Remembering Gordon Vogtherr: Holly Bacon stalwart had a need for speed and a great love for his family

Gordon Ernest Vogtherr

(October 26, 1925 – March 15, 2024)

To say Gordon Vogtherr lived his life to the fullest would be an understatement. Full, yes, but definitely never slow.

From continuing his father
and grandfather’s legacy of running Hawke’s Bay’s most well-known deli enterprise, Holly Bacon, to his high-flying days racing classic cars and even spending the night in an Italian jail, Vogtherr lived a life dedicated to his family, friends and community.

“I Too Have No Regrets” was fittingly the name of his life’s historical file, which he created to preserve his memories as he aged, just like his father before him (named No Regrets).

His younger days were spent working hard with his father and grandfather as they forged an impressive bacon and ham-curing legacy.

Vogtherr’s father was forced to retire in 1961 due to ill health, so it was soon his turn to take the reins.

”All the time that I was in the business, I had one motto — quality and service — and if you don’t get both, I want to know,” he told Hawke’s Bay Today in 2014.

“We knew our customers personally; they were our friends. I used to do the deliveries and we used a baby Renault with the passenger seat taken out.”

Vogtherr’s daughter and Holly Brand’s present owner, Claire, said her father always worked hard for his family.

“When he wasn’t working, he often went fishing, and he always rode his bike to work. He had enormous, great big hands and did a lot of lifting and heavy work.”

The keen runner and bike rider had always aspired to be a mechanic and work with cars from a young age.

“He loved planes and anything that was fast really,” Claire recalled.

After years of running the business, Vogtherr handed over the Holly Bacon reins to Claire in the 1980s and spent the rest of his retired life travelling the world in classic cars while continuing to serve the business and the Hawke’s Bay community.

“He went into battle at the council for a lot of things, and he always fought for what he thought was right. He was a very bright and moral sort of man.

“He loved his family and his wife and used to take the great-grandchildren to Rush Munroe’s for an icecream on his birthday.”

He was also heavily involved in the Hawke’s Bay ATC (the Air Cadets) and plenty of classic car clubs right into his 90s.

“One of the biggest things he enjoyed doing was taking his classic cars overseas and racing them there. When he couldn’t take his car, he did the great race from New York to San Francisco.”

Claire said one of her father’s most memorable races was when he and a friend attempted to complete the Pirelli Marathon from London to Cortina in Italy.

“They ended up in a ditch in Italy, arrested by the police and thrown in jail.

“They weren’t going to keep them there, but they saw a way to get money out of some rich guys for racing when they weren’t. I’m not sure they actually finished the race, but got caught short.”

There are plenty of other stories in Vogtherr’s expansive autobiography, including his experiences of the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake and his later life spent cruising and exploring the world.

Claire said she was certain her dad’s legacy would continue to be seen in Holly’s family-owned future and that his passion for people and friendship would long live on through his memory.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.