Conestoga Valley townlively.com
JULY 27, 2022
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LVIII • NO 31
A Lifetime To Remember Couple Celebrates 75 Years Of Marriage
hen Dick Ruoss and Dorothy Spence were married by Calvin Bachman at Zeltenreich Reformed Church, New Holland, on June 29, 1947, they had a new home built by Dick and by Dorothy’s father, William Spence, and a 1931 Ford Cabriolet with a rumble seat. The pair first became an item between their junior and senior years at Upper Leacock High School in 1943. In October of that year, however, Dick was drafted, and he joined the Navy, serving stateside as an aviation crew member. He was stationed in New York, Chicago, and Oklahoma. While Dick was in the Navy, Dorothy worked at RCA and wrote him lots of letters. In July of 1946, after Dick had returned from the service, the pair became engaged and construction on their house began on a piece of Spence property along Musser School Road in Leola.
W
It was at that same home, a house that has been remodeled and expanded over the years, that the couple celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary with family and friends on June 29. Now in their 90s, Dick and Dorothy are proud of their three children - Rick Ruoss, Jim Ruoss, and Kathy Martin - and their 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Seated comfortably on the deck of the home they have shared for so long, the pair enjoyed reminiscing about their lives together. Dick’s recall of details is nothing short of amazing, and Dorothy remembers specifics about their wedding, such as the dress she wore. The dress was made by Dick’s mother, Lillian, of embroidered and plain silk that Dorothy’s brother-in-law brought back from his service in Japan. Dick recalled that the Ladies Aid Society of the church furnished the reception meal. After returning to Lancaster,
Dick worked for the airline industry for 14 years before switching to Miller Chemical, where he was employed for nearly 30 years, retiring on Feb. 1, 1991. Dorothy worked for two years for the Leola Post Office, switching to the New Holland facility in 1968 and retiring in 1986. She was the only woman at the New Holland branch, and she noted that all the men she worked with were gentlemen. Over the years, Dick and Dorothy enjoyed dancing. “ We love to dance,” said Dorothy, who shared that the couple’s favorites included ballroom, country line, and square dancing. For nearly 30 years, they traveled to Florida during the winter months, indulging their love of dancing several nights a week on the trips. When Dorothy went to high school, in the building that is now the Leola Elementary School on School Drive, from her home on Snake Hill Road, she did not walk Dick and Dorothy Ruoss
See Lifetime pg 4
A Vision Fulfilled BY ANN MEAD ASH
Race Will Raise Funds For North Star Initiative BY ANN MEAD ASH
When Josh March, owner of emPower Training Systems, 276 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, first heard about human trafficking in Lancaster County during a presentation at Grace Community Church in Willow Street a few years ago, he was struck by its prevalence. “Most people don’t realize human trafficking is a big issue in our area,” he said. “As a father and husband, it really hits home.” See North Star pg 4
Rob Weatherholtz, director of discipleship with The Potter’s House, holds a copy of his book, “A Raptured Heart,” which was released in March.
“I have a passion to help people find freedom (from addiction),” said Rob Weatherholtz, director of discipleship for The Potter’s House. “I want to see healed relationships and marriages. We don’t just do recovery; we want to inspire the next generation of game changers in society.” Rob gives presentations about the mission of The Potter’s House, a nonprofit, Christ-centered ministry that offers a holistic approach to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of pre-release and post-release
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
prisoners and individuals desiring to overcome addictions, and about his own journey, which he has chronicled in his book, “A Raptured Heart,” which was released in March. “It’s a long, long story,” said Rob, playfully slapping the book where it lay on the counter in his home at Still Waters Recovery Center, a campus that also includes a group home for Potter’s House students. Land for a second group home was recently broken at the site. Rob’s story begins in Elizabethtown, where he was the youngest in a family of seven. He describes his childhood as “tumultuous,” noting See The Potter’s House pg 2
FREE
BOXSPRING
event!
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JUL. 27, 2022
Postal Patron
CON
No Obstacle Too Large
International Outreach . . .3 Petra Church Posts Cruise-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .9 House Of Worship . . . . . .12
scan this code for more local news
JULY 27th - AUGUST 8th SPECIAL FINANCING for up to 12 MONTHS with approved credit, see store for details. R086554
BY ANN MEAD ASH
www.martinfurniturepa.com
