A twinkle in his eye

Bob Pifer retired as publisher of the Register in 1993, but his presence and his impact on the newspaper and the community never waned. "As a boss and as a man, he was the gold standard," said Diane Pusateri, a Register staff accountant who was hired in December 1980 as a circulation manager, two years after Pifer became the boss. "He was such a professional. He used to tell me, 'I think you have ink in your blood.'" Pifer, 91, died Sunday. He was appointed publisher of the Register in 1978, a full 20 years after he first came to work in the advertising department. He was an advertising manager, and later an advertising director before becoming the business manager at the Register."Bob did a fantastic job for us over the years. He was also the best, kindest person I've ever known at telling someone 'no,'" said David Rau, CEO of Sandusky Newspapers Inc."There is a story about Bob when he was advertising director at the Register in the mid-1960s. An advertiser — a good customer — came into the office one morning upset about a typo in his ad the day before. He asked for Bob Pifer, and demanded that the entire ad be rerun at no cost for both ads. Bob, with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, sat the customer down and said 'no,' explaining at length why he couldn't do that. 'And if you'd like me to,' said Bob, 'I'll even sing "no" to you.' The customer was still a bit upset, but Bob told him he would buy him lunch, and together they walked out the door with the happy expectation of a good perch lunch at Ehrnsberger's."In 1969, Register's owners bought the Grand Haven Tribune in Grand Haven, Mich., and appointed Pifer publisher. He served in that role until he came back to Sandusky 10 years later to become its publisher. Shortly after his return, the Register began publishing its Sunday Register again, becoming a seven-day a week publication. He looked back on his career when he retired with satisfaction, but also knowing the Register would survive without him. "Everybody is replaceable. You have to move aside for the next generation of people who are coming on board. The next tier, the next chapter," he said then. Kathy Lilje, the Register's news editor, said Pifer possessed an ability to make everyone feel important. "He was a true gentleman. He cared about his family, his work force, our readers and the community," she said. In early 2015, Pifer visited the Register during an open house celebrating the newsroom's move from the third floor to the ground floor, and commented on the refurbished desks."We bought all those desks for $4,000," Pifer said.He led a tour of the building and talked about the press at the Register, which was installed in an addition to the newspaper building at Jackson and Market Streets."This side was installed first," he said, pointing to east end of the press. "The other half was brought in three years later. It was an enormous investment at that time.""He was a good man," said Tim Parkinson, the Register's current publisher. "It was always great when he visited, and he visited frequently through the years. He was always a welcome sight."Pifer was born in Jackson, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Ohio University School of Journalism in 1948.He was involved in numerous civic activities while publisher in both Sandusky and Grand Haven, serving on many boards including the Chamber of Commerce.He and his wife Sharon made their home in Sandusky. Bob Pifer and Tim Fleck, former chief photographer sit and talk in the new studio inside the new newsroom at the Register in 2015, during an open house.