Robert Thomas "Bob" Reid

1948 - 2025

Robert ""Bob"" Thomas Reid (age 77) passed away peacefully in his home on August 16, 2025 surrounded by his loving family. He leaves behind a devoted wife Colleen of 41 years and his adoring children Jerry Reid (Sarah), Paul Reid (Katie) and Casey Reid. He will be greatly missed by his six cherished grandchildren: Tyler, Payton, Ella, Avery, Kaylyn and RJ.
Bob was born on March 10, 1948, in the ""old hospital"" in Avalon, CA to parents Alfa and Parlane Thomas Reid, Sr. He was the baby of the family and the ?rst of his family to actually be born on the island in what was then the new hospital. He is survived by his siblings Parlane T. Reid Jr (Carol), Doug Reid (Helena) and Jan Reid Peters. He spent his childhood on beautiful Catalina Island attending school, playing, and working various jobs including working in his family's pharmacy, Avalon Drug Store. He was active in sports, played high school basketball and was a volunteer for the Avalon Sheri?'s Department (LA County Sheri?'s). On any given Saturday you could ?nd Bob, in his High School Years, in the bowling alley, re-setting the pins, while giving advice to anyone who would listen. Bob graduated from Avalon High School, Class of 1966 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War where he served as a helicopter mechanic from 1966-1971. As a Marine Corps Veteran, we are so grateful for his service to our country.
After the military, Bob pursued a life-long dream of becoming a police o?cer. Bob graduated from the historic Los Angeles Police Academy in 1971 in Elysian Park and was an esteemed member of the Los Angeles Police Department for over 36 years. He worked in several assignments as an o?cer, including 77th Division, Central Tra?c Division, West Tra?c Division, Hollywood Division, and as an instructor in the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.
It was during his assignment in the Hollywood Division where Bob met and fell in love with his beautiful wife Colleen as they worked together on the streets of Los Angeles. They spent many afternoons getting to know each other over a quick soda or a bite to eat at their favorite spot, South Town Soul Food. After dating for several years, Bob and Colleen got married on a yacht in Newport Harbor on June 20, 1984.
After being promoted to Sergeant in 1991, Bob returned to D.A.R.E. and led the program as Sergeant, traveling throughout the western states to help bring drug abuse awareness to youth in America. In 1995, Bob was assigned to the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) at the LAPD Academy as Sergeant, O?cer in Charge. During this time, he trained thousands of police recruits the necessary skills in police driving tactics, including collision avoidance, skid control, and high-speed pursuits. This quickly became Bob's passion, and he remained in this assignment until his retirement in 2007.
Bob's athleticism and passion for running continued from high school throughout his law enforcement career. For multiple years as a sworn member of LAPD, Bob was chosen to be one of 20 team members to compete in the internationally known Law Enforcement running race, Baker 2 Vegas Challenge Cup Relay, where over 100 police agencies would compete in a 120-mile relay race from Baker, CA to Las Vegas, NV. Bob passed his passion for competition and running on to his kids and participated in several races as a family. Bob, Jerry, Paul, and Casey all competed in the Balance Bar Adventure Race in Folsom Lake in 2004, overcoming a dozen challenging obstacles during a 3-mile run. Bob then competed in a triathlon (swim, bike, run) in Malibu with Jerry and met a couple of celebrities! Finally, Bob had an impressive ?nish at the 2014 Catalina Island Triathlon that he completed shortly after being diagnosed with cancer with family cheering from the sidelines. This was a true testament to his strength and determination.
Bob was a member of the International Law Enforcement Educators & Training Association (ILEETA), and a long-standing member of the National Ri?e Association (NRA).
Even in retirement, Bob continued to work in law enforcement. He worked at the California Police O?cer Standards in Training (POST) on the Perishable Skills Training Unit and helped create state policy and standards for vehicle pursuits. He was an Instructor at Rio Hondo's Police Academy alongside the Los Angeles Sheri?'s Department (LASD), which was the ?rst department for which he volunteered in Catalina. He was the Lead Instructor of Alan Hancock Police Academy in Lompoc, CA eventually taking over supervision of the EVOC program. In his honor, there is a street at the training center named the ""Bob Reid Expressway"".
He had a very long and successful career and leaves behind a true legacy in law enforcement.
Bob shared his deep faith in God, his love of family, and his love of animals with his wonderful, caring wife Colleen. Together, they adored and spent much of their time with their children and precious grandchildren. They enjoyed owning racehorses, traveling, bowling with the grandkids, and attending all the various sports and activities in which their kids and grandkids participated. They have had a menagerie of family pets including horses, dogs, cats, birds and even a pig. Many were rescued, and all lived a charmed life at the ""Lazy RT Ranch"" (Reid family home and stables).
Bob's children speak of their father's extensive involvement in their activities and interests. For many years, he volunteered in Booster Clubs for Paul's high school baseball. Paul remembers fondly that his dad never missed a single baseball game. Jerry and Paul shared a love of golf and running with their dad, which was seen in their various races and golf tournaments over the years. Bob also passed his love of basketball on to Jerry and loved watching him play ball through college. Bob loved to see Casey (""a daddy's girl"") smile and thrive and was the coach for her softball teams. He was very proud that Casey followed his professional path into Law Enforcement. He found great joy in watching all of his children succeed in life.
Bob had many nicknames. Whether you called him Bob, Tom, Pup, Hooker (a reference to a game-winning hook shot in high school), Uncle, Sponge, Grandpa, Dampa, RT, Dad or Daddy, he will be deeply missed and never forgotten. Rest in peace. We love you eternally and will see you again.
The extended family will gather on Monday, November 24th in Avalon to celebrate this wonderful life. If you see any of them around town, please say hello and share a happy, uplifting memory of Bob. In lieu of ?owers, the family requests that donations be made in Bob's Honor & Memory to City of Hope at http://cityofhope.org/giving.