Bob Raines, the award-winning photographer whose work filled the pages of the Ambler Gazette for 44 years, died Oct. 9 at his home in Ambler. He was 75.
Raines worked as a staff photographer for Montgomery Publishing Company from 1974 until his retirement in 2018, according to the Times Herald. His photos appeared in the Ambler Gazette, Times Herald, Glenside News and Public Spirit.
He covered parades, natural disasters, high school football games, political rallies and visits by four sitting U.S. presidents. He won multiple first-place awards from the Pennsylvania Newspapers Association, Philadelphia Press Association and Suburban Newspapers of America.
Former news editor Neree Aron-Sando put it plainly: "He WAS the Ambler Gazette."
Aron-Sando recalled a Christmas parade where the announcer told the crowd the event could begin because the Gazette had arrived. The announcer meant Raines.
Craig Ostroff, who worked alongside Raines for about 17 years as a sportswriter and managing editor, said Raines brought back so many strong photos from assignments that editors struggled to choose which ones to run.
On the sidelines of football games, Ostroff said, Raines would joke between plays and chat up coaches and fans in the stands. In the newsroom, you always knew where Raines was by his laugh.
Former photographer Bill Fraser first encountered Raines' work in the Ambler Gazette while Fraser was working his way through photography school as a janitor in Upper Dublin. Fraser later joined Montgomery Newspapers as a staff photographer and learned from Raines directly.
Even after Fraser moved to the Bucks County Courier Times, he looked forward to running into Raines on the sidelines during high school playoff games.
Scott Roman, a former photographer and editor who worked with Raines for 20 years, said Raines turned down offers from larger daily papers. "He was offered a lot of jobs at the daily papers, but he liked his gig," Roman said.
Former news editor Cynthia Marone wrote on Raines' LinkedIn page that his photos were the kind families put in scrapbooks. Joan Anton, a photographer who worked with Raines in the 1980s, said he was always willing to share what he knew.
Born in Philadelphia on April 4, 1951, Raines grew up in the city's Oak Lane section and earned a bachelor's degree in English from Franklin & Marshall College, according to his obituary. Outside work, he built furniture, renovated his home and spent years researching family genealogies for relatives and friends.
He loved hiking and vacationing in the Adirondacks. His nieces knew him as Uncle Cookie for his Cookie Monster impressions.
He is survived by his wife, Christine; son Evan; daughter-in-law Emily; and a granddaughter. Christine Raines thanked neighbors and friends for their support during his illness over the past year.
A memorial service will be held Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. at Calvary United Methodist Church, 16 E. Park Ave., Ambler. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. The family asks that memorial donations be made to Wissahickon Trails, 12 Morris Road, Ambler, PA 19002-5499.
