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Former North Haven Mayor Robert F. Reiser died on April 3 while visiting with his daughter in Hingham, Massachusetts. He was 78.
Born to Frank and Grace Reiser and raised in Brooklyn, he attended Xavier High School in Manhattan and graduated from St. Peter’s College, a Jesuit institution in New Jersey where he was editor of the college newspaper. Following graduation he was commissioned as an officer in U.S. Army Military Intelligence and after his discharge earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1958.
During his first summer at Harvard he worked as a deckhand on Moran tugboats in New York Harbor, which inspired his love of boats and the sea. Upon graduating, he took a position with Moran Towing Company and before long was appointed sales manager. Following this experience, he began a distinguished career in business, education and public service and throughout 25 years he held several executive positions at Xerox Corporation—a Fortune 500 company—his last as president of Xerox International. He later taught at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where he became chairman of the marketing department.
Mr. Reiser had summered in Sag Harbor since childhood. He and his wife, Mary Reiser, made North Haven their permanent home in 1993. He was twice elected mayor of North Haven Village, serving from 1998 to 2002. He was a trustee of the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor for many years, and became president of its board in the late 1990s. Most recently Mr. Reiser served as president of the Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry and was a lector and a member of the St. Andrew’s Catholic Church Restoration Committee.
An avid sailor, he was a member of the Sag Harbor Yacht Club and made many ocean voyages. He also was a skier and golfer and belonged to the Noyac Golf Club. He spent many summer days umpiring Little League games because, according to survivors, it was his belief that sports are important for youth.
In addition to his wife of 53 years, he is survived by a daughter, Mary and her husband Dr. Walter O’Donnell of Massachusetts; five sons, Jack and his wife Linda Reiser of North Haven, Mark Reiser of North Carolina, Robert and his wife Bernadette Reiser of Virginia, Martin Reiser of Washington D.C. and Peter Reiser of California; four granddaughters, Erin, Bridget, Kathleen and Mary Claire; and seven grandsons, Timothy, Daniel, Michael, Brendan, Thomas, Walter, and Robert. He was predeceased by a sister, Mary Jane Woodward.
A funeral mass was held on April 7 at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sag Harbor. Interment followed at St. Andrew’s Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Cormaria Retreat House, P.O. Box 1993, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, or to St. Andrew’s Church, 122 Division Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963 would be appreciated by the family.
on Apr 8, 2010