To the Editor:
A truly great man has passed and there are many grieving hearts of those who loved him. There will never be another Robert H. Reny. For those of us who worked for him and with him, he became part of our lives and we would like to think that we became a part of his.
Mr. Reny did not only create an ever-growing business, but he was also a great statesman, a father, grandfather and husband. He would often say how he owed it to his wife, Carolyn, that he did not get discouraged. He told about one night in the beginning when he had come home from work and had not had any sales that day and was about to give up his dream, and she told him that he could do it. If it had not been for Mrs. Reny, who knows what would have happened?
Mr. Reny was so proud of his sons and would say that they were doing a good job, and he did not need to worry.
He dearly loved his family and would often tell of the time, in the beginning of his retail business, when he was traveling back and forth from Damariscotta to Bridgton, his second store, when he could see families sitting down to supper in the windows as he passed by, and how very much he missed his own family.
Mr. Reny was very active in State government and often he would leave to have lunch with the sitting governor at the time. It did not matter whether they were Republican or Democrat; they wanted to hear from him, as he had become a successful businessman. As busy as he was, he always knew everything that was going on in the company.
He made many friends with people at the companies he dealt with in New York, calling them to wish them a Merry Christmas or if it were another type of holiday, he would let them know that he was thinking of them.
Mr. Reny was always very kind and gracious. One minute he would be very unhappy with an order that had just arrived in the warehouse, but if a little child came into the office, he would lean over and smile and shake their hand and say, “how are you doing today?” Once they left he would make sure things were being done correctly. He was always totally in charge, even when he broke his leg, he just got a wheelchair so he could still get around to do what needed to be done.
Mr. Reny will be greatly missed. There are three of us who have been part of his life and worked for Renys alongside him and his sons for 25 plus years. We are not sure how we will deal with his passing, as he has been such a huge part of our lives.
When my son was young and I would come home from work and talk about Mr. Reny, my son would say, “Mum, you talk about Mr. Reny as if he were a god,” and I would say to my son, “someday you will realize what a great man he is.”
As my son grew older, he did realize what a great man Mr. Reny was and he was able to tell him so a few months ago when he sang for him, and he thanked Mr. Reny for all he had done.
We can only say how much Mr. Reny will be missed by all of us, and there are many of us who have been impacted by him. Mr. Reny has been a great inspiration to many, many people. He will be missed terribly, but he will always be loved and we will keep him in our hearts forever.
Cynthia M. Lear, Renys Corporate Manager
Damariscotta
