After 25 years of devoting themselves to volunteering at the St. John rummage house, Bob and Jeanne Greenlee have decided to retire from their duties.

“I really didn’t want to work every Saturday anymore. It was just time for us to leave we want to do other things,” said Jeanne Greenlee, 74.

Until about three weeks ago, the couple, married 54 years, could be found almost every day working at the rummage house on the northeast corner of 13th and Kentucky streets.

They each typically put in 20 to 40 hours a week and sometimes many more leading a team of about 20 volunteers who sort, price and organize the operation, which provides used clothing, furniture and other items to the community at low cost.

But the Greenlees have decided it’s time for a change of pace. They’re going to relax a bit.

“I want to travel. I’d like to go South, where it’s warm. I think we’ll drive down there it’s more scenic that way,” said Bob Greenlee, 76.

The Greenlees, along with Carl and Lee Trybom of Lawrence, who finished up more than two decades of working at the rummage house about a year ago, have been reliable fixtures of the volunteer effort.

“They’re extremely dedicated people, and they’ve been dedicated to the parish for as long as they’ve been here. They don’t expect anything in return for what they do. Bob and Jeanne just do things, and you can always bank on them to volunteer. My first year here, I was told, ‘If you need something, just call Bob,'” said the Rev. Charles Polifka, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1234 Ky.

Helping rebuild lives

In fact, it was Bob Greenlee’s idea to move the rummage house operation from an old home the church used to own at 1237 Vt. to its present location at 1246 Ky.

“Bob was the one who said we have to move it to a different place. He really did all the rearranging inside (the new location),” Polifka said.

Bob and Jeanne Greenlee devoted 25 years running the St. John rummage house on the northeast corner of 13th and Kentucky streets. The rummage house provides bargains for people living on tight budgets.

The house on Vermont street was sold about five years ago, and the buyer had it moved to another address in town. The site where it once stood is now home to the St. John’s Parish Community Garden.

Thanks to the efforts of the Greenlees parishioners at St. John since 1961 and other volunteers, the rummage house has been able to donate $600 per month to the church’s altar society projects and $500 per month to Catholic Community Services of Lawrence, 320 Maine.

The rummage house has provided a place where college students or others living on tight budgets can come and find bargains on items they need everything from warm coats to coffeemakers.

Often, the rummage house has donated clothing, furniture or other goods to people who are in need, such as those who have been forced out of their homes because of a fire or are trying to rebuild their lives, starting from scratch.

“It’s kind of heartwarming to think you can benefit people, just give them a start in life. I feel like we’ve done quite a bit,” Bob Greenlee said.

“I feel like we’ve helped a lot of people and made a lot of friends. It was just something to do, I guess. It was fun,” his wife added.

Personal satisfaction

Pam Hinchberger, 50, the couple’s daughter, grew up watching her parents spend all their spare time volunteering.

“If somebody said, ‘Hey, I need the shirt off your back,’ my mom would wash it, iron it, put it on a hanger and give it to you. She’s just that kind of person. She pretty well ran the rummage house, and then my dad was the cheap labor. He rebuilt that place and carried all the heavy stuff,” said Hinchberger, who lives in Butler, Pa.

“That’s just how they are. They were brought up to work hard and give of yourself, and they always have. That’s what they instilled in my brother (Richard Greenlee, 49, of Olathe) and me. Just the personal satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped someone, that you have made a difference.”