Fred's funeral career began in Baltimore in 1975 when he worked for the Henry W. Jenkins Funeral Home and the William E. Johnson Funeral Home. In 1976 he moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and worked for the Milward Funeral Homes. Fred returned to Lancaster in the fall of 1976. In January of 1977, he moved to New Holland to operate the George D. High Funeral Home in connection with the family business, Fred F. Groff, Inc.
Fred operated the Groff-High Funeral Home in New Holland from 1977 to 1980 when his firm merged with the C. Stanley Eckenroth Home for Funerals, Terre Hill, PA. He then operated the Groff-High-Eckenroth Funeral Home in New Holland and Terre Hill until 1985 when he purchased the business and real estate from his father. In 1999, he purchased the Beck Funeral Home, Inc. in New Holland from Edgar O. Beck and continues to own and operate these funeral homes.
Professionally, Fred is a member of the Selected Independent Funeral Homes, National Funeral Directors Association, Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association, and Lancaster County Funeral Directors Association as a former board member.
Fred has also been a leader in other local organizations. Formerly, he served as Past Board Chair of Wellspan Ephrata Community Hospital, also serving on the Executive Committee, Quality Management Committee and as a board member. He formerly served on the Wellspan Health Board and chaired its Quality Committee, and was a member of the Executive Committee and Compensation Committee. At Trinity Lutheran Church, New Holland, Fred has served as former President of Church Council and currently serves on the Outreach and Cemetery committees. He is also a member of the church choir and has sung with the Gap Male Chorus for the past thirty years. He is a member of the New Holland Rotary Club and the New Holland Business Association. He serves as President of the Lancaster Aero Club where he maintains his love of flying as an instrument rated Private Pilot.
Fred enjoys golf, flying, recreation in Ocean City, Maryland and spending time in Atlanta with his granddaughter, Isabella and in Maine with his grandson, Ellis. You may contact him by phone or by emailing him at fgroff@groffeckenroth.com.
Michaeline Rogers
Licensed Director
Michaeline joined Groff-High-Eckenroth in May of 2021. She is a graduate of Garden Spot High School, Class of 2016, after graduation she completed her general studies at Harrisburg Area Community College, Lancaster Campus and received her Diploma in Funeral Service from Northampton Community College, Class of 2019. Michaeline is originally from Elverson, PA and currently resides in East Earl, PA with her dog, Shanook. She is a member and holds the secretary position for Twin Valley Fire Department, a member of the Order of the Eastern Star #460, the President of the Lancaster County Funeral Directors Association, a member of The Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association and The National Funeral Directors Association. She loves going line dancing, traveling to the beach and Huntingdon, PA.
You may contact her by phone or emailing her at mrogers@groffeckenroth.com
David Maclay
Support Staff
David Maclay joined Groff-High-Eckenroth on December 5, 2016 as a funeral assistant and is in charge of facilities maintenance and upkeep for all the funeral home locations. Before working for the funeral home, he previously worked as a carpenter and also a personal caretaker for thirty-four years. Dave and his wife Julie were married in 1981, both born and raised in New Holland. After they were married they continued to reside in New Holland, where they raised their two sons, Adam and Cullen. He is a Garden Spot High School graduate, Class of 1976. He has many interests and hobbies that you can often find him doing, such as working on antique gas engines, gardening, and BBQing with friends and family. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and enjoys going to his hunting cabin in Huntingdon County as often as he can.
Amos Stoltzfus
Support Staff
Amos joined Groff-High-Eckenroth as a funeral assistant in the fall of 2020. Having grown up in the Morgantown, PA area, he taught at Conestoga Christian School and served as pastor of Rockville Mennonite Church for 23 years. After resigning in 2003, he served with EMM (Eastern Mennonite Missions) for 14 years. Five of those years he and his wife, Rowenna, lived in India. More recently he has been working with and helping churches as an interim pastor and spiritual adviser. Now semi-retired, Amos and his wife live in the Fivepointville, PA area.
Gene Weaver
Support Staff
Wes Kopp
Support Staff
Ed Martin
Support Staff
Ed joined Groff-High-Eckenroth as a support staff, January 1 2022. He was born in Ephrata and grew up in Reamstown and graduated from Cocalico High School in 1973. Ed and his wife , Colleen were married on September 30, 1978 and are the parents of two children and four grandchildren and they reside in East Earl. He worked for forty eight years at Case New Holland (formerly Sperry New Holland) as an engineering shop tech and retired June 1, 2021. In his spare time, he likes going to the beach and the mountains, walking, cooking and working around the house. They attend New Life Fellowship in Ephrata, where he is actively involved with the worship team.
Bruce Klaassen
Support Staff
Bruce joined the staff at Groff-High-Eckenroth in December of 2021 as support staff. He grew up in Northeastern Lancaster County and graduated from Garden Spot High School in 1976. He worked for forty-four years at Case New Holland and retired in March of 2021 as an engineering shop tech. He married to his wife Jackie. They have three children and six grandchildren. He enjoys spending time with his family and following the grandchildren’s sports. He likes hunting, fishing and trapping. He spends a lot of time in the mountains, but also enjoys the beach.
James Wetzel
Support Staff
Jim joined Groff-High-Eckenroth in October of 2022. He graduated from Biglerville High School in 1978 and attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has lived in Eastern Lancaster County since 1983. Jim has served in full time Christian ministry as a Pastor, church planter and serving in an administrative role with Eastern Mennonite Missions. In addition, he has worked for several community banks, most recently employed as a Consumer and Small Business Credit Manager. Jim is married and resides in Terre Hill. He has two sons and four grandchildren.
Richard Fitz
Support Staff
Richard joined Groff-High-Eckenroth in February of 2023. He retired in June 2023 after 32 years of teaching in the ELANCO School District. During this time he was responsible for directing the marching band, concert band, jazz band, and middle school band in addition to numerous music electives. He also retired from the USAF and the PA Air National Guard in January 2020 after 35 years of honorable service. During this time he has served as Chief of Supply, Director of Training, and First Sergeant. He was deployed twice to the Middle East and provided mission support in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Richard is married to Janet Fitz and they have three daughters, Katie, Kendra, and Karoline.
Dwight Stone
Support Staff
Stan Shantz
Support Staff
Stan joined Groff-High-Eckenroth in March 2024. He was born in Kitchener, Ontario and graduated from the University of Waterloo with degrees in Environmental Studies and Peace Studies. But in the early 1980’s Stan moved to the United States to attend seminary. Since then, he has served churches in Indiana, Arizona and most recently in Lancaster, PA. At the end of 2023 he retired from pastoral ministry after forty plus years and has been working part-time at several jobs in the area. Stan is married to Kathy Keener Shantz who is a Music Therapist at Hershey Medical Center and Masonic Village. They have two daughters. Kristi, their oldest, attended Arizona State University and now lives in Tempe, AZ. Kayleena, the younger sister is a graduate from Temple University and lives in Philadelphia. Stan enjoys drinking coffee with friends, reading, fishing, hiking and camping. He and his wife live in Lancaster, PA (Blossom Hill area).
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