I was born and raised in Augusta County, Va. I attended Centerville Elementary and graduated from North River High School. I attended the Bridgewater Church of the Brethren and then Summit Church of the Brethren the majority of my early years. After graduation from High School I attended Woodrow Wilson Technical School for two years and was classified as a Second Class Machinist. After a short stent in the industrial field I joined Brethren Volunteer Service. Following training at New Windsor, Maryland, I was asked to serve in Puerto Rico at Castaner Hospital. I started out in maintenance and finished my time of service as a maintenance coordinator.
During the fall of 1966 two things of great importance happened to me. I married a volunteer nurse from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, that had chosen to serve in Puerto Rico, and shortly after I was asked by Church World Service to go to Haiti and help with reconstruction following Hurricane Cleo. I returned to Puerto Rico and finished the last several months before arriving home in the summer of 1967.
Feeling that God had something else planned for me I began to pursue the ministry and was originally called by Summit Church of the Brethren into the ministry.
While working at Packaging Corporation and Smith’s Transfer I began my studies at Blue Ridge Community College, blessed along the way with two children, Virginia and Matthew and the faithfulness of a loving wife. I transferred to EMC in Harrisonburg, Va., and graduated in 1973 with a Bachelors Degree.
After graduation I wanted to continue with my education at EMS but finances and parenting responsibility helped me decide differently. During the last part of college I was asked to do temporary ministry at Franklin, WVa. From there I moved to Mt. Olivet, Va., for two years and then to Bethel Church of the Brethren for 19 years.
I continued my education in a limited fashion with Lancaster Seminary Summer programs and other professional growth workshops for pastors. I finished out my last 15 years as full time minister at Staunton Church of the Brethren. I retired in 2008 and within one year I began to do interim pastoral work which now includes Bethel Church of the Brethren. In my interim time I have served 9 other churches from Broadway to Buena Vista to Panora, Iowa.