ToquiNotes: Goodbye to a Good Man
By Jeff Toquinto on December 29, 2012
I’m not sure when, or even how, I first met Bob Reep. I can only guess it was in the late 1980s back when I first cut my teeth in the journalism world. If you were around Bridgeport athletics, then you knew Bob Reep and you knew the Reep family.
The Reep family, through their own association with Bridgeport High School and their business that catered to not only the local community but beyond, is one of those family names synonymous with Bridgeport. You mention the name Reep, you almost always think of Bridgeport. And for those that knew Bob Reep, his family and those associated with him, it was and is a good thing.
As I drove home from Pittsburgh late Friday afternoon, my wife queried me this, “Aren’t you friends with Bob Reep?” As she asked, my heart sank. My first thought wasn't Bridgeport. Sadly, Bob had been ill for some time. His battle to regain his health has been on the forefront of the thoughts of so many that anyone who remotely knew Bob Reep and the courageous battle he’s faced was bound to have a momentary pause if asked that question.
I looked over and nodded to her that I did know Bob. She said, “I’m going to read this.” And she read a post from Facebook by Bob’s friend Felicia Bryant. The well written and touching comments quickly confirmed what I had feared. Bob Reep passed away Thursday following a lengthy illness.
Had Bob Reep only been a devoted father, husband and friend it would have been hard enough to deal with during this holiday season. But he did more. He gave more. Because of that, his loss is so much harder to face.
Certainly, there were many in Bridgeport and beyond who were much closer to Bob than I. The 1978 Bridgeport High School graduate had a rather massive social circle and it seemed to be a circle that was as welcoming to newcomers as it was large.
I began to get to know Bob better when he came up with the idea of the annual Mary A. Reppert-Wayne Jamison Golf Tournament. Through my various media-related jobs, I often found myself talking with Bob about the tournament and working with him to promote the event and get the community involved for what he believed with all of his being was a good thing.
The tournament completed its 15thseason in August and that very tournament has provided thousands of dollars in scholarships for deserving student-athletes that are part of the BHS football program. It is, indeed, a good thing.
“It was his idea to start that tournament because he was a student and friend of the late Mary Reppert,” said Reppert-Jamison Golf Tournament member Darletta Stout. “He got in touch with my husband Steve and thought it would be great to do something in her honor and team it up with Coach Jamison since both were so critical to the Bridgeport football program. That’s how it started. Bob thought the world of Mrs. Reppert and Coach Jamison and he wanted to help give back some of what they gave.”
And he did. For 15 years, Bob Reep served as the catalyst to one of the top attended and fun days of golf each year at the Bridgeport Country Club. Stout said Reep’s work on the tournament may have gone unnoticed to the casual eye, but those involved with the event knew how hard he worked to make it successful.
“He worked diligently, even in the last two years when his health was failing him,” Stout said. “He put more into that tournament than anyone could imagine and most of it was behind the scenes.”
While his health may have forced him to have some struggles in the past two years with the tournament, Brad Ford of Ford Funeral Home (where services will be held) confirmed that Bob Reep had battled a cancer known as multiple myeloma for the past seven years. In layman’s terms, it’s a cancer that starts in the plasma cells in the bone marrow.
A testament to just how beloved Bob Reep was to the community came in an effort to cure him of this disgusting disease. While I may not have this 100 percent correct, I believe it was within the last couple of years that a bone marrow match drive was held at United Hospital Center to possibly help get Bob back on the road to good health. All that was needed were volunteers.
The volunteers hoping to provide a match came. In fact, they came to a level so great that the kits that were utilized to see if matches could be made ran out. Apparently, the community Bob Reep had so graciously and unconditionally given to - well beyond just the Reppert-Jamison Tournament - decided it was time to try and return the favor.
In the end, whatever was needed for Bob Reep to carry on wasn’t available. Because of that, he’s left us. The husband and father of two young ladies, however, didn’t leave without making his mark on his family, his friends and the place he called home.
I am certain it would be wrong for me to say that in the end Bob Reep lost his battle. To suggest that someone lost here may indicate that there was nothing left; that there was nothing gained. With Bob Reep, nothing could be further from that.
Bob Reep leaves behind a wonderful family and a beautiful legacy. He was a good man who led a good life. Because of that, all of us who had the fortune of knowing him have had our own lives enriched.
Lost a battle? Not even close.
Rest in peace friend. You’ve earned it.
Editor’s Note: Ford Funeral Home in Bridgeport will have a viewing from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 1 with the funeral services being held at the funeral home Jan. 2 at 11 a.m. A complete obituary will be posted later on the Ford Funeral Home Web site. Connect-Bridgeport also hopes to post the obituary once it becomes available. The above photo of Bob Reep, sitting, and enjoying a laugh with Coach Wayne Jamison, was taken at this year’s Reppert-Jamison Golf Tournament.
For complete obituary, click HERE.
Jeff, Thank you for the kind words. Bob was a great friend to many people and an even better big brother. Billy
Posted by Billy Reep
Dec. 29, 2012 at 9:52 PM EST
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