Motherhood, a movie star and more

At age 101, Evelyn Voshell reflects on a century of life in central Delaware

By Patricia C. Thompson
Posted 5/9/21

DOVER — Motherhood and music. Family and faith. Resilience and hard work. When Evelyn Shulties Voshell reflects on her 101 years as a resident of Kent County, those are her focal points.

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Motherhood, a movie star and more

At age 101, Evelyn Voshell reflects on a century of life in central Delaware

Posted

DOVER — Motherhood and music. Family and faith. Resilience and hard work. When Evelyn Shulties Voshell reflects on her 101 years as a resident of Kent County, those are her focal points.

A native of Willow Grove, Mrs. Voshell, born March 4, 1920, is the matriarch of a sizable and active local family.

Speaking with wit and acumen, this affable woman confidently shared her stories and longevity secrets by phone recently. She paused periodically for input from her similarly vibrant daughter, June Papen, age 81, with whom she lives on Papen Farms in Dover.

Q: Mrs. Voshell, tell us about yourself, please.

Mrs. Voshell: A midwife attended my birth. There was also a Dr. (Carl) Scull of this area. He was around near my daughter’s birth and early years.

Q: Is that the Dr. Scull of the Scull Mansion opposite the hospital in Dover (now Bayhealth)?


Mrs. Voshell: Yes. In fact, the farm across from Wyoming Church was owned by the Scull family until the Papens bought it. (Mrs. Voshell’s daughter June eventually married Richard Papen of that farm.)


Q: So what about your school years?

Mrs. Voshell: I graduated in 1937. I think I’m the oldest living Caesar Rodney High School graduate. I sang a solo at graduation, and there were about 40 in my class.

Mrs. Papen: When CR celebrated their 100th year, Mom was the grand marshal of the homecoming parade a few years ago.

Q: Where was CR school at that time?

Mrs. Voshell: It was the old building torn down to build the Fifer School We were all in one big school at the time —all the grades (from elementary to high school).


Q: What was the title of that song you sang at graduation?
Mrs. Voshell: “In an Old Fashioned Town.” I chose it because it was a popular thing back then. There were only 40 in my class, and we just loved each other. It was really a wonderful time.

Q: What are some highlights ... some stories you recall from those school days?

Mrs. Voshell: Two of my good friends were Jean Dawson and Dorothy Spence. ... One day Bob Mitchum came to school to pick us up in his Model A Ford. D

Q. Is that film star Robert Mitchum?
Mrs. Voshell: Yes, he was pretty well known by then. Dorothy had kept in touch with him. I got in the car with them, like the chaperone. That was to make her look good (since proper young ladies did not often ride alone with young men at the time). And she married Bob Mitchum. They stayed married.
She was probably a senior that day we drove around together. Dorothy liked him, and I liked him too, but not (as my boyfriend). He had relatives in Wyoming and came to visit.

Q: Is there more about your school years?

Mrs. Voshell: I was active in the class and sang in some of the programs, and I was always involved in music.

Q: So what are the secrets to your long, active life?

Mrs. Voshell: Well, my mother lived to be over 100.
Mrs. Papen: They were hard-working women. They didn’t like to sit around One thing that keeps Mom so sharp is (she uses her mind actively all the time.) It’s important for her to get the Delaware State News each day to do the word puzzles ... the Jumble.
And she’s active in the family. She’s living with me in our house on the farm (opposite Wyoming United Methodist Church). It’s a family hub. The kids and men come in for snacks and my brother (Harry Voshell, once an owner of B and B Music) comes over every day to visit his mom. Nothing much happens without Mother.

Q: So what about religion and church in your life, Mrs. Voshell?

Mrs. Voshell: I always had church, and I have always been in the church.

Mrs. Papen: Once Grandmother Shulties brought a pastor to their church at Willow Grove. My other grandmother operated a grocery store in Willow Grove — Kemp’s Store.

Mrs. Voshell: There was a time when there was no pastor there at Willow Grove, so my grandfather, John T. Dodd, and I went down. You see, my father died when I was young. We ordered [Christian education] papers to make sure there were lessons for the young people. The children would come and sit on the front bench. I would teach them when I was in my early teens.

Q: What about your life after high school?

Mrs. Voshell: After 1937, I got married to Roy J. Voshell, my husband for 76 years.

Q: Where were you two married?

Mrs. Voshell: In Greensboro, Maryland. There was a minister there in his house.

Q: What about family ... your children?

Mrs. Voshell: Of course, I’m proud of the things my two children did. I tried to put my husband and my children first and always wanted to have a plan for the future.
And of course, both the children and I were very interested in music. I saw to it that they had opportunities to play (instruments). June took private piano lessons and played piano in church for many years. Harry was in band. He played saxophone and did all the things the CR band did.

Q: So over time how did life evolve with your whole family?

Mrs. Voshell: I went to work for Sears downtown on Loockerman Street in Dover. For 26 years, I was the control manager. I worked in the office and ordered the merchandise. We sold hardware and tools in the basement, and (on the main floor) furniture, clothing, other items.
McCrory’s, a popular five and dime store, was right near Sears downtown. Later Sears moved to the Dover Mall, and I went there.

Q: What’s the family update today?
Mrs. Papen: Mom has two children, seven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren. All but two have been associated with Caesar Rodney] schools as students, two with Dover and Capital School District. Most of us still live right around here.

Q: By the way, you’ve emphasized a lifetime in the church. How did you as a family make your way from Willow Grove Church to Wyoming United Methodist Church?

Mrs. Papen: The children and grands came to Wyoming, and Mom and Dad switched to WUMC. The change to WUMC was probably in the 1980s.

Q: Mrs. Voshell, at age 101, what do you see as the highlights of your life — the factors behind your being the healthy, lively person you are?

Mrs. Voshell: I just got to marry and to have a lovely family and my mother and growing up in this area, going to CR, working at Sears. I’m happy I did the things I did.

Mrs. Papen: The last time I took mother to the doctor, every vital sign and her blood work was just perfect. Her doctor said, “Whatever you are doing, Mrs. Voshell, just keep doing it.”
So Mother does have one special pleasure. She does love her chocolate candy. I keep a little dish of it for her. But she has to get up out of the chair to go and get it. The doctor said, “Let her eat all she wants.”
And living on a vegetable farm does help her, too. So Mother was not a drinker, not a smoker. And we agree on this: Keep yourself busy. She likes to be busy.
Mother went to Motor Vehicle at age 98 and got a valid driver’s license — one good for a period of eight years. Last year, we decided she would not do more driving though.

Q: Any other thoughts on family, church, other matters you’ve pointed out in earlier chats?

Mrs. Papen: My grandson, that’s mom’s great-grandson, is a pastor as of last May with a United Methodist Church in Kentucky. That church has been doing live-streaming during the virus. It is a thrill for us to [watch] our grandson serving as a pastor in Kentucky.

Q: What about the effect of the virus on you as a family here?

Mrs. Papen: Mother, would you say it has kept you in but not down?

Mrs. Voshell: Yes, in but not down.

Patricia C. Thompson is a freelance writer living in Dover.

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