REM Award Honorees (2009) — Ron Woodbrey (REM)

Many of the great things that happen in the world come from ordinary people who do extraordinary things. REM’s own honoree is such a person.

When Ron Woodbrey came to REM, he took us by storm, doing those hard, unpleasant, physical tasks that must be done for great events to happen. He did them methodically, efficiently, and with a smile.

Just when you think you know Ron, he surprises you with hidden talents that show his artistic abilities. If you’ve ever had one of his “Sarah’s Sweets,” named after his daughter, you’ll know what we mean! Ron’s brownies and fudge are delectable! His generosity enables us to provide top-quality baked goods for our events and raise money with them.

In any volunteer-based organization, timing is often of the essence. Dependability is paramount. One of Ron’s best traits is his dependability. If Ron says he’ll be there, he’ll be there!

To pull off a big event, planning is imperative. Quite often Mother Nature presents challenges that require moving to plan B. Ron always has a plan B, and he moves into it with grace and style.

If Ron has a temper, we’ve never seen it. If we were to give him a middle name, it would be “Patience.” He often has to wait around to get the information he needs to proceed with his projects, but he is always patient and never seems discouraged. Ron is a delight to work with and a perfect example of what we admire most in a human being.

Ron lives with his wife Nancy in Winslow. They have six children, two girls and four boys: Sarah, Kristie, Chris, Darren, Jason, and Grant. They love to do things together and do so often as they can.

Ron, we love you, we thank you, we salute you. We are proud to name you as our 2009 REM Award Honoree.