"It's an odd job, but someone has to do it"
From cleaning up cigarettes and septic tanks to studying insects, there are a multitude of unusual jobs in Frederick County and Mount Airy. Here are the stories behind a few of them.
The septic cleaner

More than 40 years ago, Herbert W. Rohrbaugh Sr. bought a cheap septic-cleaning truck so he could pump his own tank. Soon, neighbors noticed the truck and asked whether he could pump their systems, too.
The herbalist

Elizabeth Bartlett said that combining her love of green, growing things and healing people inspired her to become a nutritional herbalist.
The entomologist

An entomologist by day, and a budding beekeeper in her free time, Kathy Heinsohn, 47, has had a special affinity for invertebrates ever since her childhood on Folly Island, S.C.
The washer

It's a career Brandon Barnard didn't seek, but it meshes perfectly with his need for freedom and flexibility in his work and personal life.
The cemetery keepers

The staff of Frederick's 157-year-old Mount Olivet Cemetery consider themselves the shepherds of one of the oldest, and one of the most beautiful, cemeteries on the East Coast. All live on the grounds or within a 10-mile radius of the cemetery, which they say over the years has become a home away from home.
The cigarette butt buster

Mark Jarema sees cigarette butts everywhere - at the grocery store where he shops, at the gas station when he's pumping fuel, outside of a restaurant when he goes out to eat. He feels surrounded, but he's fighting back.
From cleaning up cigarettes and septic tanks to studying insects, there are a multitude of unusual jobs in Frederick County and Mount Airy. Here are the stories behind a few of them.
The septic cleaner
![]() |
More than 40 years ago, Herbert W. Rohrbaugh Sr. bought a cheap septic-cleaning truck so he could pump his own tank. Soon, neighbors noticed the truck and asked whether he could pump their systems, too.
|
The herbalist
![]() |
Elizabeth Bartlett said that combining her love of green, growing things and healing people inspired her to become a nutritional herbalist.
|
The entomologist
![]() |
An entomologist by day, and a budding beekeeper in her free time, Kathy Heinsohn, 47, has had a special affinity for invertebrates ever since her childhood on Folly Island, S.C.
|
The washer
![]() |
It's a career Brandon Barnard didn't seek, but it meshes perfectly with his need for freedom and flexibility in his work and personal life.
|
The cemetery keepers
![]() |
The staff of Frederick's 157-year-old Mount Olivet Cemetery consider themselves the shepherds of one of the oldest, and one of the most beautiful, cemeteries on the East Coast. All live on the grounds or within a 10-mile radius of the cemetery, which they say over the years has become a home away from home.
|
The cigarette butt buster
![]() |
Mark Jarema sees cigarette butts everywhere - at the grocery store where he shops, at the gas station when he's pumping fuel, outside of a restaurant when he goes out to eat. He feels surrounded, but he's fighting back.
|

