Bob Reimer, 92-year-old Ridgewood Public Library “Read to Papa” volunteer and WWII veteran, celebrated his last week working with the Children’s Department on Feb. 9. Bob came to the library to read to young children in October 2013, telling stories, reading and getting to know the patrons and staff. Bob is relocating to Pennsylvania to be with family. Front row from left: Robin Ritter, Bob Reimer and Lois Brodie. Back row from left: Amy McLaughlin, Gina Mitgang, Ashley Loria and Roberta Panjwani.Bob Reimer with Marion Flanagan. Marion introduced the Ridgewood Public Library to Bob Reimer in October 2013 when she met him at the SHARE home on Cottage Place.
Longtime Ridgewood Library volunteer is moving to Pennsylvania
February 27, 2015 Last updated: Friday, February 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
By Submitted By marion Flanagan
The Ridgewood News
When Robert “Bob” Reimer agreed to read to preschool children at the Ridgewood Public Library as part of its weekly “Read With Nana and Papa” program, some friends at his local senior residence, SHARE, asked, “Why would you do that?”
Reimer, 92, saw the intergenerational offering as an opportunity. His daily routine needed some zip — and how likely was it that his $2 in weekly lottery tickets would ever fund his dream trip to Monte Carlo?
Reimer eagerly signed up for the program and in less than a year has built a loyal following of tykes, who sit beside him on the bench every Tuesday morning to listen not only to picture books, but also to the narratives of his past. Parents huddle round as well, drawn to Reimer’s warm, affable glow like a campfire and rapt as he spins yarns about his hardscrabble life on a 640-acre South Dakota farm during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
