A Man for All Seasons

St. Mary’s Church is one of three buildings owned by the parish that has thrived under Bob Scharpenberg’s care for the past 20 years.

submitted by Bill Kwolek, St. Mary Parish

A familiar figure to many around town, Bob Scharpenberg has occupied a special place in the life of St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Main Street. And it is with heartfelt gratitude that Fr. Bosco and the people of St. Mary parish are bidding farewell to Bob, who is now retired from his position as the parish maintenance man.

Bob has handled the handyman duties at St. Mary’s for more than 20 years. His knowledge of the church, rectory and parish center has carried us through countless problems. When I walk through the grounds, everywhere I see traces of his attention to detail and evidence of his loving touch.

Bob was the go-to man for our last three pastors and remained bedrock for all of them. Furnace failure at 5 am in the winter, Bob diagnosed the problem before dawn; bats terrorizing parishioners, Bob dispatched them; the Christmas mangers, Bob built them, set them up and took them down. He stripped and coated the floors, fixed faulty electrical and leaky plumbing, re-pointed masonry, caulked, painted, cleaned, and made repairs on every square inch of all three parish buildings.

The local farmers who built our beautiful stone church in 1911 would be proud of Bob’s TLC.

Many of you know Bob from his job with Manchester Community Schools. In addition to his service at St. Mary parish, Bob works the afternoon shift at Klager Elementary.

May Bob be blessed as he continues his good work in the community.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.