Robert Helsher Rath, oil industry executive and public servant, died of complications from pneumonia yesterday. He was 91.

Rath was born July 17, 1915, in Honolulu, the youngest of five children of James and Ragna Rath. He was raised in Palama where his father founded the Palama Settlement, a place where Rath would return to in later life to continue his father's legacy.

He graduated from Punahou and the University of Hawai'i, making a name for himself in swimming and as a coach. He retired from Union Oil after 35 years, leaving the company as president of Unoco, the company's international division.

His friends and family remember him as witty, intelligent and a tireless supporter of various organizations, including at the Palama Settlement, Strong Foundation, Punahou School, Junior Achievement and Straub Foundation. He served on the Public Utility Commission, and was bankruptcy trustee for the Oceanic Foundation and Kahala Sportswear.

He was devoted to his company, said Paula Rath, his daughter.

"His idea of a nice Sunday outing was to drive around the island and check out service stations," Rath said. "He used to make me go in and check out the ladies' room. He called me his sparkly girl. That convinced me I was doing a valuable service."

Robert Rath was an exceptional athlete, earning a diving and polo championship at a young age, Paula Rath said. He was a good swimmer but a better coach, she said.

Palama was a tough neighborhood when Robert Rath was growing up so his brothers taught him to box, Paula Rath wrote about her father. His father died when Robert was 13 so he didn't have much money, but he still played golf using a set of borrowed left-hand clubs and learned to roller skate by sharing the cost of a pair of skates with a friend. They each got one skate, she said. He earned pocket money diving for coins on Boat Days, his daughter said.

His life in Palama would later draw him back, where he served the community trying to improve his father's legacy through fundraising and as a member of the board of directors of the Palama Settlement, she said.

"He was always a Palama boy," Paula Rath said.

Robert Rath was a hard worker but he had no trouble enjoying life, she said. As a boy he dreamed of owning a North Shore beach house and finally was able to build one in the 1960s. Every morning there he had a routine he would play out dressed in a yukata.

"He would say, 'Ho hum, another monotonously beautiful day in paradise. The king has arisen, the day may begin,' " Paula Rath said.

Robert Rath worked his way through Punahou and there he met Bill Paty, who became a sugar plantation executive and director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. They were longtime friends.

Paty said his friend had a wide interests and felt comfortable among all types of people.

But what Robert Rath loved to do was dive for lobster and fish at their Kawailoa Beach properties, which they leased from Bishop Estate, Paty said.

"Even when the waves were up he would say, 'Let's take a chance,' " he said.

Rath is survived by Jacky, his wife of 66 years; son Robert H. Rath Jr.; daughters Paula Rath and Roberta Cullen; and four grandchildren. Services are pending.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.