Robert M. Reber

Robert McColly Reber, 85, passed away at home on February 18th, 2026 after a long battle with Mild Cognitive Impairment. (Alzheimer's). He was preceded in life by his wife of 56 years Rosemary (Rusty) L. Reber (2012), (maiden name Smith) daughter Deborah Ann Reber (2003) and his parents J. Harold Reber and Margaret McColly Reber.

He is survived by his brother Harold J. Reber (Linda), brother-in-law Chris Smith (Gudrun), son Robert C. Reber (Sue) their 2 children, Jessica Reber and fiancé Dave Pacovsky, Emily (Reber) and husband Chris McGlyn and several nephews and niece (Christopher, Scott, Tiffany).

Growing up he and his brother would visit his grandparents in the small western PA town of Ligonier where his grandfather owned a smaller Ford Dealership. This is where Bob became interested in cars, fixing and racing them as well as target shooting. Somehow, he talked his mother into letting he and his brother set up a target shooting range in the basement shooting their .22 (and yes, this was confirmed with his mother years ago).

Before turning 16 he purchased a 1948 Ford which he then spent hours and any monies on making it as fast a car as he could and by all accounts it was. The stories of his 1948 Ford were legendary and although he didn't speak about the racing himself, his friends certainly did and the stories grew with the passing of time. But by all accounts, the '48 as it was referred to was one bad ass car.

He grew up in Drexel Hill and was a graduate of Upper Darby Sr. High School (1959). After high school, he quickly joined the recently started small family Real Estate Firm with his father and shortly thereafter started investing in real estate which became a lifelong love.

He and Rosemary, his high school sweetheart snuck away one weekend in May 1960 to Havre De Grace, Maryland and got married. He told his mother a few days later; told her they had rented an apartment above the stores on State Road, which eventually became the location of Reber Real Estate and later they purchased the buildings.

After getting married and the birth of their son, he sold the 48 Ford and turned his attention and energies (which were seemingly endless) towards family, buying rental properties, and selling real estate, all of which became lifelong passions.

His business career comprised of building a small real estate firm, a title company, a home remodeling company, a mortgage company, converting and rebuilding an old mill in Clifton Heights into several small machine shops etc., buying rental properties which always needed work and updates and later purchased a home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland which his son and daughter referred to as the Work Vacation House. He also was a long-time member of Upper Darby Rotary and is a Paul Harris Fellow, served on several Directorships including The American Red Cross, Delaware County Board of Realtors, Delaware County Memorial Hospital and then Crozier Keystone. He enjoyed the challenges that being in business brought each and every day.

He loved to watch the Eagles and was a season ticket holder since the early 70's, playing tennis and working on projects at his house in Maryland, or any needed repair on one of the rental properties. There wasn't anything he could not fix, install or wasn't knowledgeable about regarding a house or frankly anything mechanical. His son started calling him perpetual motion as he simply could not sit still. He always needed to always be doing something. And if he wasn't actively involved in a project, he would find something that needed to be fixed, moved, painted or repaired and then would look for someone to help him with a 20-minute project… If there was one thing he loved to do, it was to work.

In the end he still had his very strong handshake/grip, was "making appointments, setting up jobs to be done and telling his caregiver Jodi she needed to hurry up because they had to go to a meeting.

His care givers were the best but the longest were Jodi, Sarge, and Lenon, Thank you.

Relatives and friends are invited to a Viewing on Monday, February 23rd from 6:00-8:00PM at the Logan-Videon Funeral Home 2001 Sproul Rd. Broomall, PA 19008. On Tuesday, February 24th a Viewing will be held from 9:30-10:30 AM at the Logan-Videon Funeral Home followed by his Funeral Service at 10:30AM. Interment to follow at Valley Forge Memorial Gardens.

Donations can be made to Alzheimer's or the National Brain Tumor Society.