Leo H. Riegler

1925 - 2017

Leo H. Riegler

June 7, 1925-November 26, 2017

Leo H. Riegler was born in Vienna, Austria and fled that country with his mother on April 27, 1939 on a kindertransport to England. He lived in London before being enrolled in a boarding school in Kent. Shortly after World War II broke out, the school was evacuated to Shropshire. In 1940, during the Blitz in London, then later that year, an agricultural settlement for European refugees was established in Soúa, Dominican Republic. At age 15, he was the youngest to sign up. The group sailed without incident on the S.S. Cameronia without convoy across the Atlantic Ocean, however during the following crossing, the ship was torpedoed by a German U-Boat. During his 6-1/2 years in the Dominican Republic, Leo worked many jobs, his favorite working with livestock, herding cattle, and breaking horses. At the settlements, he befriended a Dominican security guard named Antonio Imbert, who many years later headed a small group that assassinated the Dictator RafaelTrujillo and became a national hero, a General, and provisional President. In 1947, Leo signed on as a crew member on a Danish freighter that sailed all over the world. In 1948, he arrived in Oakland from the Orient on a Norwegian freighter. He was offered a ride to San Francisco in the back of a laundry truck. Over the years, he held many jobs and worked at the Fairmont Hotel, White House Department Store, Granat Bros. Jewellers, and the Emporium. During the Korean conflict, he was drafted into the Army and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. When he divulged that he was in the United States illegally, he was honorably discharged and given a deadline to leave the country. He left for England, and returned legally six months later.

In 1958, Leo began tending bar at a popular Beat hangout, The Coffee Gallery, located on upper Grant Ave. He later bought the business which featured poetry readings, jazz and folk music, and blabber mouth night. Performers included Janis Joplin, Lord Buckley, Pony Poindexter, and Bev Kelly. In 1971, Leo sold the Coffee Gallery and moved to Costa Del Sol, Spain, and also spent time in the Island of Ibiza. He intended to open a bar in Spain, but on a trip through Morocco, he totaled his car and suffered injuries. While recuperating in Agadir, and later in Fuengirola, Spain, he decided to return to San Francisco. He tended bar at Vesuvio, the popular North Beach bar. Later he bought into the business and for many years was the managing partner.

Except for a brief marriage, Leo was a bachelor. He enjoyed sports cars, travel, good food, the company of attractive women and getting together with friends at local bars and restaurants for a drink and a game of dice. He lived in North Beach until his death. He is survived by his niece, Elli Larrieu of Arizona.