One hospital, one car, and a tradition that’s lasted 57 years

Sky blue and a purr like no other, a 1964 Ford Falcon holds a special place in the Verhoeff family's hearts.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Sky blue and a purr like no other, a 1964 Ford Falcon holds a special place in the Verhoeff family’s hearts.

“It’s always been, you know, one of the most special possessions or things that the family has. I grew up going to falcon meets as family vacations in the summer. So, it was just kind of what I was surrounded with and always loved it,” James Verhoeff Jr. said.

It’s not just the fact that the car has been in the family for 46 years, but rather the precious cargo it’s held along the way.

“Well, my dad, mom and dad brought me home in it,” James Verhoeff Sr. said.

It all started in 1964 when Clyde Verhoeff took home his new baby boy, James Verhoeff senior, from the original CHI St. Elizabeth.

Five years later, Clyde sold the car but there seemed to be a special connection with the falcon, one that James couldn’t ignore.

“I used to see it sit at 70 athenian clock tower. I’d see it all the time, but I always thought ‘Oh, I want that car back. I want that car back,” Verhoeff Sr. recalled, “So when I was 16, I started to work there. On my first day, I got to drive the car home.”

With the falcon back in the family, it seemed only fitting that in 1992 when James was expecting a baby boy, they’d bring him home from St. Elizabeth in the exact same car he took his very first ride in.

Now, in 2021, the tradition continues as James Verhoeff Jr. welcomed his son to the world at St. Elizabeth once again, riding home in the family heirloom.

“It felt like a blast from the past. It was a beautiful day out weather wise. We just had the windows down, and were cruising home. He slept the whole way home and enjoyed the loud engine. Yeah, just felt peaceful and like old times,” Verhoeff Jr. said.

At less than two weeks old, little Felix James Verhoeff won’t be driving the falcon anytime soon, but the hope is to keep the tradition alive in the years to come.