By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Two Pemberville women who helped paint the town red, sky blue and lush green, are being honored for their efforts to bring more beauty to their community.
Roberta Reiter and Pat Rollins have been selected as the town’s 2024 Outstanding Citizens, and will be recognized during the Pemberville Free Fair, set for Aug. 14 -17.
Townspeople and motorists passing through the village are greeted with a towering reminder of the two women’s efforts.
One day, after viewing the new sunflower murals on the grain elevators along the Maumee River in Toledo, Reiter was inspired to make her “Peaceful Pemberville” even prettier. She decided the grain elevator along the Portage River would be a great canvas for a mural.
Reiter shared the idea with Mayor Carol Bailey and the elevator co-operative board to get approval for the project. She then raised $32,000 to make it happen.
“I was incredibly naive when we started,” Reiter said
But she was also relentless. Reiter sent out about 1,600 letters seeking donations for the mural project.
Reiter enlisted the help of Rollins, an artist, and Laurel Rakas, local librarian. They selected Dean Davis, of Waterville, who worked on the Toledo murals, to repeat the magic on the Pemberville elevator.
“He was really good to work with,” incorporating the four must-have elements in the mural – an eagle, barn, flag and a fork in the river.
Before the painting got underway, a handful of townspeople grumbled a bit about the mural – some saying it was a waste of money, even though it was funded completely by donations.
“As he started working on it, all of the criticisms went away,” Reiter said.
There have been a few lingering questions about why the cattle in the mural are blue – to which Rollins gently explains, “artistic license.”
Though the mural is new, the commitment by the two women to their town is not. Both have long volunteered at the Pemberville Free Fair – helping with everything from baking pies to coordinating arts and crafts contests.
This year they will have another role when they ride together in a convertible in the Kiddie Parade which kicks off the fair on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 14, and again in the Grand Parade on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 17.
Pemberville loves its parades – and the people who make their community a better place to be.
Both Reiter and Rollins are transplants – though firmly rooted – in Pemberville.
Reiter came to Pemberville in 1969, with her husband, Tom, an Eastwood teacher and coach, and former village council member. It was here they raised their three children, Jeff, Craig and Melissa. The Reiters now have five grandchildren.
Rollins moved into the “new section” of Pemberville in 1977, where she and husband Darrell raised their three children, Jill, Kelsey and Jacob. They now have eight grandchildren.
Over the years, the women have often heard village natives refer to houses in the community with the names of those who lived their generations past. In fact, while sitting down to talk about the town’s new mural and its historic fair, the two women found themselves doing the same.
“We just have a connection to Pemberville, I guess,” Reiter said.
Both families supported the schools, community organizations, and are known for working quietly in the background to better their town.
“It was the best decision,” Rollins said of her family moving to Pemberville.
“It lives up to its name – ‘Peaceful Pemberville,’” Reiter said.
The women quickly warmed to the village – where neighbors know each other, where townspeople don’t mind if kids cut through yards, and where it’s rumored that some residents haven’t been able to find their house keys for years.
They quickly found that trips to the post office weren’t brief.
“When we first moved here, I would say I was going to get the mail and would be back in five minutes,” Rollins said. She soon discovered the post office was where townspeople caught up with each other. “I’d get home 45 minutes later.”
Reiter has long believed in being part of making Pemberville a perfect place to raise a family. During the blizzard of 1978, she opened her home to neighbors who had lost heat, so they could huddle around the fireplace, cook hotdogs, and play games to pass the time.
Over the years, Reiter has baked countless pies for the American Legion at the fair – with pecan as her speciality. She’s a regular volunteering at the fair as cashier for the bingo and food tent. She has served buckets of coffee at the Presbyterian church, and has been a steadfast supporter of Eastwood Schools.
Rollins spent countless hours volunteering in the schools, youth sports and village events. In the mid-1980s, Rollins began working for Tom Reiter’s Stained Glass Overlay business, before buying it in 2006.
As a business owner, she was very involved in the Pemberville Independent Merchant Association. She is co-chair of the annual For Love of Art show at the Pemberville Opera House, is involved in the Pemberville Fair sidewalk chalk contest, and co-chairs the fair’s arts, crafts, collectibles and photography contests.
Rollins is currently a member of Pemberville Village Council.
Reiter is hoping she is able to convey her appreciation to townspeople and businesses for their generosity in funding the mural.
“I want to express gratitude to all the people who have a little ownership of the project by contributing to it,” she said.
Rollins quickly added that many townspeople rallied around the project because it was started by Reiter.
“A lot of people jumped on board because it was Roberta,” she said of her friend.
