OREM — From the window of her home, Stella Welsh can look out at a garden full of bounty: tomatoes, peppers, onions, corn and zucchini.
From the window of her car, she can see the bounty of a lifetime of service and care to a community she has loved: community parks such as Nielsen's Park; 22 homes for those who could not otherwise afford them, built through Habitat for Humanity where she was chairwoman; a park for the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival; a local skate park; and Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem.
She was Orem's mayor for six years and on the City Council for eight years (she was the first female on the council), and handled politics and decision-making with grace, a firm hand and a hefty dose of common sense.
She recently accepted a Founder's Day award from the SCERA Center for the Arts for her contributions.
"We have to hand it to Stella and her husband. They are very simple, down-to-Earth people. You call them, they are there," said the Welshs' longtime neighbors John and Donna De Paula.
"She was always a servant first," said Harley Gillman, who served on the City Council with her. Gillman said Welsh had a thing for getting to know people, their names and their needs.
Welsh weathered many storms throughout her years of service, but it never dampened her enthusiasm for people and community need.
"I enjoy being around people," she explained. "I would love to continue to serve if I could, but I've got to realize I'm 86."
Welsh still belongs to the Democratic Women group and sits on the Community Action Board.
She firmly believes in involvement.
"I think we ought to be involved. We need to get out there, be very interested in the things that are happening," she said.
Because Welsh and her husband were always working in the schools and in the community, all eight of her grown children are active, contributing citizens as well.
She hopes to instill her love of service to her 33 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren.
Garth Seastrand, also a fellow council member with Welsh, said she could well be called "Mrs. Orem." He described her as fearless.
Welsh dismisses all the fuss, preferring to sit in the back row of spectators at events, like the one held for her, and chatting with those attending.
She likes that she had a hand in preserving a lot of open space for Orem, but she wishes she had fought harder for more water and perhaps prevented Provo's annexation of the river bottoms area.
Welsh worked to see the 1200 South shopping district expanded and helped to rebuild the senior citizen center.
She didn't get everything done that she'd like to have accomplished. She'd like signs in Orem to be better regulated. She's worried that Orem won't have enough water for the continued growth.
There are always things to be done, she said, and, fortunately, people who will come forward to help see them get done.
"It's a good place to live," she said. "I'm not surprised at the growth. We have low crime. We have a beautiful community."
She hopes she can give other women the courage to run for office and serve in those offices.
"It's so different for women. Golda Meir and Margaret Thatcher would have a tough time running for office in the United States, but that shouldn't stop anyone. If we don't (take the opportunity to run and serve) we're going to be in real trouble."
Welsh said women, particularly in the LDS culture, get plenty of experience conducting meetings and working with others in their service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She reminds people that she had "absolutely no experience" in public service when she ran for office.
It takes a bit of thick skin to get through some of the issues when people get excited and upset, but Welsh had the knack of turning enemies into friends because she listened and could compromise, she said.
She also relied on the support of her husband of 67 years and her sense of humor. She never lingered on the negative, and she refused to bear grudges.
"I can't see confronting people when they're angry. It's just part of my personality to just let it go," she said, even if people hollered at her and walked out of a public meeting.
"I enjoyed being in that position, and I had good people around me, too," she said.
"One thing I would have liked to learn is to play golf. Too many decisions are made on the golf course," she quips.
Jim Evans, who served on the Orem City Council with Welsh while she was the mayor and then as mayor following her, says Welsh was his role model.
"I had one perspective on the council and then another as a mayor," he said. "Stella Welsh reminds me of Maggie Thatcher in that she was always looking out for the little guy. I always admired that about her. I tried to remember that in my administration."
Evans said Welsh took the time to research the issues at hand and work to understand all sides: "Not all people who serve take the time to do that," he said.
He emphasized that she has a gift for telling it like it is and taking a practical, sensible approach to complicated issues.
"She can tell it like it is without offending people, disagree without being disagreeable," Evans said. "She's remarkable."
Sharon Haddock is a professional writer with more than 35 years' experience, 17 at the Deseret News. Her personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com.
Email: haddoc@deseretnews.com