Spierling, a former Navy officer who developed projects like the Kahala Hilton, and also served on many government boards and commissions, died Saturday in his sleep while on a business trip in San Francisco. He was 74.

Spierling had been in good health and his death shocked his friends and colleagues. He was in New Orleans last week for a national conference of liquor commissioners and stopped in San Francisco on his way home.

"He was a good friend. He was a man of great integrity, a very thoughtful person," said promoter and longtime friend Tom Moffat, who had a weekly backgammon game with Spierling. "It's a sad time. He was in good health."

Liquor Commission administrator Wally Weatherwax said he can't remember Spierling missing a meeting. He said Spierling ran a tight ship, but always had time for a joke.

"He wanted to give everybody their say, but he wanted a sense of civility and decorum. And yet, there was a levity that existed," said Weatherwax. "Even though it was very serious business, he knew you had to sometimes take things with a little grain of salt and see that sometimes there are, besides the focus on the particular problem of the day, greater things at hand."

Spierling was born on Nov. 20, 1929, in Erie, Pa. He attended the Culver Military Academy and earned a business degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Spierling served in the Navy from 1952 to 1959 and was assigned to mine sweepers. After leaving the service, he came to Hawai'i where he began a long career as a real-estate developer and public servant.

Spierling was a general partner of Associates Four, which built and owned the Kahala Hilton, the Regent of Fiji and the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco.

He also was the chairman of the Hawai'i Housing Authority and was a member of the Public Utilities Commission. Spierling was a life member of the Navy League, president of the Admiral Thomas Condo Association, and a Silver Beaver holder in the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts.

In 1997, Spierling was appointed to the Honolulu Liquor Commission which regulates liquor sales and licenses for hundreds of bars, restaurants and retail outlets. He later became its chairman.

Commissioner Dennis Enomoto said he learned a lot from Spierling since joining the panel in 2001.

"We will miss his leadership. We don't always agree, but he's been fair and he's always trying to move the commission forward," Enomoto said. "I liked having some discipline. It was a good way to learn and he was a good guy to learn under."

Weatherwax agreed.

"He'll be missed very much by the commissioners, the staff and the licensing community who knew that the commission, under his leadership, was a fair one," he said. "He had a full, complete life and he was a fun-loving guy. He enjoyed as much humor as he could get out of life."

Funeral services are pending.