Lawrence Rieser

Long time Jackson resident, Larry (Lawrence) Rieser died at home Thursday, July 24. He was 88 years old. Larry was born in Chicago in 1925 and grew up in Highland Park, Illinois. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II but the war ended before he completed basic training. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1948 and married Enid Reich that same year. He obtained an additional degree from the University of Illinois and his Masters in Sociology at the University of Chicago. He stayed in Chicago, working as a community organizer with Saul Alinsky. He then worked in public relations and development for a number of institutions including the University of Chicago, Michael Reese Hospital and the Hull House. He ran several settlement houses for the Chicago Federation of Settlements and in 1967 became their Project Director for Child Development Programs. In that position he organized and administered Head Start programs for 17 settlement houses. Larry started skiing in the 1950s, spending winter vacations primarily in Colorado. In 1969 he started bringing his family to Jackson Hole and finally moved to Jackson in 1973. He worked at a number of hotels and then started working for the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation as a ski host, eventually becoming a supervisor. In 1981 he became a ski instructor, a position he retained until his retirement earlier this year. He was certified both in Alpine and Snowboard. Larry held a number of other jobs in the Jackson area. He worked as driver and then a boatman for Barker-Ewing Scenic Tours. With a partner he ran his own personal guide service, organizing activities and taking individuals and groups on tours of Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. He taught Western Swing dancing for Dancers Workshop at the Cowboy Bar and other venues from 1979 onward. Larry served on several boards of directors: Teton Youth and Family services, Dancers Workshop and Adoption in the Tetons. He was an active member of the Jackson Hole Jewish Community and last year celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. Rieser is survived by his children, Debbie Rieser of Nittedall, Norway, and her children Ingrid and Anja; by David Rieser (Alexandra Jackson) of Wilmette, IL and their children Graham and Alanna; and his former wife, Enid Rieser, of Chicago. He is preceded in death by his parents, Leonard and Peggy Rieser, two brothers, Leonard and William and his sister, Catherine Rieser. A memorial service is planned for Sunday, August 10 at 2:00 at the Old Wilson School House. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

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