First published on December 27, 2024

By Bill Herr

Thousands have seen the Ream Christmas display that originated on the Ream farm in 1938 and is now displayed each year at Christmastime on the Bluffton Presbyterian Church lawn. This story is about its founder, Harry Ream.

I first met Harry on October 22, 2001, when he had just become a resident at Richland Manor Nursing Home near Beaverdam. I was a volunteer there, meeting with men who were residents for a weekly meeting.

My wife and I had traveled each year to the Ream farm to see their Christmas display. We knew that Harry made the cutouts of the figures and that his wife, Dorothy, was an artist and painted them.

When I heard that Harry was to become a new resident at the nursing home, I was excited to meet him. When he came to our meeting room, I extended my right hand to Harry and was stunned to see that he didn't have his right hand. He smiled and put out his left hand. We shook hands, and that began a friendship I will never forget. 

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