Gerald Kenton Stoner

I was born on September 30, 1950 in the town of Gettysburg in Adams County, Pa. I was the youngest of Joseph and Grace Kreider Stoner's children, having seven brothers and one sister. I grew up on the family farm on Germany Road in East Berlin, Pa.

During my early years on the farm I had an interest and a desire to operate tractors, and my dad was very trusting in that regard. Shortly after I started driving the tractor at home, I went to visit Uncle Paul Bechtel in Ohio. Daddy must have told him that I was driving tractors now, because Uncle Paul asked me to start his tractor---saying he had "heard that I was already a good tractor driver." Being a typical five- or six-year old, I promptly jumped up on the seat and turned on the ignition. Suddenly there was a loud crack and smoke billowed out from under the hood! Uncle Paul came out from behind the shed with a sheepish grin. Unknown to me, he had wired a firecracker to the starter and was hiding behind the shed watching for my reaction!

Daddy also encouraged my interest in tractors on our farm by letting me run the equipment. His trust in my abilities was evidenced when a new tractor and plow was brought to the farm when I was around twelve years old; he told me to try the tractor in the field before the purchase was made. I felt that my test drive and input were important to his decision to purchase the tractor (he did purchase it!). It was not unusual for me to be up at the crack of dawn to plow a field before school started and after the school day ended, as well.

Home life with seven brothers and one sister guaranteed eventful interactions. One thing we had fun with was nicknames. Everyone had a nickname that was somehow related to his or her name or distinctive characteristic. Mine was "PeeWee." One of our eventful interactions was finding a speedy way to get seven of us through the shower stall in the basement. While one was soaping up, another would turn on the hot or cold water at the sink, thus changing the temperature in the shower, ---so that he would quickly yell and hop out of the shower and another one would step in. Surprisingly, even with all the hoopla, showers were completed and the changing water temperatures were handled by all with good nature.

Beyond the farm, Little League baseball was a sport I enjoyed very much. I played several positions---outfield, second base, and short stop. I loved to play ball, even playing during school recess. In sixth grade I broke my kneecap and was in a cast from my ankle to my hip, but I still played ball (at first base, though, because my teacher knew I could catch the ball).

My school days began in first grade at East Berlin Elementary School in York Springs. In my class there were two Geralds and two Jerrys. By this time, my family nickname (besides PeeWee) was Jerry. The teacher decided to rename the Jerrys and Geralds, calling me "Kenny" (short for Kenton). This was not pleasing to me and I therefore conspired to be absent or sick as often as mother would allow. This added up to a total of twenty days absent that year! Actually, five of those days were justified, as I had chicken pox. True to her name, my mother gave me "grace," although I'm sure she noticed that my tummy aches would leave shortly after the bus went by our house on the way to school. I did pass on to second grade, and that year I only missed one day of school all year with my new teacher. In subsequent school years I found that much was expected of me, due to my older siblings' records of academic excellence.

After graduating from Bermudian Springs High School in 1968, I studied at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., as a history major. During those four years, farm work was relegated mostly to weekends and summers. My student teaching was completed at Northern High School in Dillsburg, Pa., where I taught ninth and twelfth grade students Pa. history and sociology. I graduated from Messiah College in 1972. By then I knew that teaching was not my vocation of choice, so I returned to farming full-time for my father. Over the next several years I worked on the farm and re-paid my dad for my college expenses.

In March 1976 I married Debra Lee Reneker. Andrew Kenton was born on November 26, 1977. We decided to adopt a foster child, Jerry Lee, whom we had cared for, and we renamed him Lee Edward. His birthday is September 11, 1979. On June 28, 1981, Daniel Lee, our third son, was born. Our early marital years were spent at the gray house where Mother and Daddy had lived, down the lane, also on Germany Road.

After leaving the farm in 1989, I began to work for Agway in York, Pa., I was an "applicator," which meant that I sprayed farmers' fields with fertilizer and weed killer. Several years later I moved into sales, selling fertilizer and chemical agricultural supplies to local farmers. In the early 1990s I went through a separation and divorce and then started a new job with Southern States Cooperative in Taneytown, Maryland. I was a field sales representative selling seed, chemicals, fertilizers, etc.

This time also sparked a period of spiritual growth and renewal. I had never experienced such closeness with the Lord before, bringing me healing and insight. After living single for many years, the Lord provided an opportunity to share in the fellowship of marriage with Karen. We married on February 5, 2005. Currently we are residing in a remodeled farmhouse on Siddonsburg Road in Dillsburg, Pa. I have learned in walking through pain and adversity that God is able to supply every need, and He will lead me on to accomplish the plan that He has for my life.