Phil Woodworth
A farmer, pilot, missionary, and quilter, Phil Woodworth has spent his life building, creating, and giving back. From Evansville to South Africa, his journey proves it’s never too late to start something new.
Phil Woodworth, a longtime Evansville resident, was born in 1939, the son of Maurice and Beth Woodworth. As a child, he attended the Butts Corners School, which is now a residence on Brooklyn Evansville Road. Phil walked a half mile to and from school every day. From 3rd grade through 7th grade, he attended Crall School on Roherty Road. After 7th grade, the family moved to another farm located on the corner of Fellows Road and Whitmore Road. In the fall of 1953, Phil attended Evansville High School and graduated in 1957.
Fred Miller was Phil’s maternal grandfather. Fred was one of fourteen children, twelve boys and two girls. Fred and each of his brothers received a farm from their father upon marriage. Phil’s grandparents, Fred and Heneretta Miller, owned and operated the Commercial House, a hotel located in Evansville. The hotel was sold to Stan Sperry around 1950. Shortly after the sale, the hotel was converted into the Coach House restaurant.
When Phil was fourteen, he went on a family vacation by car with his parents, Maurice and Beth, to Washington, D.C. It so happened that Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration was going to take place while they were there, so they decided to attend. Phil recalls that the trees near the stage were boarded around the trunks so kids couldn’t climb them to get a better look at the event. But Phil and a bunch of kids climbed up the trees anyway. An acquaintance of Phil’s said they saw him in a tree at the inauguration in a news clip at a movie theater. For those who remember, there were black-and-white news reports that preceded the main film in theaters at the time.
Phil graduated from High School and married Donna Gilbert in 1958 when he was nineteen years old. They moved to a dairy farm, which his parents owned. He and Donna milked 50 cows twice a day. Phil and his father cropped 175 acres on Fenrick Road and 200 acres on Whitmore Road.
Phil and Donna had five daughters. Their first daughter was born in Stoughton Hospital, delivered by Dr. Samuel Sorkin, for the small sum of $300.00. After milking seven days a week for seven years, Phil decided he had had enough of milking cows every day, so he hired a man who did the milking. Phil continued to help his dad raise crops.
In 1965, Phil and Maurice bought the Woodworth home farm on Hwy 14, a 160-acre farm. In 1965-66, they started buying feeder lambs out west to finish on the farm. The lambs were transported by train to Evansville. One time, they had 5,000 lambs arrive by train car. After the sheep were unloaded, they decided to herd them out of town on Highway 14 towards Janesville to the home farm. Phil had a “lead sheep” named Tinkerbell. With a lead sheep, the other sheep will follow. Phil and Tinkerbell led the 5,000 sheep safely home.
The lambs were a good investment. Phil and his father, Maurice, created Woodworth Farms Incorporated. They were able to use some of the proceeds to buy another farm. In 1968, Phil and Maurice bought the Decker Farm. With the purchase of the Decker Farm, Phil was now working 650 acres of farm land.
Around this time, Phil developed an interest in flying, so he began working on obtaining his pilot’s license. However, he decided to give up that pursuit because he had five daughters, and he didn’t want his father to have to help raise them if something happened to Phil.
1988 and 1989 were very bad years for crops in the area. After speaking with his father Maurice about the state of the farming industry, they decided to sell their cows. In 1991, they also sold the farm equipment.
Sometime thereafter, Phil was in a card game during which he mentioned to his friends that if he could get $160 an acre land rent, he would take it. The next day, Randy Shotliff took Phil up on his offer to rent the land. Phil decided to rent his 650 acres to Randy. For the next six years, Phil worked part-time with Randy, along with Bob Krajeck, to do Randy’s field work, which totaled about 5,000 acres at that time.
Phil, who was a Methodist at the time, became interested in serving on mission trips. He participated in mission trips in Jamaica, South Africa, Peru, and Costa Rica. While on a mission trip in South Africa, they helped to build a hospital out of mud bricks. He also directed the excavation of new water lines. In Nigeria, he took part in Farmer-to-Farmer activities. As he gained experience, he became a leader of these missions, which he found to be very interesting and fulfilling.
While Phil was in Jamaica, he attended a church that the host family belonged to. He witnessed a baptism in the Caribbean Sea during the service, which had a profound impact on him. At that time, he had been attending the Methodist Church, but the congregation was declining in number, and he had concerns about how the money allocated for missions was being spent.
Phil became involved in the Baptist Church, which was non-denominational at the time. Although the church was small, the members decided to advertise for a minister. Rev. Josh Brumbaugh answered the ad, and the church began to grow from 15 to 60 or 70. It was renamed Oak Grove Church, and they decided to build a new facility on the corner of Weary Road and Highway 14. Phil donated 3 acres for the building site. The facility was built when they had 80 members, and now there are over 200, so they are contemplating an expansion to the building.
In the 90’s he took up flying again by purchasing a powered parachute just for fun. Phil became an instructor. He says a powered parachute is the safest thing you can fly because it has a parachute. He has run out of gas four times, which results in a gentle descent to the ground. However, one of the rules of flying powered parachutes is that you don’t fly over an area where you wouldn’t feel comfortable landing. Phil also sold powered parachutes for a while.
Later on, he was contacted by the Egyptian military. The Egyptians had purchased powered parachutes from the company that Phil sold for. Since Phil knew how to assemble them properly, the company gave the Egyptians his contact information. So, Phil and Laura, his second wife, went on an all-expense-paid trip to Egypt in 2006. During the trip, Phil taught them how to assemble and fly the powered parachutes. The trip also included a tour of Cairo and its museums.
Phil has shared his traveling adventures with his daughters. He and Laura have taken them out west on a whitewater rafting trip down the Snake River in Idaho. He also took them on a mission trip to Jamaica. After the trip to Jamaica, they went to Costa Rica for a wonderful vacation. In 2018, Phil and Laura took the girls to South Africa on a photo safari, which included zip-lining, walking with lions, riding elephants, and witnessing life in the savannah of Kruger National Park, among countless other amazing memories. Phil and Laura took the girls on another adventure to Peru in 2019. They walked through Machu Picchu and experienced the rich culture of the people, creating incredible memories as a family.
Some of you may be wondering how Phil got into the quilting business. He says it all started when he installed a wood floor for some friends “up north.” His pay was for a sewing machine for making quilts. Since he was retired by then, he decided to give it a “whirl” by making six quilt tops for his five daughters and one for Laura. Once he had the quilt tops pieced, he decided that if he was going to do the whole thing, he needed a long-arm quilting machine. Once he finished those quilts, Jeanie Petterson gave him six quilt tops she wanted quilted. That was the start of the Grove Quilt Shop. Women began to bring work to him because of his machine and his “expertise”. In 2006, he opened a shop in the basement of the Eager Building. He has been quilting for nineteen years now.
As he got to know his customers, he kept hearing about “retreats”. Where women come together and sew for a weekend or even a week. Together, they rent a facility that features several bedrooms, a kitchen, and all the necessary amenities for them to create quilts. Eventually, a building that had many of the components that would make a great retreat came up for sale. That building is located on East Main Street across from R.A Heating. Phil and Laura bought the building. They updated the facility and made some repairs, creating a perfect location for a quilter's retreat. The retreat is open and booked out for the next six years.
Phil was born and raised in the Evansville area. He was a successful farmer who pivoted to become a “lessor” when he felt the farming business was becoming less profitable. He landed on his feet and, quite by accident, became a quilter. Their business is now located on the same property as their home. There are three entrepreneurs, along with Phil and Laura, working on quilts throughout the week.
Phil and Laura now spend their winters in Arizona. They enjoy taking their UTV out into the mountains of Arizona and South Dakota. Phil, Laura, and the girls enjoy annual corporate trips to Arizona.
