Robert Stanley Reis
1917-Oct. 22, 2008
Palo Alto, California

Robert Stanley Reis, 91, a longtime Peninsula resident, died in Palo Alto on Oct. 22.

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Stanley and Bertha Reis. He began his education at the University of Cincinnati, earned his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and his M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1941.

During World War II he was an army cadet, earned an advanced degree in meteorology from New York University and served as a staff weather officer in the Army Air Force. In 1946, he married Kato Mendelssohn. Together they had four sons, and, with fellow Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus Robert Bush, purchased City Transfer and Storage Company of San Francisco. When Bush moved on to other business pursuits, Richie Smith, a friend of his, joined on — a working partnership that lasted years. Later, he served as the chairman of board and chief executive officer of Allied Van Lines in the 1970s. In 1980, he and his sons Tom, John, and Ron renamed the company to DataSafe, focusing on records management and storage.

During his career he served as president of the National Furniture Warehousemen's Association in 1962, president of the San Francisco Better Business Bureau in 1972, and on the boards of directors of various civic organizations such as the Guardsmen, Rotary Club of San Francisco, The Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco, the Lassen Park Foundation and the Sequoia Foundation. He loved golf, which he played at an early age in national amateur tournaments and intercollegiate tournaments, eventually as captain of the University of Cincinnati golf team; bridge, where he attained the rank of life master; and dominos. He was a member of the Family Club of San Francisco; the Bohemian Club, where he served as the Chairman of the Grove Committee; the Menlo Circus Club; and the Menlo Country Club.

He and his family shared a passion for nature and they would often vacation at "Echo Springs," a family retreat in northern California. His family remembers him for his gentle soul, sense of humor, love of nature and resilient devotion to those close to him.

He is survived by his wife, Kato Reis of Palo Alto; his four sons and their wives, Ron and Barbara of Menlo Park, Tom and Julie of San Francisco, Brian and Prudence of Foster City, John and Karen of Menlo Park; ten grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

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