​Biography

I was born in a small cottage near Adamstown, Pa.  I grew up helping in our family produce business and working on neighboring farms.  My family was Christian, as were most of our friends and neighbors.  I attended Christian schools, through high school.

After graduating from high school, I got a job at Rutt Custom Kitchens where I started out sanding cabinets.  I worked my way up to supervisor of the assembly line and then customer service manager.  From there I moved to Conestoga Wood Specialties where I did CNC programming, drafting, engineering, and finally worked ten years in accounting.  Since then, I’ve been employed at Meridian Products where I did a variety of cost analysis projects and took a lead role in controlling the computer’s information system.  I retired from Meridian Products in 2014.

Ever since our marriage, Ruth and I have attended Groffdale Mennonite Church.   Over the years, I have served in a variety of capacities including Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, treasurer, trustee and worship leader.

I have always enjoyed writing, though I never made it my profession.  In 2004 I self-published an inspirational book, Eddies for Outdoorsmen.  Now I am working at promoting my novel, Pyramids of Thrush Creek which was published by Tate Publishing in 2015.

I Just Want My Stories to Be Read

            I never really cared about my grades when I was in school.  I just wanted my stories to be read.  I don’t have a good excuse for that.  Blame it on my parents.  Maybe they started me in school before I was ready.  I was a year younger than most of the kids in my class.  I don’t remember much from those first years of school.  I do know that it didn’t take long for me to lose interest in my schoolwork.  I never believed that I could do well in school, so I didn’t try.

            Writing assignments, however, always inspired me to put forth at least a little effort.  I think all my English teachers had the same method of operation.  After a writing assignment was collected, they would select one or two of the best and read them to the class.  It was always my goal to have my paper read to the class.  And more often than not, I succeeded.  That doesn’t mean I got good grades.  It just means they liked what I wrote.  Misspelled words and poor grammar kept my grades down where I expected them.  I didn’t care about that.  I just wanted my stories to be read.

            After getting out of school and entering the work force, I finally realized that I wasn’t quite as stupid as I thought.  And without really trying, I had managed to learn a few things in school.  And now that I am in that phase of life when I have a bit more free time, I am again putting words on paper, and loving it.  Will it become a second career?  I don’t know.  It doesn’t really matter.  I just want my stories to be read.