When Harold Met Thelma

Thelma Hochstetler met Harold Schrock at Goshen College. She was a Mennonite who grew up in Middlebury. He was a Lutheran and a lifelong Goshen resident. They married on Sept. 3, 1938, a year after his college graduation. 

Entrepreneurship ran in Harold’s family. His father, Arthur Schrock, founded the Star Tank Company in 1903, the forerunner to the Starcraft Corporation. Harold owned and operated Starcraft until the late 1960s. He re-entered the boat business in later years by buying Smoker Craft and Sylvan Marine in the 1970s and Starcraft in the 1990s. The three companies were merged together in 2006. His other business ventures included Goshen Sash and Door, Earthway Products Inc., Ivy Terrace, and Goshen Iron and Metal. 

Harold and Thelma were active in the Goshen community, serving on several boards and donating to many local organizations. They were charter members of both Maplecrest and Elcona country clubs. 

Thelma’s 16-year struggle with Alzheimer’s prompted Harold to donate funds to endow an adult day services center at Greencroft Goshen. She died at Greencroft Goshen Healthcare on Jan. 28, 1985. Harold died May 12, 2012, at the age of 97.

“When my grandfather needed a place for my grandmother to go during the day to get a break from caregiving, he worked with officials at Greencroft Goshen and the Goshen City Church of the Brethren to start an adult day services program,” said grandson Peter Barrett. 

“My grandfather saw a need in the community for such a service and gave many hours of his time and money to start what is now called the Thelma A. Schrock Homestead at Greencroft Goshen.”