Local veteran shares his journey and gives Father's Day advice

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – He's 90 years old and his greatest joy in life is watching his family succeed and grow.

Raymond Kleefisch says he worked hard to ensure a happy and successful life for his family and it all started when he was drafted to be in the army. "My time in the army was two years as a draftee. After my basic training, because I was a photographer, before I came into the service, they asked me if I would like to be a photographer in the service and I said yes."

After graduating high school in Wisconsin, Kleefisch says he was drafted to serve as a military photographer for two years. He would spend his career as a photographer and go on to be a graphic designer. He says while he was working in Wisconsin, he got offered a job to work here, in Acadiana. "One of the sales personnel for Easy Kodak said 'Ray, I got a job for you in Opelousas, Louisiana.' I said Opelousas, Louisiana, I had never heard of the place."

He and his wife then moved to Opelousas where they would welcome four children. Kleefisch says as a family, he took his kids to visit his hometown in Wisconsin, a little place called Sheboygan. He says as a father, it is important to give your children insight on how beautiful life can be.

"Every year we make that trip to Sheboygan which is very educational for them also being along the lake Michigan border. They ended getting good educations and good jobs. They're busing working all the time just like I was, to grow up in a family that lived together and played together and asked questions about life. It was necessary for my wife to tell them what's the proper thing to do."

Kleefisch says his wife passed away last November. he says he has lived his life to the fullest, also becoming a gymnast and an actor in plays and musicals in his lifetime. He says he doesn't know where he'll be in the future, but he looks forward to every minute. "My health says I'll last a long time, so I don't know where I'm going to end up. I would love to go back home again."

Kleefisch says his best advice for parents is to always be there for your children, and to put family first above all.

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