Torres: Beloved criminal trial junkie turns 100 and is recognized for his WW II service
Lenny Voss has outlasted judges, lawyers, defendants, prison sentences and countless reporters.
Before COVID-19, Voss was a fixture at the Moore Justice Center in Viera. While other retirees played golf, Voss spent his days watching trials, taking notes about his thoughts on various cases and offering his opinion when asked. And trust me, many lawyers asked. Some even wanted to know his assessment of their closing arguments.
I wrote a story about Lenny for FLORIDA TODAY in 2006 when he was 82 years old. I would often seek him out at the courthouse to ask him where the action was. He'd open his black binder filled with details of every criminal trial taking place and tell me who was being sentenced or what trial was having closings.
The man addicted to the real-life drama of courtroom trials turned 100 last Sunday and it was only a few weeks before his milestone birthday that anyone at the courthouse learned he was a veteran.
Knowing how important the courthouse has been to her father, Voss's daughter called the courthouse to let them know about his birthday and his military service, which came as a surprise to many. They immediately signed him up for an amazing birthday experience.
Voss will go to Washington D.C. this weekend as part of Space Coast Honor Flight, a local organization that provides veterans with a one-day all-expense trip to war memorials in Washington D.C. It's an opportunity for veterans to reflect on their service with other veterans and be treated as heroes.
"We all love Lenny," said retired Judge David Dugan, who will serve as Voss's guardian for this weekend's flight. "He's one of those very humble people. It's exciting because these are our heroes."
Voss was drafted in 1943 while living in Illinois and was sent to radio school in New Jersey. At Newark, he and two other soldiers shattered the records for the Obstacle Course. Written up in the Army Times, the three performed demonstrations of their skills numerous times.
He was then sent to Burma and attached to the British 14th Infantry, where he worked to set up communications between the front lines and those in the rear. There was fierce fighting in Burma between the 14th and the Japanese and Voss certainly had some close calls.
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One of those, he recalled, the Brits thought they could protect their ammunition dump by putting it next to the hospital. When Japanese planes bombed the dump, Voss and his army buddies had to dive behind logs for protection.
After V-J day, Voss was went to Shanghai, where he set up replacement communications as the Japanese had destroyed a lot of infrastructure.
His daughter, Beverly Ryan, said her dad rarely spoke about the war.
"He didn’t talk about his service much when I was growing up" she said. "But I knew he was a good shot because every November, the Western Electric plant where he worked had a shooting contest for turkeys. He brought home a Thanksgiving turkey every year."
Dugan said he was hopeful that judges and lawyers would come out very early Saturday morning to see Voss and 24 other veterans off. One of those lawyers is Chief Public Defender Mike Pirolo.
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"Lenny is one of the kindest and most interesting people around," Pirolo said. "I got to know him as a court watcher. He came to many hearings and trials I’ve had over the years. He’s sharp-minded with a great sense of humor as well. He can tell you what’s going on in our courthouse better than some people who work there. Court watching is his reality TV."
For Voss, his fascination with criminal trials began in 1994 when one of his neighbors was murdered and the husband arrested. He attended every day of the trial and didn't stop going. His wife of 67 years, Jo Ann Kathleen Voss, joked years later that she encouraged him because it gave him something to do and allowed her more time to quilt.
She passed away in 2015.
"I got hooked," he said with a chuckle in 2006, "it was so interesting that I just kept going. This is life. This is real life, it isn't the movies or television this is a hell of a lot better than watching law and order."
It's probably been eight or nine years since I've seen Voss. I was pleasantly surprised that he remembered me when I reached out to him this weekend.
"Thank you for the birthday wish," he said. "I’m looking forward to the Honor Flight. It’s nice hearing from you, one of my courthouse friends."
Have a great flight Lenny.
Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on X @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at facebook.com/FTjohntorres.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard World War II veteran turns 100, headed on Space Coast Honor Flight
