Robert (Bob) Schachtel, a 50-year produce industry veteran, died on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Mr. Schachtel spent his entire produce career in sales, spending the past 25 years as sales manager at Expo Fresh, based in San Diego. He was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1944. At the age of two, his family moved to Boca Raton, FL where his father worked as a fishing guide. It was then when Mr. Schachtel love for fishing was born, and as he was growing up in Florida he set several state fishing records.
It was also in Florida where Mr. Schachtel began his produce career, joining his first wife’s family business. His career allowed him to travel across the country, eventually winding up in Southern California, where he first met his good friend, Norman Walsh, owner of Arrowhead Packaging.
“I met Bob 30 years ago and we became close friends about 25 years ago,” said Walsh. “He was a good guy. He was trustworthy and a man of his word.”
And he was a good salesman.
“If the market was $3 for tomatoes he’d get $4. If there were 45 loads of tomatoes in he’d get rid of them all. He could do magic with produce.
“We would do a lot of fishing together,” Walsh continued. “We fished in tournaments, won some of them; we did a lot of charity events, we fished in Baja, the Sea of Cortez and off the coast of San Diego. He loved to fish, trap and skeet shoot.”
Walsh said that while Mr. Schachtel was married three times, he was truly married to his job. A celebration of Mr. Schachtel’s life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m. the Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego.
