Bob Lemke -- Terribly Sad News

[Rich Klein]

This was on TS O'Connell's FB page.

Bob was a titan in the cataloguing field and many items are known today because of his dedication to the whole process.

In passing, all I can say as a fellow cataloguer, I admired him greatly.

Please note TS O'Connell's information is posted below -- he may be able to provide more details

I don't know if I am doing this properly but I wanted to tell as many Krause Publications friends as possible that our dear friend Bob Lemke passed away this morning at a hospital near his home in Central Pennsylvania. People in the sports collecting hobby/business know what a towering figure he was and his influence and impact over almost four decades was enormous. I can be reached directly at tsoconnell1959@gmail.com or at (715) 445-2902. TS

[Shoebox]

My condolences to his family and friends and those of you that knew him.

[Tim Kindler]

Sad to hear of Mr. Lemke's passing. All collectors will be forever in debt of the knowledge he passed on to the collecting world. My condolences to his family and those who knew him as a friend.
Tim Kindler

[kkkkandp]

Very sad. Bob was a nice guy and always willing to chat. I enjoyed talking to him at shows when he still went to them.

I also liked some of the cards he mocked up as well. Pretty creative.

[bnorth]

Bob was a great man that was very helpful. I will miss him.

[ls7plus]

A tremendous and eager resource who will be sorely missed. Travel well, amigo!

All the best,

Larry

[Marckus99]

Wow. I just communicated with him about an uncataloued issue..

Such a wealth of information to all of us collectors.

RIP.

[tombocombo]

Bob will be missed

[Bocabirdman]

Bob's Blog was always a great read. His passion came through in everything he wrote. He was truly one of the "Good Guys"............

http://boblemke.blogspot.com/

[leftygrove10]

I am sorry to hear this. I emailed back and forth with him on several occasions. He was a great resource and will be missed greatly.

[Robert_Lifson]

My deepest condolences to the Lemke family. The hobby has lost a true giant. Bob was a friend of mine for decades and I simply could not have had a higher opinion of him, or a greater appreciation for his enormous contributions to the field. We had many correspondences over the years. Here is an excerpt from a letter I sent to him on May 16, 2015 in response to an email of congratulations and kind words he wrote to me about the then-most recent auction. In this particular letter I happened to have the opportunity to express directly to him my appreciation for his great role and extraordinary contributions to the hobby. I thought this would be an appropriate time and place to share. RIP Bob. Your friend always, Rob L

Hi Bob! Great to hear from you!

Thank you for your note and most important: thank YOU for your immeasurable contributions to the field! …I have always tried to keep the true spirit of the hobby alive in the pages of our catalogs – the same spirit that has always been embodied in all of your hobby work. The new collectors – I’m not 100% sure they fully understand where all the assembly, organization, and documenting of this knowledge for the benefit of all comes from (and all this work is a big part of what makes the field so interesting and great) – but they DO know it comes from somewhere (much of it from your efforts!) and they do very much appreciate learning about hobby history for this reason. I’m not sure if I ever properly communicated this to you, but when I think of Bob Lemke, I ALWAYS think (and always say to others): If there were a Mount Rushmore of hobby figures who have contributed to the field most, and have made the most significant and long-lasting positive impact, in my opinion you would be one of the few celebrated members of this elite group, along with Jefferson Burdick, Charles Bray, and no doubt a few others. SCD and The Standard Catalog are two of the primary building blocks upon which the hobby as we know it has been built! The hobby has changed a lot over the years – some for the better, some for the worse – and we have been most fortunate to live through and witness the growth of the field from a much earlier and simpler time. It has been very exciting! The days of SCD being the lifeblood of the hobby are unfortunately gone (they were great while they lasted!), and the Internet and eBay just aren’t the same, but the hobby will live on in a different form. It is hard for the new generation to appreciate the role SCD played in the hobby. I’m not sure the hobby would have grown as big as it did without SCD. Hopefully the Standard Catalog will somehow be revitalized and continued. I’m not sure if anyone will have the opportunity, or the dedication, knowledge, interest, understanding, ability and wisdom to do the great job that you have – you were the secret ingredient that made it work! But I hope there will somehow in time be the opportunity for a worthy steward that is up to the task to continue the project. In the meantime, I hope REA will continue to provide a little excitement and fun and education into the hobby, and provide a window into what collecting was all about in the past as well as the present (many collectors don’t understand it wasn’t always so much about grading and authenticity issues!) I know you’ve been keeping busy with the hobby even in your retirement, and I hope to join you in retiring one of these days! (while at the same time also keeping involved). In the meantime, if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know! (including letting people know about and how to order your cards-that-never-were if desired – these are extremely interesting – I don’t know what is involved in making small quantities and even if you can fill a lot of orders, but these are so neat that to see them is to like them, and I also think these will gain a much greater following in the years to come with exposure).

My best to you always,

Sincerely,

Rob L

Robert Lifson

[Northviewcats]

Spent a lot of time researching items in his catalog. Almost everyday for the last 10 years. Sorry to hear of his passing. My condolences to his family and friends.

[Paul S]

Never met him, but like a trusty friend whom I relied upon through his work and dedication...will always feel like that. RIP - Paul

[glynparson]

Sleep in the stars Bob. The hobby will surely miss your passion and knowledge. Truly a great guy.

[JoeDfan]

That is sad to hear. He was such a nice guy, and generously helped me out a few times.

[7nohitter]

Can only echo what others have said. I only had a few interactions with Bob, via email, but he was extremely helpful and friendly. I enjoyed his "cards that never were" creations.

RIP, Bob.

[Moonlight Graham]

RIP Bob.

[autograf]

Can't say much more than has already been said in this thread. Corresponded a few times with Bob on things and his 'cards that never were' were fantastic. I have a couple of 1952 Topps and 1953 Bowman Color and B/W that he created that are just fantastic. I had intentions to get a few more to add to my 1952 set but just kept putting it off. I will fondly remember him when I look at the few I do have. RIP to Bob and condolences to his family and friends during this time.

[divecchia]

Bob was a true hobby legend. He will be missed.

RIP, Bob!!!

Condolences to his family and friends.

Donato

[paul]

Truly one of my favorite people in the hobby. He will be missed by so many.

[VintageBall]

A hobby giant and a lovely person.

[Bigb13]

Such a great guy may he Rest In Peace

[JasonD08]

A huge positive impact to this hobby. RIP Bob

[rjackson44]

rest in peace bob

[pclpads]

Extremely sad and lousy start to the new year. RIP.