Robert Adler Berliner
January 5, 1931 - October 2, 2021
Robert (Bob to many) passed away at home on Saturday, October 2, 2021. Healthy and fit at 90, he was sitting with his wife, June—the love of his life since they were 18—when something (perhaps an aortic rupture) suddenly took him from us.
Robert was born in Montreal, the son of Edgar and Fannie Berliner. Both were Americans but were living in Canada where Edgar and his family ran the Berliner Gram-o-phone Company of Canada, manufacturing gramophones and disc records invented by Robert’s grandfather, Emile Berliner. Robert, his older brother, Oliver, and his parents lived in the Westmount neighborhood of Montreal.
The family moved to Southern California in the late 1930s, seeking a more healthy climate. They lived initially in Pasadena before settling in Beverly Hills. Robert remembered living in Southern California during the World War II years, and riding the Red Line around the city with great freedom at a very young age.
After graduating high school, Robert headed to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. There he focused on finance and economics, and made many lifelong friends. Early in his sophomore year he met June Flamberg of New York, a student at nearby Drexel Institute of Technology. They were smitten with each other and have been together ever since--with one exception: Robert, who loved flying and aviation, served in the Air National Guard reserves and had his college education interrupted when his unit was activated. He relocated to an Air Force base near Spokane, Washington. He served honorably and there, too, formed a tight-knit group of friends, nicknamed, “The Double Martini Club.”
Shortly after Robert was discharged he and June married in New York and settled initially in Pomona, where Robert completed his undergraduate studies at Claremont Men’s College. He attended classes in the morning and worked one to three jobs in the afternoon and evening. June and Robert also started a family, with the arrival of Patricia, then James, and later Paul.
Robert was a serial entrepreneur, combining creative thinking and a strong work ethic to achieve success in a number of very different fields. He spent many years in aviation, operating helicopter charter services to a number of industries, and later was involved in the leasing of Lear jets. He worked in corporate finance, helping numerous companies raise capital. He spent over a decade in oil and gas production.
Finally, just over 30 years ago, he teamed with his son, Jim, to found Westmount Asset Management, one of the earliest firms to pursue the independent advisory model, eliminating conflicts of interest, and pursuing a wider range of investment exposures beyond traditional stocks and bonds. Westmount has become one of the largest independent investment advisory firms in Southern California, and has received considerable national recognition for its innovation and growth, but Robert was proudest of the relationships the firm has had with longtime clients and of the incredible team the firm has built over the years.
Throughout his career Robert was known for his integrity and for being a worthy steward of his capital and that of his partners and investors. He was also known for his warmth and caring. He was a role model to everyone in his life and he served as an active mentor to many. Robert always provided support and encouragement to others, and inspired many people to achieve things they never dreamed were possible.
Though he always worked hard—actively engaged until the day he passed away—he was above all a man devoted to his wife, his kids, and his grandkids. Though a manager of wealth and money, he had few material needs or wants, and received his joy from spending time with June and his family, reading books and the Wall Street Journal, and playing with his dogs.
Robert is survived by his wife, June, his children Patricia (John Fritchie), Jim (Diane), and Paul (Cheryl Aloff), his grandchildren David (Kate), Carolyn (Jared Trudeau) and Lauren (Jason Parini), his brother, Oliver (Ginny), his sister-in-law, Audrey, many nieces and nephews, and his pups, Lexi and Rocky. He was predeceased by his brotherin-law, Henry Flamberg, sister-in-law, Ruth Marks, and brother-in-law, Dr. Arthur Marks. The family is grateful for the love and attention provided over the years by Isabel Parada, Dora Morales, Linda Ena Quinonez, and Becky Portillo.
Those interested in making a contribution in Robert’s memory may support organizations he admired that are transforming people’s lives: Grameen America (https://secure.givelively.org/ donate/grameen-america-inc) and Building a Lifetime of Options and Opportunities for Men (BLOOM) (https://connect.calfund.org/give/bloom).