A Journey from Amish Life to Roofing!
As he grew older, though, he couldn’t understand the reasons or justifications for the strict lifestyle. He became frustrated by all the limitations imposed on him and knew he’d regret it if he didn’t leave. The night of Jan. 8, 2014, He left a note for his family and snuck out.When he left, he enjoyed his new freedom but had trouble sleeping due to the complications he faced. Having no Social Security Number or birth certificate made his entry into the “English world” all the more difficult. He earned income by performing odd jobs like snow shoveling and splitting wood.

Eddie Swartzentruber Story!
Episode 2

Eddie quietly walked downstairs in his socks, carrying his boots.

The dogs normally slept in the barn. That night, they were waiting for Eddie when he stepped out onto the porch.

He put his boots on and ran. As he ran, he looked back and the dogs were watching him. Shep and Sarge ran over to his parent’s bedroom and barked.

Eddie didn’t want to hear his mom calling his name, so he covered his ears with his hands while he ran roughly two miles.

Story Eddie Swartzentruber
Episode 3
He waited to be picked up by a friend from Mabel. The temperature was -12 degrees around midnight. Eddie wasn’t quite dressed for that kind of weather. The clock was ticking, and his ride showed up about 15 minutes later.

“You feel bad for your mom, and you know it will be harder for others to leave,” remarked Eddie. He was the fourth of his siblings to leave the Amish community. Today, there are only two out of 10 of his siblings left in the Amish community.

The Story of Eddie Swartzentruber
Episode 4
Eddie, just like all of his siblings, was born at home on the family farm. He is the youngest of 10, with two sets of twin boys in the family. Eddie has a twin brother named Eli. The other set of twins are Andy and Aaron.
He recalls that there were 23 students while he was attending Amish country school for first grade through eighth grade, with ages ranging from six years old through 14 years old. One of his sisters was their teacher when he was in first grade.