Fred Voorhees and Michael Barton

00:00 Are y'all go right after me?

00:03 My name is Michael Barton. I made 63 and today's date is October 1st 2020 and I'm at the home of Fred Voorhees on the ranch at San Juan Capistrano.

00:18 I'm my name is Fred Voorhees and I Am 98 years old.

00:26 And I was born March 3rd or March 13th 1922.

00:34 And I'm at Meijer Home Health has been 40 years at Rancho Mission Viejo in San Juan, Capistrano.

00:50 Fred it's it's just been a privilege of mine as your Hospice chaplain to be able to serve the spiritual care needs that you've had over the last year and just under a year-and-a-half and as we've spoken together you spoke of so many powerful stories. You said you have so many stories. You can't keep them a secret and this has been a kind of a bucket list item for you. You told me and you couldn't wait for us to have this day in this day is finally here and as we've talked together you've spoken about lessons about life lessons about love and suffering and lessons about love and from these lessons have emerged some very beautiful themes.

01:33 Food for thought that informs you and those within your sphere of influence inspiration. That is guided You Through The Years affirmation that is studied you as well as a faith that helps you in finding and keeping your your spiritual footing Through The Years. So there there's a series of questions that will be responding to and once again, I count privileged to be involved in in this opportunity with you to help a dream of yours to come true for Alley you but for generations to come so here's the first question and the question really emerges from your your line of work. We know that your work has been your life and your life has been your work and that is influenced every facet of your life including family and Faith. So what lessons has your work taught you through the years?

02:30 Through the years

02:33 And it has taught me that you just love everybody and if you don't like a job you do it the best you can and find a job that you like and when you find a job that you would like stick with it and don't let money into fear with what you like to do.

02:58 What is it? What is it? You've done throughout your lifetime in your line of work. What kind of work have you done? Well, I started out and I was 6 years old and I peddled milk.

03:12 And I started cuddling Mills. I started running out to the house and bring it in the milk for our house. Well, then the next year or the next summer and I didn't go to school. I rode around the block with him and I would go in pedal of milk and he give my mother her milk carton milk a day for my doing is and I just talked about milk for years and I

03:46 Really enjoyed it because I love horses and it was a horse and wagon.

03:52 All done in 1933. I was 11 years old and the Milkman got married.

04:01 And he had her truck. So he wanted to adopt me and my mother said no adoptions, but to then they decided world codiga I go live with them and they agreed providing like I'm going mother's house every noon for lunch. So when I got to school at noon, I went to my mother's for lunch and it worked out very good, but I live with them from the time. I was allowing.

04:34 And then I kept that up, but I wanted to be a farmer for some reason because in those early days I figured my gosh if you didn't work you weren't going to eat.

04:48 Hey, my ID has got so bad. They're over the years. I really look back and I regret that I took the work so serious.

05:05 Because it interfered with my family at times I think later on because I thought so much of working that I thought I was neglecting my family.

05:20 But that was prior to being married because I just got I don't know we wouldn't go on dates because I was too busy working because I worked right up gosh, I started mornings at 4. And then when I live with Leonard why my goodness eye after school. I have to hurry home and weird mix-up in Bible chocolate milk and get everything ready for the next day. And then we had to go out to the farmers. They were bringing the milk in and pick up their night milk and bring it to the ranch because in those days Farmers didn't have the coolers and would have to put the milk in our walk-in cooler. So and then

06:10 The we have to Pedal. Note the next day and then so I didn't we didn't get through till 7:30 at night. So just wait a long day, especially for a kid, but I loved it. I loved it and I enjoyed doing it so much one of the things I was so intriguing about your story is you spoke about peddling milk what you literally peddled it by bicycle and bye-bye truck some you just literally took it to the homes of a decal.

06:55 I taught myself math.

06:59 Because I was when I was started I would definitely go to Rod run to the house and I'll pick up a bottle. Will they have the milk or the money in the Bible? Will they might have them not have the right until I have to go to Leonard get the change and run it back. So when I got enough I was in the first grade and I talked my gosh. I got to learn how to make change. So in my spare time, I start playing was figures and I figured out okay, the bottle of milk was $0.10. If it was the other kind of milk when was driving on worn was twelve and then I would say okay to give me a quarter horse changing by going to have to give this one and then if they got found a cottage cheese or Jilla cream or something like that or fight instead of a court and I have to figure out how old until I started writing all the figures down and I wrote all those figures.

07:59 Down and my gosh and then I got into Division and percentages because if they give me so much and then I had change and they just helped me through math so much do and I was in the fourth grade. My math was better than those in the sixth grade. You want two things. I've really appreciated about your story. That is as it's been told this last year-and-a-half Fred is that you applied yourself so well and that's a wonderful instance of how you applied yourself to learn a skill because of something you were doing. So if we were to fast forward many years to where you were at as a as a farmer and as a Rancher what were some of the lessons that you learned as an adult man from some of that work that you did. Well, no one thing I found out was when I started farming

08:59 You know, I do have to be softened see okay. I'm a taken with so many steps to find out exactly the length and width of the field and then I can figure out what it was and then you had to figure out how much seed it was going to take and you'd have to get your planner and you test your planner on the hard ground and try it then you count to seize on the floor because

09:28 In later years, it was all computer, but then it wasn't you had to say okay, it's driving so many cc's per foot. Well, okay, how am I going to be for a car and you had to figure out and I could do that in my head and that's why I helped me so much.

09:47 Where's my younger?

09:50 Map sure, so you just built upon those things as the years continue until a couple of weeks ago. We were having a discussion and I made a big mistake by saying this.

10:02 I called you a cowboy and you corrected me. Tell me the difference between a farmer and a cowboy. Well a farmer is a man.

10:16 When

10:18 In this goes in history City because a farmer has to raise all the crops everything food. He has to leave food for families and he has to read food for the animals.

10:35 And the difference is a cowboy what they call a Cowboy is a guy just looked after lunch account. Well, it's not right. But tonight Ranch you have to be I never liked the word Cowboy like Cattleman because you had to do everything and you had to figure out what bite my childhood being a dairy farming everything. I figured out my gosh it takes this kind of feed to make a quart of milk or takes the same kind of feed to make a pound of beef.

11:14 And it helped me so much that when I got ranching and raising cattle, I raise the Cavs and Rudy put the weed. Yeah, I am a Cowboy is just a guy that looks after a bunch of cows and you can get them a dime a dozen.

11:36 I get home run big ranches. I run all kinds of wrenches and they in the spring you'd have so many kids are getting out of school. Just wanted to be a cowboy and just work for the room and board.

11:50 There's something special about having work the land right Fred will switch gears a little bit. We'll come back to that probably in a moment. But what would you say as you look back on your

12:04 Almost 99 years this next April or I'm sorry this next march.

12:11 What would you say you're most proud of?

12:16 That little girl had picture right up there and she's a beauty and what's her name Rose?

12:25 Highway it's so great. I met her when I was 12 years old. She was lemon.

12:37 And it stuck with me all my life, but I never had such an experience because everybody nearly here that love at first sight. I had love at first sight and I still have that one in my heart today because I first time I see her she was on the porch and the Milkman Lumber in the house talking to the people when she just come on out of the porch and I have the funniest feeling in life right here on my left side my heart and all my guy is it's awfully hard to explain but when you fall in love it and they say love it. I really had love at first sight.

13:27 Describe for me that

13:29 That day a little bit more and for those who be listening in the future as to what you were feeling that day at that moment what you saw in the difference that the Roseanne made in your life not only then but through through the time that you were with her.

13:48 Oh gosh from then on I really never met her until we started school and then we started school. We were in the 7th grade and she was in the seat right behind me.

14:02 And and then I want a loan and this is when school in noon and the school from the school to her house, and I walk her home at lunch and then I run from her house to my house was just a mile away cuz I always run and then I would have lunch at my house, and then I'd run back and I'll cut cost of the streets and meet her she'd be on her way back to school because we have to be back to school at 1.

14:38 And you're always should have to walk 5 miles.

14:42 It's only an hour. I need a lunch sure. I own it. But anyhow, and then we later years why we just were together all the time. And then when I started farming

15:00 Gosh, she's come out Saturday should walk out to the farm and

15:06 Does helps heal cook and she learned to cook German food, which may be in the Dutchman. I love German food and she would make my favorite boarding which was

15:23 Seward party, you're drooling Fred. I know that I really hate you. I love supporting but today I can't find anybody to make it but she only made it for my birthday instead of a cake and we became such great friends just a good friendship.

15:44 And it was drama life, and she

15:51 Had rheumatoid arthritis, which was in her.

15:56 Grandmother's side on her mother's side her father his parents.

16:05 And he was raised on the old Erie town now, which DeBarge was pulled over the mule?

16:13 And he had to keep the mule going when he was able to walk and he had a little switch you just kept from you and when they come to your town or something it after tie up or when they had to change mules like the mule walk the Gangplank from the shore to the barge bring out the other mule and it's so interesting history to think the only Canal was built to bring salt from Syracuse, New York to New York City.

16:52 And they were put 60 ton of salt on a barge and take it to New York City or they just to go to Holiday because

17:02 People don't realize it was a large river is sea level to Albany, which is 150 miles from New York City.

17:12 And there was no locks between Albany New York and Syracuse and Liverpool and New York City within and it was 24 Watts from

17:25 El Albany to Baldwinsville

17:31 So one of the things you told me in one of the discussions we had is it related to this story about about your wife you I remember at one point you said if you're not Dutch, you're not much. There you go.

17:45 Add

17:47 What are the most beautiful stories that you told was that day that you married Rose? And I know for future Generations that story if we could capsulize it for just a moment if you could bring to mind that day.

18:08 There's never been another one thing like it. But any all I was driving a team of horses in a grain drill and I drove to hotel de you talk about selling all those but this is actually what I did. I saw a Rhodes. I planted a field with all those one day and the wedding was supposed to be at seven 7:30 that night. And so I managed to get a clean pair of dungarees and get to my mother's house. The wedding was at my mother's and the house was filled with apple blossoms and lie locks and there's never a better order in the world than lilacs and apple blossoms and so my sister and her husband were going to stand up with us and my

19:03 Brother-in-law he was a truck driver and he was supposed to be there when my sister got there, but he hadn't showed we were waiting for him. The minister was there and we were talking and he had showed you and the minister says well, I'm going home and he says when he gets here you come and get me so we did and then my brother-in-law showed up about 11 when down got the minister. Well, we got married between 11:30 and 12, but we got married before 12. So I was married on the 9th of May in 1942.

19:44 And

19:46 I had to go milk cows the next morning and I had to go at 4 and there was a camel back couch in the dining room and rollers and I laid right down there without clothes on and I got up and I had to walk to the farm which was too wild. So I got up and took off and walk to the farm and I told Rose to stay at my mother's and when I got a chance, I would come down and I never had a chance until the following weekend.

20:21 And the following weekend, we had a farm running ways which ended up to be our house and we had all our furniture and bought at a time. But you're too far out. There was Annie Mae Ron Steele tree planting Syracuse and he told me he had a brand new Hudson station wagon, and he said Fred that's your car. I only use it here on the farm and I'm only on the phone once in awhile weekend. So I took

20:59 Station wagon, I went down I picked up rolls on a Saturday or on a Friday night, and we drove to water our to Niagara Falls.

21:12 And I have an hour.

21:16 And anyhow, we walked around Niagara Falls and we know we were going to stay at my sister's house. She lived just outside of Buffalo and we went to her house was yellow two bedroom apartment and she have a friend there. And so she was favoring the one body was in another bed. So I slept with him my wife slept with my sister farted. So but then after breakfast the next day like we drove back to Baldwinsville and drove out to the farm and that was the first night my wife and I slept together and really tired about that. I was married.

22:08 Fred what traditions

22:13 Have been passed down through your family as you look back on your life, and they're being the family traditions.

22:21 What are some of those that are in place and it been passed down through the years?

22:27 We'll meet me in the morning at 12.

22:31 And then I figured all right figure nothing. It was automatic for me. That love is the best thing to keep a family together.

22:44 And yeah, so I got the hell out of everybody.

22:49 And I tried to pass that down. She's a family and right today. I have a fabulous family and we all love each other. I have a wife and she has a daughter.

23:04 And the ground Amazon so I have a daughter.

23:09 Our granddaughter and a grandson and my granddaughter has a daughter. So Iowa Greek granddaughter and then I have two great-grandsons and the grandsons are in college and the granddaughter is in high school and

23:30 It's just love that holds us together.

23:35 And where where do you believe that that concept came from? Where did you learn that while I'm there Nanny from my parents?

23:46 Because my parents.

23:49 Or so wonderful

23:54 And

23:56 My older kids

23:59 My older siblings

24:02 Wooseok Gifford

24:05 I had two older brothers.

24:10 That worked on the canal.

24:13 In those days printer all the freight was carried on the canal.

24:20 The Barge Canal run from New York City to Buffalo New York and it have a blank then went up to use a swinger liver to a swiggle and the air and it could reach Canada across Lake Ontario and then the other River run right up and connected with a Niagara that connected with all the great lakes and then you had all the Finger Lakes in the center of

24:50 New York state that are connected to also connected to the Barge Canal and they were steamboats. Well, the Indians is a trucks are all steamed and the tugboat bargain and when they'd pull up to a lock they would take the tug could come in and they've chalked no heart shorten the hollars so they tied to the bar and they go to pull in the lot was a tug do barges and separate them cuz of Tugboat Vibe Argent and then the truck would go through and they raise the water up 15 feet to get above the walk and they will go through and then the tug would put on a 50 Terminal soft coal cuz that's what they burn to keep them going and then they would pull the other three barges in with a winless and pulling into the locks and raise them up and then to take a day.

25:50 They were pulling barges right up to connect to the two barges that they disconnected from and then

25:58 Once I got the coal and ice and all the groceries, the little Street was a very long it was low gosh and 1/4 model. I don't think it was that long, but they was for grocery store.

26:14 And the barge is coming in.

26:16 Any bar all these groceries, you know, there was high do balloons and a bunch of them up through there. And then the ice house was right there and they will put a hundred pounds of ice because that's the only Refrigeration in the bargain one barge have a family on it and the barkers Loctite together, but when the barges after I got the cold and everything on they had to

26:49 Pull out in the barge Woods as a tug would start out and then they started they would like to know houses outdrives early cuz they had to pull from one side to get them about. So when they went to the channel, they could go up the channel. So every hour on the hour, we have this clock. Yes, and we can hear it and it reminds you of the different songs that you've enjoyed through the years and as the clock tones now at right at 11 this morning.

27:22 I know there's a song that you enjoy the most what would that song be?

27:32 My first song

27:35 Apple blossoms time

27:39 Which takes you right back to my to that wedding day and do that love that we talked about earlier. And as he spoke about how those tubs run the river and and and brought different things to different parts of town love is done the same thing on the rivers of your life and you found a way to bring love to every aspect of of your life. So let's let's switch gears a little bit and talk a little bit about your spiritual life.

28:09 I know that you believe in God we've talked about that. Tell me what you do believe about God and His influence with you.

28:19 I kind of still trying to understand.

28:22 We went to school or to church every week and mother made sure we went and we went we had three pennies we can one penny to Sunday school and two pennies to church. So we went to Sunday school and then after Sunday school the teacher would bring us down and where you going to the church and we always set in the front of the church and listen all the church and we give to finish to the church on the Sunday school, but that's all my folks going to Ford and mother made sure we did that but then later on when I start farming

29:06 We just never had the opportunity to go to church and I couldn't go to church and then when I got married we had trouble but

29:18 One thing I learned

29:21 And I went to Bible study and I learned a little bit but

29:28 I never really got my life with the Lord until later years and Pregnant went through a Cornhusker one time and I never realized it but the Lord save me.

29:48 And oh gosh, but I talked to the Lord ones.

29:54 In night in 2009 was working and I had to fuel up a scraper big scraper and I reached in and I got pinched between a truck and the scraper tire and I was right across my just above my Belt Line and I couldn't breathe and I couldn't talk and I couldn't hear nothing and

30:25 I was and I go in but I sorta.

30:31 Maybe blacked out like I thought I was staring straight at the sky in my subconscious was telling me that I was in my pick up because I left the machine running to get it warm and the more sound of that but I thought I was in my truck. And for some reason it says Fred you're in your truck. You're going up to your tail Highway, which is nice and windy. You got your groove 765 but you can't move a muscle and right after that. This man's voice come to me and said Fred you're paralyzed. You can't move a muscle. But if you go do something yourself and do it right away you're going to die.

31:20 My eyes opened up. I look straight up and I was looking straight at that big tire and I said, oh my gosh, I'm still pissed. I took my right hand and I took my fingers and I warmed up like that to the door. I text your window crank on the door. And then I took the left hand and walk out with my fingers and the minute I touch my right hand. I fell out of there like a wet noodle.

31:51 And I blew it right on the ground between the tractor of the scraper in the trailer and I laid down the dirt. Nice is good. My telephone was in my shirt pocket or license. I can call the shop. But all I can do is my fingers would just make him I couldn't do nothing and I laid there for a while ago a boy, and a four-wheeler nieces. Mr. Fred. Do you need some help and I should have go to my pickup and pick up the radio and call the shop and tell him to call paramedics. So he called the paramedics and where they come out they start riding in on me and they says who moved the equipment and how did you get out of there and kept asking me and I said, I have a friend upstairs and I pointed straight to the sky.

32:47 No, no, no, no, no, okay, but he said, you know, this is only 5 inches between their heart that's broke my vertebrae, but the Lord saved me.

33:16 I was up a profound moment for you. And I I know as we've had discussions together you've pointed to that time is the time where you really literally saw the face of God someday, you will see him literally face-to-face. What is it? You want to tell God when you see him? What would you like to say to him is I thank him and I love him and I just thank him for I have so many things that I realize now that he was responsible for my success.

33:56 Because every time I lost a job I didn't lose a job, but I had them for me because I have arthritis in back so bad that I was on crutches and I was milking the cows and I was calling on my hands and knees between the cows to change the milkers and my lovely little wife had two failed the 18 quart stainless steel pills in those days you had to carry the milk out to the milkhouse. You couldn't have a milk allergy attack still bar. And so she had to carry it out and I was tripping over telling milk a day. But anyhow, the doctors kept saying it was my feet while little of something she started that I had arthritis in my back so bad my feet wouldn't work and they said I had to get to her driver, So I was running this Farm on shares and I just told him

34:56 We sold our and then we had to move so her parents went to Arizona five years before that. So we just sold out everything. We got a little U-Haul trailer park behind our car and put all we thought we had that out and we had some stuff in the cellar that we can she can and we put that into and we just started for Arizona. We got the Arizona didn't have the least idea what we're going to do and it makes a funny feeling when you tell her where I got the Joplin, Missouri.

35:33 And I got up that morning.

35:37 And I stood up and ice is wrong. I can stand with all my question.

35:45 And that's where the Lord stepped in because I never wore that day off.

35:54 What are things I've learned from your story Fred is that you've always had a heart full of thanks. God's word says that he inhabits the Thanksgiving of his people. In other words were there's thanks that's where he resides and your your life at your story has been a powerful testimony has two to God's work in your life. And there's a favorite verse that you shared with me that we've talked about together and Proverbs verse 3 or chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. You've trusted you've known where to lean on and that is on God. You've acknowledged him as a result you found your pads directed.

36:44 We're getting ready to wrap this this interview up in just a little bit. But I want it. I want to ask you a concluding question and it's sissy, you know, you're going to have family members and Friends listen to this recording and years to come.

36:58 What would you like to pass on to them in these cluding minutes? And what would you like for them to know?

37:08 I would like them to know that.

37:13 If you believe in the Lord the Lord will take care of you because every time you did where you think oh my God, what am I going to do? I got to change out. Well, you always get better and it's just the Lord Winks at you. And your next job is better than one you had before and that's what happened all through my life.

37:37 Every time I change the job it was a little bit better and I didn't have the least idea what it was for because the one I loved back my goodness. Oh my God, what's going to be but I lost you my life, but I've never been all over job.

37:56 And that's what is so important just believe in the Lord and He will take care of you and you found that to be so true or very much. So that's the message that you pass on to your family. You betcha Trust.

38:14 Nowhere to lean lean on him acknowledge Him. What will happen will direct your paths. Yes, because he saved my life so many times even when I was a fly on an airplane.

38:30 Any any words of wisdom that you'd like to leave with them as it relates to to life and lessons?

38:39 Rinsing

38:42 To me

38:44 Was my dad told me when I was a kid red, whatever you do.

38:52 Try to do something that you really love and if you don't love what you're going to do.

38:58 You'll never be successful.

39:03 It don't make any difference what it is and I've done that all my life. I've never worried about money. I never asked anybody how much I was going to get paid all I wanted to know if I was going to like the job.

39:20 And that's that's a great way to conclude our time together today Fred. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the wisdom the inspiration the affirmations and we will remember your story for years to come to come because they can't be kept a secret right Jolly you like you can't keep a secret life was so good that

39:48 It can't be careful secret. Somebody's got to know my kids are going out with my great great grandkids will never know what it was because I started with a horse and wagon. I see a man go to the moon and go into space and everything and I want you to Wars and no I don't know. My life has been so great and I am so grateful that when I look back to life and know that really the Lord was ready. Ella me leading me almost think he had my hand.