Robert J. "Bob" Reich

Robert J. “Bob” Reich, 93, of Methuen, passed away on Saturday August 5, 2023 surrounded by his family at Aspen Hill Healthcare Center, Haverhill, MA.

Bob summed up his life several years ago by saying, “I have been most highly favored by God in finding a life work that gave me great satisfaction, making organs, with involvement in craftsmanship and the visual artistic aspects of organs as well as my specialty being voicer and tonal director. I have had a loving wife and children and for all of this I have been truly grateful knowing that for many people satisfaction came, if at all, in only one of these areas.”

He was born in Urbana, IL in 1929 to the late Herbert J. and Anne E. Reich. He graduated from Belmont (MA) High School in 1946, Hopkins School, New Haven, CT in 1947 and Yale University, New Haven, CT in 1951 with a B.E. and M.E. in Electrical Engineering. He taught engineering for several years at Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY prior to moving to Methuen, MA in 1956 to work for Andover Organ Company in Lawrence, MA, first as the tonal director and later as president for 36 years. He retired in 2009 after 50 years at AOC.

One of Bob’s lifelong passions was classical music. While he was an accomplished pianist and trumpet player, his greatest joy was the pipe organ. He began taking organ lessons at age 16 which began his “intense love for organs and organ music which led to [his] interest in organ building and studying old instruments.” He was both a life-long learner and teacher. He built a spinet harpsichord which he occasionally took with him for various performances or loaned out to other musicians. He could often be found deep in conversation with a fellow musician discussing the various attributes of tracker organs in precise detail. He played joyfully for more than 50 years as a church organist in several churches in the Merrimack Valley and elsewhere. He organized and was the first dean of the Merrimack Valley chapter of the American Guild of Organists in 1958 and where he met his wife, Norma. Bob served on the Board of Trustees of the Methuen Memorial Music Hall for 60 years and kept the organ in superb tonal condition while at AOC.

Bob was an avid naturalist and mountain climber hiking demanding mountains in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park into his late 80s. He would often sign up for wildflower walks at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO led by certified naturalists with expertise in wildflower botany. As often as not, he would identify a flower that stumped the naturalist and in the next few steps ask for further clarification on a flower he was not able to identify. As a member of the New Hampshire 4,000 Foot Club of the Appalachian Mountain Club, he and several companions did an annual trail maintenance trip to repair damage to the Mount Eisenhower Trail. He also served on the Methuen Conservation Commission in the 1970s.

Bob was also very interested in railroads, trains, and trolleys. For many years he and Norma took Amtrak across the country to visit their daughter Sylvia and family. Bob and Norma visited much of the United States and Canada by train during their retirement years. Once he retired, Bob spent many hours working in the restoration shop of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME.

Bob and Norma were supportive and devoted parents and always wanted the best for their family. They encouraged their children to work hard in school, but they ensured that their studies were rounded out with music and dance lessons, summer camp and a two-week family vacation every summer. Over the years those family trips took the family from the Nation’s Capital and Williamsburg, VA to Prince Edward Island, Canada. Bob's first granddaughter said of him, "My amazing grandpa... was so sweet, caring, and intelligent. He ... showered his grandchildren with affection and understanding. He encouraged our passions and made every day a day to remember. I treasure every memory I have with him... Fly high grandpa, to say I will miss you to the end of my days is an understatement."

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Norma, daughter Sylvia and husband Steven Stager, son Barry, daughter Althea (Masterman), and brother Donald and wife Janice. He is also survived by two grandchildren, Aimee and Kate Stager, great granddaughter Violet Martin and nieces Anne Reich and Lexi Topper and a nephew Andrew Salywon.

Family and friends are invited to visiting hours on Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 1:30 pm to 3 pm at the Methuen Memorial Music Hall, 192 Broadway, Methuen, MA. A memorial service will follow the visiting hours at 3:00 pm on Saturday at the music hall. A private family burial will be held at a later date. Memorial gifts may be made to the Methuen Memorial Music Hall Great Organ restoration fund, 192 Broadway, Methuen, MA, 01844 mmmh.org, The Seashore Trolley Museum Restoration Shop, 195 Log Cabin Rd, Kennebunkport, ME 04046 trolleymuseum.org or a charity of your choice. Please visit www.dewhirstbolesfuneral.com for more information and to leave a message for the family.

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