control it gave the masons. Nevertheless, because the plumbers and electricians already had a bid depository, the effort was softened a bit. After a few months of successful operation, the ceramic tile industry asked if they could be included. Then the painters joined and eventually the plasterers, the acoustic ceiling, drywall, roofing, glass & glazing and fire sprinkler groups. The Bid Service cause has been natural for me as I have always wanted fairness to be a core part of the construction business. Too often, I saw subcontractors forced to cut their prices after bid day in a scheme to meet prices which may have never existed in the first place. My counterpart in the mechanical-electrical bid service, Mitch Hansen, felt the same and between the two of us, we worked hard to better conditions. My years with the Bid Service allowed me to champion many other causes for the subcontractor community. I joined Utah Subcontractors Conference where we worked to get a bill passed which essentially states that if a newly built building was good enough to move into, it is good enough to fully pay for. Later, I spent long hours at the legislature with the American Subcontractors Association of Utah against the “pay if paid” clauses that had become typical in subcontracts which make payment to a subcontractor conditional to payment to the general contractor, as well as fighting for retention reform to lower retention limits to 5% and insure interest on retained funds. I also taught numerous courses and seminars on blue-print reading, take-offs, estimating, and lien laws; read through hundreds of contracts to address clauses that treat subcontractors unfairly; served as executive secretary for the Mason Contractors Association of Utah; wrote newsletters for the subcontracting community on a local and national level; and helped subcontractors to collect their appropriate interest on retention. In 2002, at the age of 72, I retired as administrator from Builders Bid Service, after thirty-six years of many fond memories and good friends."
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