Jason Pettifield/Roundup

Gordon "Gordy" Ellis
Gordon "Gordy" Ellis moved to the Rim County two years ago from San Diego to be near his family. He retired from the U.S. Navy as a chief petty officer on the USS Valley Forge, a guided missile cruiser, after "25 years, six months and five days, but nobody was counting after the 25 years," he said. Ellis, a registered nurse before he entered the service, was trained by the Navy as a physician's assistant and ran the medical department on the ship. The health of 350 crew members was in his hands. When his son-in-law's dad told him the Payson Senior Center was looking for help, Ellis applied and was hired as the afternoon bus driver. "The seniors call me 'the baby' because I am 58," he said. Officially, he now serves as the center's full-time volunteer coordinator, but he wears many hats. He assists the director. If he isn't coordinating seniors' transportation, he's driving them in the bus himself. "I'm happy," Ellis said. "I don't miss (the Navy) yet - I am too busy here."