After 38 Telemiracles, Bob McGrath says he wants to spend time with wife

SASKATOON – A longtime fixture of children’s television says this year’s Kinsmen Telemiracle telethon for people with special needs in Saskatchewan is his last.

Bob McGrath, known by most people as “Bob” on Sesame Street, has appeared on 38 of the annual 39 fundraisers.

McGrath, who is 82, announced during the telethon on Sunday that he has been in show business a long time and at this point in his life, wants to spend time with his wife Anne.

Joan Steckhan, executive director of Kinsmen Telemiracle, says McGrath and his generosity will be missed, but that “it’s a long standing tradition in the Kin world that family always comes first.”

The Kinsmen Telemiracle organization says McGrath has helped it raise over $105 million since the first broadcast.

It says McGrath missed only one year, which was due to a scheduling conflict.