The barn that Steve Wooden and his father built 20 years ago still stands, just like the one his grandfather built years before. The land they farm was first purchased by Steve’s grandfather, Charlie, in 1938. Since then, it has been preserved and cared for by the Wooden family for three generations. While other family farms in the area have sold out to developers, the Woodens have strived to preserve the way of life they grew up with, and to share that heritage with future generations.
“We’ve got about 500 acres here that we farm,” Steve said of their sprawling land where they harvest soybeans, corn and alfalfa. Steve’s wife, Rita, also operates a produce store on their property. Members of the increasingly suburban community surrounding them will often stop in for fresh produce and perhaps ask for tips on growing a better tomato. Rita’s hand-painted pumpkins, gourds and fall wreaths line the walls of the store that once was a dilapidated equipment shed. Steve and his father did most of the renovation work on the shed themselves, a little at a time. “This shed was in really bad shape, and it was either tear it down or renovate, so we decided to make something out of it,” Rita said.
Virtually everything on the farm holds a special memory for Steve and Rita. Among those memories are the handmade banjo that was passed down to Steve from his grandfather, and the original cabinets in their home which remained untouched when they renovated. Even the road they live on is named for the family. Just out in front of the shed, next to the straw maze where customers’ children play in the fall is a large tree under which Steve’s father used to sit. “I can remember, in his later years, Jack would sit underneath that tree and take breaks in the afternoon,” Rita remembered. “And that’s something you very rarely saw him do when he was younger.” Steve’s father, Jack, was a large, stout man. He was a hard worker and a rock upon which the family had come to rely. He had a deep appreciation for the family history as well, since he had inherited the farm from his father.
“We lost dad to cancer in 2007,” Steve said quietly. His father, who also was his teacher and mentor, continued to help to Steve and Rita on the farm even in his old age. Today, under that tree where Jack used to sit, is a small memorial to the man that was such an important part of their lives. A plaque rests at the base of the tree with an inscription that reads: “When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure.”
