Riemke, John and Barb Family Fund

Donor Fund Story:

John Riemke was one of the first board members at the Noble County Community Foundation, Inc. He wanted to be involved with an endowment fund, and after his wife died, he decided to donate some of her memorials to a family fund—John and Barb Riemke Family Fund. Half of the fund goes to the Immaculate Conception Church in Kendallville, Indiana and the other half goes to the Life and Family Services, which is also located in Kendallville.

Mr. Riemke was born 5 miles east of Orland, Indiana. After graduating from high school, John worked in the construction industry. He moved to Kendallville in 1962, where he operated the Shell station on US 6 (now Walgreen’s). He was the mayor of Kendallville for 20 years (1972-1991), worked for a nine county non-profit (NIRA), was executive director of the Indiana Rural Development Council under the Lieutenant governor’s office, was town manager for the towns of Albion and Avilla, and was Project Development Director for VS Engineering.

He married Barb and had four children. Barb had a soft spot for Life and Family Services, so John made a point to donate money to this non-profit in honor of his late wife.

John has been involved in many committees and boards throughout his life. He served on the Audit and Finance Committee at the Noble County Community Foundation, Inc. He has been on the executive board for the Retired Indiana Public Employees Association; he has been involved with the Kendallville Local Development Corporation; he is serving on the Cole Foundation Board; he was the former chairman of the United Way; he has also been on the Immaculate Conception Church Finance Committee, Common Grace Ministries and serves on the Mid- American Windmill Museum, and Knights of Columbus 7839.

Mr. Riemke appreciates Noble County because of the hard working, blue-collared, dedicated workers. He says that the county is fortunate to have the Noble County Community Foundation Inc., the Cole Foundation, and the Dekko Foundation; because they assist people and make things happen. He states, “The community is only as good as the people are in it.” He also says, “And with the lakes, Noble County is a good place to live.” He challenges young people to get involved with their community. He wants them to leave their footprint in the sand.