Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
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Home / Bill Riegel Memorial Garden Dedication

Bill Riegel Memorial Garden Dedication

On October 28th, a chilly autumn day, with fleeting sunlight splashing across the changing leaves in United Jewish Cemeteries Walnut Hills, 30 guests gathered to remember the former UJC Superintendent, William Riegel. Bill Riegel served as the UJC Superintendent from 1991-2008. Bill passed away in March 2017. A garden area, with a bench bearing the Riegel name, was dedicated in his memory.

JCGC was honored to have Bill’s wife, Peggy, along with Bill and Peggy’s son, David, and grandson, Nathan, as well as Bill’s sister Tammy, and her husband, Kenny, attend the event. Other guests included several former UJC Board members and former and current JCGC Board members, JCGC Guardians and Friends donors, JCGC staff members, and community members.

Dr. Richard Kerstine, former UJC Board member, provided a remembrance of Bill Riegel. Rabbi Gary Zola attended the dedication and offered remarks on the history of our cemeteries and a short tour of the cemetery and the history it holds.

The history of UJC goes back to the middle of the 19th century, formed by KK Bene Israel and KK B’nai Jeshurun, now known as Rockdale Temple and the Isaac M. Wise Temple, respectively. UJC eventually acquired six cemetery locations, including the Chestnut Street Cemetery, which is the oldest Jewish cemetery west of the Alleghenies and was founded in 1821.

David Riegel and Peggy Reigel.

Dr. Kerstine noted that Bill Riegel helped transform and professionalize the cemetery association, creating much of the framework on which JCGC was built and still operates. Bill parlayed his experience as Superintendent at Greenville Union Cemetery and his passion for teaching and helping others into his UJC position. Bill was a great resource to the other Jewish cemeteries in Cincinnati that were not a part of UJC and he enjoyed being of service to the Jewish community.

Dr. Kerstine noted that Bill’s passion for teaching and helping others made his employees at UJC a priority for Bill. He took pride in training them in proper cemetery protocols and best practices, teaching them skills they did not previously possess, and trying to help in other ways, as well.

Bill’s son, David, fondly recalled spending summers working with his father at the cemetery and noting that his father took great pride in his work, a lesson which David carried into his own life and has instilled in his son. Ronnie King, JCGC Foreman, who worked with Bill for many years, spoke eloquently about his former boss, noting that Bill taught him almost everything he knows about his work and recalling how much Bill cared, personally, about the UJC staff members.

David Riegel and his son, Nathan.

Bill liked people and he liked teaching people and finding solutions to problems. For instance, when UJC had hired some staff from the former Soviet Union and there was a language barrier, Bill translated the English words for pieces of equipment into Russian and had labels made in Russian for equipment.

Bill made an effort to form relationships with the surrounding neighborhood, as well. He would send JCGC’s snowplow out to the surrounding streets, which were often not plowed by the city for hours after a storm. Bill wanted to help neighbors be able to get to work or leave their homes safely, and for them to think of the cemetery as an asset to have in the neighborhood. And Bill would also invite kids from the neighborhood in for a tour, and then enlist their help in keeping the cemetery clean, by asking them to not litter along the cemetery. He knew that kindness and a spirit of friendship would go farther than scolding the children, and that their curiosity was part of why they spent time along the cemetery wall.

After Bill retired, he was active in his church community, filling in as a leader when they were without clergy. He loved woodworking and made children’s toys and other useful items. Bill and Peggy also were interested in theatre, set design and also acting. Bill often played a butler in productions.

Bill planned and developed the section of the cemetery, where the garden is located. The Jewish Federation’s Young Adult LEAD program helped prepare the garden, which surrounds a tree that was planted by volunteers from Rockdale Temple. We all stand, to some extent, on the shoulders of others, whose work and commitment are a benefit to us today. Bill Riegel will be remembered fondly by JCGC and the community.

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    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 months ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    If you’ve met Ronnie, you know he’s the real deal and always joking, like in this headline (and of course, he’s not speaking about YOU personally!) We wanted to share our pride in Ronnie’s accomplishments and years of service to our community being recognized. ... See MoreSee Less

    'In 15 minutes, I will have you in a hole.' Meet Ronnie, he digs graves for a living

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    For Ronnie King, digging graves is one of the easier parts of his job as foreman for Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati. He's got stories.
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    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 months ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    Thank you to our friends 91.7 WVXU and Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial! We're excited for Sunday's program, which will provide a new twist on some great family stories! Will we see you there? ... See MoreSee Less

    The holidays are a great time for genealogical exploration

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    An upcoming workshop has tips for recording your family history.
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    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 months ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    What an honor to have been part of this historic year of events! Thank you to the Cincinnati Preservation Association for the kind recognition. Chazak, chazak v’nitchazeik – wishing our entire community success in moving from strength to strength!Each year, the Cincinnati Preservation Association's Preservation Awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in local preservation activities in the areas of preservation leadership, education, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and sustainability.We're doing something different this year by sharing our honorees ahead of time! Please join us in congratulating the honorees as they are announced, and follow the link below to RSVP to the 2022 Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards that will take place at 4pm on Sun 4 Dec at ARCO in Price Hill! (ARCO Cincy is a 2020 CPA award winner in the Rehabilitation category.)Education is one of CPA's founding principles, and education is key to connecting people to the importance of our history and the need to preserve it. This year’s education award goes to the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial, a 14-month long celebration that featured more than 50 events, including genealogy exercises, history lessons, concerts, dance performances, and art exhibitions with a range of collaborators and partner organizations.Jewish community life in Cincinnati formally began with the founding of Chestnut Street Cemetery in 1821, on land purchased from the largest landowner in the area, Nicholas Longworth.The Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial kicked off on 26 Sep 2021 with the rededication of this burial ground, one of the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati. In preparation for the start of the celebration, the tombstones were cleaned, a plaza and educational panels were added, and the gate, fence and brick wall around the cemetery were restored and repaired.L’dor v'dor — from generation to generation — the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial looked back on 200 years of history and forward to continuing contributions to the city. This milestone was a chance for both celebration and reflection, and presented a compelling opportunity for the community to come together as one.Congratulations to everyone involved for providing a robust platform for us all to learn about and celebrate 200 years of Jewish life in Cincinnati!Stay tuned as we continue to announce the 2022 honorees and please plan to join us at ARCO this Sunday: www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-preservation-awards-and-annual-meeting-tickets-430317470137 ... See MoreSee Less

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Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
3400 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
513-961-0178

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