Robert Hammond "Bob" Reid

1943 - 2024

Robert "Bob" Hammond Reid

October 2, 1943 - January 21, 2024

Sacramento, California - Bob Reid was born on Oct. 2, 1943, in Sacramento, CA., at Sutter Memorial Hospital, and died on Jan. 21, 2024, at Mercy McMahon Terrace.

Reid was proceeded in death by his mother, Doris Reid; father, Robert Henry Reid; and brother-in-law, John V. Jervis. He is survived by his former wife, Nancy Reid; sister, Sally R. Jervis; nieces Laurie Jervis and Kathy Penn, her husband, Rob Penn; nephew David Jervis; and Kathy Penn's sons, Andrew and Will Fike.

Raised in Sacramento, Reid graduated from Sacramento High in 1961, attended Sacramento City College and the University of Oregon, and graduated from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Ore., in 1967. While at the University of Oregon, Reid studied political science but considered the highlight of his years there the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and the lifelong friendships he made.

Following college, Reid joined the U.S. Army Reservists and spent six years as a member at a Sacramento training battalion.

For two years in the early 1970s, Reid managed Sutter Lawn Tennis Club, a position he later termed the turning point in his career. His parents had joined the club in the early 1950s, and, as a teen, Reid competed on the same swim team he later coached in the 1960s.

After his stint managing Sutter Lawn, Reid launched his own sports promotion company, focusing on tennis exhibitions that took place on the West Coast and Colorado.

While a reservist, Reid worked for the California Republican State Committee, including in the offices of State Senator Peter Behr, Marin County, and later State Senator George Deukmejian, where he managed the latter's campaign for attorney general.

Following Deukmejian's campaign, Reid moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for two years as special assistant to Joseph Blatchford, director of the Peace Corps, before returning to California.

Reid worked in a number of campaigns, including that of Pete Wilson, elected to the U.S. Senate in 1982. That same year, Deukmejian won California's governorship, and Reid served in that administration as director of the California Arts Council for eight years.

In 2000, Reid started work for four different members of the California State Assembly, including Jackie Goldberg and Paul Krekorian, both from the Los Angeles area.

He retired from the legislature in 2008 in anticipation of a heart transplant procedure, which he received on Dec. 18, 2009, at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center.

Reid remained active in his longtime church, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, until the final months of his life. He also swam laps at Sutter Lawn several days each week.

Reid married his childhood sweetheart, Nancy Reid, and while the two later divorced, they remained close for the remainder of his life.

His many friends and family will remember Reid as cheerful with a sharp wit. He was a devout Catholic, both a Republican and a Democrat and an active member of Sacramento's gay community.

A Vigil will take place at 6:00pm on Tuesday, Jan. 30. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00am on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Both services will be at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 1066 26th St. A reception will follow the Mass. The graveside and Military Honors will be on Friday, Feb. 2 at 1:30pm at East Lawn Memorial Park, 4300 Folsom Blvd.

Donations in Reid's name may be made to either The Franciscan Friars of California, 1500 34th St., Oakland, CA, 94601; or the Oregon Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi, 729 E. 11th Ave., Eugene, Ore., 97401. Arrangements by W.F. Gormley & Sons