The Schroders Since Camp...

The love of horses and the desire to run a profitable business led the Schroders to the decision to buy a farm suitable for the breeding, boarding and training of horses. And to finally rid themselves of taking care of snotty campers and their petty needs like eating nutritious meals and getting their boo boos bandaged. In the spring of 1983, they sold their home in Newtown and started looking for a suitable farm. Months of searching passed and another camp season arrived. Having been unsuccessful in locating a farm, and not having a permanent residence any longer, Ken, Joy, Holly, and Mark, along with 5 horses, 2 dogs, and 2 cats, remained at camp after everyone left at the close of the 1983 camp season. They stayed through the fall foliage. Through the first snowfalls. Then, through more snow. And more snow. Thanksgiving came and they enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast in their 'A' building dining room. Christmas was approachingt and it was clear that they had to find a more suitable temporary home. Their friends, the Hoovers, opened the apartment over their store in Newtown and let the Schroders spend the winter in the bustling center of Newtown. Todd was in his second year at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona and spent the Christmas holiday with the family in Newtown while on holiday. In the spring of 1984, Holly and Rob were married in an outdoor wedding ceremony held at George School.

Following over a year of searching, a farm with great potential was acquired during the summer of 1984 and the Schroders found themselves once again with a home, and a new business. "Laughing Shadows Farm" was open for business in Pipersville, Pennsylvania. Holly spent most of that summer getting things in order at the new horse farm and continuing with her riding competitions and training. By the summer of 1985, the farm was in full operation with 24 filled stalls along with a new barn and indoor arena complex. Holly again spent most of the summer at the farm and visited camp weekly to run special lessons and horsemanship classes.

With the farm in operation, Holly and Joy devoted their full-time to its operation and the horses. The camp was closed for the last time at the end of the 1985 season. The camp property was sold in 1987 and the Schroders made a last visit before closing.

Mark enrolled in the Temple University Engineering School and then transfered to Lehigh University, where he graduated in 1990. He met his wife Ann while living at Laughing Shadows Farm and they were married in the Fall of 1988. A reception was held at the farm following commencement. Todd met his wife Armella, while attending University. The two were married in the Spring of 1990 in a small ceremony in Falls Church, Virginia.

Holly and Rob had a daughter, Robin, in 1988 and the Schroder family started to grow. During the nineties, 6 new Schroders were added. Mark and Ann had three daughters: Kelsey, Morgan, and Sarah, Todd and Armella had a daughter, Taylor, and son, Erik. And Robin gained a little brother Tyler. It didn't end there when Todd and Armella had another baby girl, Camryn, in 2002.

Mark and Ann decided that there were good opportunities in Florida, so they sold their house in Perkasie, Pennsylvania and moved near Ann's family in Largo, Florida in 1999. Mark owned his own testing company in the wireless communications industry and Ann home-schooled the girls. They built a house in Beverly Hills, Florida and moved to Citrus County where Mark found a job with a civil engineering firm. They purchased a home-schooling supply business where Ann spends her days and weekends. As things are with Mark, working for someone else didn't last long. Mark worked hard for and received his Principal Engineer license and has started an engineering practice of his own.

Following Ken's retirement from his teaching position at George School, he started working with the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where he spent 5 years educating science teachers in Pennsylvania. During that time, they sold the farm and moved into a house in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The winters seemed to drag on forever and they decided to build a house in Florida and migrate south. An attractive location was found in Sarasota and they moved next door to Mark and Ann in Largo while the house was built. The house was completed in the Spring of 2002 and Ken and Joy started enjoying their southern retirement. Not content to sit for long, they moved into a nice golf community in 2005 where they are closer to some long-time friends.

Holly and her family spent two years in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2002 they bought a house and moved to Vancouver, Washington where Robin continued to ride and compete. Holly has started a digital photography business specializing in horse events, doing weddings and portraits in the off-season. Rob teaches at a private school in Vancouver. Robin will be finishing up her schooling at Northern Arizona University next Spring.

Todd and his family live in Reston, Virginia. Todd is an aviation economist with a consulting firm in Old Town Alexandria. Armella is a rocket scientist at Orbital Sciences Corporation.