Rod and Mary Lou Weaver Houser are both former educators with a total of 64 years in the classroom—Lampeter-Strasburg High School science (Rod), Conestoga Valley High School English and Lancaster Mennonite High School visual arts (Mary Lou).

Currently Rod is a founding board member of the Lancaster Downtowners  which he initiated in 2007. It has grown to support over 240 members in their love of Lancaster City as a retirement destination. He is now retired from his part-time job in the office of Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster , enjoying more time for Downtowner volunteerwork, gardening, biking, or baking bread.

 Mary Lou retired after 24 years as a spiritual guide/director, and is now a Habitat Advocate with the Lancaster County Conservancy, native plant garden designer, artist , and lay-historian. She has been active in leadership and education at Community Mennonite where she co-directs the Parrot Gallery.

Prior to moving to Lancaster City, they lived 46 years on Rod’s maternal ancestral homestead, Herrbrook Farm, in New Danville. For 23 of those years, Rod and Mary Lou tended Herrbrook Retreat—a small facility for individual and group spiritual renewal.

At Herrbrook, they also shared life in intentional community with over 100 others from the early 70’s until their move in 2011.

See Mary Lou’s contribution, “Another Lancaster County Mennonite Woman” on Shirley Hershey Showalter’s blog.