Intelligencer Journal; Sep 1, 2014 and addendum Sep 2, 2014. Roy R. Messner, 84, of East Earl, died Sunday, August 31, 2014, at Hospice & Community Care in Mount Joy.
Born in Brecknock Twp., he was the son of the late Norman and Amy (Shirk) Messner. He was married 62 years on March 8 to Catharine (Burkholder) Messner.
Roy was a farmer all of his life and a member of St. John Center Lutheran Church where he served for many years on the Church council, property, and cemetery committees.
Surviving in addition to his wife are six child-
ren: Ruth Ann Weaver of Denver; Janet, mar-
ried to Larry Yoder of New Holland; Nelson,
married to Dora (Martin) Messner of East Earl; Mary Jane, married to Terry Schaeffer of Narvon; Lamar, married to Katrina (May) Messner of Denver; and Charles Messner of Denver; 25 grandchildren; 26 great grand-
children; and a brother, Howard, married to Helen (Burkholder) Messner of East Earl.
Preceding him in death is a son, Harold Messner; two brothers, Irwin M. and Henry Messner; two sons-in-law, Elmer Rissler and Glen Weaver; a daughter-in-law, Beverly (Heck) Messner, and great-grandson Maverick Messner.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 3 at 2 pm at St. John Center Lutheran Church, 599 Reading Road, East Earl, with the Reverend Sandra Gideon and the Reverend Jason Rissler officiating. Interment will be in the adjoining cemetery. Viewing will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Eckenroth Home for Funerals, 209 E. Main St., Terre Hill from 6-8 pm and on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at the Church from 1-2 pm.
Eckenroth Home for Funerals, Terre Hill
Born in Brecknock Twp, Lancaster Co to a hard-working farming couple, Norman and Amy, Roy is the oldest of four sons. His dad raised cash cropped tobacco, hay, and corn and raised garden vegetables to sell at the Reading market. The family started out poor and Roy worked all the years at home with little to no pay. Both of Roy's parents had a good sense of humor and naturally found ways to make the work fun. Christmas and other holidays were simple, but meaningful.
When asked how he met Catharine and of his dating days his face lit up, "Those were excitin' days!" For engagement he gave her a carefully chosen set of china that he had purchased in Reading. They married in 1952 and with money Catharine made at the factory began housekeeping, raising vegetables for market, and dairy farming on one of his dad's farms. Within ten years he signed papers to purchase it. He lived on that farm known as the "pink barn farm" all his life until he sold it at the end of 2012.
Roy descends from Christian Messner who immigrated from Germany with his brother Michael. Christian and his descendants had lived on the very land that Roy stomped around all his life. The very farm that Roy owned was part of the original homestead; matter of fact the Messner graveyard sits right across the road from Roy's barns. He has been involved with painting and maintaining the graveyard fence. Roy has always been inte-
rested in the stories of his Messner ancestors and beams to talk about it when he feels well. A few years back he had the opportunity to travel to Germany to see where his ancestors had lived. After much consideration he turned the opportunity down but has some regrets about that decision.
Over the years four sons and three daughters were born. Their first son died during child-
birth. The children were raised knowing how to work. The girls helped Catharine in the house and yard work and the boys helped Roy to farm. But they also had a good time when they were together.
On Sunday afternoons if company didn't come to their house, they piled in the car to visit aunts, uncles and cousins.
Each year on Ascension Day morning the mood of the family was light. While Catharine and the girls made breakfast and packed a picnic lunch, Roy and the boys completed the milking and other chores. All eight packed into the car and off they went to Safe Harbor to fish and relax. Fond are the memories of these annual excursions.
The second weekend of August the family always looked forward to Bowmansville Days and Catharine's Burkholder family reunion.
There was a 30+ foot high evergreen tree standing in front of Hartings Bakery in Bowmansville. Each year after Thanksgiving this tree would get decorated with Christmas lights. Roy and his family again piled into the car to go watch the lighting of that tree.
Fun happened in simple ways all their life. Many a New Year's Eve the whole family work-
ed in the stripping room stripping tobacco to see the new year in. They told jokes and stories and just enjoyed each other.
Every Sunday they went to church switching between Roy's childhood church and Catharine's childhood church. Eventually they switched completely over to Roy's family's church - St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Roy was always involved deeply with this church. He was council member most of his life, so if anyone had a problem, they called him because they knew he would have the answer. Often after services his family would wait in the car or begin walking home while he was in a meeting. He did a lot of repairs over the years and kept the grounds beautiful. He was proud of his spiritual heritage.
Roy has experienced plenty of loss in his life. Besides his parents and infant son and some other family members. Roy's oldest daughter Ruth Ann married Elmer, a man who the whole family adored; he was more like a son than an in-law. Roy sold him a small corner of the farm and Elmer built a cute rancher for his wife and two children. When Elmer was only 24 years old he was unexpectedly electrocuted. Deva-
station and incredible sadness hit the family. Elmer had been everyone's hero; as everyone else who knew and loved Elmer, Roy took his passing hard. Now extra time and effort was given to Ruth Ann and her children the next eight years until she married Glen with a brand new diagnosis of mutipleschlorosis. In seven short years, Aug 1995, again the family experienced loss, this time it was Glen from complications of his illness. The loss didn't stop there, in Sept 2011 after a long battle with cancer, Roy's youngest son, Charles, laid his wife to rest at St John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery. Roy handled these losses with incredible dignity.
The family has always been "clannish." Roy and Catharine don't ask much of their married children but one thing they did ask was that they would come home to visit once a week. So, early on the custom has been established for the family to come on Saturday evenings. The house buzzed with children, stories, food, games, and catch-up time on everyone's week. This tradition some point along the way became fondly known as "cousin night." Catharine always supplies coffee, drink, homemade meadow tea while in season, pretzels, chips, cheesecurls, and ice-cream. Sometimes dessert dishes "showed up" by some of the married children. Without any formal planning "cousin night" became segregated. The men sit with Roy and talk man stuff and the women sit together with their discussions often the children played dolly, trucks, or played games with some assistance of "Grandmom" and the other moms. This precious "cousin night" tradition continues to this day.
Sometime in the 1980s Roy stopped farming tobacco and in April 1993 Roy sold his dairy herd and began raising beef cattle. He raised beef until he sold his farm in Nov 2012.
Roy was well-known and respected in the community and had favor with the local Mennonite people; he also speaks PA Dutch. If a farmer or family had a crisis such as a barn fire, Roy was there helping right alongside the Mennonites.
In September 2012 Roy and his wife moved into the little rancher home that his son-in-law Elmer had built adjacent to the "home farm." That fall he spent many hours enthusiastically transplanting perennials from his farm to the rancher property with the aid of his grandson Luke. By the summer of 2013 that little place had blooms all over it and a productive vegetable garden. As he always has done, he shared his delicious crops and flowers with his children and his beloved church. He enjoys giving yard tours of his successes. If you look, you might just see a green thumb on both his hands!
As Roy's health declined over the past year he hasn't been able to be in church but a few Sundays. His pastor comes to visit quite regularly. Other guests come to visit on occasion. Often his children stop after work to sit for a time to visit.
Roy's love is farming and gardening, but he enjoys conversing with people. After the day's outside work is finished, Roy enjoys reading the Intelligencer Journal which he has subscribed for over 60 years. He also enjoys the Botshaft and Lancaster Farming before retiring each evening.
Written By Dora Messner
Born in Brecknock Twp., he was the son of the late Norman and Amy (Shirk) Messner. He was married 62 years on March 8 to Catharine (Burkholder) Messner.
Roy was a farmer all of his life and a member of St. John Center Lutheran Church where he served for many years on the Church council, property, and cemetery committees.
Surviving in addition to his wife are six child-
ren: Ruth Ann Weaver of Denver; Janet, mar-
ried to Larry Yoder of New Holland; Nelson,
married to Dora (Martin) Messner of East Earl; Mary Jane, married to Terry Schaeffer of Narvon; Lamar, married to Katrina (May) Messner of Denver; and Charles Messner of Denver; 25 grandchildren; 26 great grand-
children; and a brother, Howard, married to Helen (Burkholder) Messner of East Earl.
Preceding him in death is a son, Harold Messner; two brothers, Irwin M. and Henry Messner; two sons-in-law, Elmer Rissler and Glen Weaver; a daughter-in-law, Beverly (Heck) Messner, and great-grandson Maverick Messner.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 3 at 2 pm at St. John Center Lutheran Church, 599 Reading Road, East Earl, with the Reverend Sandra Gideon and the Reverend Jason Rissler officiating. Interment will be in the adjoining cemetery. Viewing will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Eckenroth Home for Funerals, 209 E. Main St., Terre Hill from 6-8 pm and on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at the Church from 1-2 pm.
Eckenroth Home for Funerals, Terre Hill
Born in Brecknock Twp, Lancaster Co to a hard-working farming couple, Norman and Amy, Roy is the oldest of four sons. His dad raised cash cropped tobacco, hay, and corn and raised garden vegetables to sell at the Reading market. The family started out poor and Roy worked all the years at home with little to no pay. Both of Roy's parents had a good sense of humor and naturally found ways to make the work fun. Christmas and other holidays were simple, but meaningful.
When asked how he met Catharine and of his dating days his face lit up, "Those were excitin' days!" For engagement he gave her a carefully chosen set of china that he had purchased in Reading. They married in 1952 and with money Catharine made at the factory began housekeeping, raising vegetables for market, and dairy farming on one of his dad's farms. Within ten years he signed papers to purchase it. He lived on that farm known as the "pink barn farm" all his life until he sold it at the end of 2012.
Roy descends from Christian Messner who immigrated from Germany with his brother Michael. Christian and his descendants had lived on the very land that Roy stomped around all his life. The very farm that Roy owned was part of the original homestead; matter of fact the Messner graveyard sits right across the road from Roy's barns. He has been involved with painting and maintaining the graveyard fence. Roy has always been inte-
rested in the stories of his Messner ancestors and beams to talk about it when he feels well. A few years back he had the opportunity to travel to Germany to see where his ancestors had lived. After much consideration he turned the opportunity down but has some regrets about that decision.
Over the years four sons and three daughters were born. Their first son died during child-
birth. The children were raised knowing how to work. The girls helped Catharine in the house and yard work and the boys helped Roy to farm. But they also had a good time when they were together.
On Sunday afternoons if company didn't come to their house, they piled in the car to visit aunts, uncles and cousins.
Each year on Ascension Day morning the mood of the family was light. While Catharine and the girls made breakfast and packed a picnic lunch, Roy and the boys completed the milking and other chores. All eight packed into the car and off they went to Safe Harbor to fish and relax. Fond are the memories of these annual excursions.
The second weekend of August the family always looked forward to Bowmansville Days and Catharine's Burkholder family reunion.
There was a 30+ foot high evergreen tree standing in front of Hartings Bakery in Bowmansville. Each year after Thanksgiving this tree would get decorated with Christmas lights. Roy and his family again piled into the car to go watch the lighting of that tree.
Fun happened in simple ways all their life. Many a New Year's Eve the whole family work-
ed in the stripping room stripping tobacco to see the new year in. They told jokes and stories and just enjoyed each other.
Every Sunday they went to church switching between Roy's childhood church and Catharine's childhood church. Eventually they switched completely over to Roy's family's church - St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Roy was always involved deeply with this church. He was council member most of his life, so if anyone had a problem, they called him because they knew he would have the answer. Often after services his family would wait in the car or begin walking home while he was in a meeting. He did a lot of repairs over the years and kept the grounds beautiful. He was proud of his spiritual heritage.
Roy has experienced plenty of loss in his life. Besides his parents and infant son and some other family members. Roy's oldest daughter Ruth Ann married Elmer, a man who the whole family adored; he was more like a son than an in-law. Roy sold him a small corner of the farm and Elmer built a cute rancher for his wife and two children. When Elmer was only 24 years old he was unexpectedly electrocuted. Deva-
station and incredible sadness hit the family. Elmer had been everyone's hero; as everyone else who knew and loved Elmer, Roy took his passing hard. Now extra time and effort was given to Ruth Ann and her children the next eight years until she married Glen with a brand new diagnosis of mutipleschlorosis. In seven short years, Aug 1995, again the family experienced loss, this time it was Glen from complications of his illness. The loss didn't stop there, in Sept 2011 after a long battle with cancer, Roy's youngest son, Charles, laid his wife to rest at St John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery. Roy handled these losses with incredible dignity.
The family has always been "clannish." Roy and Catharine don't ask much of their married children but one thing they did ask was that they would come home to visit once a week. So, early on the custom has been established for the family to come on Saturday evenings. The house buzzed with children, stories, food, games, and catch-up time on everyone's week. This tradition some point along the way became fondly known as "cousin night." Catharine always supplies coffee, drink, homemade meadow tea while in season, pretzels, chips, cheesecurls, and ice-cream. Sometimes dessert dishes "showed up" by some of the married children. Without any formal planning "cousin night" became segregated. The men sit with Roy and talk man stuff and the women sit together with their discussions often the children played dolly, trucks, or played games with some assistance of "Grandmom" and the other moms. This precious "cousin night" tradition continues to this day.
Sometime in the 1980s Roy stopped farming tobacco and in April 1993 Roy sold his dairy herd and began raising beef cattle. He raised beef until he sold his farm in Nov 2012.
Roy was well-known and respected in the community and had favor with the local Mennonite people; he also speaks PA Dutch. If a farmer or family had a crisis such as a barn fire, Roy was there helping right alongside the Mennonites.
In September 2012 Roy and his wife moved into the little rancher home that his son-in-law Elmer had built adjacent to the "home farm." That fall he spent many hours enthusiastically transplanting perennials from his farm to the rancher property with the aid of his grandson Luke. By the summer of 2013 that little place had blooms all over it and a productive vegetable garden. As he always has done, he shared his delicious crops and flowers with his children and his beloved church. He enjoys giving yard tours of his successes. If you look, you might just see a green thumb on both his hands!
As Roy's health declined over the past year he hasn't been able to be in church but a few Sundays. His pastor comes to visit quite regularly. Other guests come to visit on occasion. Often his children stop after work to sit for a time to visit.
Roy's love is farming and gardening, but he enjoys conversing with people. After the day's outside work is finished, Roy enjoys reading the Intelligencer Journal which he has subscribed for over 60 years. He also enjoys the Botshaft and Lancaster Farming before retiring each evening.
Written By Dora Messner
Intelligencer Journal; Sep 1, 2014 and addendum Sep 2, 2014. Roy R. Messner, 84, of East Earl, died Sunday, August 31, 2014, at Hospice & Community Care in Mount Joy.
Born in Brecknock Twp., he was the son of the late Norman and Amy (Shirk) Messner. He was married 62 years on March 8 to Catharine (Burkholder) Messner.
Roy was a farmer all of his life and a member of St. John Center Lutheran Church where he served for many years on the Church council, property, and cemetery committees.
Surviving in addition to his wife are six child-
ren: Ruth Ann Weaver of Denver; Janet, mar-
ried to Larry Yoder of New Holland; Nelson,
married to Dora (Martin) Messner of East Earl; Mary Jane, married to Terry Schaeffer of Narvon; Lamar, married to Katrina (May) Messner of Denver; and Charles Messner of Denver; 25 grandchildren; 26 great grand-
children; and a brother, Howard, married to Helen (Burkholder) Messner of East Earl.
Preceding him in death is a son, Harold Messner; two brothers, Irwin M. and Henry Messner; two sons-in-law, Elmer Rissler and Glen Weaver; a daughter-in-law, Beverly (Heck) Messner, and great-grandson Maverick Messner.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 3 at 2 pm at St. John Center Lutheran Church, 599 Reading Road, East Earl, with the Reverend Sandra Gideon and the Reverend Jason Rissler officiating. Interment will be in the adjoining cemetery. Viewing will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Eckenroth Home for Funerals, 209 E. Main St., Terre Hill from 6-8 pm and on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at the Church from 1-2 pm.
Eckenroth Home for Funerals, Terre Hill
Born in Brecknock Twp, Lancaster Co to a hard-working farming couple, Norman and Amy, Roy is the oldest of four sons. His dad raised cash cropped tobacco, hay, and corn and raised garden vegetables to sell at the Reading market. The family started out poor and Roy worked all the years at home with little to no pay. Both of Roy's parents had a good sense of humor and naturally found ways to make the work fun. Christmas and other holidays were simple, but meaningful.
When asked how he met Catharine and of his dating days his face lit up, "Those were excitin' days!" For engagement he gave her a carefully chosen set of china that he had purchased in Reading. They married in 1952 and with money Catharine made at the factory began housekeeping, raising vegetables for market, and dairy farming on one of his dad's farms. Within ten years he signed papers to purchase it. He lived on that farm known as the "pink barn farm" all his life until he sold it at the end of 2012.
Roy descends from Christian Messner who immigrated from Germany with his brother Michael. Christian and his descendants had lived on the very land that Roy stomped around all his life. The very farm that Roy owned was part of the original homestead; matter of fact the Messner graveyard sits right across the road from Roy's barns. He has been involved with painting and maintaining the graveyard fence. Roy has always been inte-
rested in the stories of his Messner ancestors and beams to talk about it when he feels well. A few years back he had the opportunity to travel to Germany to see where his ancestors had lived. After much consideration he turned the opportunity down but has some regrets about that decision.
Over the years four sons and three daughters were born. Their first son died during child-
birth. The children were raised knowing how to work. The girls helped Catharine in the house and yard work and the boys helped Roy to farm. But they also had a good time when they were together.
On Sunday afternoons if company didn't come to their house, they piled in the car to visit aunts, uncles and cousins.
Each year on Ascension Day morning the mood of the family was light. While Catharine and the girls made breakfast and packed a picnic lunch, Roy and the boys completed the milking and other chores. All eight packed into the car and off they went to Safe Harbor to fish and relax. Fond are the memories of these annual excursions.
The second weekend of August the family always looked forward to Bowmansville Days and Catharine's Burkholder family reunion.
There was a 30+ foot high evergreen tree standing in front of Hartings Bakery in Bowmansville. Each year after Thanksgiving this tree would get decorated with Christmas lights. Roy and his family again piled into the car to go watch the lighting of that tree.
Fun happened in simple ways all their life. Many a New Year's Eve the whole family work-
ed in the stripping room stripping tobacco to see the new year in. They told jokes and stories and just enjoyed each other.
Every Sunday they went to church switching between Roy's childhood church and Catharine's childhood church. Eventually they switched completely over to Roy's family's church - St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Roy was always involved deeply with this church. He was council member most of his life, so if anyone had a problem, they called him because they knew he would have the answer. Often after services his family would wait in the car or begin walking home while he was in a meeting. He did a lot of repairs over the years and kept the grounds beautiful. He was proud of his spiritual heritage.
Roy has experienced plenty of loss in his life. Besides his parents and infant son and some other family members. Roy's oldest daughter Ruth Ann married Elmer, a man who the whole family adored; he was more like a son than an in-law. Roy sold him a small corner of the farm and Elmer built a cute rancher for his wife and two children. When Elmer was only 24 years old he was unexpectedly electrocuted. Deva-
station and incredible sadness hit the family. Elmer had been everyone's hero; as everyone else who knew and loved Elmer, Roy took his passing hard. Now extra time and effort was given to Ruth Ann and her children the next eight years until she married Glen with a brand new diagnosis of mutipleschlorosis. In seven short years, Aug 1995, again the family experienced loss, this time it was Glen from complications of his illness. The loss didn't stop there, in Sept 2011 after a long battle with cancer, Roy's youngest son, Charles, laid his wife to rest at St John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery. Roy handled these losses with incredible dignity.
The family has always been "clannish." Roy and Catharine don't ask much of their married children but one thing they did ask was that they would come home to visit once a week. So, early on the custom has been established for the family to come on Saturday evenings. The house buzzed with children, stories, food, games, and catch-up time on everyone's week. This tradition some point along the way became fondly known as "cousin night." Catharine always supplies coffee, drink, homemade meadow tea while in season, pretzels, chips, cheesecurls, and ice-cream. Sometimes dessert dishes "showed up" by some of the married children. Without any formal planning "cousin night" became segregated. The men sit with Roy and talk man stuff and the women sit together with their discussions often the children played dolly, trucks, or played games with some assistance of "Grandmom" and the other moms. This precious "cousin night" tradition continues to this day.
Sometime in the 1980s Roy stopped farming tobacco and in April 1993 Roy sold his dairy herd and began raising beef cattle. He raised beef until he sold his farm in Nov 2012.
Roy was well-known and respected in the community and had favor with the local Mennonite people; he also speaks PA Dutch. If a farmer or family had a crisis such as a barn fire, Roy was there helping right alongside the Mennonites.
In September 2012 Roy and his wife moved into the little rancher home that his son-in-law Elmer had built adjacent to the "home farm." That fall he spent many hours enthusiastically transplanting perennials from his farm to the rancher property with the aid of his grandson Luke. By the summer of 2013 that little place had blooms all over it and a productive vegetable garden. As he always has done, he shared his delicious crops and flowers with his children and his beloved church. He enjoys giving yard tours of his successes. If you look, you might just see a green thumb on both his hands!
As Roy's health declined over the past year he hasn't been able to be in church but a few Sundays. His pastor comes to visit quite regularly. Other guests come to visit on occasion. Often his children stop after work to sit for a time to visit.
Roy's love is farming and gardening, but he enjoys conversing with people. After the day's outside work is finished, Roy enjoys reading the Intelligencer Journal which he has subscribed for over 60 years. He also enjoys the Botshaft and Lancaster Farming before retiring each evening.
Written By Dora Messner
Born in Brecknock Twp., he was the son of the late Norman and Amy (Shirk) Messner. He was married 62 years on March 8 to Catharine (Burkholder) Messner.
Roy was a farmer all of his life and a member of St. John Center Lutheran Church where he served for many years on the Church council, property, and cemetery committees.
Surviving in addition to his wife are six child-
ren: Ruth Ann Weaver of Denver; Janet, mar-
ried to Larry Yoder of New Holland; Nelson,
married to Dora (Martin) Messner of East Earl; Mary Jane, married to Terry Schaeffer of Narvon; Lamar, married to Katrina (May) Messner of Denver; and Charles Messner of Denver; 25 grandchildren; 26 great grand-
children; and a brother, Howard, married to Helen (Burkholder) Messner of East Earl.
Preceding him in death is a son, Harold Messner; two brothers, Irwin M. and Henry Messner; two sons-in-law, Elmer Rissler and Glen Weaver; a daughter-in-law, Beverly (Heck) Messner, and great-grandson Maverick Messner.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 3 at 2 pm at St. John Center Lutheran Church, 599 Reading Road, East Earl, with the Reverend Sandra Gideon and the Reverend Jason Rissler officiating. Interment will be in the adjoining cemetery. Viewing will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Eckenroth Home for Funerals, 209 E. Main St., Terre Hill from 6-8 pm and on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at the Church from 1-2 pm.
Eckenroth Home for Funerals, Terre Hill
Born in Brecknock Twp, Lancaster Co to a hard-working farming couple, Norman and Amy, Roy is the oldest of four sons. His dad raised cash cropped tobacco, hay, and corn and raised garden vegetables to sell at the Reading market. The family started out poor and Roy worked all the years at home with little to no pay. Both of Roy's parents had a good sense of humor and naturally found ways to make the work fun. Christmas and other holidays were simple, but meaningful.
When asked how he met Catharine and of his dating days his face lit up, "Those were excitin' days!" For engagement he gave her a carefully chosen set of china that he had purchased in Reading. They married in 1952 and with money Catharine made at the factory began housekeeping, raising vegetables for market, and dairy farming on one of his dad's farms. Within ten years he signed papers to purchase it. He lived on that farm known as the "pink barn farm" all his life until he sold it at the end of 2012.
Roy descends from Christian Messner who immigrated from Germany with his brother Michael. Christian and his descendants had lived on the very land that Roy stomped around all his life. The very farm that Roy owned was part of the original homestead; matter of fact the Messner graveyard sits right across the road from Roy's barns. He has been involved with painting and maintaining the graveyard fence. Roy has always been inte-
rested in the stories of his Messner ancestors and beams to talk about it when he feels well. A few years back he had the opportunity to travel to Germany to see where his ancestors had lived. After much consideration he turned the opportunity down but has some regrets about that decision.
Over the years four sons and three daughters were born. Their first son died during child-
birth. The children were raised knowing how to work. The girls helped Catharine in the house and yard work and the boys helped Roy to farm. But they also had a good time when they were together.
On Sunday afternoons if company didn't come to their house, they piled in the car to visit aunts, uncles and cousins.
Each year on Ascension Day morning the mood of the family was light. While Catharine and the girls made breakfast and packed a picnic lunch, Roy and the boys completed the milking and other chores. All eight packed into the car and off they went to Safe Harbor to fish and relax. Fond are the memories of these annual excursions.
The second weekend of August the family always looked forward to Bowmansville Days and Catharine's Burkholder family reunion.
There was a 30+ foot high evergreen tree standing in front of Hartings Bakery in Bowmansville. Each year after Thanksgiving this tree would get decorated with Christmas lights. Roy and his family again piled into the car to go watch the lighting of that tree.
Fun happened in simple ways all their life. Many a New Year's Eve the whole family work-
ed in the stripping room stripping tobacco to see the new year in. They told jokes and stories and just enjoyed each other.
Every Sunday they went to church switching between Roy's childhood church and Catharine's childhood church. Eventually they switched completely over to Roy's family's church - St John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Roy was always involved deeply with this church. He was council member most of his life, so if anyone had a problem, they called him because they knew he would have the answer. Often after services his family would wait in the car or begin walking home while he was in a meeting. He did a lot of repairs over the years and kept the grounds beautiful. He was proud of his spiritual heritage.
Roy has experienced plenty of loss in his life. Besides his parents and infant son and some other family members. Roy's oldest daughter Ruth Ann married Elmer, a man who the whole family adored; he was more like a son than an in-law. Roy sold him a small corner of the farm and Elmer built a cute rancher for his wife and two children. When Elmer was only 24 years old he was unexpectedly electrocuted. Deva-
station and incredible sadness hit the family. Elmer had been everyone's hero; as everyone else who knew and loved Elmer, Roy took his passing hard. Now extra time and effort was given to Ruth Ann and her children the next eight years until she married Glen with a brand new diagnosis of mutipleschlorosis. In seven short years, Aug 1995, again the family experienced loss, this time it was Glen from complications of his illness. The loss didn't stop there, in Sept 2011 after a long battle with cancer, Roy's youngest son, Charles, laid his wife to rest at St John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery. Roy handled these losses with incredible dignity.
The family has always been "clannish." Roy and Catharine don't ask much of their married children but one thing they did ask was that they would come home to visit once a week. So, early on the custom has been established for the family to come on Saturday evenings. The house buzzed with children, stories, food, games, and catch-up time on everyone's week. This tradition some point along the way became fondly known as "cousin night." Catharine always supplies coffee, drink, homemade meadow tea while in season, pretzels, chips, cheesecurls, and ice-cream. Sometimes dessert dishes "showed up" by some of the married children. Without any formal planning "cousin night" became segregated. The men sit with Roy and talk man stuff and the women sit together with their discussions often the children played dolly, trucks, or played games with some assistance of "Grandmom" and the other moms. This precious "cousin night" tradition continues to this day.
Sometime in the 1980s Roy stopped farming tobacco and in April 1993 Roy sold his dairy herd and began raising beef cattle. He raised beef until he sold his farm in Nov 2012.
Roy was well-known and respected in the community and had favor with the local Mennonite people; he also speaks PA Dutch. If a farmer or family had a crisis such as a barn fire, Roy was there helping right alongside the Mennonites.
In September 2012 Roy and his wife moved into the little rancher home that his son-in-law Elmer had built adjacent to the "home farm." That fall he spent many hours enthusiastically transplanting perennials from his farm to the rancher property with the aid of his grandson Luke. By the summer of 2013 that little place had blooms all over it and a productive vegetable garden. As he always has done, he shared his delicious crops and flowers with his children and his beloved church. He enjoys giving yard tours of his successes. If you look, you might just see a green thumb on both his hands!
As Roy's health declined over the past year he hasn't been able to be in church but a few Sundays. His pastor comes to visit quite regularly. Other guests come to visit on occasion. Often his children stop after work to sit for a time to visit.
Roy's love is farming and gardening, but he enjoys conversing with people. After the day's outside work is finished, Roy enjoys reading the Intelligencer Journal which he has subscribed for over 60 years. He also enjoys the Botshaft and Lancaster Farming before retiring each evening.
Written By Dora Messner
