JOHN R. RIEMER If you are reading this, I have passed on to another world. Hopefully one where I’m greeted at the entrance by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with a smile. My 71 years on earth have been truly special so I write this as a celebration of my life. I was born on June 5th, 1953, in Bristol Connecticut to wonderful, supportive parents – Frederick W. Riemer, a World War II veteran and, Kathryn R. Riemer, a kind and loving mother. Both were always there for me. Bristol was a family oriented, welcoming city of 60,000 or so; a city that provided me with a good education and plenty of opportunities to expand my growing skills in the games of baseball and basketball. Those opportunities led me to athletic success in school. I was pretty good. What a wonderful time of my life. I was also blessed to be born into a family that included 2 older brothers…Paul and Bob. Both became two of my best friends throughout my life. The same can be said for their children…my nieces, and nephews. Paul and his wife Gail and their children – Abigail and her husband Sean McCurdy and David and his wife Meaghan. Bob and his wife Diane and their children – Emily and her husband Kyle Sisk, Molly and her husband Kevin Carney and their son Kristofer and his wife Alexandra. Additionally, I was blessed with 4 grandchildren, Liliana, Owen, Hudson and Ella. After graduation from college, I was blessed to join the business world and spent 25 years in Retail Bank Marketing, an experience that shaped my organization, planning, and management skills which eventually led to starting our own business centered on tactical planning, budgeting, scheduling, and implementing projects that focused on corporate identity change – re-branding. We were in business for 22 years and for the most part, I loved every minute of it. The true blessing of this business was it gave me the opportunity to work full time with the love of my life, my wife Marianna – a relationship that only grew stronger during our years of marriage. Marianna was my lifelong best friend, strongest supporter, and my true angel. No man could have been luckier with a life-long companion. Children were also a huge part of our 44 years of marriage. Our daughter Kelly and her husband Matthew Sivright have always been loving, kind friends who I share so many common interests with that always kept us very close. Throughout life, Kelly’s opinion was always one I sought out, regardless of the subject. Our son Jonathan has continued in our business and has shown great potential to expand it far beyond what it currently is. He may also have had a better 20-foot jump shot than me when he played basketball…but I never admitted that to him. Jonathan’s wife Amy has been a loving, loyal and wonderful contributor to our family since. Volunteering in service projects, that helped improve the quality of life of residents in our community was always something that Marianna and I actively sought out. First and foremost, our association with Lions Clubs International and through that, our engagement with the MA Lions Eye Research Fund, the MA Lions Low Vision Network, the Central MA Sight & Hearing Fund and our local Grafton Lions Club gave us many satisfying opportunities to act on behalf of residents and successfully provide them with results that have significantly improved their quality of life. Active participation in leadership at our local church parish was also something we gladly sought out. As I look through this list…I can’t help but think what better way to use your “free” time than helping other people improve their quality of lives. I’ve pretty much covered my entire life in the notes above and I hope you understand why my life was truly a celebration. Sure, there were some tough times. No life is without them. But the people who made my life special (all referenced above) were always there to help guide me through them. I do hope that many of you will join my family, friends, and colleagues at a Celebration Mass at Our Lady of Hope Parish – St. James Church, 89 Main Street South Grafton at 10:30 a.m. on October 5 Saturday, 2024 and celebrate the good fortune that I was given over my 71 years on earth. If you would like to offer a remembrance, I would be honored if you would send it to Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund, c/o Dr. James Roth, 49 Stewart Terrace, Belmont, MA 02478 or Our Lady of Hope at St. James Parish at 89 Main St. S. Grafton, Ma 01560. May God bless you all and thanks for being part of my life.