Obituaries : Ray Reitzel; Army Man Who Taught Tennis to the Stars

He conducted reconnaissance missions on skis for Gen. George Patton. He ruled as the U.S. Army’s grand champion in Ping-Pong. And he taught tennis to Paul Newman and Doris Day at the Ojai Valley Inn.

On Saturday, Ray Reitzel, 75, died after a brief illness, leaving behind a family and a legion of tennis buffs who learned and played with him in 25 years as a tennis pro.

“He was a special kind of fixture at the Ojai Valley Inn,” said Charles Furniss, a Los Angeles doctor who retired to Ojai. “I’m smiling as I talk right now, because he was one of the reasons I came here.

“He was always on duty. Unlike today’s pros, he was always available to get a game up for anyone. It was a lifelong job of play for him.”

Reitzel first visited Ojai in his teens when he played in the city’s famous tennis tournament. He was born in Oakland and attend schools in Huntington Park. He spent three years in the Army, serving as part of the Reconnaissance Ski Patrol. As such, he slipped behind enemy lines in the Battle of the Bulge, said his daughter, Sharron Fletcher of Grass Valley.

The ski duty left Reitzel with severe frostbite in his toes. “It was amazing he continued to play tennis,” Fletcher said.

While in the hospital recovering, Reitzel started playing Ping-Pong and soon began traveling around to Army bases for tournaments. Before he left the Army in 1945, he won the service’s championship.

In the 1950s, Reitzel moved his family to Ventura County to work with his brother in the real estate business. Within a year, he joined the Ojai Valley Inn as the tennis pro, teaching lessons and rounding up games for the guests.

His students included actors Anthony Quinn, Paul Newman and Doris Day, as well as the ordinary guests at the hotel.

“He was a marvelous teacher,” Furniss said. “He would tend to size up a person and adjust himself to them.”

Although he had an overwhelming tennis serve, Reitzel would play down to his opponent, always managing to just barely defeat him, Furniss recalled. “He made things fun,” Furniss said.

After retiring in 1982, Reitzel opened a small shop in Ojai’s downtown Arcade, selling tennis clothes. He continued to play the game and remained active in the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament.

He is survived by his wife, Diane Reitzel; two daughters, Fletcher and Judy Bowles of Edina, Minn.; a sister, Charlotte Gilmour of Walnut Creek and four grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Clausen Funeral Home in Ojai. Inurnment will be at Nordhoff Cemetery in Ojai.