Robert Reitter, a former resident of Hastings over about forty years, died peacefully at his home in Hartsdale on October 29, 2022. He was 85 years of age, and had been through several long illnesses.
Bob was born on April 20, 1937, in Budapest, Hungary, to an assimilated Jewish family. He survived the Holocaust, in hiding at a few different locations throughout that city. He and his parents emigrated to New York in 1948.
After graduating from Yale University, and living in France during a formative year on a Fulbright Scholarship, Bob made his career in the field of market research. He operated an independent consultancy with a small staff for several decades, and later worked for a larger firm, specializing in survey research used in legal trademark disputes.
An interest in learning to read the Hebrew Bible in the original led eventually to a reinvolvement with his ancestral religion. He joined Temple Bet Am Shalom, a Reconstructionist congregation in White Plains, in the early 2000's, and had an adult Bar Mitzvah ceremony there in 2004.
Bob is survived by his wife, Douglass, formerly of Irvington and Hastings, two sons from his first marriage, Nicholas and Paul, a granddaughter, Cecelia, stepchildren Lani Roy Bonifacic and Timothy Roy, and five step-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife, Rose, who died of cancer in 1993.
A stalwart and devoted family man, Bob was also a highly attentive neighbor and friend. He took a lively interest in the concerns and doings of those who came into his circle. There were also many intense hobby activities of his own. In his younger adult years, these tended toward mainly solitary pursuits, such as woodworking and photography. Later, in his religious studies, and his lifelong interest in philosophy, dialogue with selected interlocutors took on a more significant role. He will be remembered for his thoughtfulness, his approachability, and his gentle way with others, as well as for his upstanding character and strong convictions.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Feeding Westchester.