Kate’s Corner: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories

If you’ve attended one of the many family friendly events in town, you’ve likely seen Ben Schad, with three young girls in tow. In addition to his life as a stay-at-home dad and long-time carpenter, Schad has built a solid reputation as the go-to “bike guy,” proving that there are many layers to his personality.

In 2012, when Schad’s first daughter was born, he decided to take a few months off to tend to her while he and his wife Lisa found a daycare solution. As time went on, Schad’s role as the primary caretaker is one that he thrived in, and it became the best situation for his family. That role would only grow, transforming into a long-term gig, once he and Lisa found out that they had twin girls on the way.

“I’ve been the primary caregiver for my three girls, (8, 6, and 6 years old). It has been challenging, gratifying, and a life-altering growth experience. I absolutely love the experience I’m getting seeing my girls grow, learn about, and understand the world around them, and I can’t imagine any work more important than parenting your children to be good neighbors, stewards of their many blessings and valued community members. Putting my professional life aside was tough at first but I have found work flexible enough to meet our family’s scheduling needs, and I’m pretty sure there will always be work waiting for me, as long as people are living in less than perfect homes.”

As the Schad girls get older, the father of three has had an opportunity to spend more time doing what he loves…fixing things. Having always been handy with his hands, he got thrown into fixing his family’s bikes once he discovered that there were no bike shops between Boston and Lynn. Soon, word got out, and after he worked at a few Bike Winthrop events, Schad found himself as the go-to guy for helping out all those in the Winthrop cycling community.

When he’s not tending to the town bikes, Schad enjoys spending time outside with family and volunteering at his church teaching Sunday school. His love of the outdoors comes honestly, as he grew up in a small town in Maine, surrounded by acres of woods to play, fish, and hunt in.

Schad believes that choosing to be a stay-at-home dad was one of the best decisions he’s ever made, right along with his choice to move to Winthrop.

“Moving to Winthrop has been such a blessing. This community has opened itself up to my family and provided an amazing place to raise kids. The people I have had the good fortune of meeting here have proven that this is truly a special place. I’m not certain why, but I have made so many great friends here in the nine years since moving from Boston that it continues to validate the choices we made to come here, and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”

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