Portions of this article, as well as Erma’s photo, first appeared in Flourish, the magazine of Landis Communities.
Erma has had ups and downs in her journey to happiness and peace since her graduation from Lancaster School of the Bible more than 70 years ago. / Photo courtesy of Flourish, the magazine of Landis Communities.
Sometimes we have to endure tough times to end up where we are destined to be. Erma (’54), a resilient 96-year-old resident of Welsh Mountain Home, an affiliate of Landis Communities located in rural New Holland, Pa., experienced this reality before finally finding a place to call home. Erma’s journey is marked by trials and tribulations, but her unwavering spirit and faith in God have led her to a brighter chapter in her life.
After the passing of her husband, Erma’s granddaughter encouraged her to seek the company of others. Her first move was to a retirement community, where she lived peacefully for six years. However, financial constraints led her to have to find another community, where she joined 12 other residents in what she hoped would be her forever home.
Unfortunately, that home was sold, forcing Erma to face yet another move. With limited options and a need for immediate accommodations, she found herself in a facility that did not meet all her physical, emotional or spiritual needs, which created a sense of despair for Erma.
The possibility of moving to Welsh Mountain Home became a beacon of hope during this trying time. Erma’s prayers were answered, and she finally found a place where she truly feels at home in the fall of 2023.
“Where I used to live, they didn’t even think about praying,” Erma says. “I am grateful now for the prayers before meals, devotions in the sunroom and the uplifting devotionals broadcast from Landis Homes. … I came here without knowing at all what it was like, but I knew that coming here was God’s will. I had faith that it would be okay.”
Erma’s experience at Lancaster School of the Bible turned out to be an adventure as well. In fact, she calls her time at LSB a “God thing.”
“When I first came, I was quite bold,” she recalls with a chuckle. “I said, ‘The Lord wants me here!’ and I didn’t give the school much opportunity to say no.”
Even though Lancaster School of the Bible did welcome her as a student just as the 1950s began, there wasn’t space for Erma in the women’s dormitory, so she stayed temporarily at the local YWCA. After a short time, a dorm room became available within walking distance of the main LSB classroom building on North Mulberry Street – the school’s third and final downtown location before moving to 901 Eden Road in 1957.
Erma was originally interested in learning Greek but thrived in English. She remembers her favorite professor as William J. Randolph (’50), who became the second president of LSB in 1954, succeeding founder Henry J. Heydt, whom Erma also remembers fondly.
Not only does Erma remember Henry’s wife, Margaret, who taught etiquette classes, but also their young son, David, who would go on to graduate from LSB in 1965. Erma was a busy student, paying for her college expenses by cleaning houses and babysitting for local families. But she always felt well-cared for at LSB, with the kitchen staff saving dinner for her if she had to work late.
Originally from nearby Elizabethtown, Erma made a significant move after her 1954 college graduation. A former E-town neighbor and LSB classmate, along with her pastor husband, were expecting their second child. “She asked me to help them with their children at their home in Alabama,” Erma says.
Erma married somewhat later in life at the age of 38, when she wed a widower named Roland who had five children, the youngest of whom was still in diapers. They were married for 21 years before Roland passed away in the late 1980s. Erma then remarried Howard in 1991, and they were married for 23 years.
More than 70 years after graduation, Erma reflects on the best part of her time at LSB: “the fellow students and personal interactions.”
Some things never change.