Happy Birthday to Bob Rees, one of Bountiful’s founders. Bob has worked tirelessly since 2008 to make people aware of the plight of malnourished children. Thank you Bob for your service!

Bob Rees serving in the Baltic States Mission.

“My dad is as happy reading a poem as the sports page. He loves being outraged about politics, he plans on saving the environment, he can make a whistle out of a blade of grass, catch a lizard with his bare hands, rewire appliances, make passable homemade pizza and inedible moussaka (while wearing a floor-length kaftan), carve pumpkins with surprising artistry, and sing American folk music on long car rides, his specialty being all the verses of Froggie Went a-Courtin’. Sacred music makes him weep. He is singular in his belief that Jesus was funny. If he thinks he can do it, he will try. His optimism is glorious, having faith in his own industry, which itself is impressive. We can all hope we get as much done in a day, and a lifetime. He’ll always answer the phone.” -Bob’s daughter, Julianna

“Dad’s childhood could be described as harsh. His choice as a result was to make our childhoods loving and lovely. He was jealous that mom, through pregnancy, had built a closeness to each of us, so he was a very involved parent. He bathed us, changed our diapers, read to us, and delighted in playing with us. This may be more common now, but it certainly wasn’t 60 years ago. You can see the profound joy he experiences interacting with children and their mothers in the photos taken of him on his trips for the foundation. He is a living example of turning suffering into delight.” Bob’s daughter, Jenny

 Although Bob has playfully described himself as a “peripatetic gadfly”, Patrick Mason called him “a person who has been on the right side of issues (peace and love), crying into the wilderness for so long.”

Barry Lopez inscribed in his book: “For Bob Rees — sterling companion. I would travel anywhere with you — and when I travel without you, I would hope to conduct myself as you have.”

Upon hearing Edith Reed’s daughter say her mother “showed us how to live and how to love” Bob’s response was, “That’s what I hope someone can say of me after I die.”

Read more about Bob’s life on Wikipedia.

Bob with his wife, Gloria.