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Resident of Dois Lajeados, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Mr. Luiz was born in 1932, raised his children on the farm, and today lives alone after 66 years of marriage. Even after a stroke, he continues to work, makes his own wine, plays the accordion, and says the city is not for him.
At 94 years old, Mr. Luiz starts the day early and doesn’t let go of the hoe or the work on the farm, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. A resident of Dois Lajeados, he takes care of the vineyards, makes his own wine, and still tends to the chickens, with a vigor that puts many younger people to shame. For Luiz, what really tires him is not the work, but staying still inside the house.
Born on March 13, 1932, Mr. Luiz carries almost a century of stories of life in the countryside. He was married for 66 years, and today, as a widower, he lives alone in the same house as always. According to a report by Vale Agrícola, even after facing a stroke, he continues to work and sums up his own philosophy in a simple way, by saying that “staying inside the house” is what tires him the most. For him, strength is not in haste, but in continuing.
A whole life on the farm
Mr. Luiz’s story is intertwined with the work history of his own family. He says he was born on March 13, 1932, and that his father and uncles came from São Paulo on foot until they settled in the south of the country, where they put down roots. According to Luiz, his father had 15 children, and childhood was filled with work from an early age.
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As a young boy, he helped at home, weeded, and carried stones to build walls. According to his account, almost everything depended on the strength of the arm, from the beans and wheat beaten on the ground to the corn husked at night, to not waste time. Lard, salami, and bee honey were plentiful, but as he sums up, working on the farm was never easy, often with bare feet in the frost.
The house made with wood from two churches
For over 70 years, Mr. Luiz has lived in the same house, built with wood salvaged from two churches. Inside, the wood stove is always lit, an old radio keeps him company, and on the wall hangs the wedding portrait. Every corner holds a piece of a lifetime’s routine.
They were married for 66 years until his wife’s passing, and now the farmer lives alone. Luiz recalls meeting his partner at a dance, and they both enjoyed dancing. According to his account, their courtship followed the strict rules of the time, when elders hardly allowed young people to converse freely, and she was still quite young when they started seeing each other.
The accordionist who walked over 20 km to play
Before the vineyards and the wine, it was music that marked much of Mr. Luiz’s youth. Alongside his brother Vitório, he was an accordionist and walked over 20 km on foot to play at fandangos, parties, and weddings in the region. According to his account, they were almost the only musicians around, and the accordion didn’t get a break on weekends.
Luiz says that on Sundays, he often didn’t sleep because he had to go straight to the hoe. Today, the accordion is more out of tune and seems heavier than it once was, but as soon as he holds the instrument, his well-trained fingers find the melody. Music has remained a companion over the years.
At 94 years old, with no desire to stop
At 94 years old, Mr. Luiz acknowledges that his body no longer keeps up with the same pace as before. He shares that he had a stroke, underwent surgery, and that climbing the hill has become more difficult. Even so, he maintains his lucidity and good humor, insists on taking care of the wine fermenting in the barrels in the basement, and continues tending to the chickens, chopping wood, and pulling weeds in the yard.
When asked if he ever thinks about living in the city, Luiz’s answer is straightforward. According to his account, he tells his children that those who are from the countryside stay in the countryside and that he does not intend to leave the field. For the farmer, stopping is what makes his back hurt, and the daily work is what keeps him moving. It’s the way he found to stay strong at 94 years old.
Mr. Luiz’s journey shows that aging can have a different pace, more connected to permanence than haste. Between the hoe, the vineyards, the wine, and the accordion, the farmer from Dois Lajeados has turned a lifetime of work into a routine that still does him good at 94 years old. In the silence and strength of each gesture, he continues cultivating every day what took almost a century to learn.
And you, do you know someone like Mr. Luiz, who makes routine and work a way to move forward? Comment here and share the stories of the elders in your family.
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