Louise Behlen Riemer

Louise Behlen Riemer, 90, of Columbia Maryland, suffered a stroke in late April and passed away on May 7, 2024. Her family were with her throughout.

Louise was born to Dorothy and Victor Behlen on 29 August 1933 in East Cleveland, Ohio, the youngest of four children. The family moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio in 1934, eventually settling in a farmhouse they restored in 1937. Their ‘in-town farm’ had five acres, a barn, animals, gardens, an orchard, a playhouse, and plenty of room to roam. Her mother Dorothy was blind during most of Louise’s childhood. Her older two siblings, Bob and Jane, were 18 and 13 years old when she was born and were often like parents to her. Her sister Mary was 3 when Louise was born and the two of them were like a second family to Victor and Dorothy.

Louise attended Chagrin Falls High School and graduated in 1951. During her school years she volunteered with the Red Cross and worked as a lifeguard at the local recreation center. Louise went on to attend Lake Forest College in Illinois and in 1955 received a BA in Fine Art.

In 1953, while working a summer job as a lifeguard at a small country club, Louise was introduced to the charming Michael Riemer. They met in May and were engaged by Thanksgiving. Louise went back to college to finish her degree and they endured a two-year long-distance engagement. They were married in a simple wedding in the orchard at her family home in August 1955. Her niece Jennifer was the flower girl at the wedding. Louise was the ultimate catch, and her liveliness, enthusiasm, encouragement, and dedication carried the couple through their sixty-eight years of marriage, rarely apart and always completely devoted to each other.

Children followed soon after the wedding, starting in 1956 and continuing in quick succession until 1962. Life revolved around their school events, homemade Halloween costumes, birthday parties, tent-trailer camping trips, swimming lessons and bike rides.

Louise and Mike lived in Chagrin Falls and later Shaker Heights, Ohio where Mike worked as a city planner for the City of Cleveland. The family relocated to Maryland in 1969 where he was one of the planners of the New Town of Columbia, working with The Rouse Company. The long distance move was a major challenge for Louise, leaving her hometown and starting fresh with four young children.

As the children became more independent and self-sufficient, Louise looked for a new challenge. She first turned to volunteering with the schools and then at the new, small Columbia library. Recognising her talent, the library offered Louise a job and it quickly became evident that with another degree she could progress swiftly in the rapidly growing library system. Going back to university again, Louise was awarded her Master’s in Library Science in 1975. She moved from her initial position at the reference desk to an administrative position, starting small branch libraries around Howard County. These quickly became substantial branches in the fast-growing area. Her job also included the oversight of all out-reach programs to underserved populations such as the blind, the deaf, the homebound and to the county prisons.

Louise instilled in her children, and everyone around her, a love and respect for reading and literature and the value of libraries in the community at all levels. When she retired from the library she immediately joined The Friends of the Howard County Library System, and later served on the Library Board. She remained active and interested in all things related to literacy to the very end. Her involvement is reflected in her expressed desire to direct funds in her memory to the Friends of the Library of Howard County.

Louise is survived by her husband Michael and their four children; Cynthia Louise Hanegraaf (Paul Hanegraaf) of London, United Kingdom; Marthe Jane Roles (Carroll Roles) of Mount Airy, Maryland; Victor Grier Riemer of Catonsville Maryland and Polly Coles (Mike Coles) of Elkridge, Maryland. She Is also survived by three grandchildren: Max Wright (Katie), Anneke Hanegraaf and Stefan Hanegraaf. Louise’s niece Jennifer Steciak of Columbia Maryland was as dear to Louise as her own children and has been extremely close to her throughout her life. Louise has remained in touch with her many nieces and nephews. She was the last remaining sibling of their parents and was valued and loved by them all.

We remember Louise in many ways; a fast walker, a careful listener, a lover of art with an eye for color and pattern, a curious and adventurous traveller, maker of the best pie crusts, efficient organiser, stickler for grammar, lover of water from pools to lakes, rivers and seas. She has always inspired her husband, her children, and her grandchildren to be the people they are today. Without her we simply would not be.

In lieu of flowers please donate to ‘Friends and Foundation of Howard County Library System’: www.friendshcls.org