Sharon Reimer was born to parents Ben and Anita Moskovitz in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 8th, 1949. Her grandparents emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s from Eastern Europe, and in the 1950s, they moved to New Castle, Pennsylvania where Sharon and her brother Robert were raised. Brought up in a traditional Jewish home, Sharon attended services at a local synagogue, had a Bat Mitzvah and participated in youth activities. An exceptional student, Sharon not only graduated as valedictorian of her high school class but received a full four-year scholarship from a local community organization and was accepted at the University of Pennsylvania.
Sharon completed her bachelor’s degree in social anthropology and while working for her degree she met and married Michael Reimer, a graduate student in the Geology Department. Theirs was a marriage of soul mates, a close loving partnership for 55 years. While Mike went on to get his PhD, Sharon attended graduate school and obtained a teaching certificate in secondary education. Within a few years Mike found work in Colorado where they lived and worked until the present. In 1976 their son Arbon Reimer was born, and Sharon turned her attention to raising her son.
During her evolving years as an adult Sharon chose a path of service and commitment to community building. Recognizing the opportunities she had enjoyed, she wished to give back; she volunteered in a number of organizations, where she used her talents and skills for organizing, teaching, quilting, and managing finances. In addition, Sharon, as a lifelong learner, took courses in music and the arts, and later in religion and spirituality. She acted with compassion, openness, and integrity as she lived her principles and values in all aspects of her life.
Sharon began a career path while Arbon grew up. She was a bookkeeper for an organization whose focus was community outreach, she then was a bank teller and eventual lead teller. She also used her skills as a teacher by focusing on IRS compliance training. Her commitment to supporting education for women led to long-time work for the Philanthropic Education Organization (PEO). She combined philanthropic work with her passion for sewing quilts when she made and donated hundreds of crib and small quilts to a variety of charitable groups, including PEO where they brought significant money at fundraising events. She quickly moved into several leadership positions for the Colorado Symphony Guild; her financial skills were especially valuable in managing the Guild store which raised money for the CSO. She also took Great Courses which fed her curiosity and thirst for learning. In addition, as a sociable woman she enjoyed the company of friends playing bridge and mahjong.
Even amid a busy and engaging retirement, Sharon felt that something was missing from her life. She sought a spiritual or religious connection, especially after the death of her parents. She decided against a return to Judaism. In discussing this yearning with husband Mike, he suggested that she might find the Quakers a group that might fit her quest. Mike, with a family background in main line Protestantism in Pennsylvania, having ancestral roots in the historic peace churches, and keen insight into Sharon’s approach to living, felt the Quaker society was where she could find spiritual connection, compatible values and principles, and community activism.
And so, in the winter of 2014, Sharon attended her first meeting for worship at Boulder Friends Meeting and discovered her spiritual home. At this first meeting, Sharon characteristically “stepped up” by going into the kitchen to help during fellowship hour. She became a regular attender and over the next nine years joined several committees, read books on Quakerism, took Quaker studies, and gave ministry during Meeting. She became a member in 2016 and presented her spiritual journey to the Meeting. And, to the delight of Boulder Friends, she raised money for the Meeting by creating quilts for the annual craft fair. After being inspired at Intermountain Yearly Meeting she helped start a worship sharing group at BFM. Meeting monthly for more than five years, the group experienced deepened spirituality and warm friendship, thus further building the vitality of Boulder Friends.
By the time of her untimely death, Sharon had demonstrated her profound commitment to and participation in the community of Friends. Her son believes that the Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Sustainability, as evidenced by the Quaker community, resonated deeply with her and her approach to life. Hers was an examined life; her generosity, compassion and activism are inspirational.
Sharon died on April 23, 2023, after a short illness.
Sharon is survived by her husband Mike Reimer, her son, Arbon, her granddaughter Melissa, and her brother Robert.
A memorial service was held on Saturday, September 30th at Boulder Friends Meeting.
Boulder Friends Meeting accepted the Memorial Minute for Sharon Reimer on September 10, 2023.