Robert K Wrede

Rob was born in New York on August 19, 1939, the only child of Mercedes and Frederick Wrede. He enjoyed a loving relationship with his parents and brought them pride and happiness through numerous outstanding accomplishments as a young man. He was among the youngest ever to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated valedictorian from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1957. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University – his parents’ alma mater – in 1961 and graduated from Cornell Law School in 1969. A passionate learner with exceptional intellect and limitless curiosity, Rob continued his formal education later in life, earning an LL.M. in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University’s Caruso School of Law in 2006.

A devout American, Rob served as an officer in the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army. Following his honorable discharge from active duty, he continued to serve his country as a captain in the 12th Special Forces Group and the 98th Training Division of the Army Reserve.

Rob moved to Los Angeles from New York to start his family in 1969 and made the most of every minute. A respected and dynamic trial attorney – “straight out of central casting,” as one district court judge put it – Rob thrived on the complexities of law and built a diverse and challenging commercial practice that took him around the globe, with clients ranging from the Fortune 500 to Hollywood legends. Later in his career, he was a leader in alternative dispute resolution as a mediator, an adjunct professor at Pepperdine’s Straus Institute, and a member of the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s pilot program for neutral evaluation.

Rob was an active member of the Jonathan Club for more than half a century. As an influential member of the Jonathan Club’s board of directors, he was instrumental in changing policy to admit female members in the 1980s, and as an avid volleyball player and ocean kayaker who was always up for a good time, he became an indelible part of Jonathan Beach Club lore.

Rob served on the board of directors and as president of the International Student Center at UCLA, as a trustee of the Los Angeles Heart & Lung Surgery Foundation and the Valley Forge Military Academy, and on the advisory board of the Foundation for Women Warriors. He and his family enjoyed ministry, music and fellowship at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills.

Rob is survived by his wife Ranlyn Tilley Hill Wrede and their children Kendrick Randolph Wrede and Kendlyn Mercedes Wrede. He is also survived by his adult children Christian Kendrick Wrede and Suzanne Noelle Wrede, their mother Joan DeFlumeri Wrede, and Suzanne’s son Bastian Jack Wrede.

A service will be held on Friday, August 18 at 9 a.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Robert K. Wrede Memorial Fund for Ocean Conservation, Music and Veterans (https://www.calfund.org/robert-k-wrede-memorial-fund/).