Gerhard J. Reimer

Gerhard Johan Reimer, 90, of Goshen died January 1, 2019 in the care of Goshen Health Hospice.

He was born on June 16, 1928 on a farm near Blumenort, Manitoba, Canada to David P.  and Justina (Brandt) Reimer. He grew up speaking Plautdietsch (“Low German”), learned English in primary school and farmed with his parents. He earned a Teachers Certificate from the Manitoba Provincial Normal School and taught for two years on Matheson Island, Manitoba and Poplar Hill, Ontario.

From 1958-62 he worked for Mennonite Central Committee in Pennsylvania and Switzerland. During that time, he met Margaret “Marge” Lapp.  They married in Kaiserslautern, Germany, April 9, 1960 and had 3 children.  All survive: Paul (Kathryn Meyer) Reimer of Goshen; Julia (Phillip Lund) Reimer of St. Paul, Minnesota; Christine (Michael Collins) Reimer of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Gerhard earned a PhD in German from Michigan State University, and joined the faculty of Goshen College in 1966, where he taught German and Spanish.  The running bug of the 1970s bit Gerhard and other faculty members, and he completed a marathon in 1975. He and Marge led study abroad groups for Goshen College (SST) and Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA) in Costa Rica and Germany. He retired as a Professor in 1994.

Margaret died January 6, 1993. Gerhard then married Rosemary Wyse on December 24, 1994 in Goshen, who survives him. Together they continued to lead SST/BCA programs in Costa Rica, Germany and Mexico, and volunteered in Latin America and in Oklahoma. They were loving grandparents to five grandchildren: Peter, Benjamin, Elena, Lyra, and Henry.

Visitation will take place Friday, January 4, 2019 from 4 to 6 PM and Saturday from 10 AM until noon in the Gathering Rooms at College Mennonite Church.  A memorial service will take place at College Mennonite Church at 3 PM, January 5, 2019.