Robert E. Speed
October 31, 1945 – January 4, 2026
Robert E. Speed, 80, of Santa Rosa, CA and a fifth generation Californian, died suddenly at home, wrench in hand, on January 4, 2026. And yes, Speed really was his last name.
Born in Hayward on October 31, 1945 to Irwin Speed and Rose Morro, Bob entered the world already living up to his name. As a teenager, he made his first decisive break: sent to Catholic school, he rerouted himself to Hayward High without telling anyone. He started building his first car before he could even drive, a ’32 Ford Coupe.
Bob’s first automotive job was at the Carl Block dealership in Oakland before opening Fiat Specialties in Hayward. When he wasn’t fixing Italian cars, he was racing them. His crowning achievement was taking his DSR Sports Racer to Road Atlanta. His racing friend Mario nicknamed him “Roberto Veloce”—Italian for “fast”—an accurate description both on and off the track.
In the late 1970s, Bob met Tomi when he offered her a ride in his bright red Ferrari 246 Dino. Despite her better judgment, she said yes—a decision that turned into 43 years of marriage. Together they had two sons, Casey and Elliot, who inherited Bob’s love of motion, his natural talent for figuring out how things worked, and his tendency to act impulsively and live with the consequences.
Bob’s career continued to follow his curiosity. He worked at a Volvo dealership in Santa Cruz, spent a brief stint in Corvallis, Oregon doing auto repair—and, for reasons unknown, opened an Italian restaurant. He later worked as a journeyman mechanic at Acura of Santa Cruz, service manager for Bob Benson Acura of Santa Rosa and then finally opened Hotei Motors in 1991. The business became a fixture for customers and they followed him for years, which continued even after he handed the business over to his eldest son, Casey.
But retirement didn’t slow Bob down. He stayed busy with a constant rotation of activity—cycling, gardening, bass fishing, and indulging in a secret love of cheesy Hallmark movies. His two large Samoyed show dogs became a great source of pride and you would often see them running alongside his trike down Channel Drive. If you came over, Bob would give you a detailed tour of the countless first-place and best-in-show ribbons.
Beneath the constant motion, Bob showed his love through small, practical gestures—helping friends or family with a project, buying his wife the sewing machine of her dreams, or wordlessly bringing a peach from the garden, sliced and ready to eat.
Bob was preceded in death by his son Casey. He is survived by his beloved wife, Tomi Speed, his son Elliot Speed, daughter-in-law, Marian Schembari, and granddaughter, June Schembari, not to mention Snuffy and Kip, whose daily howling concert—often initiated by Bob himself—remains very much intact.
Bob loved generously, talked loudly, and, in the end, left the world as swiftly as he lived in it. Wherever he’s going, we can be sure Roberto Veloce got there quickly, waiting for the rest of us to catch up.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that you make a donation to San Francisco Samoyed Rescue. SFSR has rescued and rehomed Samoyeds and mixes since 1974. They are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
