Everyone has unique experiences in life. Each person has a story to tell and words of wisdom that can be shared with others. With that in mind, we’d like to introduce you to some of the wonderful people who live here at CHCC. Here is a recent resident spotlight Q&A session we did with Vernon S.
Have you lived in other places besides Lynden?
I was born in Tieton in Eastern Washington. I was an only child. After I was born, my dad got a job in the mines in the Boise Valley of Idaho in a place called Nampa. We moved to a town nearby called Hailey until I was nine, when my dad got a job with the Union Pacific Railroad.
My mother, father and I got to have free passes on the trains. We traveled all over the country. My favorite stops were New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and New York, where we had an incredible visit to the Empire State Building.
We rented for many years, then bought a home in Everson. Our final home purchase was our home on Front Street in Lynden, where we lived for 30 years.
What was your first job?
My first job was when I was 12. I picked seed corn off dried corn stalks in the fields and filled gunnysacks with the ears of dried corn. I earned 12 cents per sack.
What other types of work did you do before retiring?
I worked at a door company called Nord Door in Everett and Marysville for many years. We moved near Lynden in 1983.
What was your favorite thing about the work you did?
What I loved about my job at Nord Door was that I was in the union, and we received seven fully paid holidays every year.
What is one thing that you have been most proud of in your life?
The thing I am most proud of is accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was 12 years old.
What is the hardest thing that you’ve lived through, and how did you get through it?
The hardest thing I’ve lived through was the death of my mother when I was 18. She always rode the bus home from work, and my father picked her up at one of the stops. She crossed an intersection to get to where he would meet her. One day, while crossing, she was struck by a teenage driver who was speeding 30 miles over the limit. She was killed instantly. She was only 48.
I was only able to get through it because of my faith in Christ.
What was your favorite decade to live in, and why?
My favorite decade was the ’50s because it was such a peaceful time to live. They made beautiful cars then. I love cars. I collected and rebuilt them. My favorite was the 1949 Oldsmobile. It was a stunning metallic blue, and everyone could see me coming.
Who is your favorite author or musician?
My favorite author is Louis L’Amour. Roy Orbison is my favorite singer.
Do you have a favorite song, inspirational quote or bible verse?
My favorite song is “Blue Bayou” by Roy Orbison. My favorite scripture is John 14:2: “In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
What is one life lesson that you learned from your parents?
My parents taught me to be an individual, not be silent and to stand up for what is right.
What is one piece of advice that you would give a 16-year-old person?
I would tell teenagers today that they should not follow the crowd and to always stand up for the truth.
What is one thing most people don’t know about you, but you wish they did?
Two things most people don’t know about me are that I was born on the same date as Bill Cosby and that he and I shared an unusual hobby. We both collected vintage fountain pens. There is a magazine called Pen World, and my collection—more than 250 pens, some quite valuable—was featured in it. Bill Cosby was on the cover of that issue.
What is one thing that you like about living at CHCC?
I like it here at CHCC. The food is good, and there is a great deal of variety. The medical help is also very skilled.