John Reding

1944 - 2018

John Anthony "Jack" Reding

May 26, 1944 - October 23, 2018

Jack Reding, 74, died peacefully, surrounded and cherished by his loving family. He was pre-deceased by his parents Col. John "Jack" Anthony Reding and Patricia Myers Reding. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, he met and later married the love of his life, Barbara Hansen Reding. He is survived by Barbara and their three daughters, Katherine Reding Hall, Ann Marie Reding, and Erin Hansen Reding. Each day, he treasured his daughters who were his gifts of a lifetime. His sons-in-law Tim Hall, Ajay Krishnan, and Eryk Gettell were like true sons to him. He adored his eight grandchildren, Jack, Sam, and Mia Hall; Arjun, Narayan and Ishan Krishnan; and Owen and Jane Gettell. His loving family also includes his sister Christine Reding and her family, Randall Fleming, Jesse Reding Fleming, Annelie Persson, and Luca Fleming.

Jack, born in Orange, California, was an Air Force "military brat," and lived in many places in the United States and abroad. It was not until he attended Berkeley that he truly found a permanent home. He received his A.B. degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 and his J.D. degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley in 1969. He was admitted to the California bar in 1970.

Jack joined and became a partner at Oakland's Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May (1970-1997) and was a partner at the San Francisco office of Paul Hastings LLP (1997-2011). He served as chair of the Paul Hastings Litigation Department firm wide.

Jack was a lead trial and appellate attorney specializing in civil litigation and trial practice. A brilliant lawyer, he was a master collaborator with peers and a mentor to young associates. He used his oratorical skill and razor-sharp intellect to win numerous jury trials. He devoted himself to his clients and to the people with whom he worked. Being a lawyer was never a job for him; it was his calling.

Some of his greatest joys were teasing the people he loved and making them laugh, storytelling and embellishing stories already told, golfing anywhere with friends, traveling globally or just around the corner, collecting and sharing his great finds in wine, skiing fast out-of-bounds, fly fishing on the Truckee River, and supporting his beloved Cal Bears. An ardent fan and Bear Backer, he never gave up hope that his team would triumph.

Most of all, Jack loved his family and his family loved him right back. He was immensely proud of "his girls." He, his wife, and three daughters were "The Fab Five." He considered himself a very lucky man indeed. No Jack, we were the lucky ones.

Please consider making a donation in Jack's memory to Berkeley Law Opportunity Scholarship at
https://www.law.berkeley.edu/opportunity/ or by calling (510) 643-9789.