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For The Washington Post

Virginia Oliver

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Springville Senior Center

Retirees are always working on a 1,000-piece puzzle or two at Utah’s Springville Senior Center. The tradition goes back more than six decades, when the community gathering spot for seniors opened in 1962.

About a year and a half ago, a dozen regulars stepped things up and completed a 5,000-piece Disney puzzle, which is when senior center director Tori Eaton decided it was time to go bigger.

“I thought, ‘What do you do after 5,000 pieces? Let’s buy the biggest puzzle we can find and work on <i>that </i>one,’” she said.

She soon learned about a <a href="https://dowdlefolkart.com/products/worlds-largest-puzzle#:~:text=World%27s%20largest%20commercially%20available%20jigsaw,to%20make%20one%20gigantic%20masterpiece" target=_blank>60,000-piece puzzle</a> of world monuments and landmarks. The “What a Wonderful World” puzzle cost $750 and was billed as the <a href="https://largest.org/entertainment/largest-jigsaw-puzzles/" target=_blank>largest commercially available puzzle</a> in the world.

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Eaton said she was surprised to learn that the person who created it, Eric Dowdle, the founder of <a href="https://dowdlefolkart.com/" target=_blank>Dowdle Folk Art</a>, ran his puzzle business from Lindon, Utah, just 16 miles from the senior center in Springville.

She ordered the giant jigsaw in August and came home one day to find a 75-pound box sitting on her porch.

“It was so big that I had to have a couple of people help me load it into my husband’s SUV so we could drive it over to the center,” said Eaton, 49.

Springville Senior Center 

In mid-September, extra tables were set up inside the senior center’s activity room, and everyone went to work.

Over the next four months, about 50 seniors spent four hours a day piecing together 60 different 1,000-piece puzzle sections featuring a world map and 187 images of artwork by Dowdle of scenic landmarks such as the Colosseum in Rome, the Taj Mahal in India and U.S. national parks.

Last month, after the 60 puzzles were combined into one piece of art spread across 16 banquet tables, the senior center put its 8-by-29-foot creation on display for the public. In early February, Dowdle dropped by to see it and offered his congratulations to the seniors for completing the puzzle. His visit was covered by <a href="https://www.ksl.com/article/50864722/puzzle-maker-visits-springville-seniors-who-completed-his-60000-piece-puzzle" target=_blank>KSL.com</a>.

“It was impressive — I love that so many of them have traveled to the places featured in the puzzle,” said Dowdle, 55.

I’d only met my neighbor a few times. When she died I took in her dog.

“I also love that my artistry was transferred to the people who put [the puzzle] together over all those hours,” he added. “It’s not uncommon for people to feel like they’re the actual artists when they finish a puzzle this size, and I’m fine with that. To me, it’s a compliment.”

There is nothing like 300 hours hunched over a card table to help build a sense of accomplishment, Eaton said.

“This was a lot of work, and everyone felt tremendous pride in finishing it,” she said. “Another great thing about it was that we were able to get a lot of people out of their houses to enjoy some fun companionship.”

“Loneliness is a terrible thing for older people,” she said. “Getting together to have some lunch and work for a couple of hours on a puzzle can make a huge difference in their day.”

<a href="https://seniorsafetyadvice.com/are-jigsaw-puzzles-good-for-seniors-the-surprising-benefits/" target="_blank">Numerous studies</a> have shown that puzzle-building helps with cognitive ability, <a href="https://seniorsafetyadvice.com/are-jigsaw-puzzles-good-for-seniors-the-surprising-benefits/" target="_blank">particularly in seniors</a>, according to the National Institutes of Health. But people of any age can enjoy the challenge of working on jigsaws.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/interactive/2024/speed-puzzling-competitions/" target="_blank">Competitive speed puzzling</a> is now resurging in popularity, and the <a href="http://www.jigsawpuzzleswapexchange.com/about.html" target="_blank">Jigsaw Puzzle Swap Exchange</a> allows puzzlers to trade used jigsaws with others worldwide.

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Springville Senior Center members <a href="https://www.wqow.com/community/positively-chippewa-valley/the-missing-piece-osseo-man-completes-worlds-largest-commercially-available-puzzle/article_047683f2-fff7-11ed-b73e-2b0b018db0ed.html" target="_blank">weren’t the first</a> to tackle the world’s largest puzzle, which was <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/shopping/2022/10/31/costco-selling-largest-jigsaw-puzzle-world/10654932002/" target="_blank">available online</a> in 2022 at Costco until it <a href="https://www.costco.com/the-world%E2%80%99s-largest-puzzle-by-dowdle.product.100979575.html#:~:text=At%2060%2C000%20pieces%2C%20What%20a,takes%20puzzling%20to%20new%20heights." target="_blank">sold out</a> last year. An <a href="https://www.treadbylee.com/p/puzzle" target="_blank">Alabama woman</a> and a <a href="https://www.wqow.com/community/positively-chippewa-valley/the-missing-piece-osseo-man-completes-worlds-largest-commercially-available-puzzle/article_047683f2-fff7-11ed-b73e-2b0b018db0ed.html" target="_blank">Wisconsin puzzle fan</a> and his grandparents made headlines when they each pieced together the supersized world map last year.

“Our seniors weren’t out to break any records, but we do have a lot of puzzle fans who are always up for some fun,” Eaton said.

Daryl Tucker is among those who stopped by the Springville Senior Center several days a week over four months to help put the large puzzle together. He said he became a regular at the senior center five years ago, hoping to fill some of his lonely hours after his wife died.

“I’ve found it’s important to stay active and be around other people,” said Tucker, 72. “Sitting around a table with others in your community and putting together a puzzle is a great way to do that.”

Tucker said he enjoyed piecing together Siberia, China and Australia, even though they were mostly made up of yellow pieces.

“This was a challenging puzzle, but I prefer them that way,” he said. “When you can take them one section at a time, it’s not so bad.”

As each of the 60 sections were completed, they were carefully transferred to pieces of foam board and stacked in a room until it was time to assemble them all together.

“I really liked the feeling of perseverance and knowing that all those tiny pieces were going to turn into something beautiful,” said puzzler Ruth Nielsen, 73.

“It was also fun when people who don’t normally come in would stop by to pop in a couple of pieces,” she said. “There was a feeling of community spirit in putting it all together.”

After the last piece was eased into place, everyone snapped photos and admired the puzzle for about three weeks, then it was time for the next project: taking it apart.

Eaton said they decided to lend the puzzle to another Utah senior center, so its members could enjoy the same feelings of accomplishment and togetherness.

“I didn’t want to have to glue it all together and hang it up,” she said. “That would definitely be too much of a project.”

Cathy Free is a human interest reporter who specializes in stories of humanity. She has written for The Washington Post's Inspired Life section since 2018. 

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