Sharon Reimer

Reimer—Sharon Reimer, 74, on April 23, 2023, after a short illness, in Boulder, Colo. Sharon was born on February 8, 1949, to Ben and Anita Moskovitz in Pittsburgh, Pa. Sharon’s grandparents had emigrated from eastern Europe to the United States in the early 1900s. In the 1950s, Sharon’s family moved to New Castle, Pa., where she and her brother, Robert, were raised in a traditional Jewish home.

Sharon graduated as valedictorian of her high school class and received a scholarship from a local community organization to attend the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa., where she completed her bachelor’s degree in social anthropology. While there, Sharon met and married Michael Reimer, a graduate student in the Geology Department. While Mike pursued his doctorate, Sharon attended graduate school and obtained a teaching certificate in secondary education. Within a few years, Mike found work in Colorado. In 1976, their son, Arbon, was born.

Sharon was employed as a bookkeeper for an organization whose focus was community outreach. She took a position as a bank teller and eventually became lead teller. Her commitment to supporting education for women led her to work for the Philanthropic Education Organization. Sharon combined philanthropic work with her passion for sewing quilts. She made and donated hundreds of small quilts to a variety of charitable groups, where they brought in significant money at fundraising events. Sharon moved to several leadership positions for the Colorado Symphony Guild (CSO). Her financial skills were especially valuable in managing the Guild Store, which raised money for the CSO. Sharon fed her thirst for learning by taking the Great Courses. She was a sociable woman who enjoyed the company of friends. She acted with compassion, openness, and integrity in all the venues of her life.

Amid her busy retirement, Sharon felt that something was missing from her life. She sought a spiritual connection, especially following the death of her parents. Mike suggested that Quakers might be a good fit for her. Mike has ancestral roots in the peace churches, and had keen insight into Sharon’s approach to living. He thought that the Religious Society of Friends 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 (Colo.) Meeting. She had 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 a Quaker studies course, and gave vocal ministry during meetings for worship. She became a member of Boulder Meeting in 2016 and presented her spiritual journey. She raised money for the meeting by creating quilts for the annual craft fair. After being inspired at Intermountain Yearly Meeting, she helped found a worship sharing group under the care of Boulder Meeting. Meeting monthly for more than five years, the group members 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 the community of Friends. The Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and sustainability, as evidenced by the Quaker community, resonated deeply with her. Hers was an examined life; her generosity, compassion, and activism are inspirational to those who knew her.

Sharon is survived by her husband, Mike Reimer; one child, Arbon Reimer; one grandchild; and her brother, Robert Moskovitz.