Robert Shapiro

1936 - 2017

Robert Louis Shapiro

October 9, 1936 - August 1, 2017

Robert L.(Bob) Shapiro passed away peacefully at home, with his family at his side, after a long illness.

Bob was born in St. Paul, MN, to Marian and Mayer Shapiro. After a few years in Houston the family returned to St. Paul, where Bob excelled at tennis at Central High School.

In 1958 Bob earned a BA in Business Accounting from the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana, and was a member of Zeta Beta Tau. Following service in the US Army, he spent a few years in sales based in Europe, where he developed a life-long passion for travel.

Bob then moved to San Francisco as a distributor for Bar Boy, a company pioneering metered liquor dispensers. His first sale was to Alioto's Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf. Soon Bob met Charlie Low, owner of the Forbidden City Night Club, who generously introduced him to other owners. When a customer asked Bob if he could rent a refrigerator, Bob began the business of renting equipment to bars and restaurants.

In 1981 Bob purchased Light Soda on Tap, a San Francisco company founded in 1947 that rented soda dispensing systems and manufactured soda syrups. Bob built Light Soda into the primary rental and service company in the Bay Area hospitality industry.

Bob was a tireless worker who willingly shared his knowledge and expertise. He had a unique sense of humor and enjoyed surprising others with spontaneous acts of generosity. Bob was a strong supporter of Pathways for Kids, an organization that provides motivational career programs for inner-city high students schools in San Francisco.

Bob is survived by his wife, Connie Tomal, brother Charles Shapiro, nephew Stephen Shapiro; and many cousins across the country. Bob is missed deeply by his family, many friends, employees, and industry colleagues.

Bob's family and friends are very grateful to the doctors and staffs at UCSF and CPMC, and his caregivers, especially Jackie Comeaux and Gabriella Klein, for their outstanding skill, dedication, and compassion.

A private Celebration of Life for Bob will held in October. As a way of honoring Bob's memory, the family suggests a donation to American Cancer Society, at www.cancer.org or pathwaysforkids.org.