Phil Wurst
It’s a year of celebration for Seward resident and business man Phil Wurst.
Wurst is celebrating 50 years of working in the insurance business, Phil Wurst Insurance; 50 years as a Seward Kiwanis Club member, 60 years as a Seward Methodist Church and choir member; and 45 years as a Kiwanis Club member and Ki-tones Charter member.
Wurst graduated from Milford in 1951 and then went on to the Milford Trade School for auto body and fender fixing schooling.
“It just so happened that my brother-in-law (Russell Keller), he had a body shop up here in Seward and his brother was leaving for the service so my brother-in-law said, ‘Phil, you come in with me and I’ll teach you the business,’” Wurst said.
The pair started a business where the late Dr. Winter’s veterinary business was located.
“We had room for one car and he (Keller) taught me the business,” he said.
Wurst said they also sold tires.
In 1956, Wurst was drafted in the U.S. Army for a couple of years. When he returned, he continued with the business. He was in charge of all of the painting and finish work but in 1966, that came to a halt.
“I started coughing up paint off and on and I went to two doctors in Lincoln,” he said.
The doctors told Wurst that he needed to get out of the business for his health.
“That’s when I started at the insurance,” he said.
In the beginning, Wurst said he worked mostly through Jones Bank and surrounding community.
When Phil and his wife, Sally, were signing up for health insurance one day, the man who was helping them asked Phil if he knew of anyone interested in buying health insurance.
“He said, ‘Give me the toughest ones that you think would be to sell insurance,” Wurst said.
Wurst said every single name he gave, the man was able to sell to. He gave Wurst a $5 bill each time.
The man eventually suggested that Wurst get into the business.
“He said, ‘Phil, you know everyone,’” Wurst said.
Wurst said working in the body shop created an advantage for him because he knew so many people.
“The business I had, I started from day one and dollar one. Nobody gave me a thing,” he said about starting in the insurance business.
In his years of doing business, Wurst said the hardest moment was handling his first death claim, which occurred after a lady was hit by a train. He said while it was hard to handle, he was glad to be able to help in difficult situations.
“It’s a big satisfaction to me to know that with the insurance, people can still carry on their lives,” he said.
He also talked about people who don’t believe in life insurance.
“You carry insurance for one reason, the same reason you carry a spare tire. It could happen, just in case. With life insurance, it’s guaranteed it’s going to happen, except we don’t know when,” he said. “Just like myself with cancer, if I wouldn’t have had insurance, a half a million, I’d be broke.”
Over the years, Wurst said he has enjoyed the process of helping people.
“It’s the satisfaction of seeing survivors or beneficiaries, that they can still carry on after their loved ones are gone. So that’s the biggest satisfaction for me, being able to help,” he said.
He said he could probably write a book of experiences about his years in business.
He remembers going door to door, being chased by dogs, and even being bitten by a dog.
When he went up to one house, a man told Wurst he could tell by a person who walks up to his door if he is honest.
“He said, ‘Come on in,’” Wurst said.
The man told Wurst that if he could tell that people weren’t honest, there was a big gun behind the door.
Wurst recalled one time when he was talking to a man and the man asked for eternity insurance. After asking more questions, Wurst found out that the man meant to say maternity insurance.
With this being an important year for Wurst, he reflected on being a part of the community. Some of his greatest joys in life other than family and friends are music and sports.
He listens to Dr. Kurt von Kampen’s choir at Concordia University regularly.
He then tells the students to go to Dairy Queen for a Dilly Bar and instructs them to put it on “Phil’s bill.”
He has also spent years refereeing volleyball and basketball.
Wurst has had his share of struggles, though.
In October of 2011, he was told he had lymphoma cancer in his abdomen and was given three weeks to live. He started chemotherapy treatment that day.
His toes and parts of his feet are numb from the cancer treatment so he has to be careful.
“But I’m upright,” he said smiling.
He said he will go in for a check-up next month.
“It takes a lot of prayers, friendship and family. And you gotta have a good attitude,” he said. “Your health has to come first.”
At this point, Wurst has no plans to retire from the insurance business. He said he enjoys being out in the community.
He and his wife, Sally, live in Seward and have two daughters Jodi (John) Hughes and Kim (Rich) Williams. Phil and Sally also have a granddaughter, Katie Hughes, and a grandson, Travis Patocka.
