HENNESSEY - Mass of Christian Burial for C. Francis
Voskuhl, age 90, was recently held at St. Joseph's
Catholic Church, Hennessey. It was officiated by Fr.
Kerry Wakulich of St John's in Stillwater and Fr. Ed
Menasco of St Joseph's in Hennessey. Interment was
at Calvary Cemetery, Hennessey.
Our Dad was born on the family farm northwest of
Marshall, Oklahoma, to Albert and Agnes (Bernard)
Voskuhl. Growing up, Francis was affectionately
known as "Buddy." He was a proud graduate of
Marshall High School.
Francis married Idolia "Dodie" (Haddox) Voskuhl on
May 29, 1954. They met at Tinker Air Force Base in
Midwest City where Dodie was an Administrative
Assistant to a General at the base. At about that
time Francis was drafted into the Army and was
stationed at Ft. Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, for
two years. The GI Bill granted Francis the
opportunity to earn a Bachelor's degree in Business
from the University of Oklahoma in 1960. At
graduation he began work in downtown Oklahoma City
and commuted to Marshall every weekend to help his
father farm. During one of those weekends at the
farm, Francis lost his left hand at 34 years old to
an accident while cutting silage. He was fortunate
to have survived. Soon afterward, Francis and Dodie
moved to Hennessey in 1964 with their two girls,
Sharon and Rhonda. Francis became a full time farmer
and rancher of the Voskuhl Farms northwest of
Marshall, which has been in the Voskuhl family for
114 years. Many had the opinion that Francis, with
one hand, often did the work of two men on any given
day.
Francis was a "self made man." His pursuit of
success began as a youngster. He started his days
checking traps on his walk to the one room
schoolhouse west of their home place. If an animal
was suffering, he shot it with his rifle. Francis
then walked on to school and perched his rifle in
the corner of the classroom before taking his seat
at his desk. How times have changed! Revenue from
selling animal pelts was a good down payment to
secure a loan for a hay baler. Francis was forever
grateful to his grandfather John Voskuhl who always
had confidence in him and co-signed for that loan.
In his teens, Francis baled hay all over Garfield
County, as far away as Stillwater and to the Kansas
state line. Before the widespread use of telephones,
he had farmers lined up and down their long gravel
driveway at sun up waiting to schedule him to bale
their hay.
Francis was quick to put his business degree to work
after graduating from OU. In evenings, after a full
day of farming, he did his research and invested in
the stock market. His typical advice on buying
stocks was, "When most people are doing one thing, I
do the other." Francis loved farming and always
looked for ways to expand and invest, a true
entrepreneur. He frequented local cattle sales and
loved buying and selling. Francis was known
throughout the Oklahoma Panhandle and SW Kansas as a
shrewd businessman who fed thousands of cattle. He
had a deep respect for the local farmland and its
value, saying, "They're not making any more land."
He worked the farm every day of his life, including
holidays. He instilled a deep sense of work ethic in
his daughters by his example. In his latter days, he
enjoyed visiting with people in Hennessey and the
local Co-ops, among others. He often teased and made
jokes with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his
face. November 2019, we celebrated his 90th birthday
at the Bison Co-op over lunch. Francis was happy to
see so many friends from over the years.
He was so proud of his two daughters - which we
never heard directly from him, but heard it through
the grapevine. As his daughters, we always knew he
was proud based on his actions. He and our Mom were
our biggest fans when we played basketball at
Hennessey, then later at Oklahoma State and Phillips
University. Fun times! We miss them both so very
much ....
Francis is survived by his daughters, Sharon Voskuhl
of Tulsa and Rhonda Voskuhl, MD, of Los Angeles, his
sons-in-law, Alan Staab and Allan MacKenzie-Graham,
PhD, respectively, as well as four grandchildren,
Blaise Staab, Zane Staab, Alec Staab, and Carmen
Voskuhl.
Francis was married 61 years to Dodie Voskuhl, who
preceded him in death. Also preceding him in death
were his parents Albert and Agnes Voskuhl, his
brother Dr. Leo Voskuhl (veterinarian) of Kingfisher
and Marjorie (Voskuhl) Dacus, RN of Houston.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let
perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the
faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in
peace.
