Super Senior: Larry Gebo

FERRISBURGH, Vt. (WCAX) - Every day is an open house at Larry Gebo’s home in Ferrisburgh. For over 50 years, friends have gathered daily for a cup of coffee and conversation.

“We kind of reminisce about the old days,” said Paul LeBeau, a long-time friend.

“We always did a lot of hunting together and stuff,” said Al Roberts, another regular at the gatherings.

Gebo is an observer. “You learn a lot more by listening than you do by talking,” he said. Today, though, it’s time for the retired Ferrisburgh farmer to talk about his world for the last 85 years.

Gebo’s farm encompasses 200 acres in Ferrisburgh. “I started farming when I was about six. So, I’ve seen a lot of changes,” he said. When his dad contracted polio, it was up to the youngster to help with milking the herd by hand. “Nobody’s going to remember that, it’s gone.”

In his early teens, along with his other chores, Gebo decided to branch out and start his own mini-dairy operation. “I went and talked to the cattle dealer. He said, ‘I’ll set you up. You give me so many dollars a month, the cows are yours,’” Gebo recalled.

Three dollars to be exact, earning the young Gebo a little “milk money.” “I’d produce a can or two of milk a day,” he said.

Inside his home where the guys meet every day, there’s a sign. “Home is Where Your Story Begins.” And in this story, it’s also where it ended, after an accidental fire in the 80s destroyed the family’s farmhouse. “You can see where it burned,” Gebo said.

Gebo and his late wife, Elisse, rebuilt higher up on the hill that looks out over their land. “If you stayed here all day, I guarantee you, you’ll see over a hundred different birds,” Gebo said.

The cows are long gone but the memories remain. “I spent a lot of hours in here,” Gebo said. After the cows were sold, he started to raise beef cattle, which his grandson now oversees. “I’ve always help people as much as ever could.”

Back at the kitchen table, Kieran Kilbride, another youth who became part of the family, offers a parting story. “Kind of a troubled kid. Ended up living here, growing up on the farm. Best thing for me. Kept me off the streets, out of trouble,” Kilbride said. “I’m probably who I am because of growing up here.”

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything. There’s been some hard times and some good times,” Gebo said.

For a man of few words, he speaks volumes.

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